""Professional"" Chain sharpening???

[NevadaWalrus]

Well, I only make 15/hr which isn't even the national avarage income so don't blame me for the 60/hr charge. Been at this over 20 years and I'm at the high end of the scale for what repair people are paid in these parts. Is it any wonder good people are hard to find in repair shops. Someone is making money buts it ain't me.

Yet I get grief from customers who complain I wasted their chain grinding off to much after they bring in a chain looking like this.

 

[ScooterDrew1983]

My teacher told us he wouldn't tell us about any jobs under $9/hr. & advised us not to take any under that

 

[TonyM]

Why do you have to sharpen that chain. What's wrong with it

You are going to start something now. I'm going to wait for one that's worse to come along, and out do you with my own photo!

 

[Crofter]

You would have to take about 3/32 off that chain, of course if it was only rocked on the one side you wouldn't have to take near as much off the other side would you. Lol!

 

[chainsawworld]

ah !! there is one more giant problem. the non-experianced running full chisel. semi should be the only chain given to the novice. they will never notice the differance in cutting time. the semi is a bit more forgiving. easier on the poor lad that has to sharpen it also.
i still run the semi in the dirty applications. marty

 

[leweee]

monkey with a rock

show use your best chain sharpened by a monkey with a rock

 

[TonyM]

I wished i could have found the digital camera an hour ago. My wife must have it with her. We have a winner, that is, best chain sharpened by a monkey with a rock. Came in on an 024 Stihl with a malfunctioning oiler and 1/8" of sawdust on the airfilter. After fixing the oiler and cleaning the filter, I wanted to run the saw and adjust the carb. Started to sharpen the chain and WOW! Fairly new chisel chain, and all the teeth were dull half way back. The rakers were ground down almost even with the top of the tie strap. Some of the cutters were square to the bar, the sides exactly vertical, and completely blunt across the front, kind of shaped like a brick. I sharpened the teeth, but couldn't do much for the rakers. It cut okay, but man was it grabby. Talk about kickback city. Evidently the user thought you sharpen a chain by grinding the rakers until it cuts again.

 

[geofore]

Tony you didn't round file it for him? Then sell him a round file and jig so he doesn't have to come back till he needs a new chain? You forgot to sell him a fuel filter cause that ones been in the saw more than a month to dull the chain that bad. "Hey, how long has it been since you changed that fuel filter? It looks like you must have been running this saw a long time to run down the chain this much." So you sell him a filter, a round file and a jig. Sharpen the chain, make sure to shine the rakers and never let on your not supposed to sharpen the rakers. He'll be back in to buy a new chain and maybe a saw cause you treated him so good. So next time he comes in for the new chain, you tell him he didn't change the air filter last time and it's past due for a change. Then ask to see the saw and tell him he ought to change the sprocket after every second chain. Show him in the Manual (he ain't read it yet) where it says that. So he gets a chain, sprocket and air filter and if it's been more than a month since you've seen him, a fuel filter and he'll be due for a new file for his new chain cause he wouldn't want to use that old dull file on a new chain would he? When he hesitates, you say, "Say, you've been running that saw like a pro would. I can tell by the looks of that chain. You ought to take care of the saw like a pro would. A pro would fix all that and try this new oil we just got in." and sell him a six pack of that new 2 cycle oil all the pro's use. He comes in for the chain and you just sold him on an air filter, a file, 6 pack of oil, a sprocket to go with the chain. If he doesn't have chaps then chaps to avoid those nasty kickbacks you know his saws been giving him. I suggest you give him low kickback chain so he thinks the chaps are working cause the saw isn't going to be kicking back as often. His saw won't be kicking back as much with safety chain (proof the chaaps are working), it takes better to round filing and if he lost the jig sell him another one. If he hasn't lost it tell him he ought to have a new one for his new chain, he's probably worn the other one out shining... Ah, sharpening his rakers. Sell, sell, sell. He's probably run out of clean ear plugs too. And didn't you notice he scratched his sunglasses? You've got those special low UV glasses to sell him sitting right there where he can see them. You'll have him looking good with his second visit to your store for a new chain.

 

[TonyM]

Geofore, your definitely on to something. When he dropped off the saw, he said, "No hurry on that because I have plenty more." So all that stuff you said times however many saws he has. Wow, sales just skyrocketed.

