Chain saw chain sharpening

Is it generally worth sharpening a saw chain? Would you do your own or pay somebody. What is a normal price for sharpening 16 or 18 inch. Also what brand if new? Thanks for the info. I forget a lot. Dave

(quoted from post at 20:13:09 02/08/12) Is it generally worth sharpening a saw chain? Would you do your own or pay somebody. What is a normal price for sharpening 16 or 18 inch. Also what brand if new? Thanks for the info. I forget a lot. Dave

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Hand file them. A sharp chain is a happy chain.

My answers in order asked.

Yes

Do myself.

I don't know.

Stihl or Oregon. (They may be the same)

I forget a lot myself

A local guy sharpens them for $3.00 each,Oregon chains are about $12.00 new,you can sharpen 8-10 times if you don't get carried away on filing.

I use a Dremel type tool with a sharpening stone in it. Touch the drag teeth lightly with each sharpening. Keep the original angle on the teeth. It's best to get the chain with a groove in the teeth showing the proper angle.

KEH

I use a Dremel tool with a saw blade sharpening attachment. Fast, easy, and works great. Harbor Freight sells a stand-alone sharpener for around $30 if ya use a coupon/get it on sale. After a time the blade is worn out, needs replacing anywho.

If you don't dull too many, I would recommend an oregon on the bar filing guide, generally sells for less than $25.00. If you feel like spending a little more, HF sells an electric model, that runs about $30 +/-. You have to remove the chain, to use it, though, and it has a learning curve, the idea is, to have both left and right side cutters to be equal in length, when you are done. If you can find a saw shop that sharpens for $10, or less, it is a bargain.

I paid the local hardware store $6 each, a new chain is $16 I think.
I would like to get a dremel tool with a carbide burr and wing it....You need a steady hand to do this though.

A chain is good for more than 1 sharpening., unless u hit a rock, sap spigot or some other hard object, and really destroy the chain, which I have never seen, I do my own chains, and a few for other people, off the saw I get 12 bucks, never had anyone bring me a saw with chain on it.

Hand sharpening is best for long chain life.
But it requires that you develop a "feel" to get it rite.
It may be easier to just have it done if you don't cut much wood.
I hand file mine till they have no teeth left before putting a new one on.

Just about any small engine shop will grind a chain for you for a few dollars.

Personally, I just touch up my chain with a file for every tank of gas. Unless, I hit a rock or steel, I never have to get a chain ground. I don't use any guides, I just use a file and eyeball a stroke or two. That's enough to keep it sharp.

I take the rakers/dogs down a swipe or two with a flat file about every fifth time I sharpen. You can tell when that's necessary by the size of the chips the chain is spitting out.

Also, I always get a new round file for every new chain. Sharpening with a "dull" file is painful and takes too long. The flat file I use is probably older than me, though.

Our "local" mower shop charges $6.00 to sharpen any up to 20 inches.

I can't keep my chain true beyond a couple "do it myself" sharpenings with my Dremel. It takes me a good half hour to hand file my 20 inch, and it still isn't true.

"Genuine" Stihl 20 inch chain is about $23.00 from them. eBay is $20.00 per chain.

I have considered getting a HF sharpener. But I think my time is worth more than the $6.00 they charge for a good true sharpening. DOUG

I bought a Millers Falls electric sharpener,[No country of Manufacture, suspect China] cost about $AUD 50. best investment made. you can tweek the chain to make it sharp, unlike the shop who seem to take a wad off each time.Repay cost in no time.

Better to get a chain grinder, for the 250 bucks, it will last u a lifetime and pay for itself, my dad bought one 30 + years ago, did his own chains and ones for guys he worked with, I think 4 bucks a chain back then. I bought one in 03 but I cut alot of wood every year to heat my house with. If you just use your saw a couple times a year than prolly not worth buying one, and almost no one can sharpen a chain correctly by hand, you can touch it up, but it's not accurate...,

Agree 100% with tjdub.

Also, in response to brands. I really like Carlton chain. It's sold under the name WoodlandPRO (Bailey's sells it), I think Oregon may own Carlton now actually, but I like it better than Stihl and Oregon chain. No scientific evidence, but it just seems to hold an edge better and lasts longer.

I use to have chains sharpened by two different shops and not happy with them. They would come back and all they would do through dust not chips. I got the correct files and learned how to sharpen my own by hand.I found out that the shops I dealt with didn't know how to use their machines and never took the rackers down like they should have.

I seen in a northern tool mag a thing that will sharpen the chain while the saw is running? A joke?? Anybody have one or seen one work??

