Chainsaw chain question...

[David Rose]

When would you sharpen a chain?

I've got a little Stihl MS170. OK, so I don't really have a chainsaw. :rolleyes: It beats any other heavy pruning tool I've got around the place anyway. ;)

When I bought the saw, the salesman discouraged me from sharpening the chain. He suggested buying another chain, and bringing in the old one to be sharpened when it dulled. They are inexpensive so I did. I figured either way, a spare was a good idea.

Now after a couple of hours of use, some of it "too" close to the ground, the teeth seem a little dull. I compared the edges to my new chain, and they are definitely not as sharp. The teeth are not nicked that I see. The only time that I used a chain saw extensively was cutting down several dead Bois d'arc trees. Those were monsters in both size and destructivity (new word?) to chains and bars. This was a commercial job, so we cut until the chains quit cutting, then sharpened them.

I am use to sharpening chisels and plane irons when I detect that they are not cutting quite as well as I remember. This usually means touching up rather than sharpening. I can't tell that the chain is cutting less, but I can see that it is no longer "sharp". It seems logical to me to touch it up with a couple of file strokes to a tooth.

What say ye? Btw, I use it only at home, so it isn't terribly inconvenient to take it in to be sharpened, but I'm not sure it is necessary at this "dullness".

David

[Steve Jenkins]

It sounds to me like you know it's dull and time to get it sharpened. If it doesn't perform as well as it did then by all means sharpen it. If you touch the ground with a chain saw even for a second or two it will need sharpening.

[Bryan Rocker]

A couple of things to consider. First keep your chain properly tensioned. That alone will keep your chain in good working order for a while. When the chain starts making the cuttings into sawdust as opposed to slivers is when I usually pull it off and sharpen it. When I was young I cut firewood for a living. We went through tons of chains. We sharpened our own for the most part. I used a small fixture which mounted on the bar and used a 5/32 or 7/32 inch round file. I still have one just like it out in the garage. After trying many things I found the chain saw stones for the dremel works extremely well. A package of 2 is like $6 ish at the BORG. I grind the tooth back until I feel a bur of metal on top of the cutting tooth then I move onto the next one. With my dremel I can probably sharpen it in 30 minutes. Our local lawn mower shop is charging $7ish to sharpen the chaines. IMHO using a round file or stone will get you better performance than the sharpens lawn mower shops give you.

[Al Willits]

I used to run a file over the blade every second or third gas refill, just a quick honing and it seemed to work well that way.
Like Steve says, hit the dirt, dull blade...:)

Al

[Charlie Plesums]

If my blade was dull, as in driven too long, or touching dirt or metal, then either commercial sharpener or discard. But if I started getting more dust than chips, and cuts were taking longer, I did a quick touch-up sharpening with a file.

The pros have the advantage of a fancy jig to get all the angles even and the depth even on all the teeth, so IMHO are worth it for the major sharpening. But a touch up... that's another quick thing.

[Roger Bell]

If I am cutting all day, I remove the chain at Noon and replace it with a freshly sharpened one. At the end of the day, I touch up or hone both chains by hand with a round file. Cheap simple cheater guides which clamp to the file are more than adequate if you feel you need a jig. I immediately remove and replace the chain if I know I hit a rock or metal. All this is standard practice among professional timber cutters. A dull tool of any kind will work you to death, produce poor results, and in the case of chainsaws, increases wear on the machine in addition to being less safe. The fact that you saw is dimunitive is neither here nor there. Take care of your saw and your chains and be fastidious about your fuel mix... and your little saw will last forever.

While there is nothing "wrong" with using grinder based sharpening systems (like the saw shops do), realize also that that method, even if used judiciously, will also accelerate wear on the chain much more so than by sharpening by hand filing, using only the minimum necessary number of strokes. It is like sharpening your pocket knife on a gray wheel grinder. Worn chains, even if sharp, cut more slowly and pull smaller chips due to the diminished length of the cutting surface of the cutters. And power grinding will get your chain to that state much quicker. It pays for anyone to have at least three chains....more if you choose to send yours out for service. In that case, avoid the mower shops and try to find a saw dealer with a reputation of having the patronage of professional loggers or arborists.

