Sharpening a Chainsaw

[Rob Bodenschatz]

What's the best way to sharpen your chainsaw? HF has an electric chainsaw sharpener that has received some good words. Anyone have it? I've seen (& tried) a couple of jigs from the borg but can't get any to work very well.

Hopefully this isn't OT. If it is, feel free to move.

[Al Willits]

Used to be a lawn care store near our house that would do it for $3.50 a pop, at that price it wasn't worth the effort to buy a jig set up, in the field I'd use a round file to dress the edge's.

Not sure what they get to do a blade now.

Cheaper shapening unit I tried didn't seem to work very well either, if your only doing a couple of blades, maybe just have it done?

Al

[Mike Goetzke]

Take this from someone that used a chainsaw twice. I hit the dirt with the chain and found out this is the quickest way to dull the chain. A co-worker had a small fixture and a set of special files and it took about 20 min. to sharpen the chain by hand. These sharpening kits are available at HD and Menard's. Don't know if a power sharpener would be worth it.

[Jim Becker]

I have an appropriate file that I'll use "in the field" for a quick touch up, but honestly, I buy chains relatively cheaply from Bailey's and tend to just chuck one that get nasty into the trash. Given my short time availability for doing anything around here, my patience for stopping work to sharpen a chain is very limited. Changing to a new one is faster. That's not the best practice, however, and I really should think about just putting them in a box and having an occasional "sharpening party"...or maybe getting a less-expensive sharpening do-jiggie. Yea. Another power tool. Sheesh!

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Good advice there in that thread.

I got a guide thing and used it after each tank of gas, took maybe 10 minutes, but it was a good break as well.

Sharpening your chain often makes you chain last longer, your bar last longer, you use less gas, and you back usually ends up being not so sore the next day.

Have a spare chain or two on hand for sure, because if you hit a rock, you might as well toss that chain into the back of the truck for the day.

If your sharpening service is close and cheap, fine, but I don't see the point in spending $5 or even $3.50 for each chain when you can do it yourself in ten minutes, and when you add the cost of gas to go to the sharpening center, well that starts to add up ;) :rolleyes: :D

The unit I got is easy to use, it is an "Oregon" unit, but I think the Granberg one is better....

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/right-tool_1910_3386421

I do not like the electric units, as it it WAY too easy to take off WAY too much of the tooth DAMHIKT....... I did find the electric unit (in my case a dremel with the right sized bit) good for making the ripping chains I could not get in Japan.

Cheers!

[Ken Werner]

Well Bob, I bought that HF model for about $23, on sale and 20% off coupon. I've run 2 or 3 dull chains through it. Not too bad really. I mean, it's chintzy in the usual HF way, but does work OK. At $4 a pop at the local shop, I think this was a reasonable value, and it does a comparable job, in less than 10 minutes.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide.

Ken

[glenn bradley]

I have more than once 'fixed' a freinds chainsaw that wouldn't sharpen correctly. Folks have tried all the auto-stuff and some are good. Unless it's a real long bar or you're going to do it A LOT, a round file designed for your tooth radius and a few minutes of time are all it takes. I clamp the bar in a vice, saw and all. Sharpen a tooth or two and pull the chain forward as I go. Left banking teeth on the first go round, right bank on the last. You'll know you've got it when you get big chips as spoil. If you get a lot of dust, you're grinding, not cutting.

[Jake Helmboldt]

cheap, small, easy to use (no clamps, time consuming set-up) and teaches you how to free-hand as well.

The electric ones have the potential to cause several problems:
1. take off too much material (shortening life of chain)
2. easy to get uneven tooth lengths (crooked cut results)
3. overheats the metal, weakening the teeth

The Husky guides come in different sizes for the pitch and gauge of the chain you are using. It also comes with two round files, a flat file for the rakers (depth guides) and file handles for about $20.

Like Stu said, take 10 minutes at each gas fill-up and give each tooth a couple strokes and it'll cut all day long. (and as was mentioned, gives you and your back a break).

Jake

[Steve Clardy]

I just use a file. No after market gizmo's.

Learn to do it with just a file.

