>Purchase a stump vise, about $10, and a Husky sharpening guide to fit your chain, about $12, and at least 3 files and a good handle (I like the one Husky sells). The guide will help a lot but get someone to show you how to use it because the directions that come with it are worthless. When sharpening keep in mind that the part of the tooth that cuts is the corner and the top of the teeth. I see many people trying to sharpen and they put downward pressure on the file which sharpens the gullet instead of the cutting edge of the tooth. Make sure the tooth has a "C" shape when looking from the side. The most important part of the tooth is the corner or point. This starts the cut and the angled top edge then rolls the curl on out. Once you have in mind what you are trying to do it becomes very easy to sharpen a chain. Typically I make 2 strokes with the file while pushing down. This gives me the "C" shape that I want. Then I make 2 strokes while pushing the file straight back (pressure to the rear), followed by 2 strokes as I apply pressure upwards. These last 2 strokes are very important because they are the ones that actually sharpen the tooth. If a chain is very dull or has hit rock or something you must sharpen until you have a corner again. The corner must be sharp. Did I say make sure the corner is sharp? Remember, the corner and the top edge do the cutting, not the gullet.
>Thanks Terry. What Terry says is completely correct. There are 3 important angles involved in creating a chain saw tooth, and the corner tip is where they all meet. That tip does the bulk of the cutting, and it starts the cut. The rest of the tooth is mostly involved in guiding the cut, excavating the waste and removal.
For new sharpeners (both people and jigs), I find it helpful to blacken the tooth edge to be sharpened with a magic marker, just like we often do with a gouge, prior to sharpening. This can be a great aid in determining exactly where the file is cutting. You want that corner tip shiny with freshly exposed metal. It is remarkably easy to set up a jig that cuts every part of that tooth except the tip.
One more thing - files will last longer and stay sharper if they are used to cut in only one direction. I usually find that three push cut strokes is sufficient to dress each tooth. It is important to do all teeth the same (unless one is badly damaged), otherwise the chain will wander in the cut.
Bailey's online used to have a whole library of chain knowledge - more than you'd ever want to know, but I can't find it on their site anymore.
Terry - thanks for bringing this up. We should do a chainsaw FAQ.
Thanks, this is good information. I agree with Mike that a chainsaw FAQ would be a good idea. In fact, I'd love to see a picture tutorial on sharpening the chainsaw. Perhaps someone out there with a digi camera who can sharpen their saw is interersted in a post like that?
>I have heard that it can actually cause you to mess up a chain faster than doing it freehand? Is this just because the instructions are so lousy? Are the jigs manufacturer specific or just chain pitch specific? Does wet wood dull a chain faster than dry wood? Does ripping dull it faster than cross cutting? If you are supposed to sharpen the chain "before" it gets dull, how in the world do you know when to do that? If I have cut 5 wet logs into turning blanks, is it time to sharpen? Yep...we need a FAQ! LOL
I always spent way to much time sharpening the chainsaw before I got the Husky guide. It's quick, easy and most importantly fits in your pocket.
Knowing when a chain is dull is kind of like knowing when a turning tool is dull. You just have to cut enough to know. When you sharpen the saw and start a cut it should cut cleanly. As you progress through a log or two you'll see the chips get smaller or you'll have to apply more pressure. Finally you give up and go sharpen. It it cuts much easier then you waited to long.
>Carole, if you don't know what you're doing, a jig is necessary. Teeth that are ground/sharpened differently will cause a chain to wander and pull, or to not cut straight.
I can freehand it in the field effectively enough with just a file, but there is no way I can do as accurate a job as I can in the shop with my bar mounted guide/jig. Simply no way.
In the field I can tell when the chain needs work. It doesn't cut as fast, and dust starts coming out of the kerf instead of long shavings and chips. Burning is also more common (and my back begins to hurt from pushing down on the saw). When my chains are sharp, the weight of the saw is enough to cut quickly, and that is much preferable to using my little body. I can take a file with no guide and touch up each of the teeth in a few minutes. It is effective enough, but if this was my only method of sharpening, soon enough the teeth would all be different.
I'm an overkill kind of guy, so I sharpen my saw chain in the shop, with the bar mounted jig, after each use. That way I'm always starting with a sharp chain.
After a few sharpenings you'll need to start thinking about the depth gauges, too. They determine how deep of a cut each tooth makes. They get filed down to maintain consistent depth as when you sharpen a tooth, it gets a bit shorter.
Here is a pretty good webpage full of saw chain tidbits.
>The problem with a chainsaw FAQ might be deciding exactly what advice to include, since many people use different techniques and everyone has an opinion! I am certainly not a professional woodcutter, but this is what works for me:
I don't use a jig and don't file pressing down, but press back with a slight upward bias. A good file handle is important.
My understanding is the most important thing is to keep the top plate angle correct (the angle of the point with the side when looking straight down on the tooth). This is easy if I do two things: hold the file level, and follow the line on the top of the tooth. The chains I use have a guide line on the back of the top of each tooth. Hold the file parallel to this line and keep it aligned and level during the forward stroke and the point will come out correct. (Don't file on the back stroke) If the file is not held level the tooth profile will be badly distorted.
I try to give each tooth the same number of strokes, but I don't worry if a few end up somewhat shorter (due to damage repair). I understand a bad thing is to have all the teeth on one side shorter than the other or to have a section of chain with all the teeth shorter than the rest of the chain. If I nick a rock with one side, I usually go to the dremel grinder to repair the damage and have to grind away a bunch on both sides. I hate it when that happens.