[David Rose]

Steve,

I know to stay away from the ground. But the closer you get, the more dirt (and possibly stone) you may get into. I cut some Rose of Sharon that have multiple shoots coming off at ground level. So I did get close. I haven't yet noticed a performance loss, but the teeth are not "sharp".

Bryan,

I didn't think to look for sawdust. I will be more observant... with better light. I seem to cut too often after work. The dealer where I bought the saw charges $6. I didn't realize that I might get a better job myself. When we did those trees for that job I mentioned, we/I sharpened the chains many times. I don't think we ever had them professionally sharpened. I'll bet we went through 2 *bars* per saw on a fence row of trees with 3 saws! We used gallons of bar oil, so I don't think we burned any up unnecessarily.

Al,

I think I should "stroke" it a bit.

Charlie,

I do a lot of filing in my work, so keeping angles true is no stranger. And remember that this is a "trimming" saw, so things are not as critical as some operations.

Roger,

I usually don't use a jig for touchup on plane irons, scrapers or chisels. I definitely do for a major bevel shaping. Keeping things true for a light cut on the saw chain, I don't think I need the jig. For a real resharpening, I might want one. You caught one of my main concerns. I want this little saw to last or I would have bought what I consider a lesser saw at the borg. I am also a stickler for fuel/oil mix.

All,

I probably have a stone that would work with my Foredom grinder. I like the control and slower speed (not much really) of a file for jobs like this. As I think I inferred in my original post, I think I need to touch up some. And most of you have confirmed that feeling. The saw shop insinuated that good chains were often ruined by field sharpening. I suspect that I have the skill to touch up a few times. By then, the chain can probably go in the trash. Chains for this little saw are not at all expensive. Plus my demands are not that high.

Thanks!

David

[Ian Abraham]

Having a little saw just makes sharpening MORE important :D It will cut well only if the cutters are razor sharp.

Sharpen as soon as you notice the chain isn't cutting right. If it "looks" dull then it's way overdue ;) You will notice the chain isn't throwing big chips anymore, when it's getting dull it just scrapes dust.

If you have been digging dirt it will need a little filing. If you have been trying to cut concrete or nails it will need a serious session :o (Who left that concrete fence post there anyway?) :rolleyes:

A hand file and guide is probably the best way to go, takes a bit of practise, but you can get the chain better than new and keep it sharp untill there are no cutters left to sharpen. You can file them wrong of course, but any mistake can be fixed by filing them back to the correct profile again. Some of my chains are 2/3rds used and still cut great. You also need to file off the top of the rakers as the cutters wear down, you can get a $10 kit that has the files / guides / guages all in a handy little pouch.

Cheers

Ian

[David Rose]

Thanks Ian,

I was joking about the size of the saw. It is a very capable unit within its design range. This is my first new chainsaw, and I love the weight, again for what it is designed.

The teeth are a few steps down from "razor sharp". But it also seems to cut well. I haven't looked at the chips though. My eyes won't tell me much anymore except under a really good light. I am going by the way the teeth feel. The teeth on the new blade are MUCH sharper.

I found a bunch of beer bottles in the center of the plants, but don't think I tried to cut any. However, I am "pruning" several woody plants down a few inches from the ground.

I wondered about the "raker tops". I assume that these are like the anti-kickback router bits. These probably control the depth of cut? However, the top of the teeth seem to be "level". If I don't cut them on top of the teeth, which I've never seen done, the rakers should be OK, right?

David, who never thought of using this saw on concrete... With the correct finesse, may I could sharpen on the driveway :D kidding of course




Having a little saw jsut makes sharpening MORE important :D It will cut well only if the cutters are razor sharp.

Sharpen as soon as you notice the chain isn't cutting right. If it "looks" dull then it's way overdue ;) You will notice the chain isn't throwing big chips anymore, when it's getting dull it just scrapes dust.

