Chainsaw chain sharpening.......

[goeduck]

I hate it too, and never do it!!

I just carry a couple extra chains and change as needed, then grind them when I feel like it.

SR

Same here. :thumbsup:

 

[4570Man]

I hate sharpening chains at all but grinding them in the basement on a rainy day sucks a lot less than just swapping one.

 

[John_Mc]

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I much prefer hand sharpening to grinding to sharpen my chains. For one thing, you can get better results by hand sharpening than you can with a grinder. However, the main reason I like to hand sharpen is that it forces me to take a break. I tend to get caught up in what I am doing, and not notice how dehydrated, hungry, or tired I'm getting (any one of which is a safety issue). Pausing to sharpen a chain also gives me a chance to assess what shape I'm in and get myself hydrated.

 

[Molalla1]

I hate it too, and never do it!!

I just carry a couple extra chains and change as needed, then grind them when I feel like it.

SR

:thumbsup: Yep I'm in this camp . . .

 

[4570Man]

For one thing, you can get better results by hand sharpening than you can with a grinder..

Maybe 1 percent of weekend wood cutters can but the vast majority can’t.

 

[John_Mc]

Maybe 1 percent of weekend wood cutters can but the vast majority can’t.

Of all the folks I've personally met who sharpen their own chains (and I've met a lot of them), the vast majority can not do a better job freehand filing (just a round file, no guide) than using a grinder. This includes both weekend warriors and pros, though there are plenty who think they can.

However, it's not hard at all to get better than new-out-of-the-box performance when using one of the better guides out there. It does not take much to learn. I've taught a few chain-sharpening novices. They might not match the results of a truly good free-hand filer, but with just a little practice, they easily match or beat factory new or a grinder resharpen.

 

[John_Mc]

Maybe 1 percent of weekend wood cutters can but the vast majority can’t.

Of all the folks I've personally met who free-hand sharpen their own chains (just a round file, no guide) , the vast majority can not do a better job freehand filing than a good resharpen on a grinder (I'm talking someone who knows what they are doing with the grinder, not the hardware store flunky). This includes both weekend warriors and pros, though there are plenty who think they can.

However, it's not hard at all to get better than new-out-of-the-box performance when hand sharpening using one of the better guides out there. It does not take much to learn. I've taught a few chain-sharpening novices. They might not match the results of a truly good free-hand filer (those very few who are out there), but with just a little practice, they easily match or beat factory new or a grinder resharpen.

 

[ArlyA]

I hand file chains and did so today. By "hand", its just plain tooth files we take into the field and no holders used. I do this over the coarse of the day if its not to dull or beat up and the rakers don't need any adjusting down. When it gets to beat, then I take chains to the locale pros who will bring the tooth angles back to where they should be. Best of both worlds??

Of all the folks I've personally met who free-hand sharpen their own chains (just a round file, no guide) , the vast majority can not do a better job freehand filing than a good resharpen on a grinder (I'm talking someone who knows what they are doing with the grinder, not the hardware store flunky). This includes both weekend warriors and pros, though there are plenty who think they can.

However, it's not hard at all to get better than new-out-of-the-box performance when hand sharpening using one of the better guides out there. It does not take much to learn. I've taught a few chain-sharpening novices. They might not match the results of a truly good free-hand filer (those very few who are out there), but with just a little practice, they easily match or beat factory new or a grinder resharpen.

 

[4570Man]

Do you actually have pros available to sharpen a chain? 9-10 saw shops do an equivalent job as putting the chain on backwards and cutting a rock.

 

[Oldpath05]

There's been a couple times I put my chain on backwards, last weekend I caught this before I tighten it down.


Thinking of getting one of these, cause I hate filing and dont care much for taking a chain off the saw either, in fact I call it a good day when the chain stays on the saw..............
Strongway Bar-Mount Chainsaw Sharpener - 12V | eBay

https://www.amazon.com/Timber-Tuff-...XRJ1G7EXPPH&psc=1&refRID=H956TN15BXRJ1G7EXPPH