File all teeth on one side, then rotate (or flip) the saw and do the other side. I understand some people have more problem with filing the one side or the other. I read somewhere a recomendation to flip the saw to do the other side (so the tip of the bar always points in the same direction) rather than rotating it (so the bar points in the other direction). Check the top plate angles after sharpening. If the angles on 1/2 the teeth are drifting, adjust the technique.
File the rakers occasionally or as the teeth get shorter the rakers will prevent the teeth from hitting the wood. The saw will quit cutting as well and act like it's dull. I bought a raker gauge to help me know when to file. Some dealers don't file the rakers, in fact, my idiot dealer didn't know what I was talking about and had to special order a raker gauge for me. Without a guage, just hit them a lick with a flat file every few sharpenings. I find the rakers harder to file than the teeth so I usually hit them with a dremel grinder on the bench.
Flip the bar upside down at each sharpening or it will wear out quicker. Be sure to clean the oil delivery holes and chain groove and make sure the sprocket at the end of the bar is running free (if the bar has a sprocket). The raker guage I bought has a tab to quickly clean the bar. I keep an extra chain and bar handy in case of a problem.
I like to sharpen every time I stop to add gas and oil. BTW, be sure to check the oil tank at every filling to make sure it is pumping oil as designed or the chain and bar will wear out very quickly. Once I had to empty my tank and clean it out after allowing a bit of sawdust or something to enter and clog the delivery. If I'm in the shop before opening the cap I clean around it with compressed air but can't do that in the woods)
And while on the subject, don't forget to clean the air filter!
Make sure you have the right size file for that particular chain. The dealer SHOULD know.
>Thanks Terry. I use a dremel attachment but have been considering a file system for out in the field. Several comments on the Husky system but I recall a few saying they prefer the Grandberg style (e.g., http://www.right-tool.com/right-tool/filenjoint.html). Comments one over the other?
>I sharpened for years without a jig and had good results but like Mike said, the jig assures a more even job with less material removed. I like the Husky jig because it works and it fits in your pocket but the instructions that come with it are lousy so get the dealer to show you how to use it. The jigs are color coded for the different chains, be sure you get the correct one.
>saw sharpener on Sale. I received a coupon yesterday. Regular price @129.99 less $80.00 coupon equals $49.99. Only good at stores until May 16th. Does anybody know if it is any good?? Wayne
>Wayne, I wouldn't trade a good file for any electric grinder out there, even one from Harbor Freight. A file is always available, no matter where you are; this is important after storms because often that is when you need the sharpening most and if the power is off you are out of luck if you have a 110 volt grinder. One that plugs into the sea-gar lighter is better than the 110 volt one but I still prefer the file. However, never buy just one file. Sharpening with a dull file is like sawing with a dull chainsaw.
>TD-I have no official title here at WC, but I'm officially assigning you the job of photographing the process of sharpening your chain with the vice, for all the world to see :)
I was just going over my chains the other day and I'm never quite sure if I'm doing it correctly. They always end up sharper, but I always deal with the bar wandering a bit. I also am never quite sure about filing that top thingy (I forget what it's called)on each link.
>This is how the tooth should look. Notice the point (corner) and the "C" shape of the gullet. The point starts the cut and the upper edge of the tooth peels the curl out. The drag link in front of the cutter controls the thickness of the chip. The difference between the drag height and the tooth height is the thickness of the chip. On this particular chain you can see that the drags need cut down now.
In the hands of an experienced sharpener, it is quicker than and as accurate as a file. With a file guide, a beginner can use it.
I use one that has clips for the car battery. Sitting the saw on the radiator support brings it to the right height for me to sharpen efficiently.
When you need to buy stones, they are not very pricy. You don't have to buy them very often, either. I am using the first stone from a three-pack that I bought last year.
It does away with that tendency of rocking the file across the tooth, which is the bane of the learning sharpener.
You don't have to take off any more metal than necessary for the condition of a particular tooth and you don't have to switch tools to lower the rakers.
If you do have to fix a chain that has "hit the dirt," literally, it takes a whole lot less time than with a file.
For folks that worry about how long it takes for their lathe to stop, turners don't seem to worry much about how long it takes to sharpen their chainsaws. 8^}
I wouldn't trade mine for $100 worth of files, your mileage may vary.
>Just a note, my post of a link to sharpening instructions was just after Terry's .. the way it reads it looked like I was saying the link was better than his pic's (it ain't) -- just didn't want someone to take it wrong..
>I will add to the comments here the idea that it is more important to have the tooth angles the same on both sides of the chain than it is to have the precise recommended angle. I find that even after more than fifty years practice I cannot reliably get the angles the same on both sides. The result is that after I sharpen a chain three or four times, it will be cutting on an angle, so I take it to my local saw shop and have it run thru the sharpener there which evens things out and makes it cut straight again.
To the points the other fellows have given you I want to add, I never use a jig yet and I manage just with a file, but I have been doing this more than 40 years, so the hand knows. When I am in a small cutting job I touch the chain often, filing just on the push stoke, a couple strokes keep the theet sharp. For a big job, I carry one or more extra chains, sharp and ready to go and sharpen later, but I actually enjoy touching the chain because it gives me a rest from holdolding and minding the saw and lets me catch my breath.
If you are going to rip bowl blanks, it is a lot easier to rip the billet while it rests horizontally than when it stands on edge, the chain really does not like cutting into end grain.
>For those who like videos, I see Stihl has this 1-hr DVD for $5.00. I haven't seen it (just the trailer), but it looks like it should have good general info in addition to Stihl-specific stuff. I wonder if they give it away these days with new saws (it would be a good idea).
