just got my chain back from being sharpened.....

[Paddy]

just got my chain back from being sharpened, and the teeth are nearly ground to the limit!
This was a new chain and was just starting to show signs it needed sharpening. normally, I just pull out the dremal and touch it up. Because I'm dropping trees, I didn't want it to cut in a curve.

I took it to a local shop that has been in the biz for decades. Is this common? any comments?

 

[WranglerX]

I would not think so... Might have been "shop rat" who was untrained they had doing it.....

I get 10-15 sharpening ( at least) by untrained technician (me) on a chain with mickey mouse HF sharpener....

I would go back and ask for explanation...

Dale

 

[Industrial Toys]

Some guys in a hurry do brutalize their chains. Other guys take more care. Some guys may even see it as being profitable practice if they can sell you another chain sooner.

 

[ericm979]

I take off just enough to get back to clean chrome on the tops of the teeth and to even out both sides if I'm using the grinder. I get a lot of sharpenings per chain. I have too many chains to keep track of the number.

I think a lot of people running grinders take off way too much.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I guess it's also possible that the shop simply keeps the machine adjusted to the worst chain and be dammed the others! In fact, the more I think about that, it makes perfect sense for many shops, with some lacky doing the sharpening.

 

[MossRoad]

Probably would be worth asking them why they took so much off. However, they'll probably tell you they took them all down to the same as the shortest one, or you had a damaged tooth, etc... Or maybe they'll just replace the chain to keep your business. Only way to find out is ask.

As for myself:
That's why I sharpen my own. $5-$10 bucks to sharpen a $29 chain at the hardware store.

A harbor freight sharpener is $29, and I get 10-15 times per chain easily. Just 3 times and I break even. 10 times and I triple my money in savings. And that doesn't count the many times I just touch them up with a hand file.

I'm not saying the hardware store does a bad job, either. They do a fine job. It's just one of those things that doesn't make economic sense to me.

 

[Paddy]

Thanks for all your replies. I'll ask before I have them sharpen again, "just a little off the top"

 

[kenmbz]

I have been hand sharpening for the last 4 years. So far pretty good. Started out a bit rough though
Get the oregon files, they don;t last forever, but they work in my little clip in holder. For rakers I use a raker measure with the small flat file.
There are days where I need to sharpen the chain more than once with these dying Ash trees, some of the wood is damp rot, some dry sawdust and the rest normal wood.

 

[s219]

I have an Oregon grinder that does a great job, but I rarely need to use it. I hand file several times a day while cutting. I only take a chain to the grinder when it gets damaged, or has been filed so many times it needs a serious reset back to symmetry. You need the right touch when running the grinder or you really can shorten the life of a chain. Its definitely not something you use routinely. Even with light grinding, you still take off a lot more material than filing does.

 

[fruitcakesa]

I have an Oregon grinder that does a great job, but I rarely need to use it. I hand file several times a day while cutting. I only take a chain to the grinder when it gets damaged, or has been filed so many times it needs a serious reset back to symmetry. You need the right touch when running the grinder or you really can shorten the life of a chain. Its definitely not something you use routinely. Even with light grinding, you still take off a lot more material than filing does.[/QUOTE]

I have an Oregon grinder too and I agree with you but my old arthritic hands complain when I hand sharpen {or grip and work anything for that matter}.
So I sacrifice some chain life for the ease and speed of grinding.