hand filing

[Tree Machine]

A big, HOLY COW on that point !

Then, you mean

it's not really

Rocket Science?

 

[Tree Machine]

The earth moves

That's really all it is?

So I could ask my friend Dave Neiger to create one of these for me, and I could just copy the angles to the next round gullet chain.

You guys and girls,

Do you realize how you've boiled the square-file vs round file down to the least common denominator. Now anyone can DO IT.



Square file, round file. Angled cutter edges, curved cutting edges. It just a change in shape.



I learn the best stuff from you guys. :blush:

 

[Stumper]

Jim, I think the great difficulty of square filing is overblown but.........I have only played with square a little. It cuts much smoother but does take longer to file. Thus far I haven't really messed up a square filed chain-it may be a real pain to straighten out. Well actually I did mess one up but I just round filed it. I have square on one big saw and intend to keep it square until or unless I decide I can get better performance from it by converting to ol' comfortable round filed.

 

[Ax-man]

Tree Machine,

When you get good at filing regular square chisel, try this on for size. The bottom picture is the on you want to look at. The top pic shows a hatchet job with a grinder.

Now that Glenn is gone , can we load pictures a little bigger

 

[Old Monkey]

What book is that?

 

[Tree Machine]

Awesome !!!

The points come alive. YOW! Square-ground having a round gullet.... and we are OK to cut.

 

[Ax-man]

What book is that?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Fundementals of General Tree Work by G.F. Beranek, old and some what outdated as far as tools go, compared to what we have to what we have to work with today, but technigues are sound and haven't changed, lots of hands on info.

Larry

 

[Crofter]

Ax-man; I believe the first photo is a tooth that has been square ground a number of times without ever cleaning out the ledge, chin, or gullet area. the second photo is the same tooth with the gullet cleaned up with a round file.

 

[Tree Machine]

I get to ask one of those silly questions: Is a square-ground file actually <i>square</i>? This is an imponderable that has eaten at me for almost hours now.

 

[Crofter]

Tree Machine; wonder no more. Here is a view of chisel bit files. The "goofy" is kind of a hybrid round/ flat and the triangular is basically that with a facet on the end of each triangle that does the side cutter. The flat style has the sides split into two facets that each each do a side cutter (one left One right)

 

[rubberducky]

I just eyeball it for the most part. I'm not very old but, I sure do know how to sharpen a chainsaw.

 

[Tree Machine]

That's a big 10-4 Rubber Ducky, c'mon?

(tolerance to bad humor appreciated)

Rubber Ducky, I'm just bouncing a laugh with you. You'll float with it, eh?

Ohhhhh K. Welcome to the site RD. You gotta tell us your dig on bringing a chain to a magical sharpness.

=========+++++++++==========++++++++++========

Crofter, thank you, Man. You've so cleared the air with your effort. Wow. Square-grinding school is thus completed. It's time the new crop of chain apprentices is let loose into the field.

A lot of awesome information in just a few short pages. My world is a better place because of it.

 

[CNYCountry]

Straight smooth fast.

I know this is really an old thread and I certainly don't know it all but the first thing that caught my eye was that cable just to the side of the cut, I would be thinking kickback personally?!?

 

[lync]

My 2 cents. Husky has a roller guide for $8 in the Sherrill Catalog.
I bought one. It's the best guide I've ever used, and I feel It beats hand filing. I've tried the file guides like Stihl and Oregon that attach to the file, but they don't help you keep a constant 10 degree angle across the top of the chain, they only control the file depth. They also cover the factory "witness marks" on each tooth. This Husky guide controls the file depth, and the top angle, all you do is file parrellel to the witness mark across the top of the tooth. Since you can see the witness marks its easy to keep the angle consistant.
Like many of you I file every day, sometimes3-4 passes to touch up a dull chain (3-4 tanks of fuel) and some times 20+ passes on each tooth if I hit something in the tree. For 8 bucks its worth a try. Try it you'll like it!!!!! corey

 

[Kate Butler]

hand filing??

Hand filing?? Not me. I bought a Stihl 12 volt electric that clips to your battery. First, I cut the clips off. Then hard-wired the female plug and 4" of HD extension cord to the battery of my truck, fed it through the grille (where it rests until I need it), then spliced the appropriate ends of the remaining portion of the 25" HD extension cord, and now have a PLUG-IN chainsaw sharpener - I can sharpen the saw on the tailgate of the truck, a convenient height, and perfect to really see how it's shaping up.

It rolls up and is carried in the small toolbox that houses all my "small engine" stuff: brushcutter blades, extra line heads, wrenches, sharpening stones for the chainsaw widget above, safety goggles - everything I need in the field to keep everything running.

Oh, yeah, I permanently attached an embossed label on the female plug that says "12 volt only"

 

[Bermie]

I hand file all my Stihl saws with a file guide, (BUT I just bought a thingy for the dremel for the days when there are 6 chains waiting to be sharpened) and then go once around the block with the depth gauge guide and the flat file. As someone said earlier, keeping a sharp chain sharp is easier than renovating a nasty one. I find that a new chain can take three or four sharpenings (assuming it hasn't been dinged by something other than a tree) before I need to check the depth gauges. You lot are lucky with chain prices, a new chain here sets me back at least $25 a pop.

What is of overall importance is understanding that the filing angles, cutter length and depth gauge (raker) settings are all connected. Get one wrong and the whole process starts to get out of balance. That includes how the rest of the saw operates, chain condition has a direct effect on bar wear, sprocket wear, engine wear and operator wear! Not to mention performance.
I notice no-one has mentioned removal of the burrs created from filing, that is also very important, if those burrs are not removed they can peel back the chrome or fold over and you've got a dull chain again.

When I teach saw maintenance, I have a cool set of VERY big chain components (available from Oregon) to use as teaching aids. It really helps, rather than getting people squinting at itty bitty chain bits. I also get trashed chains from the local Stihl dealer, cut them into 8" peices and use them as demos for what kind of damage to look for, then get the students practicing on them before they are let loose on a complete chain. Works pretty well.

 

[geofore]

kickback?

I know this is really an old thread and I certainly don't know it all but the first thing that caught my eye was that cable just to the side of the cut, I would be thinking kickback personally?!?

If the chain is sharp, it would/could cut right through the cable if you make the mistake of getting too close and hitting it at full speed.

 

[belgian]

I notice no-one has mentioned removal of the burrs created from filing, that is also very important, if those burrs are not removed they can peel back the chrome or fold over and you've got a dull chain again.

And can someone comment on how you do this a decent way ?
thanks in advance

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

OK, my turn. I always file by hand, and if I'm afield, touching up one chain, I'll just sit down on a stump and clean the edges up. If I'm at home, doing more than one chain, or doing a long chain, say 28" or more, I'll use a guide. Obviously, I can do a better, more efficient job with a guide.

As far as burrs, I'll just run the file through once at a slightly different angle, sufficient to take the burr off, but not muck up the edge too noticably.

Jeff

 

[Bermie]

burr removal

The way I was taught to remove burrs was once you've finished all your filing to take a wooden file handle and tap the top plate of each cutter several times, three usually does it, then rub the handle round the 'hook' in the side plate to get those burrs off too. the wood is obviously softer than the steel and gets rid of the burrs just fine. It takes me less than a minute.
If you use the file itself and 'slightly change the angle' haven't you then just undone all your effort to get consistent correct angles?
Don't you guys have to pass some kind of test? With NPTC assessments (British) if you can't sharpen a chain, same cutter lengths, same angles, proper raker settings, correct 'hook' and take off the burrs, you don't pass and you don't get your certificate! Check the standards on www.nptc.org.uk