Resharpening chainsaw chains.....how many times?

[TNhobbyfarmer]

I have resharpened the chain on my chainsaw several times. It seems to be getting dull more quickly these days. Is there a rule of thumb about how many times one should be resharpened before it needs to be retired?

 

[browns40]

Hi TN,

Most chains have a line etched in the teeth to let you know when you've filed them all thats recommended.

I think its around 1/8 inch... look on your chain for the line.

 

[gordon21]

Since time=money, I use this rule. I am currently rotating 7 chains on my 18" chainsaw while clearing 2.5 acres. I am cutting stumps about 1" below ground level. Needless to say, I am hitting a lot of hidden rocks and damaging chains. When the sharpened chain starts throwing "dust" (pieces of wood that are not thin, flat and look like like obvious shavings) within 3 minutes of cutting, then I throw it away. There is probably a precise scientific answer for this question involving wear on the chain measured precisely. I merely look at my right boot and when I see dust being thrown right after sharpening, it is time to junk the chain. A new chain will cut super fast until dulled by a rock, metal or lots of use. It can be resharpened about 5-8 times at a cost of $3-4 per sharpening. If you ever feel yourself pushing the chain bar down or trying to work the bar back and forth like a hacksaw, you have exceeded the chain usefulness. Put a new/resharpened chain on and keep going. You should NEVER have to force a chainsaw blade at all. Not up, down, sideways or any way. Forcing one is bad news. A dull blade needs to be sharpened. You are wasting your time trying to cut with a blade that is not throwing chips of wood that are flat, thin and look like shavings.

Make sure to have gloves or a rag ready. Bars and blades get HOT!!! I usually take a 2-3 minute break between chain changes. The bar will still be very hot after 3 minutes.

 

[HGM]

Since time=money, I use this rule. I am currently rotating 7 chains on my 18" chainsaw while clearing 2.5 acres. I am cutting stumps about 1" below ground level. Needless to say, I am hitting a lot of hidden rocks and damaging chains. When the sharpened chain starts throwing "dust" (pieces of wood that are not thin, flat and look like like obvious shavings) within 3 minutes of cutting, then I throw it away. There is probably a precise scientific answer for this question involving wear on the chain measured precisely. I merely look at my right boot and when I see dust being thrown right after sharpening, it is time to junk the chain. A new chain will cut super fast until dulled by a rock, metal or lots of use. It can be resharpened about 5-8 times at a cost of $3-4 per sharpening. If you ever feel yourself pushing the chain bar down or trying to work the bar back and forth like a hacksaw, you have exceeded the chain usefulness. Put a new/resharpened chain on and keep going. You should NEVER have to force a chainsaw blade at all. Not up, down, sideways or any way. Forcing one is bad news. A dull blade needs to be sharpened. You are wasting your time trying to cut with a blade that is not throwing chips of wood that are flat, thin and look like shavings.

Make sure to have gloves or a rag ready. Bars and blades get HOT!!! I usually take a 2-3 minute break between chain changes. The bar will still be very hot after 3 minutes.

Guys, I've read many sharpening posts before and tried my hand at it rather unsuccessfuly(its actually time consuming to do it right), and have heard many recomend against the electric sharpeners for a good sharp chain.. I have also posted (http://http://www.rapcoindustries.com/ ) this link before since I purchased one a few months ago.. This chain cost about $150, but since using it on about a chord and a half of hardwood, I dont regret it a bit and will be buying another down the road.. No need to sharpen it, honestly I'm not sure you could.. The guy that sold it to me said he had used one to cut roots 6" in the ground(in the dirt) before and didnt loose the edge(surely it effected the bar).. These chains are also made for demolition and cutting creosote poles and tin among other stuff... Just a thought for those of you who feel "time is money" like me...

 

[HarleyScooter]

I have resharpened the chain on my chainsaw several times. It seems to be getting dull more quickly these days. Is there a rule of thumb about how many times one should be resharpened before it needs to be retired?

