I use a brush with very stiff nylon bristles for the same reason, or if my air compressor is on I use that.
Sharpening - my personal opinion and experience (not an expert)
- Thread starter eriklane
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I tap the tip of the file on the bar. Sufficient to knock the filings away.
That works too. My files are usually in the jig though so can't tap them.
That is often sufficient for sure. However, if there is a bunch of bar oil all over the file and swarf a brush is almost mandatory.
I've never had that issue. Never cleaned a chain prior to filing either.
I run the oiler wide open when I'm running 36" bars, particularly when milling, and sometimes it makes a mess!
For years I used cutting fluid on my files when sharpening chains. Now I dry file and change out files more often. It's easier to see the tooth when filing without the cutting fluid.
Interesting. I never considered doing that... I imagine it could be useful for other filing tasks. I learned about filing from my father, a journeyman tool and die maker, and while working in an 18h century gunsmith shop where everything got filed! A good book on files is "A Treatise on Files" by Nicholson File Co. It was published in 1878 when files were still a tool of industry... EAIA did a reprint in 1983 and it can be found on Google Books and/or Project Gutenberg. I don't recall mention of using any type of cutting fluid in the book but it might help in some situations.
Hermio
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I think it is really unnecessary to file a slope on the raker. As long as it has the right depth, it will cut the same. The wood does not need to ride up the slope; it cannot get down in that gap. Possibly it may make a minor difference when plunge cutting. But I stopped sloping the rakers for good when I started using the Pferd 2 in 1 sharpening system, which is the same as the Stihl 2 in 1. Cutting performance is better than with a new chain. So I leave the rakers flat topped.I use Stihl Rapid Super chain on my MS261 and MS461 saws. I sharpen with a Stihl file guide and a Husqvarna depth (raker) gauge. The file guide keeps the file where it should be on the tooth and there are 30° angle lines on the gauge that are easily lined up with the bar by eye. I use the hardwood side of the raker gauge as I mostly cut hardwood. I prefer the Husky raker gauge over the Stihl gauge as it not only sets the raker depth but it also slopes the raker. The Stihl gauge, on the other hand, leaves the raker flat and requires that you file the slope freehand. Having to file the slope separately adds time and increases the variance across rakers. The Huskey gauge also sets the raker height to it's mating tooth instead of setting it to the height of the longest nearby teeth like the long Stihl gauge does. I'm not shy about replacing files.... buy them by the dozen and when they don't cut well I throw them away.
At first it was difficult for me to tell if a tooth was actually sharp... and I fell into the nonsense of taking the same number of file strokes on each tooth. I finally realized that once the tip was sharp I was done with that tooth and the stroke count was irrelevant. My chains cut a lot better and I got more life out of them after that as filing away all the teeth to keep them all the same length was nonsense in respect to how it cut... Each pair of tooth and raker works independently of the others though it does take a "left" and a "right" tooth to make the chip. Even having a missing tooth due to damage doesn't materially impact the cut quality.
Making sure both "sides" are equally sharp is important also... else the saw will tend to make crooked cuts. That has a bigger impact than equal length teeth in my experience. Folks tend to sharpen one side well and the other not so well... I turn my bench vice so the jaws are 90° to the edge of the bench and leave the bar stick out over the floor. I can then sharpen both sides consistently by standing on both sides. That technique is a lot easier than filing strong handed and goofy handed.
I also have rip chains and a Granberg Alaskan mill. Other than the angle (10° vs. 30°) the sharpening process is the same. Adding a winch to the mill has a much greater impact on the smoothness of the cut than does having equal length teeth... this as it aids in smoothly moving the chain through the wood. BTW, that's a 28-30" wide ash in my thumbnail.
Hermio
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I am a big fan of those. But buy them from Pferd and save about 30%, unless you really prefer orange plastic over blue. Pferd makes them for Stihl.
Karrl
ArboristSite Operative
Does anyone else hit their file with a shot of brake cleaner when it gets clogged with filings and oil? Just started to do this and it helps get the file cutting right again.
Not I... I just use a brass brush on it.
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At .40, might as well just use your teeth.
Hermio
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Dang! No wonder my dentist says my teeth are worn.
GenXer
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Get some cheap chalk and run the file through the chalk first, keeps the file clean.
Hermio
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I
It is probably useful to rotate the file 90 degrees every once in a while when using a file holder that clamps the file in. The chain does wear out the file eventually. I notice wear on my files when sharpening the Stihl chains, which have high chrome content.
Karrl
ArboristSite Operative
I’ll give it a shot next time I see it somewhere. I don’t keep my files forever but I do what I can to get my use out of them.
I rotate them regularly. It makes a noticeable difference in how well the file cuts.
GenXer
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They taught me that in machinist school over 25 years ago
