Chainsaw Sharpener

[agrimog]

if your burning through chains with a bench grinder, your doing something very wrong. properly set you take off less with a grinder than you do with a file, and every tooth is the same. very very few people can hand sharpen both sides of a chain identical by hand, most get very close, good enough for everyday felling and crosscutting, and for the average milling job, but for precision, you cannot beat the properly set up grinder, every tooth identical, every raker set to the same exact height and shape, so grider for precision and speed, file to touch up in the field, 1, or 2 quick passes just to put the edge on, anything more, change the chain to a freshly sharpened one, its as quick as sitting filling, and oh so much more acurate

[Midge]

Thanks for the replies guys. I would still sharpen by hand whilst out on the job,and even occasionally at home, but if I also had a sharpener at home it would just make it quicker and easier to do, so do you have any more recommendations of which sharpeners to be looking at?

 

Cheers.

[Stubby]

I use bench grinders for bars 28" and above. I need them to cut perfectly every time so it makes sense & is based upon efficiency. I see no point spending hours getting them right by hand. Below that I hand sharpen.

 

If its just dull from cutting wood and no damage then it takes me 15 mins tops to sharpen a 28 " with a file . Certainly not hours . Over the years I have tried all manner of sharpening gizmos . A good sharp file file does it for me .

[Westwood]

Granberg for me from Chainsawbars every time - there are some of us who are just not able to use a file well!

[Pete Mctree]

If its just dull from cutting wood and no damage then it takes me 15 mins tops to sharpen a 28 " with a file . Certainly not hours . Over the years I have tried all manner of sharpening gizmos . A good sharp file file does it for me .

 

I agree if it's just dulled - I am talking about damaged chain (should have been clearer, sorry )

Even then, half way through the chain I will often grind it to get it perfect. I sharpen as well as anyone else, but I am super intolerant of blunt/poor cutting chains as I cut timber to make a living

[Stubby]

I am super intolerant of blunt/poor cutting chains as I cut timber to make a living

 

 

So you should be . A dull chain of no use whats ever .

[openspaceman]

I agree if it's just dulled - I am talking about damaged chain (should have been clearer, sorry )

Even then, half way through the chain I will often grind it to get it perfect. I sharpen as well as anyone else, but I am super intolerant of blunt/poor cutting chains as I cut timber to make a living

 

Yes, as I said they have their place and severely damaged chain is one. I remember having all the chrome on the teeth folded over when I hit a bottle embedded in a tree, the file wouldn't touch it but the bench grinder was good. The fitter then was a bit slap happy so it wasn't unusual to see blue marks on the teeth where he'd got them too hot rushing to take out damage. In those days chain was much more expensive in real terms than now.

 

In those days, 1976, the firm I worked for had a quality bench grinder and the indexing was accurate.

 

Now I have Lidl one at home and there is quite a lot of slop in the indexing pawl so you have to be careful pulling the chain back for each tooth before locking the chain.

[RealEstate]

Does anyone use one of these?

Stihl 2 in 1 Easyfile

Stihl 2 in 1 Easyfile

[Couldyajust]

Does anyone use one of these?

Stihl 2 in 1 Easyfile

Stihl 2 in 1 Easyfile

 

As I said earlier in this thread I do have a couple of those rarely use them myself as I have always used a round file & see no reason to change that, they are for employees that cannot use a file no matter how many times they are shown.

Even the newly qualified kids that are convinced they know everything there is to know about tree surgery can sharpen a chain correctly every time with one of these.

[RealEstate]

As I said earlier in this thread I do have a couple of those rarely use them myself as I have always used a round file & see no reason to change that, they are for employees that cannot use a file no matter how many times they are shown.

Even the newly qualified kids that are convinced they know everything there is to know about tree surgery can sharpen a chain correctly every time with one of these.

Idiot proof sounds good to me

 

EasyFile should be quicker as it does the depth gauges at the same time.

 

Or is there a risk of oversharpening the depth gauges?