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View Full Version : What’s the best way to sharpen a chainsaw?



Barry
20-08-2004, 09:49 PM
Well new here but let’s give this sucker ago.

How does ever one sharpen there chain saw, does anyone use one of the electric types or do you think stick with the old file and guide.

mick
20-08-2004, 10:02 PM
This is a good question! I usually take it in to get sharpened but if theres an easy, accurate way of doing it myself, I'll do it! I've tried but for some damn reason, just cant get it right!

Barry
20-08-2004, 10:34 PM
Well I don't seem to have a problem getting it right with a file, but found it easier with the chain off, I have a simple wood clamp the chain fits in and clamp it in a vice so I can do about 10 teeth at a time, but can be a bit time consuming.

But all the dealers sell the little elec grinders for sharpening. But can't seem to make my mind up if they would make life easier, or just a gimmick.

Also chain sharpening here is strange, $15 to have it sharpened but can get a new chain for $18.

Rod
21-08-2004, 07:18 AM
I get mine sharpened for $8.00 at the Local Stihl dealer. They also have a box full of sharpened used chains (but never collected) for only $10.00. I now have over 20 chains.

I tried all methods of sharpening to clip on frames to car grinder powered. Get it wrong and the bar starts to turn on you.

Get em done properly and it saves you time on a job.

Hondy
21-08-2004, 08:40 AM
I use the electric grinder type. Does me ok.

Tony

mick
21-08-2004, 09:42 AM
I use the electric grinder type. Does me ok.

Tony

It dosent do mower blades too does it! :laughing: I wish! :i dunno:

Barry
21-08-2004, 10:49 PM
You can get it done for $8, think it is time I change dealers I'm being ripped off.

Indyanswer
22-08-2004, 12:58 PM
Sharpening a chainsaw is best done the old fashioned way, with a file. You will only need a round file and a flat file. After each time u use it, it will only need about three to five strokes with the round and about 1 to 3 with the flat, depending on the lenth of time u use it.

Lumberjacks, tree climbers, what ever u wanna call em do it, so can u. Needs a bit of practice and frusteration as what happened to u when first tring to get a straight edge with your brush cutter. Now i have seen shops sharpen chains and let me tell u half your life of the chain disappears.

Now don't forget u can buy a safety chain, a semi chisel chain and a full chisel chain. Safety chain is what is normally on it when u buy it, but if u use a semi chisel or full chisel it cuts much easier :aus-flag:

Alex Callaghan
22-08-2004, 06:10 PM
Have a look at a Tungsten tip chain.

Ya wont have to worry about sharpening. Mud, snow, rotten hollows................They just keep doing the job.

I've had a Tungsten cabide tip chain on my saw for bout 2 years now and havn't had to touch it. Still cuts well with next to no presure put down.

Bit on the exy side but I reckon it was money well spent.



Shapening a chain well comes with practise and a good eye.

Indyanswer is too right with the shops machine eating the teeth for breaky. The ol round file and a bit of practise is the way to go I reckon.

matder
22-08-2004, 07:45 PM
like every thing comes with practise i use 3/16 file on a3/8 micro chisel chain youve just got to get your angles and gullet right and most fencing contractors and wood cutters use this freehand or ask your local dealer if he could put on a work shop to show you how its to be done properly best of luck matty

pbm
25-08-2004, 11:31 PM
I tried the file but kept mucking it up so I found a guy who does it for $7...he'll do 3 for $15

whitsundaytattoo
26-08-2004, 02:49 PM
I use the electric sharpener and find it great. Yes you can take too much off and shorten the life of the chain but I don't think its going to kill you when a new blade is $18. Just don't grind to much is just like don't file too much. I find it easier to get the edge on the right angle with the electric just have to be carefull when removeing.

dvmcmrhp52
27-08-2004, 10:34 AM
We use electric "dremel's" to sharpen ours.
It's not perfect but it gets you back moving quicker than taking them to get sharpened.

administrator
23-10-2006, 01:13 PM
THE BEST WAY IS YOUR WAY


Chainsaw Sharpener 89.00 deans corner www.indmowing.com.au

' Millers Falls '