You can resharpen the chain as long as there is enought top plate left on the cutter. You have to file down the depth guage on the cutter as the top plate gets smaller. Check the Oregon site for some good information on the subject.
http://www.oregonchain.com/tech/ms_manual/ms_02.pdf
I purchased one of the Harbor Frieght electric sharpeners and it works great, once you set it up it goes fast, it holds all the correct angles. My chains are sharper than new and really are holding an edge. You want to make sure you only remove enought material to get a new edge on the cutter and check your depth guage height and you are ready to go.

 

[John47]

Sharpening chains SHOULD ideally be done on a machine, that way it keeps the teeth all the same size. Hand sharpening and those 12 volt electric sharpeners leave the teeth uneven. THEN, when you take it to a sawshop, they have to sharpen to the smallest tooth!
I have my own sharpening machine, they don't cost too much, but are well worth the expense.
Always keep a couple of spare chains when out cutting wood.

 

[Paddy]

I have resharpened the chain on my chainsaw several times. It seems to be getting dull more quickly these days. Is there a rule of thumb about how many times one should be resharpened before it needs to be retired?

I have dedicated chains. New chains/sharpen once or twice are reserved for cutting larger material, up to 24" oak. Chains that have been through the mill so to speak are used for small stuff, up to 10". Then the old streached, sharpen chains are saved for cutting roots/stumps. As you might imagine, these chains don't have much tooth left.

I use the dremal free hand. Sharpen very lightly before tightening the chain. With the chain loose she slides nicely. With pratice, you will have a pile of sharp chains for everey job.

Dull chains kill chain saws and make you work much to hard!

 

[Bedlam]

I would have to agree I use the machine and love it. Sure some claim it shortens the chain life. but If you remove just enough to make it sharp thats all thats required.If your interested there are many more opinions at this site.
http://www.forestryforum.com/
I use mine untill there isn't any metal left to sharpen. Usually use them for stumps etc when they get over 3/4 of use.
Ive had them sharpened on the expensive machines, but the HF one is a great buy for the homeowner with occasional use.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93213
I pain about 99 dollars for mine three years ago. now they can be had for under 30 dollars for me for anyone buying now

 

[Egon]

Just remember that running a dull chain will get it hot and it loses some of it's temper. After this they just don't hold an edge as long.

 

[sendero]

Just remember that running a dull chain will get it hot and it loses some of it's temper. After this they just don't hold an edge as long.

Exactly. And I'm not sure a chain has to be that dull to get overheated.

Once a chain gets hot, it will never really be sharp again IMHO. It can get hot because it is dull, or if you push it too hard for too long even a sharp chain can get hot. I've learned to pull it out of the tree and give it a few seconds of spinning to cool off after intense work.

My chains last a lot longer now, and I've tried various sharpening methods for older chains - but nothing will make an old chain cut like new and I generally find that after a few resharpens it's worth the $20 to install a new chain.

 

[MarkV]

I sure do agree with Egon and sendero when it comes to heat and chain life. I have a friend in the tree business and was at his shop one day looking at a very high end chain sharpener he had mounted on a work bench. I was telling him I had so much trouble with chains I might have to get something like that some day. He said you can have this one we don’t use it. When I ask why he didn’t use it he explained that in the field a dull chain is going to lose it’s temper because of heat and will never hold an edge well again. He finds it much faster to take three strokes per tooth with a hand file at each gas fill up than to change chains and then have to sharpen them in the shop.

After taking his advice my chains last so much longer than I thought possible. I have also gotten lazy and let some get to hot by not filing at each fill up and they never worked well again.

MarkV

 

[turnkey4099]

Sorta back to the original question.

It isn't how many times you sharpen, it is how much you take off. As others have said, you can sharpen them until you reach the line. I usually don't go that far.

Example. My usual sharpening is 3-4 strokes/tooth. Just re-did a chain I rocked out on my logging chain (forgot it was there). Took 15 strokes/tooth to do it.