Get yourself the correct size file for your particular chain along with handle.Also a flat file to file down rakers. And most importantly a filing guide/handbook.Almost anybody can learn quickly to file a saw chain. Do not fall for any of the high priced saw filing crap that is out there. There are two main types of chain, semi chisel, and full chisel. Your filing guide will show you the difference. I prefer full chisel for all around cutting. In really dirty firewood logs the semichisel will not dull quite as quick, but it is not as aggresive as full chisel, so I find you are better to have a few chains sharpened up the night before you are doing a lot of cutting, and just change chain when it starts to show least sign of not cutting at full capacity. By the way changing chain or stopping to sharpen as son as it starts to dull is key for two reasons, - easier/quicker to sharpen, and longer chain life as you dont remove as much matl. This equals faster cutting =more cuts per chain. Another thing your filing guide will point out is filing of rakers as your chain wears. Rakers are the raised part of tooth in front of cuter that controls the depth of bite. As you sharpen your chain the cuter part of tooth decreases in hieght, so to maintain the new chain bite you need to file down rakers as you go. It sounds harder than it really is after you get the hang of it it wont take you more than 10 or 15 mins to do a chain on 20 inch bar (cutting teeth and rakers)

The Dremel type tool that was mentioned twice below is really handy and quick - after you go through a learning curve. I've been using a battery powered one that you clip onto the pickup or tractor battery for many years now and though it isn't as good as a sharpening machine, after awhile you do learn to get pretty good at it. Works best to clamp the bar in a vise or onto something solid so the saw isn't moving around while you're trying to get your angle right. Jim

I heat with wood so I cut quite a bit every winter. About 35 years ago I built my own sharpener. I used an old 1/4hp electric motor and copied the angles from a Belsaw sharpener our local saw shop used. I built it to use worn out surface grinder wheels. #46 aluminum oxide abrasive is about right, finer will burn the metal. I have no idea how many times I have sharpened chains, but it must be thousands of times. I measure the tooth length with calipers to keep them all even. Periodically the height of the rakers must be checked as they regulate the amount of cut each tooth takes. As the teeth are shortened the rakers protrude more and reduce how much each tooth cuts. Depending on how pwerful your saw is, rakers should be .015" to .035" below the top of the teeth. A raker gage is used to measure this. Unless I've done something stupid, like hitting a rock or wire or frozen ground, usually I only need to remove .005" or so from each tooth to restore sharpness. I prefer to sharpen them before they get dull. You really prolong the life of the chain by sharpening before it's necessary. Less metal is removed and you are never forcing a dull chain at all. Typically I can sharpen a chain 30-45 times before it i9s too short to sharpen anymore. If you hit some thing that really deforms the teeth all bets are off. Then enough material must be removed to restore the original shape of the teeth and that could be .060" or more. Lots of shops grind way too much off a slightly dull chain to get the maximum life, but they are in the business of selling chains. I know this is a little long, but I've been doing this for 35 years. email is open if you have questions.

There is a "new" system out there, in that 40 volt electric chainsaw, that they sell, on the infomercial, for $500. But wait, when you buy the "new" sharpening system, you get the old mcCollugh instant sharp (or whatever it was called), free, yes that's right free!! It uses a stone, mounted behind the drive sprocket, and a special chain, the stone is moved forward, to contact the chain, and sharpen the specially shaped cutters, on the chain. Another variant uses a sleeve, that slips over the end of the bar, and you insert the bar into the sleeve, and sharpen that way. It wasn't too successful, back in the 70's, unless they've changed something since then, the fad will pass, again.

It takes less time to file chain by hand than it takes to remove one from the saw and put it back on. I started doing this in 1956

I do mine very effectively with a Stihl clamp on bar guide, it cost me $100 in '02 I think, there are similar ones out there for less. This one is silver colored and aluminum, stihl has or had another with their product color, one was for the bench, other for the field.

Saw shop near me is fine, its $8, but I suspect the machine takes a little more metal off, this is a professionally equipped shop, been around 40 + years, and the guy who sharpens the chains is my neighbor, who used to own it with his father, been at it a long time, so I think its as good as it gets if one wants to have chains sharpened.

The guide I mentioned above is in my opinion a must have. I set up an old tool box, (free on side of road, just perfect for the woods, getting knocked around etc.) I keep my stihl file set, the $20 one in a velcro strap orange pouch, with other necessary tools, 2 cycle oil, jorgensen bar type clamp etc. This tool box goes with the saw whenever I'm in the woods or field. I'm pretty good about keeping the chain out of the dirt, bottoming out in logs and avoiding fence, staples, nails etc. in hedgerow trees, but it happens you hit something, put on the spare chain or what have you, however if I need one sharpened accurately and now, this guide is indispensable plain and simple.