Specifications / Features

240 Volt 50 hz Motor
85 Watt Power Rating
No-Load Wheel Speed ~ 5300 rpm
Grinding Wheel ~ 100 mm x 22.3 mm Arbor Size ( 1 wheel supplied with machine )
Safety Guard
Chain Sizes ~ 1/4" to 3/8"
Cutting Angles ~ Zero to 35 degress
Fully adjustable feed pawl to move chain through the vice link by link
Depth Stop
Weight ~ 2.8 kg Approx

bigG
08-11-2006, 08:42 PM
i actually use a small grinder

ian
12-11-2006, 09:22 PM
i use a file or if i want a good job i use my local mower shop

wombat
15-02-2007, 10:19 PM
I'm pretty sure after reading these posts I just got touched up big time. I took my hedger and chainy up to my local dealer to get them sharpened and they hit me for $97.20 in total. :dean:

Lancat
16-02-2007, 12:48 AM
Wombat if they had to disassemble and re assemble your hedger that sounds cheap as the labour costs is about $70 per hour in most workshops here in Victoria.
The last time I had my chains sharpened in a workshop it cost me $12 per chain and $22 per blade for the hedger.
I only use a workshop if I don’t have time to do it myself.
It sometimes works out cheaper for me to have a workshop to do the work than myself when im busy.
I can have earned $100 dollars in 2 hours cutting lawns than spending 2 plus hours at home disassembling, Sharpening and Re assemble the hedger.
I use a 4inch grinder with a sanding disk attached to it to sharpen my hedger blades and a chain file for the chains.

All Fire & Garden
16-02-2007, 10:10 PM
quick way to sharpen a saw.... break off a file and put it in a drill. Cut into not out of the tooth, go easy!! believe me it works. 30digrees flat. also take down the rake with an angle grinder using a jig. watch out for kick back but, if your saw's got guts it will go. My old man (b 1913) used to sharpen the rake but we dont do that any more. He used Solo's and Hargons, Flat out at 4500rpm. Iv'e still got one here,1958 Solo Rex. motor is 125 cc sounds like a harley and carries like one. my 44 does 24000. Times change.

All Fire & Garden
16-02-2007, 10:30 PM
Solo Rex Picture?

All Fire & Garden
16-02-2007, 11:15 PM
I think I just worked out how to post a picture so here's another test...some pics from home.

administrator
30-05-2007, 04:10 PM
are u making some moonshine :i dunno:

All Fire & Garden
31-05-2007, 07:59 AM
Bush oven made from an old pressure tank admin. will take a big camp oven just right, and will cook anything from smoked fish to pizza. also great to sit around and think about how to make moonshine on a cold evening.

administrator
26-06-2008, 08:38 AM
Care for your chainsaw chain and how to order

Basic article on chain tensioning no point sharpening if not tensioned correctly
http://www.stihl.com.au/dspArticleI...cmsArticleID=26


Basic article on chain care
http://www.stihl.com.au/dspArticleIndex.cfm?cmsArticleID=38

Article from www.indmowing.com.au
When you take your chainsaw into a shop to be sharpened they use a chainsaw grinder note when you get is back half the cutting edge is taken away shortning the life of your chain .

When you sharpen with a file which takes a bit of practice but easy when you know how lasts twice as long .

Also when purchasing a new chain count the hooks these are called drive links see pic below this gives you the length of the chain required .

Also you will need to know the pitch of the chain generally 4 pitches they are 1/4" ,3/8" ,.325" ,and ,.404"

Also the gauge of the chain generally 043",050",058,063,

Types of chain are low profile , semi chisel , full chisel

Sizes can be found on the chain especially if carlton chain the worlds best chain

to order your chain Example 3/8"-.063"chain , 72 links long

If your armed with this info gives you the edge to shop around

You can order chain at the exact size you need or buy it in 25ft rolls or 100 ft rolls and join together yourselve with the right tools not much different to a bike chain .

DAJ
28-06-2008, 09:37 AM
I thought i would add a coment re chains sharpened at a mower shop.
I have sharpened 1000s of chains at the shop using the large Oregan chain grinders.They are very fast and can grind out damage to the cutters that a file would take ages to do but if not used properly the grinders blue and soften the teeth .Its always worth checking this when you pick up your chains .If they are blued you have pretty much wasted your money.

