Chain grinder..

[john87]

Hi All,

Was just wondering if any of you use a proper chain grinder?? They are very expensive, and a lot of faff taking the chain off too, AND for the price of one you could buy an awful lot of chains.. So, a thing worth having, or use a file like anyone else??

 

john..

[gand]

Personally I don't like using them, I find it harder to sharpen in the field when they've been ground. It is expensive and don't really see the point unless your milling and have a massive bar. As for being a bit of a faff to take the chain off, I just think it gives you a good opportunity to clean the saw. I have to say if I was sharpening the chain on the saw in a vice, I would most likely take it off anyway and clean the bar and saw afterwards 

[john87]

Yes, i think you are right about it being a better job to take the chain and bar off and clean it all. I have often read about giving the chain a bit of a tickle with the file every time you fill up with fuel, but you would not get much done in a day..

 

I am VERY careful with my saws and the chains seem to stay sharp for a heck of a lot of cutting, well, by my standards at least..

 

If i were to be out felling trees all day it might be different. By the time i think the chain could do with a sharpen it would be time to clean it all anyway, the bar and chain i mean, i clean the rest of the saw every time i use it 

 

I clean out the groove and the oil holes on the bar with an air compressor, same for all around the clutch and the chain tensioner mechanism..

 

When i have filed a chain on the saw i do worry a bit about the filings.. Taking it off and cleaning it all would be far better as you say..

 

john..

[doobin]

6 hours ago, john87 said:

Yes, i think you are right about it being a better job to take the chain and bar off and clean it all. I have often read about giving the chain a bit of a tickle with the file every time you fill up with fuel, but you would not get much done in a day..

 

I am VERY careful with my saws and the chains seem to stay sharp for a heck of a lot of cutting, well, by my standards at least..

 

If i were to be out felling trees all day it might be different. By the time i think the chain could do with a sharpen it would be time to clean it all anyway, the bar and chain i mean, i clean the rest of the saw every time i use it 

 

 

 

john..

Thats the key. A pro can (should?) go all day without a sharpen, unless he is careless or just unlucky (barbed wire not visible or in tree etc)

 

I carry a box of chains for each bar and just swap them if they get damaged. That quicker than trying to sharpen crouched uncomfortable over a stump, and it's a pleasure on a wet day to stand inside by the workshop log burner and to put them all through the grinder to restore them to factory fresh.

[peatff]

8 hours ago, john87 said:

a lot of faff taking the chain off too

 

What kind of saw do you have ? Undo bolts, slacken tension making sure brake is off, pull clutch cover and remove bar with chain. It takes longer to type it out than it does to do it. 

 

[quote=john87]When i have filed a chain on the saw i do worry a bit about the filings.[/quote]

The bar and chain run metal to metal, the clutch is running metal to metal, I wouldn't worry about a bit more metal in there👍

Edited August 23, 2022 by peatff

[john87]

2 hours ago, doobin said:

Thats the key. A pro can (should?) go all day without a sharpen, unless he is careless or just unlucky (barbed wire not visible or in tree etc)

 

I carry a box of chains for each bar and just swap them if they get damaged. That quicker than trying to sharpen crouched uncomfortable over a stump, and it's a pleasure on a wet day to stand inside by the workshop log burner and to put them all through the grinder to restore them to factory fresh.

Yes, i am lucky in that i can pick and choose what i do, so no way on this planet would i cut dirty wood or roots or any of that stuff.. I see "experts" [well, self proclaimed ones] on youtube sticking the bar in the ground when trying to cut logs and generally being well rough with the saw itself, clumping and banging it around, you would think it was a log they were handling..

 

I have seen people claiming that they can get a chain sharper with a file than a grinder, but i doubt that.. Before age ruined my eyesight i was VERY good at sharpening twist drills. but no way on this planet would it be possible to get the same results as you would with a drill grinding machine [and i mean a proper one, not one of then plastic things or an attachment for a bench grinder]

 

I would imagine a properly ground chain would be kinder to the saw too, less vibration and stuff??

 

john..

[john87]

1 hour ago, peatff said:

 

What kind of saw do you have ? Undo bolts, slacken tension making sure brake is off, pull clutch cover and remove bar with chain. It takes longer to type it out than it does to do it. 

 

[quote=john87]When i have filed a chain on the saw i do worry a bit about the filings.[/quote]

The bar and chain run metal to metal, the clutch is running metal to metal, I wouldn't worry about a bit more metal in there👍

Yes, very good point!! Guess i am a little paranoid!!

 

john..

[5thelement]

I only used a grinder on harvester chain, mostly to remove damage and uniform the angles and cutter lengths. I would then put an edge on with the hand file.

You have to be careful not to remove too much at once with the grinder otherwise you change the temper of the cutter, which can make it brittle and difficult to sharpen and it can leave ragged burrs, you also have to monitor the profile of the grinding disk and it adjust accordingly.

Unless you are sharpening lots of chains/large chains I wouldn’t bother, just get some better glasses😉.

[john87]

40 minutes ago, 5thelement said:

I only used a grinder on harvester chain, mostly to remove damage and uniform the angles and cutter lengths. I would then put an edge on with the hand file.

You have to be careful not to remove too much at once with the grinder otherwise you change the temper of the cutter, which can make it brittle and difficult to sharpen and it can leave ragged burrs, you also have to monitor the profile of the grinding disk and it adjust accordingly.

Unless you are sharpening lots of chains/large chains I wouldn’t bother, just get some better glasses😉.

Yes, a very delicate touch would be needed to avoid overheating.. Fully hardened carbon steel [no idea what chains are made from] starts to temper [and therefore lose hardness] at a mere 200 Centigrade..

 

john..

[Woodworks]

1 hour ago, 5thelement said:

just get some better glasses😉.

Some serious truth in that. 

 

Happily use a grinder or file just depends on if the chain is on or off the saw. Also like the grinder for evening up cutter lengths. Never overheated a chain with a grinder but dont try to be greedy with it and use several light touches instead of plowing in