How I exactly sharpen chains

[kentuckykid]

Just watch a Buckin Billy Ray video on YouTube. He posts a video on filing about every six months.
It makes sense and this is how fallers out here would sharpen. A grind cuts amazing, but when your deep in the woods, starting the day at the bottom of the valleys, and time is money, it’s kind of hard to grind. So, chains would all get filed with this method to be prepped for quick touch ups in the woods.
It’s awesome to see the old tried and true methods getting taught, posted, and communicated. Everyone wants to reinvent the wheel, but in a lot of cases, folks figured out the best way of doing things a long time ago. But corporate America can’t make money unless they keep “improving” and selling.
Keep spreading the knowledge.

Great advice, I’ve learned a lot watching bucking bill on you tube, he is most pationate bucker ivevever seen!!! I like his videos, “friend”

 

[dennish]

Regarding Bucking Bill. Way too much unrelated chatter IMO.

 

[bwalker]

Regarding Bucking Bill. Way too much unrelated chatter IMO.

That guy can't shut his mouth and he's too god damn nice. Really annoying.

 

[Cogito]

I will summarize this:

1. Use the correct size file
2. File til sharp
3. Lower rakers if needed.

A-hem.... Nothing to see here.

This is what most everybody does. Duh!

Rim sprocket swap (the bigger is better theme)? If that gives you the fizz, then good for you.

The larger sprocket would help take up the slack of the chain stretching?

 

[Cogito]

Radii us

I think radii is the correct plural. I go with diameter because it means I’m always bigger.

 

[davidwyby]

Reading back thru this thread, thinking about the 1/4" file on 3/8" and the Hexa file with one smooth side on the bottom.

I have a bunch of 1/4" files. I was thinking about grinding or belt sanding a flat on one side that rides in the bottom of the cutter/gullet and sets the height of the file to the desired amount of hook.

 

[davidwyby]

 

[Shaner58]

Yup. Took me a few years to learn this. I had to use a bench grinder Oregon clone for a few years. I figured that was the ONLY way to get a uniform sharp chain. Then one day, I again tried filing by hand and viola. Biggest break thru #1 was in wearing reading glasses and a head lamp. Gots to see what you are doing to get it to look like you want it. #2 was in understanding that the rakers are to be set per cutter. Didn't matter that the one or more cutters were different then the others, or that they are ALL different from each other. Set the rakers depth to the cutter it precedes, and the chain will cut good and cut straight. #3 is file often. Takes minutes to put a fresh edge on a chain. Ignore, abuse, put it off and it can take a few or more minutes per cutter to restore the chain properly.

I like it ! I'm fairly new and an amatuer but chain sharpening is the most important aspect of cutting firewood for me. I tried for some time to get a edge that cut AND lasted in extremely hard Australian Black Butt and Norseman Wandoo post bushfires.
Dumb is as dumb does for a long while till one day in the said bush (woodlands) a guy who was running rings around me, watched me, grabbed my leg moved it grabbed my elbow pinned it against my side moved the chain into a certain position. He said never change these three things you change the pressure of the tool or the speed of play or the number of strokes only. Changed my wood cutting life. Still cant catch him but a tank of fuel goes a lot further now ! Readers ( strong) and headlight are the absolute greatest ever accessory to go with your quality file.