I have always used hand files on my own saws.It takes a lot longer but the result is a razor sharp chain that stays sharper longer.
Cheers :wave-hi: :wave-hi:

mowjoman
28-06-2008, 09:57 AM
Same. I use file kit. I reckon the trick is as soon as I feel the saw becoming blunt, I stick it on the back of the ute and give each tooth 2 rubs with the file at 30 degrees. Comes back beautifully. I dont own a chain grinder but my nieghbour is a parks ranger and every now and then if I hit something I shouldn't he'll take it to work and give it a hit on his sharpener. I know the local mower shop charges $17/chain. I am blessed with good neighbours. :russ:

administrator
08-06-2009, 12:31 PM
see link

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/brewer57.html



Ambidextrous chainsaw filing

By Thomas Brewer

I am not ambidextrous. My wife, Judith, uses chopsticks with either hand or even both hands at once. She is ambidextrous. I can barely write with my right hand, much less my left. Even so, I use this ambidextrous method of sharpening my chainsaw, and can sharpen the chain in 10 minutes or less without removing the chain from the saw, while using only a chainsaw file and a homemade stand.

Here are the secrets to sharpening a saw without weird filing jigs, fixtures, or other expensive and time consuming mechanical aids.


Basic principles
1. It is essential to look at what you are doing. You cannot, as I used to do, put the saw on the ground, kneel on the handle, and file away on the saw teeth and expect them to become sharp by the grace of a higher power. The homemade stand, shown in the illustrations, is designed to be used on a bench. It will place the saw chain where you can see what is happening to the teeth while you sharpen. The stand will also allow you to assume a comfortable position while you work on the saw. If you use reading glasses, put them on when you sharpen.




2. Orient the bar vertically. This is the most important purpose of the homemade stand. When the bar is vertical, gravity is your friend, and you can easily control the file position in the throat of the tooth. If you attempt to file the chain with the bar in a horizontal position, gravity drags the file downward into the throat, and you will miss the cutting edge entirely. Orienting the bar vertically is so important that once you learn this technique, you will henceforth lean the saw vertically upwards against a tree if the saw needs an emergency sharpening in the woods where the stand is not available.

3. Adjust the chain tension prior to sharpening. This will pull the teeth into the bar and prevent them from flopping back and forth while you sharpen. This will make your filing faster and far more precise.

4. Wear gloves while sharpening. When sharpening, you will grab the bar with one hand to stabilize it, and your other hand, which is doing the filing, will frequently be driven into the chain. Gloves make sharpening a much more safe and comfortable enterprise.

5. Keep a block of carpenter’s chalk in your chainsaw toolbox. When sharpening, use this to mark your starting point on the chain. It can be remarkably difficult to figure out when you have finished sharpening without this mark. You will also probably use the chalk to lay out cuts when you are using the saw.

6. When you begin to sharpen, allow the file to contact the tooth only in the forward (cutting) direction. Dragging the file back through the tooth will shorten file life considerably, will result in a poor tooth profile, and is at odds with the principle of watching what you are doing. After each tooth is finished, dust the filings out of the file teeth by brushing it across your pant leg. (I assume you are wearing work clothes if you are out there filing a chain saw). The file cuts more smoothly if it doesn’t have to jump over filings that are stuck on the file surface.

7. Sharpen the saw frequently. Once every one or two tank fillings is about right. If you sharpen at this interval, the saw will always be a pleasure to use and sharpening will go quickly. If you hit a rock, you might as well give it up and go sharpen the saw. A dull saw tends to wear the bar unevenly, so keeping the saw sharp will extend the bar life.


The homemade stand
The stand is nailed up from a few scraps of wood to loosely hold the saw in a vertical position. Make it of a size to hold your saw. The long vertical side should fall six inches or so below the top of the bar when the saw is placed in the stand. The two cleats on the long side of the stand that constrain the saw in the side to side direction are important. In order to position them, place the saw in the stand with the blade upright and mark the saw chain on either side where it contacts the long side of the stand. Leave a gap between the cleats that is wide enough to easily clear the saw teeth as you advance the chain to expose new teeth for sharpening.