If you have been digging dirt it will need a little filing. If you have been trying to cut concrete or nails it will need a serious session :o (Who left that concrete fence post there anyway?) :rolleyes:

A hand file and guide is probably the best way to go, takes a bit of practise, but you can get the chain better than new and keep it sharp untill there are no cutters left to sharpen. You can file them wrong of course, but any mistake can be fixed by filing them back to the correct profile again. Some of my chains are 2/3rds used and still cut great. You also need to file off the top of the rakers as the cutters wear down, you can get a $10 kit that has the files / guides / guages all in a handy little pouch.

Cheers

Ian

[Ian Abraham]

I wondered about the "raker tops". I assume that these are like the anti-kickback router bits. These probably control the depth of cut? However, the top of the teeth seem to be "level". If I don't cut them on top of the teeth, which I've never seen done, the rakers should be OK, right?


The rakers are the little upright tabs just in front of each cutter. They are not so much for kickback control, but they control the depth of cut for each cutter. If you look closely at each cutter you will see that the top plate slopes downward slightly. As you file away the cutter by sharpening it it actually gets lower, so after a few sharpens it gets down close to the height of the raker. Then you have to file the tops of the rakers accordingly. The rakers should be about 20 thou below the top of the cutters. You can use a special guage or lay a ruler along the top of the cutters and use a feeler guage. Dont file them down too much or the cutter will try and bite too aggressively, it will cut rough and tend to stall the smaller saw. Thats probably something your chainsaw dealer sees a lot, hence his advice. :rolleyes:

I dont 'try' and cut concrete any more than I do nails, but sometimes mistakes happen :o

Cheers

Ian

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

If I'm not digging holes with my chainsaw then I sharpen at each tank of gas, take 10 min max, unless I stop for a cup of coffee too :rolleyes:

Get a kit like this...........

http://www.oregondealer.com/aerialequipment/prodimg/sharpkit.jpg

It has the two files you need, the round and the flat,and the two guides, the one on the round file (bottom of the image) that is for filing the cutters to the right angle. The second item, above that is the depth guage, this sets the depth of cut, you are correct.

Make sure you get the right sized kit for your chain size.

For me, I cheat and use the guide, I found it VERY easy to use and gave me a REALLY sharp chain all the time, the learning curve was about 5 minutes :D

I found this clamp was nice to have too........

http://www.gustharts.com/product_images/26368_BarClamp.jpg
But maybe on a shorter bar you don't need it?

http://www.axminster.co.uk//images/products/ORE23736_xl.jpg
This is the filing guide I used, I very much liked it.

One more thing, RUN away from the person who told you NOT to sharpen you own chain :rolleyes:

Cheers!

[David Rose]

OK, I had an idea that the rakers controlled depth of cut. That is what is suppose to deter kickback on a router bit. I assumed the reasoning might be the same. Yeah, the little engine can bog fairly easily.

:eek: You don't cut concrete on purpose? :rolleyes: Jeeze, I thought maybe that was another use. :D

David


The rakers are the little upright tabs just in front of each cutter. They are not so much for kickback control, but they control the depth of cut for each cutter. If you look closely at each cutter you will see that the top plate slopes downward slightly. As you file away the cutter by sharpening it it actually gets lower, so after a few sharpens it gets down close to the height of the raker. Then you have to file the tops of the rakers accordingly. The rakers should be about 20 thou below the top of the cutters. You can use a special guage or lay a ruler along the top of the cutters and use a feeler guage. Dont file them down too much or the cutter will try and bite too aggressively, it will cut rough and tend to stall the smaller saw. Thats probably something your chainsaw dealer sees a lot, hence his advice. :rolleyes:

I dont 'try' and cut concrete any more than I do nails, but sometimes mistakes happen :o

Cheers

Ian

[David Rose]

Stu,

I've seen your "uses" for the chainsaw! I'm not a newbie here. :D Now you have me wondering how thick a log I could convert to boards. Lessee... Maybe I could make 1x2s quarter sawn boards(?) from a 5" log... :D I might be able to even lift those to my bandsaw for cleanup.