[Ian Abraham]

Round file with a simple guide plate to help you get the angle / depth right. Also a basic sharpening kit should have a depth gauge and flat file for the rakers, these need to be filed down as the cutters are worn lower.

You have it with you in the bush, you can touch up the chain any time it needs it, after a couple of tanks of gas or any time it hits dirt. :o Sharpen as soon as you notice the saw cutting slower. At that point it will only take a couple of file strokes, if you let it get really blunt then you have to file much more metal off the cutting edge to get the cutter back to clean chrome edge again.

It takes a bit of practise, but once you get the hang of it you can keep the saw cutting properly all day. If I hit a rock or something I usually change to a spare chain and then sit down for a serious filing session once I get home :rolleyes:

If your chain is badly out of shape then you can take it to a saw shop and get them to grind in back to the right profile on their flash grinder, then just keep filing it to keep the cutter angles looking the same.

Cheers

Ian

[Dick Strauss]

Oregon Chain has some good info on sharpening chains...

http://www.oregonchain.com/tech/manual_maint.htm.

It typically takes me less than 5 min to sharpen the chain (not including the rakers). I leave the chain on the saw and do it will files and guides like these:


http://ace.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pACE2-955449dt.jpg

Good luck,
Dick

[Rob Bodenschatz]

I'm going to learn to do it with a file. I've tried the gizmos and they seem to be more trouble than their worth. At least to me. I'm tired of buying new chains, especially when it only takes one accidental ground contact to dull the thing.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. :)

[CPeter James]

I spend more time in the woods than in the shop it seems and I use the Oregon system that Dick mentioned. I have several saws and they take just two sizes of files and guides. I normally do them right on the bar. I also have a real neat $3.50 vise for doing the chain off the saw that I bought from a local chainsaw dealer that clamps about 5 links at a time that I use when they get real bad after a session at root & stump removal. I never touch the rakers, they wear down by themselves. I have tried about a half dozen different jigs and rigs over the years and the Oregon one works the best for me. I buy the files by the dozen, as it is much cheaper. One or two passes when the chips start to get small and it's back at it.

CPeter

[Mike Jones NM]

Finally a post that I can respond to and not feel like a complete idiot.
As a professional sawyer I can tell you the easiest way is to use a rat tail file as stated above. You need to make sure that you are using the right diameter and that you keep the angle of the cut the same.
You also need to make sure that you try and keep the teeth about the same size I.E. take the same number of strokes on each tooth.
After every 3rd or 4th sharpening you need to take a flat file and file down the "rakers" the little nubs on the chain between each cutting tooth. Again take them down at an even rate for each of them.
Hope this helps.

[Robert Mickley]

wwell I'm no pro, but with 3 saws of my own, brother has 6 or 7 and one nephew has 4 we do a lot of sharpening.

Brother and nephew just use files, I was using a HUSQVARNA SHARPFORCE FILE GUIDE nice thing is about it is it sharpens the tooth and files the raker at the same time. Even my brother the die hard file man likes it

I had one of the HF elcheopo pos sharpeners, ran one chain through it and discovered it sharpened one side shorter than the other. I took it back and bought an oregon which I just sold. It was repalced with one I inheritaed.

Stay away from it it will just give you heartaches. Buy 6 to 10 chains. Keep them touched up. when they get beyond filing set em aside till you have enough to get them sharpened at a saw shop. I have probably 10 for each of my saws.

[Ian Abraham]

Once you get the knack of filing the chain you can just keep filing it untill it's worn out. Just keep the angles right and take the rakers down as needed. If you try and saw through a concrete fence post like I did.. then you have to file a bit more :o

But if you are learning to file and haven't got it quite right, then get it ground properly. Also a decent grinder is a good option if you are running several saws full time and paying someone to shapen them.

But for a hobby woodcutter, take the time and learn to file :D

Cheers

Ian

[Greg Narozniak]

I just use a file. No after market gizmo's.

Learn to do it with just a file.

Ditto, As fast as any "jig" once you learn how to do it correctly.

[Tom Andersen]

Take a look at the chainsaw forum over at the arborist site: (moderator removed a direct link to another public forum -- TOS violation) You'll find anything you ever wanted to know on sharpening of chain saws and more to it;)