Sharpening Safety Chain

[a. palmer jr.]

I have an 028 Stihl WB that has a 16" bar and that lousy "safety" chain on it. Is there a good way to sharpen one of those so they'll actually cut wood? I tried just filing it like the other chain but when I went to cut with it, it just gnawed into the wood slightly and appeared to be really dull. I thought maybe the wood was petrified so I got another piece to try it on and it did the same thing. My Poulan Micro just zipped right through the wood so I'm pretty sure the chain either needs tossed or sharpened by someone who knows how. Suggestions?

 

[Kenskip1]

The safety chain will cut but not to what many like.How are your rakers set? If you want the chain to cut simply take it to a grinder and grind down the shark fin in front of the raker.You did not mention the manufacture of the chain.Are you using a file in good condition?I do not mess with safety chains as they are more of a headache than they are worth, Ken

 

[w8ye]

I sharpen it like regular chain.

After the cutters are filed back a little ways, I cut the rakers down some too (.020" below the tops of the cutters). At the time I start cutting the regular rakers down, I take the safety shields down too. Safety chain works almost as good as regular chain for me. It just takes extra time to keep the safety junk filed down too.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I'm not sure what the manufacturer is on the chain but I did file the rakers down a tad, really a tedious job filing the safety junk down also. I haven't tried cutting with it since I filed a little more off. Maybe it'll cut better this time. It's a 325 chain also, which makes it worse because I don't have any spare chain for it.

 

[scottr]

What is the number on the drive link ?

 

[a. palmer jr.]

The safety chain will cut but not to what many like.How are your rakers set? If you want the chain to cut simply take it to a grinder and grind down the shark fin in front of the raker.You did not mention the manufacture of the chain.Are you using a file in good condition?I do not mess with safety chains as they are more of a headache than they are worth, Ken

Ken, it came on a saw that I bought. It looked like it was fairly new so I hated to throw it away...until I tried cutting with it!

 

[Chris-PA]

Scott suggested I try grinding down the shark fins, which I tried in the 90SG on my 142. This worked well on that chain, and it cuts very quickly. I also prepped up a couple of 20" loops of 33SL (0.325 full chisel) but have not had time to try them yet. The 33SL was useless before, so it will be interesting to see how it cuts now - I expect it will work fine. I does take some time to grind them down, but I did it in some spare time at night after dinner. At first my grinder would barely touch the stuff, but after I dressed the wheels it cut it rather quickly.

 

[mountainlake]

The safety chain will cut but not to what many like.How are your rakers set? If you want the chain to cut simply take it to a grinder and grind down the shark fin in front of the raker.You did not mention the manufacture of the chain.Are you using a file in good condition?I do not mess with safety chains as they are more of a headache than they are worth, Ken

Right, just grind off the safety humps, takes maybe 5 minutes. Steve

 

[sachsmo]

You have them doggy earred (Vanguard) type bumpers? Had a couple loops that came with my 5100 and they were worthless after a few filings. they hung on a nail until we needed a crap chain to do some flush cutting on some stumps. I grabbed one and took a well worn cut-off wheel, proceeded to take them "bumps" down about .030. That thing did very well on the smaller stumps. they also work well for bucking 10-16 inch stuff. NOT good for limbing or small stuff as it is too grabby and will pull the round right at you. Yeah, you can make them cut real good. Rakers need luvin' too.

 

[Mill_wannabe]

After you grind off the humps, does it then sort of become skip chain? Seems like the cutters are a link further apart on some of the safety chain.

 

[J.W Younger]

Will grinding off bumpers that are part of the D/L weaken it any? When a chain breaks its usually a pull tru at this point.

 

[sachsmo]

Just take it slow, a little at a time. You can always file/grind them shorter, you cannot grind them longer. Do not take them off completely.

 

[Chris-PA]

After you grind off the humps, does it then sort of become skip chain? Seems like the cutters are a link further apart on some of the safety chain.

No, it won't make it into skip chain, you're just grinding the humps down on the ties. Some of the safety chain is skip, like the low profile 91 that comes on a WT and other small Poulans. There are two of the hump ties between every cutter. There's not much you can do with that but throw it out. There's not point to that stuff other than cost I guess, as those saws don't need skip chain.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

What is the number on the drive link ?

The number on the drive links was 6. Not sure what that means.

 

[Mad Professor]

It's tough being green (chain).

 

[Brushwacker]

I sharpen it like regular chain.

After the cutters are filed back a little ways, I cut the rakers down some too (.020" below the tops of the cutters). At the time I start cutting the regular rakers down, I take the safety shields down too. Safety chain works almost as good as regular chain for me. It just takes extra time to keep the safety junk filed down too.

About the same for me.
If the price is cheap enough I'll take it but right off the start I grind the "shark fin" down about 1/32 ". That is the part that keeps the bar tip from digging in as it sticks out further then the depth gauges only as it rounds the tip ( reducing kick back risk ) so if the bar tip isn't in the wood it has little effect. Professionals use the bar tip for boring so unless altered as above its useless or inferior for boring and my self and I would imagine most people cutting close to the ground sink the bar tip in the cut, then burying the full length of the bar in wood it will not do much unless the fin tips are ground down which eliminates reduced kick back properties and lets the nose actually cut wood and it will kick back if the very tip or top half of the tip bites into the wood.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

It seems that I got it cutting much better by just filing between the cutters with my flat file. I had to do it twice, first time didn't make much difference then the second time I filed it seemed to be what it needed. I may have took close to .020 off it but I really doubt if it was that much. Anyway, I gonna quit on it before I ruin something.

 

[scottr]

The number on the drive links was 6. Not sure what that means.

That is Stihl chain and the 6 means it is .063 gauge .

 

[EchoShindaiwaMakitaDolmar]

I sharpen it like regular chain.

After the cutters are filed back a little ways, I cut the rakers down some too (.020" below the tops of the cutters). At the time I start cutting the regular rakers down, I take the safety shields down too. Safety chain works almost as good as regular chain for me. It just takes extra time to keep the safety junk filed down too.

Is there a device on the market like a file guide, gauge, or grinder, that works for safety chain? TYIA

 

[EchoShindaiwaMakitaDolmar]

@Arbor1,
I just saw there's a forum for chain sharpening. My mistake. Thanks!