Chainsaw sharpening

Case e · Oct 9, 2009

Just wondering how long a chain should last. I have had little luck filing my own so always take chains into town. Guy at the shop tells me chains will only last 3-4 sharpenings. I realize using an electric file takes off more metal but I thought they should last longer than that.

j meyer · Oct 9, 2009

all depends how bad your wreck your chain and how good of a job he does sharpening them. When I did it, I would always tell the person on that last time I would sharpen them that it was a bonus use if it was close to the end. It varies between 3-6 times you can sharpen them...again how bad you wreck them.

Janicholson · Oct 9, 2009

Touching them up every 4 hours of cutting can make them last 3 to 4 times longer then letting them get dull enough to be obvious. This can be done in 6 to 10 minutes with a chain file. Two other factors: Do not cut with the material on the ground. take the time to use blocking to be clean and safe. timber that is Down for 6 months or so picks up serious dirt in the bark. This dirt will dull a good loop in about 10 minutes. I would try to bark the cut areas if possible, or take long lengths and hose them well at home. JimN

jpapier · Oct 9, 2009

Forty or more times per chain using a file and two strokes to keep the tooth sharp. Grinding a dull or beat up chain back into shape takes a lot of metal off in the process.

Clarkbug · Oct 10, 2009

I would suggest picking up a Carlton File-O-Plate or the Husqvarna Roller Guide for sharpening. When you stop to fill the gas and oil, either of those will help you take a few strokes on each tooth to keep the chain sharp. They help keep your angles correct so you dont make the chain more dull than when you started.

MarkB_MI · Oct 10, 2009

It's easy to take too much with an electric grinder. I have a chain grinder, but I prefer to touch them up with a file between grindings so they last better.

My Oregon grinder, which is probably the same model used by your guy, does not reverse direction when grinding the two sides of the chain. As a result it tends to be a lot more aggressive on one side versus the other. If you don't readjust the cut when switching sides, one side will be ground much further than the other.

M Nut · Oct 10, 2009

Brand of chain seems to make a big difference. I, and several area loggers I know, will not use a Carlton chain. Will quit for the day and go home if that is all that is available. I have had very good luck with Oregon chains, or one of my logger friends buys bulk chain from a website called Baileys, and that has been good chain too.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 10, 2009

I get way more than 3-4 sharpenings out of my chains. But It all depends on how you use the saw and how its sharpend. Are you cutting 6 cords of wood a year, or 100 cords?, more cutting means more fileing. Are you hitting rocks, dirt, nails or cutting very muddy wood? You always want to keep a sharp chain sharp, Sharpening a dull chain, or one you have hit things with may require it have to be ground down more. If you have one bad tooth, you dont have to sharpen all the rest of the teeth down that far either.
For my smaller saw, I have 2 chains for it, a good chain for clean wood, and a chain I have hit things with befor. So if Im gonna cut up fence post or something I put on the crappy chain.j

Dave_Id · Oct 10, 2009

The worst I had with chains getting dull was west of Mpls in the Plymouth area in the 70's. The land was being cleared for all these new office buildings. It was a very sandy area, and blowsand was in all the bark of these oak trees. We had to ring the log with an ax, or we would only be able to saw one chunk, and the saw would be dull. These oaks sure did make nice firewood though.

JK-NY · Oct 10, 2009

Jay in NY covered most of it. I agree with everyone who states - sharpening dull chains and using a power grinder takes more off chain. I have a power chain sharpener but tend to file mine unless I really mess one up . You can buy a file guide to file your own chains right on the saw, be sure to use a good file of the proper size for your chain . The files do wear out after a few uses. I buy them by the dozen . As mentioned, try not to run the saw into the ground alot, and clean off mud and dirt if you are pulling wood on the ground, it will help alot to keep saw sharp. I carry an axe and knock off the bark where there is mud or frozen dirt in the area of the cut.

