Chainsaw chain sharpening

[Spencer]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Does anyone flip their bar every so often? )</font>

I do it every time I take the chain off. I don't know if it is right or wrong but thats what I have been doing.

 

[woodmills1]

not only flip the bar, but take the back of an old hacksawblade and clear the junk out of the groove. always make sure the oil feed hole is clear. using dull chain will actually reduce the life of the saw. something like cylinder wall scoring I think.

 

[knucklehead]

Me, too. I also clean the boogers out of the bar with a piece of cardboard, and brush or blow the sawdust out of the thing - cylinder and head fins, and clean inside of the side cover, especially around the brake band. I figure I want to keep that brake band happy.

There's a lot of wet, oily sawdust packed in behind the cover in the Winter, so I disassemble the saw every night after working in freezing temps. Evidently the saw moves a lot of snow when the bar is into it - sometimes I can see water running right out with the chips. Even though it's fun, I think I may be abusing the saw slightly (or not slightly) by running it in the snow, so I'm going to cut in the Fall this year.

Just remembered (wish I had at dealers): what do others do with the drive sprocket? Sawing was simple before I got that manual......it says replace it with a new bar. A friend at work says if it isn't banged up, he keeps running it. The manual only show one of those "international symbols" that makes the sprocket bearing look like it's sweating /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif so I've been sticking my sprocket grease gun in the center and pumping grease into it - seems like there's a chamfered hole there that fits it well, and the grease goes into the bearing - I think.

Funny how it starts to matter when it your $$ in the saw.

 

[sendero]

You might want to establish a watermelon-free zone within a 10' radius of your computer monitor /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

As for the bar, I do flip it and clean it up periodically. And yes, I also like to take the cover off and clean out all the pooky periodically. It can really get packed with gunk and yes, I definitely want to keep the chain brake happy - I've never accidentally engaged it but I'd like to think it will work when I inevitably do!

 

[looch]

I concur with woodmills. I'll also add that most of my chainsaw use is far away from the convenience of electricity - maintaining trails, building foot-bridges, dock repair, and even firewood.

I also find it rather serendipitous that at about the time I’m getting tired of sawing, the chain needs sharpening. We all know that a sharp chain is safer than a dull one. Consider also that actually taking the time to sharpen the chain provides the operator with a chance to sit down, catch a breath, and relax (because noise causes stress, too).

Technique is something I learnt from my dad. In fact, whenever there is more than one person involved in the cutting operations (almost always the case when we’re in the middle of nowhere), sharpening can be simplified. One person sits and braces the saw against them while also controlling the chain (holding it when sharpening, and moving it to the next tooth). The other sharpens. When I’m alone, I find I can get one side done by holding the saw myself, against my leg. The other side is a bit trickier. You can prop it against something, or sink it into a log to hold it. Every 2nd tooth, I'll give the file a wipe (much to the chagrin of my wife) on my pant leg.

I bring (besides gas and oil) a small tool kit with me that includes:

the sparkplug/screwdriver tool
2 files
a spare chain
a special grease gun for the bar
a stiff-bristled paint brush
a rag
and finally, a tourniquet.

 

[knucklehead]

I think this site may have been mentioned on TBN before, but here it is anyway. I was searching on saw stuff and found Madsen's. There is a ton of technical stuff there, in addition to the products. Just the bars & chain link has as much as I imagine any of us would want to know about the business end of saws. It's a huge time sink.

Paul - I forgot about that rest thing. I can really relate; the saw gets much better maintenance since I figured that out.