Chain Sharpening as a business?

[trigger_andy]

Dan . Why didn't you sharpen the chains rather than bin them ?

Did not know he could 🤣

[Stubby]

14 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

 

 

Did not know he could 🤣

 

 

Ah ! 😀

[spudulike]

At the prices you mention, you really need to be doing a chain every 10-15 mins, the issue is checking the raker/depth gauges as well as this takes time rather than just giving the cutters a quick tidy up. I guess that most outfits don't do this service as well when sharpening chains.

You then have to send back each chain so a minimum order (as Rob suggested) would be good but then that cuts out the domestic market weekend warriors and it takes time to invoice, pack and sort out address labels etc.

I very rarely do chain sharpening and then only on request or if the customer is more of a domestic user as they have less of a clue on the angles. I use a cheap grinder but have fitted a speed controller and just pulse the sharpener so little heat builds up so no hardening of the cutter.

I personally hate chain sharpening unless it is a "Tickle up" on a well maintained chain.

The only way I would make this a business is doing it as a weekend beer funding venture.

 

[Dan Maynard]

2 hours ago, Stubby said:

Dan . Why didn't you sharpen the chains rather than bin them ?

The oil pump had failed so the inside of all the cutters were burred to buggery. Maybe been run slack too.

[Dan Maynard]

1 hour ago, Stere said:

9010 odd choice of saw for a  B&Q type?

 

Must of got it at a car boot?

He told me he'd been quoted £900 to cut down two trees so he bought that for £600. He hadn't used it very much, the air filter was so rammed it wouldn't run so reckon he'd got that far and stopped using it.

[Joe Newton]

If there was somewhere local to me that had a decent automatic jig for a competitive price I'd definitely use them. There would have to be zero room for human error though.

 

Like many I am lucky about keeping kit well maintained, but sharpening is so tedious. 

[topchippyles]

2 minutes ago, Joe Newton said:

If there was somewhere local to me that had a decent automatic jig for a competitive price I'd definitely use them. There would have to be zero room for human error though.

 

Like many I am lucky about keeping kit well maintained, but sharpening is so tedious. 

One job I quite enjoy as it happens joe. I tend to do a few a time when it's pissing down with rain.

Edited April 16, 2022 by topchippyles

[drinksloe]

Do climbers not just have a quick sharpen at lunch time or break times?

 

If i can i tend to finish piece time couple of mins early and give saw a rub if it needs done and just as i fill up last fill for day.

Althou only if thy need done i'm not 1 for a rub every fill like u hear some folk do.

 

[Joe Newton]

1 hour ago, topchippyles said:

One job I quite enjoy as it happens joe. I tend to do a few a time when it's pissing down with rain.

Our roles are very different though.

 

It's expected of me to turn up with saws ready to go. I get stressed in the evening knowing i might have a big job on tomorrow and my saws aren't tip top.

 

It's worth noting that my saws rarely go properly blunt without getting sorted, but if they're just a bit "off sharp" it makes a hell of a difference to how much you have to work putting your cuts in.

 

I'm perhaps a bit anal about sharpening, but if i go through an included union full of decomposed material or whatever have to give the chain a tickle even if there's no noticeable difference in performance. 

6 minutes ago, drinksloe said:

Do climbers not just have a quick sharpen at lunch time or break times?

 

If i can i tend to finish piece time couple of mins early and give saw a rub if it needs done and just as i fill up last fill for day.

Althou only if thy need done i'm not 1 for a rub every fill like u hear some folk do.

 

I much prefer to sharpen on the company's time if I can, but I hate field sharpening. I'm pretty good with it these days but there's no beating my workshop at home with the well lit bench with vice and radio. The beer fridge helps too.

 There's almost no point trying to sharpen a 0.043 chain on site.

 

It's also handy that my bench has an air compressor etc so I can sharpen and clean out a saw at the same time. 

[Pete Mctree]

If someone could do a decent square ground chain, I’d be a regular customer