OK, OK, OK... :eek: You guys have convinced me to try a guide! Jeeze! All I wanted to know was about touchup. Now you have me opening a sharpening business. :eek: :D :p

Whada ya mean a "shorter bar"??? I'll have you know that this bar is somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 huge inches!!! :eek: Got that??? :D Teach you to put down my lil saw! hehe "We'll" challenge you to a cutting contest on 1" limbs any ole day you like. :D

I'll see if I can find the sharpening kit locally, then probably give up and mail order it... as usual.

David, who is already running from the saw dealer...


If I'm not digging holes with my chainsaw then I sharpen at each tank of gas, take 10 min max, unless I stop for a cup of coffee too

It has the two files you need, the round and the flat,and the two guides, the one on the round file (bottom of the image) that is for filing the cutters to the right angle. The second item, above that is the depth guage, this sets the depth of cut, you are correct.

Make sure you get the right sized kit for your chain size.

For me, I cheat and use the guide, I found it VERY easy to use and gave me a REALLY sharp chain all the time, the learning curve was about 5 minutes :D

I found this clamp was nice to have too........

One more thing, RUN away from the person who told you NOT to sharpen you own chain

Cheers!

[Ian Abraham]

hehe.. you got the right saw for the job.;) On the 1" pruning you will hold your own fine. On the 4 and 5ft cypress trees I get to play with I think I'll keep my little toy though :D

Cheers

Ian

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

hehe.. you got the right saw for the job.;) On the 1" pruning you will hold your own fine. On the 4 and 5ft cypress trees I get to play with I think I'll keep my little toy though :D

Cheers

Ian

Yeah, that should do Ian, but I'd suggest that you open you eyes when using it ;) :D

[David Rose]

Well... maybe not right in line with the chain though, huh? :eek: :D

David, who would enjoy milling some bigger stuff... maybe... someday...

[Frank Fusco]

Bodark is one of the toughest woods on this continent. It will dull faster than other woods.
Some folks can sharpen or touch up with a round file by hand just fine.
Others think they can but are really just fooling themselves.
Others can't but know it and only use professionals to sharpen their chains. :o
I consider chains a disposable item. Always have and extra or two. When you saw stops throwing out a beautiful stream of sawdust be alert that your chain is probably dull and switch to a sharp one.
As stated, a dull chain is the quickest way possible to send your saw to the graveyard.

[Dennis Peacock]

As stated, a dull chain is the quickest way possible to send your saw to the graveyard.

Very well stated Frank!!!! :D

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Yah, you have a "real" chainsaw.
Why not just try sharpening it yourself and see?
The first chain saw sharpening I did was on a friend's saw. We were on his wood lot in Taunton MA cutting the logs he was going to have milled to build his home. He didn't know how to sharpoen the blades. I was a machinist tooolmaker at the time. It just seemed to me to be unreasonable that he coudn't do it hiimself so I took a rat tail file from my trunk tool box, and went at it. A few munites later - vioila - he was cutting again.

Since then I have used Dremils with great (but painfully slow) success.

Now I simply use a 10" abrasive cutoff wheel as though it were a speciality grinder wheel. I have tried little wood angle blocks to hold the chain at the correct angle and also holding it freehand.
I prefer freehand. It's fast and easy.

[Al Willits]

Check out of the lumberman contests if ya want "THE" saw, now there's some high powered saws...:D

Kinda really depends on how much your gonna use this saw, when we were burning wood for heat, I had maybe 12-16 blades and would hand sharpen them till they stated not to cut well, then take them into the local small engine shop where they'd resharpen them.
I got them resharpened for about $4 a blade, wasn't worth spending the money for a professional sharpener to me.

If your just doing a bit of pruning, I'd buy 2-3 blades and the basic set up to sharpen them and when they got real bad, throw them away, gotta believe with the price of gas and sharpening now, be easier to just replace them.

Most of all, be careful, them little saws can cut ya too..:)

Al

[Jim Becker]

I last bought a quantity of loops from Bailey's for about $14 each and just keep a bunch of them on the shelf. I have a file and do a little touch up while cutting, but given my time availability to do anything like this is very dear, I tend to just put a new loop on the saw when one gets unmanageable. If the old chain is salvageable, it goes into a box for future consideration. If I hit rocks or other foreign materials that did a lot of damage...the trash can beckons!

