Cut wandering.

[jymbee]

An electric grinder is hard on chainsaw teeth. You will heat the teeth up and discolor them, changing the hardness or temper. A grinder also tends to take off too much metal and reduces the life of a chain. Just my observations.

Hi Dave,

What you say is true, IF the person running the sharpener doesn't know what they are doing. But in the hands of a skilled operator, these are simply non issues. When first starting to learn, sure I expect most are guilty of some "ruined" chains or teeth while they're learning. But after a few decades of "practice" I'm sticking with my grinder. :thumbsup:

 

[Furu]

A file MIGHT be good way to sharpen in the field, but for me, while you are sharpening with a $8 file, I will just change out the chain and be back cutting wood. Back in the shop, I can sharpen a super dull chain that has hit wire, rocks etc in the same time it takes you to "hit it a lick or two per tooth" to bring back the edge. I have a tool box drawer full of files of different diameters, gauges, etc and none of them are as easy as using the electric chain sharpener and it guarantees the same angle on every tooth. I am not using it everyday in a chainsaw sharpening business so why should I spend 5 times as much to get the "more powerful" one when all it needs is a light touch to work anyway. I dont find that there is "slop" in the plastic frame either on the HF unit, at least now when new and for my needs it works fine. If it gets wear in it, I can buy 5 of them for $100 and for darned sure I am not going to wear out one much less 5 as I dont cut wood for a living either.

Touching up takes me less time than switching out the chain. Either I am faster than you at touching up a chain or you are faster than I am at swapping out a chain. I run both 20" and 28" inch chains and depending on what I am doing either a full chisel or a full skip chisel chain on an older 026 model and a MS460.

 

[turnkey4099]

I also touch up my chains every couple tankfuls.

Whenever a kerf wanders to one side while cutting...usually means that the teeth on one side are cutting more wood, (teeth are longer on one side than the other side causing the saw to cut at an angle). That means you need to take your file to the teeth on the side the kerf, (saw bar), is turning towards and file only the teeth on that side. In other words...the teeth on both sides of the bar need to be equal in length when you are done filing.

An electric grinder is hard on chainsaw teeth. You will heat the teeth up and discolor them, changing the hardness or temper. A grinder also tends to take off too much metal and reduces the life of a chain. Just my observations.

"Teeth equal in lenght" yes, but not obsessively so, eyeball is close enough. I will occasionally mike them just to see if I need to make a correction (one addiiton stroke on one side).

Harry K

 

[Redbug]

"Teeth equal in lenght" yes, but not obsessively so, eyeball is close enough. I will occasionally mike them just to see if I need to make a correction (one addiiton stroke on one side).

Harry K

Yes, that's the way I do it, too. I always just use the ole eyeball.

 

[Bud Soda]

all my teeth are not of equal length, but I never mich them On time I was eating an apple and I could tell. After one bite I could see I needed to se a dentist.

 

[NIXON]

I have a Husky 455 Rancher. I have been cutting firewood lately and have had no issues until yesterday. I put on a brand new chain when I noticed the saw was really slowing down. With the new chain, the saw will not make a straight cut through a 16 inch log. It wanders to the right as if it wants to cut a circle no matter what I do. I flipped the bar over thinking that maybe it was the problem, but it made no difference. Now the saw revs much higher but cuts much slower. The chain is a H47s Husky brand and is still very sharp. Any ideas?

Haven't read the whole thread . But is your new chain the same guage as the bar ? A .050 chain in a .063 bar might behave that way regardless of it condition . A worn bar might add to it as well .

 

[cqaigy2]

In theory, yes the teeth are supposed to be the same lenght. But it certainly isnt a requirement to cut straight. You can simply adjust the rakers (depth gauges) accordingly.

If I hit a nail, or rock, or something that dulls just one side of the chain, and requires a good bit of meat to be removed to sharpen, I do NOT take that much off the other side as well. I just adjust the rakers accordingly to make both sides take the same amount of wood.

That is partly why I like shapening my own chain. Cause the way it is "supposed" to be done, is to find the worst (smallest) tooth, and make them ALL that small. And IMO, that is a waste of chain life

I have to admit to using this method as well, that is not finding the smallest and making them all that small. Can't bring my self to grind away like that, but then im only cutting for firewood and not competition or dropping timber.

 

[RandyT]

An electric grinder is hard on chainsaw teeth. You will heat the teeth up and discolor them, Only if you get too agressive and try to take too much off at once changing the hardness or temper. A grinder also tends to take off too much metal Only if not properly adjustedand reduces the life of a chain. Just my observations.

I edited your post to should my views.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

I agree with RandyT. Just bumping the wheel to the tooth instead of flat just grinding it down is better. I try to keep my teeth all the same length if I can. If one or two are shorter because they have hit something it won't be that big of a deal. Then shaving the raker teeth as needed to keep the chain pulling nice chips out is important. Very seldom do I hand file. Thats the reason I take spare chain for all of the saws. Pop a sharp one on and save a stack of dull chains. Go in the shop turn on some good music and sharpen the chains. Makes for a good time to sit around and yack it up with one of my buddies while I am sharpening also.