Sharpening
Make sure that the saw’s off-on switch is turned off. It isn’t very likely that the saw could kick back while you are handling the chain, but I suppose it is possible. If the saw is electric, it should certainly be unplugged
Place the stand on a bench that is at a height so that the teeth in the center of the bar are at about eye level. Different chains require different file diameters so be sure that you have the correct file. I probably don’t need to mention that chain saw files are designed specifically for sharpening saw blades and are not the same as ordinary round files. For your first try, use a new file if you have one. This will show you how a good file should cut so that you will eventually know when to replace it. When the file is worn out, you can feel and also hear that it is not biting into the tooth material, and it won’t produce much in the way of filings.




Now to sharpen: Look at the saw teeth. You will notice, on newer chains, a diagonal line scribed across the rear part of the top outside surface of the tooth. The finished tooth profile as seen from the top of the tooth should be parallel to this line. If your saw chain does not have these scribed markings, you should draw lines across the back of the saw stand at the correct angle, and use these lines to guide your filing angle.

Stand in front of the short side of the stand so that you can see the teeth ascending on the top side of the bar. Pick a tooth that slopes upward to the left and mark it with chalk. You will sharpen this tooth first, and then sharpen all the similar teeth while advancing the chain through one full revolution. Then you will sharpen all the teeth with the opposite slope while advancing the chain through a second revolution.

Grasp the saw by the top of the bar with your left hand, and brace it firmly against the top of the stand and the right hand cleat. With your right hand, sharpen the tooth that you previously marked.

Unless the blade is rock damaged, sharpening a chain in good condition should take about four file strokes per tooth. Take your first stroke and watch what happens to the cutting edge of the tooth. The file must travel in a straight line that is parallel to the scribed line on the tooth. You must also pull the file slightly toward the cutting edge (which is toward you) to assure that the cutting edge rather than the bottom of the tooth throat is filed. If things are going well, you will see a slight “wire edge” form on the cutting edge which is the last fragment of metal breaking off when the tooth becomes sharp. When the tooth is finished, the entire cutting edge will be straight, parallel to the scribed line, and sharp enough to peel a chip off the top of your fingernail.

Now comes the ambidextrous part: When the left-upward sloping teeth are finished, it is time to repeat the process for the right-upward sloping teeth. The best way to do these teeth is to merely switch hands. Grasp the top of the saw blade with your right hand, and file with the left. This allows you to remain in a position directly in front of the saw where you can see what is happening to the tooth. Although I am strongly right-handed, I found this very easy to do the first time that I tried it, and now, the left-handed teeth actually seem to go faster than the right-handed ones.

This is a fast process. If your chain has 40 teeth, and you use 4 file strokes per tooth, sharpening requires only 160 file strokes.


Problems
If filing does not make the cutting edge parallel to the scribed line, it means that the file is not parallel to the scribed line. If you are rocking the file up and down (vertically), the cutting edge will become rounded. If the file is tipped front-to-back, the cutting edge will not remain parallel to the scribed line even though the file appears to be at the proper angle. (See the illustrations.)

Attempt to file the same amount off of each tooth. Count the number of strokes that you use and file the same number on each tooth. After a number of sharpenings, some of the teeth may become noticeably shorter than the others. To fix this, try to use fewer file strokes on these teeth for several sharpenings until the others catch up. If you wish to really true up the blade, you should locate and sharpen the smallest tooth, mark off its length on a scrap of wood, and use this as a gauge to file the remaining teeth.

If the saw has become rock damaged: Rock damage usually damages all the teeth on one side of the chain. Because of the way that I hold my saw when cutting near the ground, this usually seems to be the right handed teeth. The effect is usually to knock the point off all these teeth. To sharpen a rock damaged blade, I sharpen the blade using 10 or 12 file strokes per tooth, being especially careful to maintain the file alignment. This much filing may not completely restore the point on the tooth; however, the blade will usually cut reasonably well if the cutting edge is sharp. If the blade does not cut well, I sharpen it again and try it. I have never had to sharpen it more than twice. After a few more filings, the tooth point will be restored.