Really, I'd like to simply show the guy a couple things, but from the brief time I met him, I don't think he's the kind of guy that likes unsolicited advive

I am going to do only what he asks, and a little extra no charge. He also happens to be the local zoning enforcement officer, and I'm sort of operating a home based business without a variance to do so

When I asked him his name and he told me, I must have looked stunned. I almost wondered if the whole thing was a setup just to check up on me. I've already had enough trouble with the planning and zoning department as it is, I don't need more. If anybody ever tells you the USA is a free country, I'll send a zoning enforcement officer their way and see if they change their mind. Heaven forbid we be able to use our own property how we see fit, as long as we are not infringing on someone elses rights by doing so. And the worst part about it is, they don't really CARE, they just want their $$$$$$$$

 

[leweee]

Zoning & the bylaw enforcement officer

Geofore, your definitely on to something. When he dropped off the saw, he said, "No hurry on that because I have plenty more." So all that stuff you said times however many saws he has. Wow, sales just skyrocketed.

Really, I'd like to simply show the guy a couple things, but from the brief time I met him, I don't think he's the kind of guy that likes unsolicited advive

I am going to do only what he asks, and a little extra no charge. He also happens to be the local zoning enforcement officer, and I'm sort of operating a home based business without a variance to do so

When I asked him his name and he told me, I must have looked stunned. I almost wondered if the whole thing was a setup just to check up on me. I've already had enough trouble with the planning and zoning department as it is, I don't need more. If anybody ever tells you the USA is a free country, I'll send a zoning enforcement officer their way and see if they change their mind. Heaven forbid we be able to use our own property how we see fit, as long as we are not infringing on someone elses rights by doing so. And the worst part about it is, they don't really CARE, they just want their $$$$$$$$

been there, doing that ...me and my illegal sawmill ...seems to be about money every time.

 

[geofore]

zoning

I'm R-2 here, family with a buisness allowed one non-family member employee beside family members. Ended up buying a seperate piece of property for the buisness, got too big for here. Had the same ploy with zoning here 30 years back. Never charged for work out of the shop here. It got fixxed at the other shop and they could pick it up here. You should have known the guy to see him. Don't you go to the town meetings? He's supposed to show and give a report at every meeting. I still go to them just to hear what was going on. He's wondering why he doesn't see you at the town meetings is all. Fix it no charge and he won't be able to bust you for running a buisness without the permits/variances. If he wants you to take/accept money from him to bust you don't take his money. If he comes in for the saw and doesn't have the time for you to show him a few simple things, he's looking for the bust. If he has time to listen he probably wants the saw fixxed. Mean time go to the town meeting if there is one soon and see if he's there. Talk to him about saws but don't take his money. I'm thinking he'll have to be there if you ask for a variance hearing for the shop. You asked to get a hearing for a variance? More permits to pay for if you get okayed.

 

[lxt]

the length of the tooth does not matter, it is the the angle!! this must be set to the same degree for each tooth. the rakers as i call them should be lowered with each sharpening, the raker height will be different according to the tooth size. any shop that evens up your chain will do so according to the smallest tooth, in some instances this could remove a lot of cutting edge from the other teeth meaning you will need a new chain sooner i have used chains with teeth that to look at you would think a drunk man sharpened, nails, barbwire and alike will cause such. but the chain cut just as good as one without defects. just depends on how much life you want to get from a chain.(i hand sharpen & have the machines) be safe, take care DOUG,LXT......

 

[canguy21]

Nobody ever showed me how to properly sharpen chain until I went to an Oregon seminar. The shop owners I worked for thought they knew what they were doing because they had been doing it for years. One of our guys won't do rakers because he does not know how. He tells the owner to buy a new chain!

 

[TonyM]

Well the length of the tooth matters in that you can't set a grinder to grind the rakers to the same height if the teeth are all different lengths. If you are filing or using the file-o-plate, then I suppose you could take the time to set each raker individually. I'm not quite sure how that is going to extend the life of the chain, unless you keep using a chain even after a few teeth here and there have been filed completely off. Otherwise the shortest tooth still determines when the chain is done.

 

[SawTroll]

.......If you are filing or using the file-o-plate, then I suppose you could take the time to set each raker individually. I'm not quite sure how that is going to extend the life of the chain, unless you keep using a chain even after a few teeth here and there have been filed completely off. Otherwise the shortest tooth still determines when the chain is done.

The Husky/ E-lux roller guide solves this nicely.
It does extend the life of the chain if you rock out a few teeth now and then, and doesn't hit the same teeth every time. The chain will, at least in theory, cut a bit rougher though.

 

[Gypo Logger]

If a few teeth are severely damaged, it is best to touch them up slightly and just let them go along for the ride until the others catch up from subsequent filings.
It's ok to get obsessive about filing. I try to keep all my teeth within 1/2 mm of each other which is what,about a 1/64"? I do this by eye wether grinding or filing, but I do check them on occasion with plastic calipers.
John

 

[Crofter]

I agree with Gypo 100 percent! Can you imagine that!

 

[MacDaddy]

Frank come on you just want run one of Gypo's chain at the GTG!

 

[Crofter]

Ssshh! I didn't think my kissing up was that obvious!

 

[Mange]

I heard the slobbering kiss all the way to Sweden.