Hand file vs grinding

[grizz55chev]

Chainsaw filing threads are much like oil threads, we all have our ways of doing things and as long as it gets done that's what's the focus. So what oil y'all running on those grinders?

 

[JR Hill]

Coolant gets kind of messy so I don't use it. But if I did:
https://www.amazon.com/Fusion-Chemi...pos=&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&th=1

 

[oldguy]

Journeyman machinist and toolmaker here. I use the saw chain machine to reestablish the angles and to make every tooth profile the same, left and right side. After that I touch up the teeth with a file 2-3x before they are set aside for the grinder again. @oldguy is right in his comment. Do y'all know grinding wheels get dull? A grinding wheel has to be 'dressed' to stay sharp. A dull wheel causes them to overheat the tooth and puts a force on the pass that causes uneven sharpening.

Many people don't understand angles. Proof is in looking through their drawer of metal and wood chisels. Their drill bits. Or look at their pocket/hunting knife. A chain saw tooth profile has compound angles that are hard to do by hand consistently. That's why I machine sharpen chains in between file touchups.

I don't recall making that comment but it is true.

 

[NSEric]

I like using my grinder more than hand filing.
I tend to do a better job with the grinder, I think it's because my face is only a few inches from it so I can see the cutter better. Lots of people can do just as good or better with a file but im not one of them.
I have spare chains now so I swap them out when dull and grind them when I get home. I dont need to do this but it's how I like to do it.

 

[sean donato]

It's extremely important to know when your file is done as well. Experience is learned through repetition, and making mistakes! A badly sharpened chain will create a lot more work for the operator and could do permanent damage to your saw, seen it many times! I never go out in the woods with less than 3 saws, and maybe a few extra chains as well.

exactally, on all accounts. Takes a lot of screwing up to learn something well.
I usually take a few saws along with me, depending on what I'm planning on doing. Lately it's just been take the ms400 and 390xp and a spare bar for one of them. Figure if I get 3 bars between 2 saws pinched, I better stop and reevaluate wtf I'm doing before I kill myself. Always take plenty of chains with, never know when you're going to hit that nail, wire insulator, rock, basket ball mount.....

 

[Ridgehiker]

Im a firewood hack, I cut 10-15 cord a year, been doing it for 25 years, never had a grinder, or used one, but damn sure wish I did a few times, I keep my chains as sharp as possible, a couple strokes with a file before I leave the house, and a few strokes with every tank of gas keeps my chains nice and sharp, unless I hit something, than that saw gets put in the truck until I get home to get it re sharpened, which can be time consuming filing by hand

 

[Hermio]

That 2 in 1 is 100% dependant on the chain being right to begin with, before you factor in user error. I'm not a fan of them. Just learn to file and move on with life. No need for gimmicky tools that only work right when the stars align under a red moon.

Not really. The 2 in 1 will not assure that all cutters are the same length but it will file to a consistent level of sharpness and raker height. That goes a long way towards productive sawing. And it is much faster than separately hand filing the cutters and the rakers. I get faster cutting speed with the 2 in 1 than with a new chain, and I use Stihl RS chain exclusively on my 500i.

 

[Hermio]

It's extremely important to know when your file is done as well. Experience is learned through repetition, and making mistakes! A badly sharpened chain will create a lot more work for the operator and could do permanent damage to your saw, seen it many times! I never go out in the woods with less than 3 saws, and maybe a few extra chains as well.

I go out with an extra bar and chain sometimes. No need for an extra saw in most cases.

 

[Marley5]

The edge holds longer with a file and the gullet looks better.
I prefer synthetic oil

 

[sean donato]

Not really. The 2 in 1 will not assure that all cutters are the same length but it will file to a consistent level of sharpness and raker height. That goes a long way towards productive sawing. And it is much faster than separately hand filing the cutters and the rakers. I get faster cutting speed with the 2 in 1 than with a new chain, and I use Stihl RS chain exclusively on my 500i.

First, it's not a raker, it's a depth gauge.

Second, the depth gauge does not need adjusted every time the chain gets hit with a file. To add to that, depth gauge(s) should be set for the type of wood being cut and the specific power head and bar/ chain being used.

Third, it doesn't take much to make a stihl chain cut faster then the factory grind, or just about any other factory grind for that matter. It's a universal ah ha moment when you've learned how to sharpen a chain by hand properly, and it cuts better then a new chain.

fourth, everything else I said previously still applies to it 100%.

 

[Mad3400]

Filing & Grinding are Overrated,

I just buy a new chain when one dulls...


Mad3400

 

[Marley5]

Filing & Grinding are Overrated,

I just buy a new chain when one dulls...


Mad3400

Say it ain't so
Sell me some chains ?

 

[Mad3400]

Say it ain't so
Sell me some chains ?

I melt them down into bricks and send them to scrap for a dime a dozen...


Mad3400

 

[Sidecarflip]

Journeyman machinist and toolmaker here. I use the saw chain machine to reestablish the angles and to make every tooth profile the same, left and right side. After that I touch up the teeth with a file 2-3x before they are set aside for the grinder again. @oldguy is right in his comment. Do y'all know grinding wheels get dull? A grinding wheel has to be 'dressed' to stay sharp. A dull wheel causes them to overheat the tooth and puts a force on the pass that causes uneven sharpening.

Many people don't understand angles. Proof is in looking through their drawer of metal and wood chisels. Their drill bits. Or look at their pocket/hunting knife. A chain saw tooth profile has compound angles that are hard to do by hand consistently. That's why I machine sharpen chains in between file touchups.

That only applies to vitrified wheels that I don't use. I use CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride) wheels. You NEVER dress them, you only clean the grit (which is plasma sprayed on an aluminum rim), when the grit gets loaded with swarf and then you clean it with a soft white stone.. The grind radius is built into the wheel rim (machined into aluminum rim) and the grit is applied over it. A CBN wheel will outlast a vitrified wheel 10 times or more.

Additionally, you can buy plasma coated aluminum rimmed wheels for grinding carbide tipped chains as well.

I'm a Journeyman T&D maker / designer myself but I happen to own and operate a short run job (machine) and fabrication shop with 2 full time employees as well.

 

[nedsim]

That only applies to vitrified wheels that I don't use. I use CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride) wheels. You NEVER dress them,

You don't dress the wheels with a surface coating of CBN (or similar diamond wheels) that you use, but there are CBN (and diamond) wheels with a thicker layer of abrasive that can be trued/shaped.

 

[Hermio]

First, it's not a raker, it's a depth gauge.

Second, the depth gauge does not need adjusted every time the chain gets hit with a file. To add to that, depth gauge(s) should be set for the type of wood being cut and the specific power head and bar/ chain being used.

Third, it doesn't take much to make a stihl chain cut faster then the factory grind, or just about any other factory grind for that matter. It's a universal ah ha moment when you've learned how to sharpen a chain by hand properly, and it cuts better then a new chain.

fourth, everything else I said previously still applies to it 100%.

I have heard it called a raker about as often as I have heard it called a depth gauge. One example: https://chainsawaddict.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-chainsaw-chains/
Although it is not necessary to adjust the cutting depth each time, it certainly does not hurt to do so, and why not do it if the tool does it with no increase in time? I don't find it practical to adjust the depth gauge for each type of wood. Though all the wood I cut is classified as hardwood, there is a lot of difference between hickory, white oak, cottonwood, sassafras, basswood, walnut, etc. I am not about to change my sharpening for each one, as I may cut several species in one day. I do find that the 2 in 1 seems to be a bit grabbier than the factory grind. Though I have not checked it, I suspect it files the depth gauges or rakers a bit deeper than factory spec. But since I am using an MS500i with a 20" bar normally, and occasionally a 25" bar, power is not an issue. I have buried the 25" bar in hickory and it barely slows down.
And no, the 2 in 1 does not require the chain to be perfect at the start. As I said, it will sharpen each tooth to a consistent level of sharpness and depth. But it will not automatically assure equal tooth length. Of course, the user is free to measure the shortest tooth and file away the rest until they are all the same length. I don't have the patience to do that. I just have a shop true the chain up with a grinder from time to time.

 

[NSEric]

The edge holds longer with a file and the gullet looks better.
I prefer synthetic oil

I like red oil like dominator, it matches the color of my saws, I gave up on blue oil as I dont have any blue saws.
On a serious note, grinding takes as much skill as filing and the chains should be pretty much identical when done no matter how you sharpen it if you do it right.
I have a round grinder, stihl 2 in 1, file guides, dremel attachment and regular round files, my chains all come out about the same no matter which method I use to sharpen them.

 

[Hermio]

I like red oil like dominator, it matches the color of my saws, I gave up on blue oil as I dont have any blue saws.
On a serious note, grinding takes as much skill as filing and the chains should be pretty much identical when done no matter how you sharpen it if you do it right.
I have a round grinder, stihl 2 in 1, file guides, dremel attachment and regular round files, my chains all come out about the same no matter which method I use to sharpen them.

I have a Granberg system also. It does marginally better than the 2 in 1, but takes about 10 times as long to get the job done, counting setup time. Not worth the time to me.

 

[NSEric]

I have a Granberg system also. It does marginally better than the 2 in 1, but takes about 10 times as long to get the job done, counting setup time. Not worth the time to me.

The 2 in 1 is the best chain sharpener made for guys who want a decent chain as quick and easy as possible. I take mine to the woods with me for touch ups.
I simply like to fiddle around with the grinder and experiment with different angles/profiles.

 

[Del_]

The 2 in 1 is the best chain sharpener made for guys who want a decent chain as quick and easy as possible. I take mine to the woods with me for touch ups.
I simply like to fiddle around with the grinder and experiment with different angles/profiles.

If the 2 in 1 could be modified for progressive depth gauge filing it would be even better. I have three of them but seldom use them for this very reason. I've got 3/8 mini, .325, and 3/8.

Even if a progressive gauge file guide had to be used on the first tooth and hand filed, then adjust the 2 in 1 to that setting.