After years of hand filing, went and bought myself an Oregon chain grinder

[5030]

I don't know of anyone who sells square cut loops or bulk actually.

 

[RandyT]

I don't know of anyone who sells square cut loops or bulk actually.

Most likely found in big timber area California, Oregon, Washington I have been running a loop of it for about a year. Not that bad to hand file with the use of a bar vise. I am using the Stihl brand square ground files. Went to one shop in my area and was told they couldn't get them even though I had the Stihl part number. The next shop looked at me like I had 3 eyes but would see if they could get them. Ended up having them order me a couple files so I could play with my loop of chain.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I just buy a new saw when it gets dull.




Ps, that’s a joke.
My dad was very good at hand sharpening.

 

[xyz123]

Oregon and Stihl sell square in rolls and loops.

I used to do it for locals too. But no money doing square here.

Another younger guy I know got himself a square grinder and offers it now. Mainly for his self.

 

[xyz123]

Local stihl shop (1 of about 8 now) used to carry stihl square files, but that stopped many years ago.

 

[5030]

Only difference between a square cut sawfile and a normal file is, the square cut file has no cutting teeth on the narrow side. Like I said, not something I'd be interested in at all.

 

[Skeans1]

Only difference between a square cut sawfile and a normal file is, the square cut file has no cutting teeth on the narrow side. Like I said, not something I'd be interested in at all.

No a square file has a cutting edge even on the narrow side.

Most likely found in big timber area California, Oregon, Washington I have been running a loop of it for about a year. Not that bad to hand file with the use of a bar vise. I am using the Stihl brand square ground files. Went to one shop in my area and was told they couldn't get them even though I had the Stihl part number. The next shop looked at me like I had 3 eyes but would see if they could get them. Ended up having them order me a couple files so I could play with my loop of chain.

It’s typically found around production fallers for a few reasons speed, smoothness, and efficiency. I can take a smaller saw and run a longer bar just by adjusting the angle of the cutter vs round it’s a very grabby experience in comparison.

Additionally, it's obvious (from your picture and the amount of pitch buildup on the bar, that you mostly cut softwood). Here it's mostly mixed hardwood. Only buildup we get here is on the heel of the tooth when the tooth is getting dull and needs ground. Never seen a bar with that much buildup of pitch on it actually. Here, even green wood don't build up deposits like that but then where you are and where we are, are 2 different types of wood entirely.

I'd like to have a Silvey but I cannot justify one as sharpening loops for customers is just a value added thing for me. Same with chipper knives actually.

We cut both “hardwoods” and “softwoods” that pitch build up was actually from hardwoods at the time. When we cut big second or growth style growth doug fir it’s hard it’s not like pine that’s butter it’s close to oak to be honest.

 

[John_Mc]

Square ground is ok but not my cup of tea. Square ground dulls quicker and takes more power to run.

Square ground is simply a more efficient cutter profile: it cuts faster and takes less power to run. It also holds an edge longer than round ground full chisel chain. This is because geometry of a round ground chain makes for a somewhat more fragile point, so it wears more quickly.

Semi-chisel probably dulls less quickly than either round or square ground chisel, but the trade off is that when all three styles are sharp, the semi-chisel is the slowest cutting of them all. If I were cutting a lot of dirty wood, I'd probably use more semi-chisel chain. I don't do a lot of that kind of cutting, so the only semi-chisel chain I have is on my battery powered saw (because I haven't found a full chisel that fits it... not that I've looked all that hard. It's not the saw I grab when I have serious cutting to do anyway.)

Other than when I'm doing storm damage clean-up almost all of my cutting is in slow-grown hardwoods. I use round-ground full chisel chain. I'd use square ground except that I enjoy hand-filing, and have never developed the knack for hand filing square-ground chain properly. At this point, it's not likely to happen: my eyesight is just not good enough anymore to see the corners and angles to get the square ground point correct, which is critical to its cutting performance.

Far as my loops are concerned, they are all chipper as well so I would never have a square ground loop.

I have not seen a true chipper chain in more than 10 years. No one in my area sells them. Or are you referring to semi-chisel chain?