Rakers: Rakers are the projections that stick up between adjacent teeth to clear chips from the cut. Since the tops of the teeth slope backwards slightly, continued sharpening may drop the teeth so low that the blade rides on the rakers in the cut. This may prevent the teeth from biting even though they are perfectly sharp. If your saw chain has been filed a number of times and has reached a point where it just doesn’t seem to cut well, the rakers may be at fault.

Blade manufacturers sell filing guides for raker filing to drop the rakers the correct distance below the teeth. This is a simple metal channel that sits on top of the teeth. The raker to be filed protrudes through a hole in the channel, and it is filed with a flat file until it is flush with the top of the channel. I usually file the rakers three or four times during the life of the blade using one of these guides.

Do not over-do raker filing. If the rakers are too low, the saw “grabs,” becomes difficult to control when starting a cut, and is much more prone to kick back—a definitely dangerous condition. If you file the rakers too low, it will probably take several teeth filings before the teeth are low enough to correct the condition. Some one who knows more about chain saws than I do has told me that he never files the rakers because of the kick back problem. He feels that a really sharp blade will work even if the rakers are too high.

Try this method. Especially try using the saw stand. You will find that you can sharpen your saw with great confidence when you can actually see what is happening to the teeth. Inspect your current blade. You may discover that the teeth are all sharpened at odd angles and have irregular lengths. You will be able to true them up very quickly using the saw stand and a fresh file.

One of these days I’m going to show Judith how to do this and then I will really have a sharp saw.

greasemonkey
08-06-2009, 08:14 PM
I use the oregon sharpener at work and we charge $15 for a sharpen. I don't know how you are being charged $18 for a new chain...unless you are talking about a pole pruner or getting really cheap chain.

The standard prices from most places for 325 and 3/8 chain is around 60 cents per drive link. Standard size 16 to 18 inch bars normally set you back around $35-45 for oregon or carlton chain. :S

administrator
08-06-2009, 09:41 PM
so how do they get away with charging 15-20 for chain sharpen when you can buy a chain 35 to 40 seems a bit odd

ian
08-06-2009, 10:05 PM
take chainsaw from customer walk to workshop put on bench sharpen chain walk from bench to holding shelf .then when customer returns walk from counter to holding shelf get chainsaw and walk back to counter time taken 15 minutes charged at $60 p/h =$15.00 it's all in the labour cost

BLACK BEAR
08-06-2009, 10:59 PM
so how do they get away with charging 15-20 for chain sharpen when you can buy a chain 35 to 40 seems a bit odd
:laughing: :laughing: Because some of us are either too lazy, too stupid or have too much money to care! :laughing:

dan1312
09-06-2009, 08:19 AM
so how do they get away with charging 15-20 for chain sharpen when you can buy a chain 35 to 40 seems a bit odd


dont think this is odd at all. my minimum fee is $20, even if its a 5 minute job. true to say i dont get to many 5 minute jobs, bt i do have a few that tke me 10-15 mins. those clients are happy with price too

greasemonkey
09-06-2009, 08:31 AM
Same my minimum workshop charge is $15. We are $66 an hour normally and I charge out in 15 minute blocks. So if I spend 2 minutes or 10 minutes I charge $15. If I spend 20 minutes I charge half an hour.

Don't forget a shop has to cover the labour rate plus the cost of the machine...and the big chain grinding machines are up over $500. Plus the cost of the grinding wheels, koolgrind, stones, light bulbs springs etc that has to be replaced on the machine. I've only ever had one customer whinge about the price of $15 sharpens. If I am sharpening a pole saw chain I normally charge 10 or 12, because it only takes about 2 minutes and the price of a new one isn't much more than the $15 for a standard sharpen.

Arfa Brayne
30-08-2009, 10:40 PM
Sharpening a chainsaw is best done the old fashioned way, with a file. You will only need a round file and a flat file. After each time u use it, it will only need about three to five strokes with the round and about 1 to 3 with the flat, depending on the lenth of time u use it.

Lumberjacks, tree climbers, what ever u wanna call em do it, so can u. Needs a bit of practice and frusteration as what happened to u when first tring to get a straight edge with your brush cutter. Now i have seen shops sharpen chains and let me tell u half your life of the chain disappears.