[Jon Shively]

I have heated my home for five years with a Central Boiler outside wood stove. Grew up with wood stoves in the home and except for my time at Purdue have had a wood stove in the place I lived. As a kid it was always magic that the saws stayed sharp (threw them in the truck bed without sleeves). For the past few years I generally touch up my chains with a round file once or twice then took off for the guy in town to "true up" the teeth. Bought a cheap chain sharpener from HF last year, still touch up my chains a couple of times before putting them on the sharpener but find I grind a lot less of the tooth off than the guy in town. Isn't a tool used everyday, but hang my dull chains on it and when needing a sit down job I sharpen chains. Doesn't take over five minutes of my time per chain and they are razor sharp. Was one of my good buys from HF.

[Jake Helmboldt]

touch up after every tank, it is easy to do in 5-10 minutes and keeps things sharp.

flip the bar every couple tanks of gas to even wear on the rails and dress them occaisionaly with a file.

The Husqvarna roller guides are simple and small. No setup, fit anywhere and teach you how to freehand, plus it has a built in guage for the rakers.

Keep an eye on your drive sprocket; as it wears it will cause your kerf to be crooked and get excessive wear on all parts.

Dremels can take the temper out of the teeth and its easy to remove too much material, which means you shorten the life of the chain and get uneven cutter length, which in turn can make the saw cut crooked. Plus, you don't need an extension cord for a file.

JH

[Ian Abraham]

And one other thing to watch for.

When you sharpen you have to take the cutting edge back to clean chrome on the outside of the cutter. If it's badly rounded over you can file it 'sharp', but the cutting edge isn't actually fresh chrome, it's just steel from the body of the cutter. This will go dull again REALLY fast. If you sharpen as soon as it shows any wear then a couple of file strokes is all it needs. If you have hit metal, rock or just let it get hopelessy dull, you HAVE to file / grind it back to clean chrome again.

The top plate usually has a diagonal line at the back of it. You can use that as a reference to keep the cutter angle correct, and thats about how far you can file the cutter back to. It will cut just as well on the last 1/4 of the cutter as long as it's sharpened properly. (by whatever method) ;)

Cheers

Ian

[David Rose]

Well, I bought the $23 Oregon sharpening kit (plus another $10 for files) at Lowes tonight. It looks a lot like Stu's, but red, and not quite as substantial looking. Maybe I'm just too tired, but I find this tool more difficult to setup than a new bandsaw! :( And I'm not talking about Laguna or MiniMax. It took almost two hours to get the settings right. The chain calls for a 30/0 degree cut. The closest to the new chain was 27/2 degrees by the tool setting. That seemed to cut right on the old chain. That is for the first tooth and sometimes the second. Then the chain would climb out of the jaws and it took another 5 minutes to get the chain back into the jaws of the guide. I have the tension set by the Stihl book, so that isn't it. The jaws seem to encourage the chain to climb out. Using even, counted strokes, some teeth are cleanly cut, others are not fully cut. Something has too much play or something to allow that. Under magnification the teeth look uniformly dull and not damaged before I start butchering them.

The raker cut guide is for larger chains, it turns out. That was all they carry, but no real surprise.

I think I can do better by hand. If my eyes were better I know I could! :mad:

I'm not sure what to try next, but I'll look over all the suggestions again and see if Oregon has a website that might tell anything.

Thanks again for your help and experiences.

David

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Well, I bought the $23 Oregon sharpening kit (plus another $10 for files) at Lowes tonight. It looks a lot like Stu's, but red, and not quite as substantial looking. Maybe I'm just too tired, but I find this tool more difficult to setup than a new bandsaw! :( And I'm not talking about Laguna or MiniMax. It took almost two hours to get the settings right. The chain calls for a 30/0 degree cut. The closest to the new chain was 27/2 degrees by the tool setting. That seemed to cut right on the old chain. That is for the first tooth and sometimes the second. Then the chain would climb out of the jaws and it took another 5 minutes to get the chain back into the jaws of the guide. I have the tension set by the Stihl book, so that isn't it. The jaws seem to encourage the chain to climb out. Using even, counted strokes, some teeth are cleanly cut, others are not fully cut. Something has too much play or something to allow that. Under magnification the teeth look uniformly dull and not damaged before I start butchering them.

