Chainsaw Sharpening question

[woodlandfarms]

On all of these notes, thank you guys very much. On my property, even if you are keeping it out of the dirt you are in the dirt. Trees on my property are coated in moss, lots of leaf buildup that means dirt. Also, the larger maples which must be at least 200 years old are now at the end of life and getting blown down in our big windstorms. THey tend to have hollow spots.

As for the fencepost, my only story is in Wyoming, cutting down a tree, hit metal partway through the cut. Turned out it was a fencepost the seedling must have grown up and around. Took a long time as I remember cutting around the post before the tree fell.

 

[oldballs]

Oh Yeah, in my Osage Orange trees property line, barbed wire is embedded such that one does not see it until you note that the saw is not cutting as well. But that's not as bad as a T-post.

 

[The Fred]

I think filing by hand is hard to learn at first; a few tips that helped me:

Start in the shop with a steady vise mounted on a rugged bench so the saw stays put.

Chain should be adjusted with no slack.

A good pair of magnifying glasses for us older folks, I use 300s and must have my face kind of close to the saw to really see those teeth.

Every tooth need not be the same length, in fact that is why we need to adjust the depth gauge for each tooth.

Keep those angles right, use a guide at first and when you get comfortable discard it. Look really close at that tooth to see the "sharpness" only cut back until the bad spot is gone at the top of the tooth.

Use up pressure to hold the file up, many folks (including me) have a tendency to use too much down pressure; creating a large "hook" under the top of the tooth. This is in correct, the proper tooth has almost no hook on the angle side of the tooth.

When you realize how nice it is to do your own filing you will see an immediate savings on your saw filing bill and chain replacements.
It's really fun to take an old chain that should be in the trash, and get it right so you can cut some wood and pat yourself on the back.

Spend some quality time on Youtube I see Stihl has some nice videos of the correct way to file your saw chain.

After running saws over 30 years cutting firewood and working as a hobbyist in the woods I have a really tough time trying to sharpen my saws without a rugged stationary vise mounted firmly to a bench.

On 3/8 chisel chain I start with a 7/32' file but when I get near the end of the tooth's life I use a 13/64" file that is just a touch smaller diameter.

Good luck and keep those filings out of your eyes, Fred

 

[JFoy]

Twenty strokes ! You need better wood or a better file !
I touch mine up every three tanks or so with three or four strokes.

Hmm.. You may be right. I've never looked that closely at the chain as I was doing it.

 

[CobyRupert]

Good points THEre FRED.
I'm in the hand file often camp.
Don't forget about filing down the rakers from time to time. Before buying a "measure guide" for the rakers I use to do them only when it seemed it has been a while, or if I'd found that I'd filed another 1/3 of the tooth away without dealing with them. Being the impatient type I usually file the rakers with a dremel instead of a flat file.
Without the guide you can take off too much and end up with a chain that REALLY takes a bite. Too much. Hold on when it kicks and have the horsepower to turn it.
Why go to a smaller file when at end of chain life? Is it because the tooth is shorter at that end?

 

[BoylermanCT]

I use a Dremel tool (HF) with diamond sharpening bits. Touch each cutter for 1/4 second and have the chain done in 60 seconds. I touch up at each fueling.

 

[dieselcrawler]

I also hand file on the saw... if I'm cutting alot, it's as needed, perhaps every other fuel fill up I'll touch it up, or if I can wait I'll put the bar in the vice when I get back to the barn. I can use a bare file, but keep one with a flat type guide on it handy, it's easier. I flat file the raker teeth once in a while.

 

[dstig1]

Another file by hand guy, but I won't say I'm good at it. It is very easy to make a chain that turns left or right after a number of hand filings. When that starts to happen, I will bring it in for a grinder filing to true it back up. At some point I will probably get the Northern/HF grinder so I can do that part myself. I won't say I do it every tank as it does take a bit of time (I'm not known for my working speed...) but a couple times a day on a full day of cutting, for sure. I have a cheapo stump vise to help out. I also use a pretty simple guide. I have the Stihl one, but I got a couple others that are a little easier to use. I forget the name something German/Austrian from one of the file companies I think - maybe Pferd? I still apparently wander enough to cause the cut to bend a bit after a bunch of file sharpening... So either the stump vise in the field, or I made a simple bar clamp fixture that I use on my work bench in my bigger vise for filing, so far.

and yes - 3-4-5 strokes is the range for this with a file in decent condition.

 

[CobyRupert]

Admittedly, it is hard to hand file equally when filing left handed and then right handed (or else jockeying around the saw). And this can lead to sideway curves.
But also check that the "rails" of the bar are equally wearing. Place a straight edge perpendicularly across them to see if they're level with each other. Sometimes the user can have a habit when cutting of torquing the saw one way or another and wearing one side more. This is why you should flip the bar periodically.

 

[Patches]

I think filing by hand is hard to learn at first; a few tips that helped me:
Keep those angles right, use a guide at first and when you get comfortable discard it. Look really close at that tooth to see the "sharpness" only cut back until the bad spot is gone at the top of the tooth.

Use up pressure to hold the file up, many folks (including me) have a tendency to use too much down pressure; creating a large "hook" under the top of the tooth. This is in correct, the proper tooth has almost no hook on the angle side of the tooth.

I've been playing with saws for forty years and still use the guide out in the woods; it keeps the angle correct and prevents your creating the "hook" you refer to. If you need the raker gauge, you should use the file guide also; takes no more time and prevents your mentioned issues