Now don't forget u can buy a safety chain, a semi chisel chain and a full chisel chain. Safety chain is what is normally on it when u buy it, but if u use a semi chisel or full chisel it cuts much easier :aus-flag:

Spot on mate!! I like my old oregon file guide. Clamps to the blade and lets me set depth, rake, angle and cut. By playing around with the chain type and angles it is amazing what you can get a saw to do. The file doesn't overheat the teeth and gives feel and control to how much tooth you remove per sharpen.

Love the look of disbelief when you use a little 35cc arbourists saw to outcut some cashed up grunt with a grinder sharpened 50cc farmboss.

Redeye
17-09-2009, 08:02 PM
I bought a electric sharpener recently, smartest thing I ever did. If you're doing a big job you have several sharp chains, you don't keep stopping to touch up chains by hand....
After years of doing it by hand I've been converted.

Glenofcarwoola
17-09-2009, 08:38 PM
I bought a electric sharpener recently, smartest thing I ever did. If you're doing a big job you have several sharp chains, you don't keep stopping to touch up chains by hand....
After years of doing it by hand I've been converted.

Thats the key. have a couple of chains on hand that can be changed over in a minute. If a customer watches you sharpening a chain its going to leave a bad impression of your preparedness, but if they see you change over a pre sharpened chain it leaves a much better impression and you have saved heaps of time.

I use a cheap gmc chain sharpener that takes off more than it probably should but the time saved more than makes up for the price of a new chain or the time wasted using a blunt chain.

DavidS
20-09-2009, 06:49 PM
The best way to sharpen your chains is by hand. All the loggers in our area won't have a electric sharpener, it grinds to much off and if the chain damaged it will take even more. I use a chain sharpening jig, clamps onto bar and you can set the depth, angle and control the amount that will be taken off. My chains last twice as long as the chains at the caravan park . My saw also cuts better and for longer that the caravan park's saw. They get their chains sharpened in town by machine.
I make up my own chains, and always have a least 2 sharp chains with me plus a sharp chain on the saw.
For the work we do, try using Sthil skip tooth chain it only has half the number of teeth to sharpen.

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
20-09-2009, 06:53 PM
Just got a new chain put on my chainsaw today cost $26 now I just need to practice how to sharpen them on my old chain :)

administrator
18-10-2009, 07:45 AM
We have attached a link it is 5.24mins long and will teach you how to use the Vallorbe Sharpening Kits .Shows you how easy it is t osharpen your own chain .

Takes a little time to download but well worth the wait .

Very easy if you have the right tools purchase a Vallorbe sharpening kit it easy enough for anyone to use .
Vallorbe Sharpening Kits (Chainsaw Chain) $29.00




Vallorbe Sharpening Kits


http://www.vallorbe.com/Download.php...Use_kit_en.mpg

A.. Vallorbe 5/32" Chain Sharpening Kit

B.. Vallorbe 3/16" Chain Sharpening Kit

C.. Vallorbe 7/32" Chain Sharpening Kit

D.. Vallorbe 13/64" Chain Sharpening Kit

Have provided a link to purchase from indi store

http://www.indmowing.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=556&osCsid=c6ac3b720eea57750ec1c0132af6c711

Dressing your bar is also very important and you can do this yourselve. The essential tool that allows you to easily and quickly maintain your chainsaws guide bar, better than grinding. The two applications are: Chamfering the edges of the guide bar. Re-dress the rails at 90o deg. (same height on both sides.

Have provided a link to purchase from indi store

http://www.indmowing.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=69&products_id=414

administrator
15-06-2011, 11:28 AM
http://www.indmowing.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=2137&highlight=join+chain

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
03-08-2011, 08:43 PM
I have learnt the best way to sharpen a chain is to give it to my local mowerman $14 if you leave it on the machine. I think it is $11 if you take it off. Cant go wrong for a same day service.

PaulG
05-08-2011, 09:06 PM
I've learnt to do mine myself. I keep at least three chains ready to go especially for longer jobs as the little chain on the Stihl 170 blunts pretty quickly. The edges I get with a file aren't perfect but it saves time and money from having to drive and get it done at the mower shop and you don't lose as much of the tooth either as happens with machine sharpening. The trick is to give each tooth an equal number of file-strokes so you don't end up with odd sized teeth all over the chain.