Zachary Hoyt · Oct 10, 2009

I do all of my own sharpening by hand, and cut 25 standard cords of firewood a year plus logs for our sawmill. A file doesn't take too much time to learn to use, and it does take off a lot less metal. The other people covered it quite well. Another thing when cutting a log on the ground is cut 3/4 through for a number of cuts and then roll the log over and finish them all.
Zach

Goose · Oct 10, 2009

I've had an Oregon electric grinder since I was a McCulloch dealer thirty years ago.

With practice, you can learn to take off only the minimum needed to touch up the chain. And as Mark said, you need to re-adjust the cut from one side to the other.

I suspect, also, some commercial shops take off more than necessary so they can sell more chains.

How long a chain will last involves a lot of variables.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 10, 2009

You are exactly right,, You can sharpen a chain on a grinder lightly. In other words you dont have to see sparks flying every were and hear the grinder really working. A lite touchup is all you need. Sometimes if I have the time I check the teeth from side to side with a micrometer. There not always perfect, but close within 10 thousands or 15 thousands. The worse thing anyone can do is file to much of one side of a chain, the saw will not cut straight. j

RodinNS · Oct 10, 2009

There's so many variable to that... it's hard to give an answer.
I file them and probably get 20 sharpenings from most chain. I use either Stihl or Oregon chain. Not for any particular reason other than that's what out Stihl dealers carry...

How much you cut with that chain will depend on how dirty the wood is, how often yo stick the chain in the ground and how much steel you hit.
20-30 cord of firewood (blocking) would be fairly normal here for chain life, but we get a lot of dirty wood too.

Rod

Walterdavies · Oct 10, 2009

I have hand held grinder that does a nice job of touching up a chain. One thing I learned about those bench machines is that they will sharpen all of the teeth to worst one thus taking away a lot more metal than hand sharpening.
I bought the hand grinder because on the smal saws made for trimming and beginners the chain is to hard to file. Darn good for cutting tree roots though.
Walt

PJH · Oct 10, 2009

Does shop guy sell chains?

I use a hand file.

Chains last a long time, unless I get into the dirt or a rock.

Paul

Lou from Wi. · Oct 10, 2009

We found out when sharpening a chain also pay attention to the raker height of the raker to the chisel cutting tooth. If the rakers are to high even with a sharp chain it will still act dull,as the tooth can't bite into the log.Most loggers around here take a brand new chain and cut the rakers way back,almost non existant.Just be careful because it will kick back.Our chain (Oregon) will last about 2 years with many (filing) with chain file-o-plate.As said before, if log is dirty,sweep it with an old windshield brush/scraper, then cut.Just make sure it doesn't hit the in the dirt.

Roger in Iowa · Oct 10, 2009

I use a Dremel with the right color of stone for a specific chain. Sharpen sometimes twice a day. Takes only 5 minutes. Yes, I free hand it and you can make it cut crooked if grinding one side more than the other. Always make the stone turn from the bottom of the tooth toward the top. Can watch sparks to keep straight. Just a second or two to do a tooth. Chain lasts a LONG time.

Too Far Gone · Oct 10, 2009

I suspect he is selling new chain also.I sharpen chains with my electric sharpener and a file in the field.I'll sharpen chains 8-10 times,maybe more.As long as You dont let them get to uneven,that wheel only has to touch a little bit.It dont have to really grind hard.

JDemaris · Oct 10, 2009

It depends a lot on what type of chain-cutter and how badly you've damaged it.

A round chipper chain, with routine sharpenings can be machined-sharpened over 50 times if done right.

On the other hand . . . take a full chisel chain with non-round cutters. Then hit some metal with it. Sometimes, to get it cutting as "good as new" you have to remove 1/3 the life of that chain with a machine.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 10, 2009

IF you have a powered chain saw sharpener, what I do, is just touch the chain with the sharpener,
Don't hold the grinder to the chain, cause all that does is removes metal, and you lose the chain in a hurry. hope that helps,,,

Chainsaw sharpening

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads