chainsaw sharpening tips

[Vertical Lmit]

Afternoon all

Well if your all going to win any woodcutting comps then here is my opinion such as it is.

File gaurds and the like are really only to get you started they will put an edge on a chain but not sharpen it. As everyone mentioned start with your smallest tooth although if your any good they will all be equal. Chrome damage to the cutter must be filed past to maintain an edge, any damage to the plating will cause the tooth to blunt or chip. Always use a round file one size less than the people who dont sharpen chains advise. Remember that you will file one side harder than the other, so compensate on your weaker side by half a stroke.

As you stroke the file through twist it round as you push pulling upwards. This will create a razor edge with minimal hooking of the cutter. Depth gauges for grounds saws should be set so the saw pulls againts you in the cut. Good size chips should be ejected.

Will try to get a close up of a well sharpened chain.

Oh and dont have them sharpened for you heating the cutter with a grind wheel will make the cutter brittle and impossible to resharpen by hand.

I am thinking of running workshops in kent for professional wood cutting on a Sat in kent. All free just come down and polish up your skills

[vduben]

take your time, noting worse than rushing a sharpen only to have to do it again!!!! and also have a tea with you but dont sharpen so the filings go in your tea!! im sure we have all done it by mistake!!

[Steve Bullman]

Remember that you will file one side harder than the other, so compensate on your weaker side by half a stroke.

 

this is a good point, also something else ive recently considered is once you've done and move on to the other side your file is that bit duller.....over the life of a whole chain that will make a difference too...thats just nit picking though, but perhaps alternate which side you start sharpening first

[Mr Ed]

As you stroke the file through twist it round as you push pulling upwards. This will create a razor edge with minimal hooking of the cutter.

 

 

arrr, thats good advice. Not seen many do it, or seen it taught.

 

as Jamie said, getting your gullett shape right is crucial.

[treejumper]

I like the twist idea - towards the nose sprocket to create a really sharp cutter - Nice one VL

I'll give it a try!

[Jamie]

give each saw user their own saw, then you are noy correcting and covering up others mistakes

 

jamie

[Vertical Lmit]

Only way to learn Jamie. Hope that was of some help.

Have seen some remarkable cutting speeds achived by tiny saws when the chains are worked properly

[vduben]

whats the shape you want in the gullet then?

the same as jamies avatar?

[Al Smith]

On a related subject, I have problems boring in with chains that are almost at the end of their life (eg 1 mm/40 thou or so from the line you sometimes get scribed on the top plate). This would be with sharpened semi chisel chain, all cutters same length, depth gauges set to 25 thou. I thought it was my sharpening, or some other problem with the guide bar, but a friend now tells me it's because the top plate on a cutter at the end of its life is a lot further away from the depth gauge than when the chain was new. The geometry of it means that not much wood is cut as the cutter goes round the nose of the bar, and that's why boring in is harder with an older chain. Is he right?

Well,first of all if that semi chisel is guard[anti kickback] chain it's nearly impossible to bore with it.

 

It all depends on how you set the rakers or depth gauges.You have to span across a couple of teeth or cutters to really get a good setting not just those little gauges that Oregon sells.Generally speaking as the tooth gets shorter the depth setting must be deeper.If you run the chain as tight as a bango string it cannot rock in and out of the cut correctly.

[Mike Hill]

If your cutting hardwood all day long,bring you angles back.This introduces the cutting edge to the timber more progressivley and seems to keep the saw sharp longer.

The 33degree angle is to my best understanding just a good all round angle.If you are cutting Poplar for days, a shallower angle and lower depth gauge hight will make for faster cutting.

Like wise for soft wood,pointing the file tip downward as you file,even nicking the tie strap a little bit will elongate the gullet and let that thicker woodchip that is produced faster by the shallow angle/low depth gauge comb clear the curf faster.

Tapping the file on the bar every three or four teeth knocks off the steel filings and makes the file cut better.