The raker cut guide is for larger chains, it turns out. That was all they carry, but no real surprise.

I think I can do better by hand. If my eyes were better I know I could! :mad:

I'm not sure what to try next, but I'll look over all the suggestions again and see if Oregon has a website that might tell anything.

Thanks again for your help and experiences.

David
I had trouble using mine at first too, but I stuck with it, and I got the hang of it.

A couple of points, off the top of my head, please understand that I'm just spouting off stuff here, I'm not saying you don't know what you are doing (Hey, the one I have came with instruction in Japanese only, no pics, so I certainly did not know what I was doing!!! :o ).

I clamped the file guide on to the top of the bar, about halfway down the bar.

Mark the first tooth you sharpen, I used red chalk.

Find the worse tooth on the chain, make this one sharp first, and count the strokes, this will give a benchmark to sharpen all the teeth too.

File all the teeth on one side first, use the same number of strokes on each tooth, which you figured out from the worse tooth you sharpened first.

Loosen the bar a bit, this slacken the chain, and makes it easier to slide along.

You move the chain backwards, from the saw towards the bar tip. The unit stays clamped to the bar, only the jaws are loosened each time, and they do not need that much loosening. There is a stop on the unit, it sits on the back of the tooth, you move the tooth past the stop, and then back against the stop, but only so it is just touching the stop, this will set you file up exactly the same spot on each tooth.

The jaws tighten on the chain just above the rivets.

I found that it worked VERY well, once I got it setup.

Hope you try it again, and have some success.

If you need to, I'll take the time to snap some pics for you of me doing it, please just ask.

Cheers!

[David Rose]

Stu,

I had no doubt that I absolutely did NOT know what I was doing! :eek: And that was after I read the instructions. I'm an "instruction sort of guy". I read them FIRST! Weird, huh? :D Anyway, I understood the principles of the angles and such, and I've worn out a barrel of (flat) files over the years.

I guess my main problem, after finally getting guide angles to agree with the saw angles, was that the teeth would climb in the guide jaws as I moved them. The instructions say nothing about clamping them tight for each tooth, as I think you are indicating. That would keep them from climbing out, though it would greatly lengthen the process time. My instructions, in the language that I am suppose to understand, say to set the edges of the jaws on the centers of the rivets. The rivets are small and it is "interesting" to keep them positioned as the jaws are tightened. I did try that before I re-re-read the instructions. Like I said, I might should have drunk a glass of wine before starting. :rolleyes:

The front clamp screw on my tool is only down about 1/2" from the top of the bar when the jaws are aligned with the rivets. You know, I checked Oregon's web site and their tool looks exactly like yours! I suspect what I bought was a "made for Lowes" model. The jaws are stamped steel instead of what looks like brass on yours. They are clearly narrower than yours are. And the model number is slightly different on their site than on the Lowes model. :( I think I bit myself on the foot again with borg purchasing.

If it isn't a big deal, I would love to just see the jaws on your tool set up on the bar as you use it. One pic would do it, I think. However, you say they are positioned just ABOVE the rivet, so that is probably enough info. My instructions say to position them "on the center of the rivet". Your idea "jist might work for me"! That should keep the chain from climbing out.

The rest of your instructions were basically what I did. I'm not giving up yet.

Thanks again,

David, who thinks sometimes no instructions are better than poor ones :rolleyes:


I had trouble using mine at first too, but I stuck with it, and I got the hang of it.

A couple of points, off the top of my head, please understand that I'm just spouting off stuff here, I'm not saying you don't know what you are doing (Hey, the one I have came with instruction in Japanese only, no pics, so I certainly did not know what I was doing!!! :o ).

I clamped the file guide on to the top of the bar, about halfway down the bar.

Mark the first tooth you sharpen, I used red chalk.

Find the worse tooth on the chain, make this one sharp first, and count the strokes, this will give a benchmark to sharpen all the teeth too.

File all the teeth on one side first, use the same number of strokes on each tooth, which you figured out from the worse tooth you sharpened first.

Loosen the bar a bit, this slacken the chain, and makes it easier to slide along.

You move the chain backwards, from the saw towards the bar tip. The unit stays clamped to the bar, only the jaws are loosened each time, and they do not need that much loosening. There is a stop on the unit, it sits on the back of the tooth, you move the tooth past the stop, and then back against the stop, but only so it is just touching the stop, this will set you file up exactly the same spot on each tooth.

The jaws tighten on the chain just above the rivets.

I found that it worked VERY well, once I got it setup.

Hope you try it again, and have some success.

If you need to, I'll take the time to snap some pics for you of me doing it, please just ask.

Cheers!

[Erik Rudd]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/93200-93299/93213.gif

$30.00 at HarborFreight...one of their good buys.

[Greg Narozniak]

touch up after every tank, it is easy to do in 5-10 minutes and keeps things sharp.

flip the bar every couple tanks of gas to even wear on the rails and dress them occaisionaly with a file.

The Husqvarna roller guides are simple and small. No setup, fit anywhere and teach you how to freehand, plus it has a built in guage for the rakers.

Keep an eye on your drive sprocket; as it wears it will cause your kerf to be crooked and get excessive wear on all parts.

Dremels can take the temper out of the teeth and its easy to remove too much material, which means you shorten the life of the chain and get uneven cutter length, which in turn can make the saw cut crooked. Plus, you don't need an extension cord for a file.

JH


Very Well said!! Once you get the hang of the file, you can freehand touch up a chain in less than 10 minutes. The way I was taught was when you done with the whole chain and you've done it right your Forearm should be in GREAT PAIN :)

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

OK David, I got the little chainsaw out and the filing jig and went at it...........

48019
Here the guide is attached to the bar

48020
Honestly this guide is a touch large on this small saw, but you get the idea

48021
Here I am sharpening a tooth

48022
A view from the back

48023
Now just loosen the one thumbscrew, and lift the stop, slide the chain forward to the next tooth that is going the same way, and that's it.

It took me about 5 minutes to do one side of the chain, with the picture taking, about 3 strokes per tooth, and it is super sharp again.

I also wanted to tell you a tip, that I forgot I'd done until I looked at the guide tonight, I filed the inside of the vice like grippers that hold the chain in place, so they are flat on the inside where the hold the chain, not much filing, but much better than just the thin edge the way it came stock.

Hope this helps!


Cheers!

[Robert Mickley]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/93200-93299/93213.gif

$30.00 at HarborFreight...one of their good buys.

Had one took it back. bought an oregon grinder. But I sharpen a LOT of chains.

I use mine less and less. I've got to the point where I can pick up a file and free hand it. All it takes is practice. Teh only guide I've ever used was Husquvarna Saw Force. It files the raker and the tooth at the smae time

[David Rose]

Stu,

Yeah, you forgot to tell me that you filed the jaws flat! :eek: :D That would help. My small saw has really small rivets though, and I'm not sure that will help in my case. I will try that tip. It does appear that you set the jaw on as the instructions stated. Thanks for the pics, btw.

I did pull the tool back out last night and tried setting the jaws under the rivets and not tightening them snuggly. It worked to some extent. The chain flopped around, but I could hold it down and get more than I had before. If the jaws will tighten down on the rivets without moving the chain totally out of position, it should work.

I went over the whole chain. Now I need to get the saw out and see if it cuts half way right.

Thanks,

David


OK David, I got the little chainsaw out and the filing jig and went at it...........

48019
Here the guide is attached to the bar

48020
Honestly this guide is a touch large on this small saw, but you get the idea

48021
Here I am sharpening a tooth

48022
A view from the back

48023
Now just loosen the one thumbscrew, and lift the stop, slide the chain forward to the next tooth that is going the same way, and that's it.

It took me about 5 minutes to do one side of the chain, with the picture taking, about 3 strokes per tooth, and it is super sharp again.

I also wanted to tell you a tip, that I forgot I'd done until I looked at the guide tonight, I filed the inside of the vice like grippers that hold the chain in place, so they are flat on the inside where the hold the chain, not much filing, but much better than just the thin edge the way it came stock.