Harry K

 

[slowrev]

I sure do agree with Egon and sendero when it comes to heat and chain life. I have a friend in the tree business and was at his shop one day looking at a very high end chain sharpener he had mounted on a work bench. I was telling him I had so much trouble with chains I might have to get something like that some day. He said you can have this one we don’t use it. When I ask why he didn’t use it he explained that in the field a dull chain is going to lose it’s temper because of heat and will never hold an edge well again. He finds it much faster to take three strokes per tooth with a hand file at each gas fill up than to change chains and then have to sharpen them in the shop.

After taking his advice my chains last so much longer than I thought possible. I have also gotten lazy and let some get to hot by not filing at each fill up and they never worked well again.

MarkV

Yes I sharpen my chains by hand and all works out well. I sharpen them several times and even shorten the rakers a bit (using gauge), so that I can sharpen them more.
And yes heat will ruin a chain.

 

[JimR]

You asked how many strokes. That all depends on how dull the chain is. I use 3-4 strokes on a round file when I think it needs to be touched up lightly. 8-10 strokes will usually do the trick on a slightly damaged chain from a rock or barbed wire. For real bad chains I have a tool from Oregon that clamps to the bar. You can set it up for the angle, height and depth of file cut. I think this cost me around $30.00 many years ago. I almost bought one of the powered chain grinders that uses a round wheel. My friend that use to be it the tree business said a round file works better.

 

[sendero]

To more specifically answser the original question, I find that resharpening becomes less and less effective. I quit using a chain after 10-20 sharpens, which I initially do with a few strokes of a round file, and eventually move on to a Dremel with a stone.

After a certain number of sharpens, the chain just won't perform. Even if you mess with the rakes, I don't really know why... perhaps cumulative heat damage?

 

[MotorSeven]

Tn,
I just bought the Harbor Freight chainsaw grinder on sale for $29(Caution if you go IN the store it will cost you alot more.....$293.50 for me{tool cabinet,dolly,water pump,etcetc}) I will use it to occasionally even up the teeth from hand sharpening, and for a quicker fix from hitting metal/rocks. Just make sure that you don't heat up the cutter or it will lose all it's hardness then will not hold an edge for cr@p. I have been hand filing my chains for over 20 years, since i watched a "chainsaw shop tech" heat my cutters until they were glowing red. I ended up throwing the chain away, buying a new one and a dozen files....been happy ever since! Like Harley says don't forget the depth gauge...if your teeth can't reach the wood then it's a wast of time and fuel.
RD

 

[CTyler]

I learned my lesson about heat on a couple chains. My wife had bought me a 12volt hand held chain sharpener that uses a grinding stone. After using that and getting a number of the teeth slightly discolored it wont hold and edge anymore. It will cut good for about 2-3 minutes and like crap in about 5-6 minutes. I bought new chains and went back to using a hand file.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Thanks for all the good information. I am going to get one of the Harbor Freight sharpeners. They had them on the front page of their most recent circular for $29.00. The tax is less than the freight would be, so I'll buy at the store. And you're right MotorSeven. I may be making a mistake. Who knows what else I'll find to buy at the store.

I have never hand filed a chain before myself. I'm sure it's not terribly complicated, but I'd like to have a short lesson from someone who knows what their doing before I tried it. Hopefully the Harbor Freight tool will do the trick for me.

 

[Bedlam]

Hobbey farmer,
Just wanted to add that Ive done almost 50 or so sharpenings with the HF machine. And the wheel is just showing some wear. I bought a couple spare wheels when they were on sale. they aren't much , when you spot them on sale in the cat. But have to look through many catalogs to get the lowest price.(just like everything else)
Also another post er told me about turning the wheel around after a couple of sharpenings. that makes sense, and its VERY simple two screws on the cover plate , and a finger knob on the shaft.Where I live I don't have a store close bu so depend on the catalog .
Good luck.
Al

 

[turnkey4099]

I also have the HF grinder on the way. It is terribly easy to overheat a tooth with any powered grinder. The proper operation of one of thes HF thingies is to set it to just skim the tooth and then do it rapidly, almost just a 'bounce'. Go around the chain at that setting then set to take just a touch more of and go around again, repeat as necessary. Any prolonged contact will overheat the tooth.

Harry K