New Chain Sharpener
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IanB22
ArboristSite Operative
Just tried the Timberline, and it is SOOO nice...and honestly, my struggles with the file, and getting my saw to cut straight were pretty much solved for the 20" bar using a file and practice. Also the Grandberg sharpener I got at christmas was also very helpful. BUT NOTHING could get my 42" bar to cut straight. At least not on big wood, anything over 25" will always have some kind of curve to it.
My experience with the Timerbline has been very good, but you STILL need a really good 'feel' for how your teeth should look after sharpening. Mine for instance didn't have enough gullet to create the right 60 deg. angle to the tooth. I sharpened everything up, being very gentle and I have found that the micro-adjust is a really good feature for me, I just kept going around and around the chain taking more and more off until every tooth was the same length. However, I do find that for initial sharpening, you need to pay attention to the length of the tooth.
The gullet of my tooth was to high, and not deep enough from hand sharpening and using the Grandberg and so it was a bad starting point for the timberline. It took a while to get the tooth re-shaped for a chain that is about 75% used. Probably took off about 15-20% of the 'long' teeth to get down to the same length as the 'short' teeth. I will take a video and post it for those who want to see how the sharpener works for people new and try to explain the art of setting up your cutting tooth to be the correct angle, height, and length.
My experience with the Timerbline has been very good, but you STILL need a really good 'feel' for how your teeth should look after sharpening. Mine for instance didn't have enough gullet to create the right 60 deg. angle to the tooth. I sharpened everything up, being very gentle and I have found that the micro-adjust is a really good feature for me, I just kept going around and around the chain taking more and more off until every tooth was the same length. However, I do find that for initial sharpening, you need to pay attention to the length of the tooth.
The gullet of my tooth was to high, and not deep enough from hand sharpening and using the Grandberg and so it was a bad starting point for the timberline. It took a while to get the tooth re-shaped for a chain that is about 75% used. Probably took off about 15-20% of the 'long' teeth to get down to the same length as the 'short' teeth. I will take a video and post it for those who want to see how the sharpener works for people new and try to explain the art of setting up your cutting tooth to be the correct angle, height, and length.
Metals406
Granfodder Runningsaw
Tooth length won't effect you as much if you buy a Carlton file-o-plate to set your stops/rakers. It sets each stop/tooth length to the optimum angle of attack.
Result: Tooth length variances doesn't pull you out of square.
Result: Tooth length variances doesn't pull you out of square.
But tooth length also correlates with tooth height and set (kerf width). If teeth are not the same length, the cut will not be a smooth, and not all of the teeth will be participating equally. If all of the cutters on one side are longer than all of the cutters on the other, I could see where that could pull the chain to one side.
Philbert
IanB22
ArboristSite Operative
I agree, it's a good deal on the Gamn, but I purchased to get something more recent, and liked the ability to return or ask questions to a modern company. May not be the same for everyone, but that's why I bought the updated one. FWIW.
Metals406
Granfodder Runningsaw
Everything you say is true. But fir irregular tooth length -- the file-o-plate works.
I tested it on the last fire cutting big timber. The chain never once tried to divert. Made a believer outta me.
the first time you use a timberline sharpener on a chain that has been filed is a sobering and humbling experience. it's always a mess. if i need to sharpen a chain that has been filed i use my grinder first, paying close attention to the shape of the wheel, cutter angles, cutter length and gullet depth. that way i don't waste time and wear on the carbide to even the chain and get things back to spec. once the chain has been sharpened with the timberline, it never sees the grinder again unless it encounters a rock or nail. the timberline is the best way that i have found for keeping a chain very sharp, but it's a lousy tool for fixing a damaged or poorly maintained chain. also, you nailed it. the best technique is to take multiple passes making light cuts, especially the first time you sharpen a chain. the file-o-plate is a good tool, but hard to find. for cutter length i use a digital or vernier calliper. to measure depth gauge height and angle i use a husqvarna roller guide. to measure side plate angle, i use my eyeball. we'll be looking for your vid.
Thanks Duke, that's very helpful. As noted, I have never used the Timberline sharpener, but relied on the comments in threads like this.
User comments have been mostly positive. But your comment on maintaining a chain versus bringing back a rocked chain are the kind of user insight that help people make good choices on what method to use.
Thanks.
Philbert
philbert-
thanks for the affirmation. after this year's firewood missions are over i want to start a thread i mentioned earlier, chains brought to me for sharpening, before and after. by the way, i think you're also interested in the resin based sharpening wheels. i've switched over to them and have been fairly pleased. you have to dress them a lot and they probably won't last as long as conventional wheels, but they do keep the grinding area cooler. another thing, regarding files and filing. in my youth, i worked for quite a while as a ringmaker for a jewellery manufacturer on post street, in san fransico, eight hours a day filing gold and platinum castings, silver soldering and sizing. so i know my way around a file, filled up a few mason jars with filings. but i seldom use a file on saw chain.
regarding the timberline, if i don't hit anything a sharpening is good for ten to twelve run hours and could go a lot more but i like a scary sharp chain. so, at the end of a work day i open a cerveza and clamp the bar in a vice, put the timberline on the bar and the job is finished before the cool one. it works for me.
Thanks for the affirmation on those!
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/resinoid-grinder-wheels.256733/
BTW- Bailey's now has those in stock for much less than I was able to source them locally.
http://www.baileysonline.com/shop.axd/ProductDetails?edp_no=662811
http://www.baileysonline.com/shop.axd/ProductDetails?edp_no=662812
I think that I want to have a chain sharpening GTG! Bring all the grinders; all the jigs; all the files; home-made vises; a few PowerSharp chains; etc. Maybe have short tutorials on: setting up a grinder; filing square; spinning and breaking; how to file a race chain; etc.
Philbert
as they say in minnesota, "ya," i read your post about resinoid grinder wheels right after you posted it. afterwards i looked around and found the one place, at the time, to buy them. of course, now they're available from baileys.com . i will be using the resinoid wheels to maintain the chains in our village and the adjacent areas. i'd have to charge more than the price of a new chain to repair/restore a chain filed by an "expert" filer, with my timberline. the GTG concept is interesting. ok, dude, give me the 72 dl chain you just sharpened. i'll put in on my 372 and we'll put the stop watch and video cam on it in the Big Test Log. i'm up for that.
sounds like a plan. could you post photos of a chain sharpened that way? looks good, i'll try it.
? Saw files cut along the length of their axis. Not rotationally. How would mounting one in a drill sharpen ?
Philbert
ncpete
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Here is a thread on a similar approach - used disc grinder for both. Member in the Middle East with limited access to other options.
Philbert
http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...on-high-speed-pneumatic-micro-grinder.227742/