Hope this helps!


Cheers!

[David Rose]

If I can't get my guide to hold position well, I think I can better freehand than what I've done so far.

Thanks,

David


Had one took it back. bought an oregon grinder. But I sharpen a LOT of chains.

I use mine less and less. I've got to the point where I can pick up a file and free hand it. All it takes is practice. Teh only guide I've ever used was Husquvarna Saw Force. It files the raker and the tooth at the smae time

[Jake Helmboldt]

think about returning the Oregon system since Lowes will honor almost any return. Those are notorious for being overly complicated and slow. The Husqvarna roller guide is so simple, cheap, and teaches you to freehand. Lowes even carries them, though you need to get the right one for the size chain you are running.



http://www.usa.husqvarna.com/Files/products/large/H410-0353.gif
The file rolls on the rollers and the guide simply straddles the tie straps of the chain so the file lines up with the gullet. It also has a built in plate to use for gauging the raker height. You can get it as a complete kit with files or just the guide itself.

[David Rose]

Jake,

You have piqued my interest. I'm going back to look at this guide. I didn't see it the first time around, and no one at our store knows much of what they stock.

David


think about returning the Oregon system since Lowes will honor almost any return. Those are notorious for being overly complicated and slow. The Husqvarna roller guide is so simple, cheap, and teaches you to freehand. Lowes even carries them, though you need to get the right one for the size chain you are running.



http://www.usa.husqvarna.com/Files/products/large/H410-0353.gif
The file rolls on the rollers and the guide simply straddles the tie straps of the chain so the file lines up with the gullet. It also has a built in plate to use for gauging the raker height. You can get it as a complete kit with files or just the guide itself.

[Travis Johnson]

When I became a certified Logger, one of the requrements was a full day class on how to sharpen a chainsaw chain. I thought to myself "now that is overkill>' After ten minutes of starting that day of training, I began to pay attention. There is a lot to know about "properly" sharpening a chainsaw, but to be honest with you, the learning curve is slow and nothing to be intimidated with.

Just go easy on filing the rakers. Too much will make it grab like the dickens. Myself, I firmly believe in the sharpening motto that applies to sharpening any woodworking tool. DO NOT OVERSPEND. Myself I use a chainsaw file by itself and a bastard file, but I am careful as I do not have guides or anything.

One more important point, Always keep you saw sharp. Not only is a dull chain hard on you, it drastically reduces the life of the saw. A dull chain makes the bar hot, which in turn goes straight to the crankcase of the saw. That is the very place you do not want heat to go. So by all means learn to sharpen your saw chain. It is part of the use of the tool. You would never send a chisel out to be professionaly sharpened, why would you do so with a chainsaw.

http://www.railroadmachinist.com/sitebuilder/images/Chainsaw_and_Axe2-217x140.jpg

[David Rose]

Travis,

I like your way of thinking. And most dull tools are not too useful even if they don't do damage to something.

Thanks.

David


When I became a certified Logger, one of the requrements was a full day class on how to sharpen a chainsaw chain. I thought to myself "now that is overkill>' After ten minutes of starting that day of training, I began to pay attention. There is a lot to know about "properly" sharpening a chainsaw, but to be honest with you, the learning curve is slow and nothing to be intimidated with.

Just go easy on filing the rakers. Too much will make it grab like the dickens. Myself, I firmly believe in the sharpening motto that applies to sharpening any woodworking tool. DO NOT OVERSPEND. Myself I use a chainsaw file by itself and a bastard file, but I am careful as I do not have guides or anything.

One more important point, Always keep you saw sharp. Not only is a dull chain hard on you, it drastically reduces the life of the saw. A dull chain makes the bar hot, which in turn goes straight to the crankcase of the saw. That is the very place you do not want heat to go. So by all means learn to sharpen your saw chain. It is part of the use of the tool. You would never send a chisel out to be professionaly sharpened, why would you do so with a chainsaw.

http://www.railroadmachinist.com/sitebuilder/images/Chainsaw_and_Axe2-217x140.jpg