Take your saw, clamp to a table, tail gate or whatever you may have nearby or in the shop, work bench what have you. Set the guide and set the file to 30 degrees, adjust your height and observe how the file engages the cutter, there is also a chain stop and a guide on each side to hold the chain true. If just dull from wood only, only takes 3 passes + or - each cutter, if you hit metal or something that distorts or mangles the cutting edge on the cutter, then that is where taking it to the shop is cost effective, but I can still straighten out a chain that has been beat up, not properly aligned when sharpened, just takes longer ( my friend used to use a dremel, and they were always off and it took time to straighten, he noticed how much better it performed ) Need to be accurate, or I think so. Technically, you are supposed to keep each cutter the same size, so if one gets really dulled or blunt, it may take many passes to true it up, it could be shorter than the rest. I can't really comment on that like a pro or heavily experienced person dealing with chains, most of my chains wear evenly, but I've have cutters vary and no real problems, eventually when you get to the max sharpen line on the cutter, where the chain is now worn out, it may chatter when cutting or not cut straight, thats when I replace them, more so if some of the cutters are way shorter, you can easily tell something is not right with a chain, just replace it.

Typically, mine dull from wood, I set up the guide, mark one cutter with yellow paint marker so I know where I started, file each cutter about 3x, always keep the count the same, switch sides, and in 15 minutes, I have an accurately sharpened chain that cuts smooth, straight and lasts. I can't say the exact chain type I have, it has rakers, ( safety to prevent kick back, unlike a full chisel, skip or what you call it ). I make sure to keep those rakers well below the cutting edge of the cutters, if you don't they do not cut aggressive enough, good to start out with til you get the feel for a saw, kick back if any. It seems you need to have the thing throttled right up and jam the bar tip into something for that to happen, but the warnings are all over the owners manuals for the saw, never forget the potential of kickback, don't use defective or damaged chains. I use a flat file, 5x each when I take those rakers down, chain cuts nice, straight and will leave ribbons of wood vs chips sometimes, but always throws a nice chip and cuts very effectively.

I like to be able to do my own, because I do not want to depend on someone or have a pile of chains, so I mostly use one, cut several cords a year, sharpen it when I like and get excellent results. I also like the fact that I take a close look at the chain when sharpening it, taking note of any defects, damage or unsafe conditions, don't want to break one and have it snap back or something. This also allows you to closely observe each cutter and check your work, check the file engagement to the cutter and so on. Takes me 15 minutes to do a 20" chain.

In addition, there is nothing more annoying than a dull chain, and I am always surprised when I actually dull one just from wood, I could not believe how long a new Oregon chain lasted through all the fields of downed hardwood trees from an ice storm I cleared for a farmer spring of '09, I dodged all the old hedge row associated metal, never hit the dirt or rocks, seems an accurately sharpened chain performs best and lasts longer.

There are plenty of people with much more knowledge and experience, and safety etiquette which is the utmost important thing to consider when using a chainsaw, they will tear into flesh like nothing.

Ok, so does this come with free bar oil too!
Lol hahahahaha

Here's the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXutVOBL-mg">marketing video</a> for it. It's called Oregon Powersharp. I've never seen one in real life, but it seems like a gimmick to me. If it wasn't you would think it would be marketed towards people who earn their living in the woods instead of homeowners. I've been wrong before though.

I have been doing my own by hand for the last 10 years, ever since I started using a chain saw when I was 16. There is not much to it, keep the file aligned and don't wobble, and just practice a bit. My uncle came out to visit from NH and gave me a 10 minute lesson and covered everything that I needed to know. I cut about 23 standard cords of firewood a year and cut all of the trees for our little sawmill and only go through about three chains a year, on average. I have an MS 440 with a 20" bar that is my only saw, it is a bit big for some jobs and someday I may buy a smaller one to go with it. I have personally liked Stihl chains best, they seem to be really good and hard, but after they get about 2/3 of the way filed away they lose their temper and go dull very fast. Then I save them for dirty cutting or stumps. One other thing, the saw bar needs to be in a vise or it is hopeless to try to sharpen the chain.
Zach

Eventually you have to take the chain off anyway to
File bar and clean out oil passages and clean out built up sawdust behind chain cover, so I Agee with u, a gimmick, not for everyday users. Maybe a homeowner that uses it once after a storm!

I hand sharpen and spray the file with WD40 often to clean out the file. My latest Stihl chain has black alignment lines on top the teeth so holding the correct pitch is simple. Thats a nice feature. By the way, a sharp saw is also much safer than pushing a dull saw.

I have an electric sharpener similar to the ones HF sells now.

I bought it from Oregon for about $75 around 1970 when I was a McCulloch dealer. I charged a dollar a chain back then and made good money with it. I just use it for myself,now, but I'd probably have to charge $5 per chain now.

