Project Farm reviews chain sharpeners

   / Project Farm reviews chain sharpeners #21  
found this and it is very good. firgured i'd share it with you all.


learned something from it and need to watch it a few times.
 
   / Project Farm reviews chain sharpeners #22  
Those tiny stones on some of the 12 volt units wouldn't last long in my way of thinking. Kind of like the goofy little dremmel expensive BS things. Watch your money disappear before your very eyes! lol

Used my Princess Auto (FIST BRAND) Oregon copy sharpener on the weekend. For the money (50% off sale) and their policy of "No Sale Is FINAL" this would be my clear choice.

Seemed to work OK. I do have a question. You sharpen the teeth, reducing their length but not height. Why would you ever have to touch the depth of cut thingies?
 
   / Project Farm reviews chain sharpeners #23  
Jee. I wish I had a chain SORE!

NO chainsaw I ever had cut that well. Not even new, out of the box!

I see now, the slight upward angle of the cutters. Thanks.
 
   / Project Farm reviews chain sharpeners #24  
Seemed to work OK. I do have a question. You sharpen the teeth, reducing their length but not height. Why would you ever have to touch the depth of cut thingies?

You do reduce their height as you sharpen the teeth. If you look at the side profile of any modern chainsaw cutter, you will notice that the top plate slopes down toward the rear of the cutter. It's not a steep slope, so it takes a bit of sharpening before you have any noticeable effect on how it cuts, but it certainly does make a difference over time. If you never touch your depth gauges, you'll notice that eventually, no matter how sharp your chain is, all it will make is sawdust, rather than chips.
 
   / Project Farm reviews chain sharpeners #25  
You do reduce their height as you sharpen the teeth. If you look at the side profile of any modern chainsaw cutter, you will notice that the top plate slopes down toward the rear of the cutter. It's not a steep slope, so it takes a bit of sharpening before you have any noticeable effect on how it cuts, but it certainly does make a difference over time. If you never touch your depth gauges, you'll notice that eventually, no matter how sharp your chain is, all it will make is sawdust, rather than chips.
That's why I like the pFerd/Stihl 2in1, it does both. Unlike my Oregon 511A with a diamond wheel: it only did the cutters.
 
   / Project Farm reviews chain sharpeners #26  
That's why I like the pFerd/Stihl 2in1, it does both. Unlike my Oregon 511A with a diamond wheel: it only did the cutters.
The Pferd Chainsharp/Stihl 2in1 is a handy sharpener. I've used it a number of times. It gets good results quickly and is easy to learn to use correctly. It does a far better job than what the vast majority of experienced users get sharpening using just a bare round file. (In my life, I've met many dozens of people who think they are doing a great job with a bare round file. I'm now up to 4 people I've met who actually do a great job sharpening that way. Most will improve on a dull chain, but it either won't cut as well as it could, or it cuts well but that performance only lasts for a short time due to poor cutter geometry. However, that's a diatribe for another time, and one which I have posted several times already.)

There are a couple of minor drawbacks of the Pferd/Stihl system which may not mean much to a lot of users, but are the reason I have not switched to it. This mainly centers around the fact that the system uses a "non-progressive" method of setting the depth gauge. It works similar to the method shown in the video posted by BlackOps. The performance difference between that and a progressive depth gauge tool is not huge, but it's noticeable, particularly as the chain is filed further back.

One of the better free chainsaw sharpening videos I've found (and using the file guide I prefer):

That videos does a good job describing proper sharpening of the cutters. His method of setting the depth gauge by looking at the chip size is interesting, and does provide some useful guidance for what your chips should look like when your depth gauge is set correctly, but it requires trial and error to find the right setting. If I'm sharpening back at home in the shop, I don't want to have to go out and cut with it to see if I have the depth gauges set correctly, nor is my eyesight good enough to compare various depth gauges and judge whether I have done them consistently.

The BEST chainsaw sharpening video I've seen, unfortunately is not free, though the price is reasonable. You can download it for $7 or order a DVD for $10 (including shipping). It does a good job of explaining the theory behind how a chain works as well as going over hands-on techniques for getting good results. One of the things I like about it is that it also explains the advantages of using a progressive depth gauge guide for setting the depth gauge height. This type of guide yields a small but noticeable improvement in cutting performance, as the chain is sharpened back further. Using a progressive depth gauge tool also greatly reduces the need to keep all of the chain's teeth the same length, since it customizes the depth gauge exactly to its associated tooth (which the non progressive tools and the Pferd/Stihl system do not do: the "average" the depth gauge between two or more teeth. THat average only works well when the two teeth are the same.). The video is made by one of the instructors for the Game of Logging classes here in VT. (I have no connection to the company or video other than a happy customer, and receive nothing for recommending this.) You can order that video/DVD here:

The Art and Science of Sawchain Sharpening

They show a progressive depth gauge tool in use starting at about 10:34 in that video. Unfortunately, they don't explain the advantages of this style of depth gauge tool, but it is an opportunity to see how it fits differently over the depth gauge than some of the non-progressive sharpeners.
 
   / Project Farm reviews chain sharpeners #27  
In the video in post 21, I don't understand how the guy can put any force into the face of the cutter without the chain moving back. Could be that the chain is so tight that it moves hard ?
 
   / Project Farm reviews chain sharpeners #28  
works for me.

i am amazed at just how many people have the loose sloppy chains just hanging of the bottom of the bar.
 
   / Project Farm reviews chain sharpeners #29  
In the video in post 21, I don't understand how the guy can put any force into the face of the cutter without the chain moving back. Could be that the chain is so tight that it moves hard ?
With a decent file, it does not take a lot of force. It also helps that the force is not directly back along the bar, it at a 25-30˚ angle to the bar (depending on what angle you use to sharpen your chain). Some people lock their brake while sharpening. I've never found a need for that.
 
   / Project Farm reviews chain sharpeners #30  
I do not saw a lot and have found the Pferd 2 in 1 a cheap and effective means for a hack like me to do a decent job.

I like not having to remove the chain from the saw and getting the rakers done in one operation. From the video shown, it takes a chain to "like new" performance in a few minutes for $35. There may be better ways, but sometimes good enough is good enough.

Thanks for posting the video. It was very informative.
 

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