 

[turnkey4099]

I agree with RandyT. Just bumping the wheel to the tooth instead of flat just grinding it down is better. I try to keep my teeth all the same length if I can. If one or two are shorter because they have hit something it won't be that big of a deal. Then shaving the raker teeth as needed to keep the chain pulling nice chips out is important. Very seldom do I hand file. Thats the reason I take spare chain for all of the saws. Pop a sharp one on and save a stack of dull chains. Go in the shop turn on some good music and sharpen the chains. Makes for a good time to sit around and yack it up with one of my buddies while I am sharpening also.

That's pretty much my approach but I hand file using one of those "sets all the angles" jigs. Due to the "bump the tooth" to keep it from overheating I find I can handfile a 20" loop faster than I can grind it on my HF grinder. About 10 minutes which includes mounting the saw in the vise, moutning the gauge and giving each tooth 4 or 5 strokes.

Harry K

 

[Gary Fowler]

I can tell from the reply on the file guys that they have never used an electric shapener. Getting the tooth hot is not an issue at least with my HF as it turns really slow as I would expect other sharpeners to also turn. Properly set, the grinder takes off very little metal OR as much as you set it for if you have a dinged up tooth you can reshape the one easily.
Filers vs grinders looks to be a topic similar to gear vs hydro. Both have a place and one is not necessarily better than the other, just easier for the less than professional to use.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Not sure who your post is in reply to, but I touch up my chains manually with a file every few tank-fulls, but get them professionally sharpened to take care of the larger nicks from dirt, rocks, wire, etc.



And, the HF sharpener just went on sale for $29.99 so I think I'll at least check it out next time I get to a store.

Hope you saved that FUBARED chain, so when you get your electric sharpener, use it to sharpen that chain and let us know how it cuts.

 

[xyz123]

Hand filed chains cut better IMO.

I got tired of taking forever and a day straightening out totally rocked out customers chains by hand (just to much time making one right for $5). I would guess up to a hour by hand on a chain that looked like it had been cutting concrete and the cutters were so uneven.
So I invested in a stihl usg and it has already paid for itself doing customers chains.

I like hand filed for myself and keep my chains touched up. But if I rock one out hitting something in the wood that fubars up several cutters. I just straighten it up on the grinder and then go back to hand filing again.

They both have a place in my shop.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Folks that say filed chains cut better than chains sharpened on a grinder must not be considering that new chains sure as heck arent sharpened by files when they are built and it would be hard to get one to cut better than a new chain provided it isnt a quality control reject. The disc used on the electric grinders have a much finer cut than a file and when properly used should give a finer edge. Microscopic examination of a filed edge would show some very deep grooves cut in the tooth compared to a fine grit grinding wheel.

 

[jymbee]

Folks that say filed chains cut better than chains sharpened on a grinder must not be considering that new chains sure as heck arent sharpened by files when they are built and it would be hard to get one to cut better than a new chain

Heyyyy... I was just getting ready to say the same thing!

 

[LD1]

I am one of the ones who will say a hand-filed chain beats a new chain.

Cant explain it, and dont know why, but based on experience, it just does.

 

[xyz123]

Hand filed cuts way better then new chains. I have had new chains that wouldnt self feed for chit.

 

[NIXON]

I agree with LD1 ,and xyx123 . hand filed will out perform machine ground . (done properly ) JMHO.

 

[Scooby074]

Depending on someones budget, I would not get a HF brand cheapy sharpener. I used on and still have it and have used it to possibly sharpen 30 chains and it worked sorta okay, but I wasn't real happy with it.

One day some Timber Tuff sharpeners were on sale for $100 and sprung for one of them. There is a huge difference in sharpening between the two. They have a lot more power, the whole thing is metal and the motor and parts have a lot less sloppiness in them. I know it is just a sharpener and if you sharpen 1 chain a year it may be alright but it sure is nicer with a more heavy duty sharpened with some power behind it.

Another vote for the TT sharpener. I use it after every 3-6 hand sharpens to bring everything back in line. Usually my hand sharpens arent that bad, most times its the tooth angle thats off (not exactly 25* (or whatever) ). IMHO chains fresh off the sharpener, with the rakers filed down a bit are the best cutters.

Hand sharpening is done after every couple tanks of fuel. Just a couple swipes for each tooth, unless it's hit a rock or something,.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

:laughing:I will take my orange hst, grinder, and duramax and live just as blissfully as you will with your gear driven red or green, file, and powerstroke. It is nice to have different choices for all our different needs just dont try to tell me I cant put peanut butter on my cheeseburger or we might have to have to take this outsideunch::laughing: