Saw Sharpener

[viking]

Steven

I have a grinder at home and use it for all my sharpening. I carry files into the field for minor touch ups if needed. The thing is when your out on the job you don't want to waist time that you should be cutting to sharpen a chain that is so dull or damaged as to require a powered grinder. Get extra chain loops take them and your files into the field. Touch up or change the loop on the job. Recondition them at home with your good grinder.


Happy Cutting

 

[Greg]

I carry 2 sharp chains for every saw. I also bring along the hand file in case I hit a nail or somthing. I can't hand sharpen a chain to save my life. I have tried and tried, touch ups work ok, but other than hitting a few cutters I'll have that saw cutting so crooked you'd think I'm using a rubber bar. I've been seeing ads for the Pferd chain sharpner that has the round and flat file together, anyone have one?? Any advise on how to correct my the crooked ways?
Greg

 

[Treeman14]

Greg, The crooked cutting is usually caused by a diiference in the angle between the left and right cutters. Try using a file guide to maintain the proper angle, or some chain such as Stihl with the laser-etched angle line. Also, try to keep all cutters the same length.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I've had new cahins go crooked. The reason I think is that they ran through a bocket of grit in the butt of a tree while buching only dulling the one side. My ony logical guess at the time.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Another thing that can make one side of the chain cut faster than the other (thereby curving); is if you reset depth gauges so that they are shorter as they feed one side of the cutters. This would happen mostly as someone adjusts them as they sharpen the teeth on that side, especially without a guide etc.

I go with dressing with a file in field; sharpenning on grinder especially for hitting metal and sand. A file comes under the tooth and dresses, sharpens with what is there; minimally taking away metal. A grinder comes down from above, and wants to make a new line through the chain; taking away more metal, chain life at the same time.

 

[sgreanbeans]

i have a guy that runs a bike shop do mine, the things will draw blood just but picking them up! plus they hold an edge for ever, ill go through 1 chain per 3-4 trees!we treid to sharpen oursrelves but never could get the same results. so instead of wasting oour time we bought a bunch of chains and we cycle them through him he charges the same price for all chains $3.50 a piece! no matter how big or small. plus he cleans them really well.

 

[UrbanEarth]

I actually demoed one of the clamp on units and was not impressed. It was really fiddly to get the clamp on at the right height and place. I suppose as you got better this would go away (????).

I think Viking has the way to go. Carry multiple chains for each saw and do all of your sharpening in the shop. It's also one less piece of kit in the truck that may get lost, crushed or just generally abused.

Alan

 

[underwor]

I have one of the combination sets that Husky sells that sharpens the tooth and sets the raker at the same time (round and flat file together). I think it is great. I use it in class to show students how to file chain the easy way. Even a first timer can get a straight fast cut with it. AS far as my own sharpening, I do it almost entirely by hand for the past 30 years. The secret is to touch it up when it starts to slow down cutting, not when it stops cutting all together. I also got the little hand grinder for Christmas a year ago that hooks to the truck battery. With some practice, this puts one heck of a sharp edge on the saw fairly quickly in the field.

My instruction involved complaining about a dull saw to Walter Shields, Davey Foreman, in 1967 at which time he threw a file at me and said sharpen it. About the 5th try it quit cutting abstract art in the end of the log.

Good Luck, Bob Underwood

 

[DDM]

Baileys sells a model called sharp boyits okay
it sells for about 130.00 when im out to work on trees thats what i need to be doing not working on saws i have a surplus of chains swap them and sharpen them when i get time at the shop.

Later,
David

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

The problem with the little 12 volt grinder is the bits. They are so small that they last about 2 minutes, and cost a lot.

When a saw cuts crooked it could be the angle the cutters are sharpened, the sharpness of the cutters, the height of the rakers, the bar rail heights, or uneven wear on the part of the chain that rides on the bar rail.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I agree with Mike on those dermel like grinders. they just dont last, annd as the bit gets smaller you change the shape of the cutter.

I tried one of those "stay sharp" by Pferd, same thing as husky sells, but blue. They work good on non safety chanes, but if they have a long bump on a link it wont get knocked down with the raker.

I mostly just do touch up sharpening with the round file in the field and have a shope set the raker. Then again I don't own but my climbing saw .

 

[coydog]

I believe it's good practice to learn to sharpen efficiently by hand in the field and would agree with evrybody to carry extra loops and do the serious sharpening in the shop. i think it's a matter of attitude and this may change the bigger my operation gets, but I find routine sharpening in the field to have its place in terms of pacing myself and staying focused , and actually a productive excuse to take a 20 min break every few hours.

 

[DDM]

John ? just out of Idle curiosity what would your
Brand and make would you saw be?

Later,
David

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

If you have a 24" bar, skip sequence chain, and a vice mounted on your truck, it should only take about 5-6 minutes to touch-up sharpen a chain. If you need to take the rakers down, which I don't think is necessary every time, add another 5-6 minutes.
It's probably as fast as changing the chain.

 

[The Climber]

Hand file

Some times when things arnt going so well with your hand file, throwing it out and gitting a new one makes a big difference. I keep forgeting that they dont last 4-ever

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I run an 020t with a 10 inch bar. Currently using Oregon chain, but hate the big bumps on the links.

might go to a non safety chain next to get away from the bumper links.

 

[Toddppm]

I bet that 020 sings w/ a 10" bar!
I just sold my bench grinder on ebay last month, I found I got better results and ruined less chains just filing by hand, that reminds me I have to get my guys to practice now that we're slow.
You're right climber, I've been throwing my files out as soon as they don't cut good and have been doing alot better.

 

[DDM]

Love those 020's almost as much as my HT-75 pole pruner.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

i run a 12" bar on my 020 and have been told that it could be hard on engine; allowing it to rev to high!

That is an interesting view, though i keep running it, i try be extra careful not to rev motor unloaded. i seem to have problems with breaking more chains from the extra speed.

Though what do i know; i like a 16" bar on an 044! Now that really cuts!

 

[Dave]

Spyder- I would worry more if I ran my 020 all day WITHOUT a bar on it. Sounds like one of those brainfarts that engineering wannabes get. ( If a long bar makes a saw run slow, then a short bar MUST make it run too fast.) I run from 20" to 28" on my 2065 and never thought to worry about it. Going from a 14" to a 12" probably won't grenade your saw. But I digress- why hasn't anyone mentioned Carleton File-O-Plate yet? Works slicker than deer guts on a door knob for maintaining both cutters and depth gauges.