With a little experience you learn to put the edge back on the chain without taking off any more metal than you have to, and most chains can be sharpened maybe ten times. And with that type of sharpener, the adjustment stays the same for the entire chain, so every chipper is cut exactly the same.

A lot of guys argue that it's a waste of time to take a chain off of a saw to sharpen it, but to me it's a chance to take an air hose and clean off all the crud around the clutch and in the bar groove.

I do what KEH does and it works pretty well.
I did buy an old American made electric chain sharpener at a garage sale a couple of years ago.
It does a real good job but, of course you do have to remove the chain.
Like someone else said, you have to remove the chain occasionally anyway so that's when I use the the "real" chain sharpener and get the chain all back in"ship-shape" condition.
BTW, the thing that did the worse job ever on any of my chains was one of those porcelain fence insulators that was buried deep in a road side maple I was cutting. That porcelain is hard!

Seems like alot of people are afraid of a chain grinder, they get the impression u have to take off .70 thousandths of metal to sharpen it. 75% of the chains I would sharpen for an expert hand filer were always way off on one side, usually the left hand cutter tooth.

Don't mean to steer thread away from original question but kind of side related...Anyone on the board here own Northern Industrial Tools brand chain grinder? (Northern Tool and Eqt.)Has a pile of great reviews for one that just went on sale for $109.00? I thought about picking one up for occasional touch up.

Tom,

I bought one about 3 years ago. Works great....looks like a "knock-off" of the Oregon sharpener I used in the small engine shop before I retired. It's paid for itself X times over.

Jay,
Sears had a "exclusive" with Oregon on this system back in the '70's. It worked for a quick touch-up but after 2 or 3 you needed to take the chain off and sharpen it on the regular power sharpener to lower the depth gauges (what some call "rakers". It wasn't long and Sears abandoned the system because homeowner users abused it and expected the chain & sharpening stone assembly to be replaced under warranty.

I have an old Craftsman chainsaw with a power sharp system. It works great! Just takes a little touch with the stone and the saw will cut fast with just the weight of the saw. I always wondered why it was not more popular. I think maybe some guys overdid the grinding.

I bought a Harbor Freight grinder on sale a few years ago for $39. That thing has paid for itself several times over. I have a half dozen chains each for three different saws and have ground hundreds of chains on the grinder without problem. For me it's about convenience...I can have sharp chains anytime, not just when the hardware store is open.

My father in law, and a friend of my dads have one, they r both very happy with them. Seem like good grinders.

Hand sharpen with a GOOD file. A lot like sharpening a twist drill bit, if you you can do it by "hand and eye". It is fast, easy, helps the chain last a long time and makes it cut really well. "Touch up" the chain after every tank full of gas.

I guess I'm the only one that cheaps out and sharpens them with a grinder and a carborumdon blade. Blades turn out sharper than new.

I've seen this question asked several other places before. I can not believe there are people who either need to take their chains to a shop or invest hundreds in an electric grinder. The answer is real simple- get the roller type file guides for your size chain, a proper file, a raker file and depth gauge and read the instructions. Filing a saw is dead simple. The biggest mistake people make is cutting too low int he tooth, that's where the $10.00 roller guide comes in. The rest is top angle and that's simple with the roller guide. I've given away several guides to people that "couldn't" file a saw and kept bringing them to me to sharpen. They all have good sharp saws now.

Where does the notion that a chain is only a one-time use item come from?

I see this question come up a LOT in the various forums I frequent. Some people don't even bother to ask if the chain can be sharpened first! They then accumulate a pile of brand new dull chains, and THEN wonder if they can be sharpened!

After forty years of generator work. I started working on saws last year. Had an older man show me how to do it by hand.Few screw ups when I started but getting better now. Some say I do it better than most shops they have used.

It is really not that hard.

My dad and I bought one also.. Same story as Jim. We cut quite often and have used the harbor sharpener for couple years now. cheeply made but works well.

I have a set of files and I have tried several times over the years to touch one up, I am just not good at it. My grandfather used to spend 5 minutes hit'n one with a file while he sipped his coffie evey time he ran out of gas, like I said I just never got the hang of it. I have two saws, one with a 20" bar, one with a 14" and two chains for both. No more cutting than I do I take them to the local hardware store/stihl dealer. Guy there sharpens them for $4 each. $16 a few times a year is not a bad deal.

Dave

Have one. Works great.

If I'm in the shop, my best help on sharpening about anything is a gooseneck lamp. A sharp edge wont reflect light. My eyes ain't what they once were and the light helps with that too.

Thanks for a whole lot of info that was really needed. I have sharpened a few but not really knowing what I was doing. Now I got lots of ideas. Trees get outta my way!!! Dave