sharpening breaks

[dirtmover1250]

how often do you sharpen your chains for daily use? do you hold true to what the dealer says and do it every time you fuel, or do you wait until you think it isnt cutting worth a *DanG, and its time to stop and sharpen?

if you do it frequently do you use check the depth on every run, or can you do it every other run?

[beenthere]

If I haven't touched the dirt, or a rock, then touch up after every tank of fuel. Doesn't usually take much filing but makes a big difference in cutting through wood.

I never try to continue to cut after the chain is dull.

Just touching the dirt once will let you know the chain isn't cutting worth a DanG.

Run the depth gauge after every 2 or 3 sharpenings but it depends on how much sharpening is needed each time. i.e. just touch-up or filing out some rocked teeth.

[thecfarm]

As with any wood working tool it's best to sharpen before you know it HAS to be done. No sense in working you and the equipment harder than it needs to because a tool is dull. There is really no set rule to when to sharpen. I cut some crotch wood. That needs to be sharpen sooner. Some trees will have more grit into them than others.I cut my stumps down real low. Than I have to sharpen it after each tree. I try to put limbs under the tree,to keep it off the ground. Sometimes I only cut about ¾ though the tree then roll it with a peavey or the tractor and finish the cuts. That keeps the chain out of the ground.

[mad murdock]

I touch up my chain with a file every tank of gas, when I am out felling and limbing/bucking. When I am milling, I do about every other tank of gas, unless I hit a screw, nail, rock, or the wood is dirty, or the saw is not cutting/feeding through the wood like it should, if that is the case, I will stop, file til sharp and resume cutting. Like the others have stated, better to touch up and keep it at its optimum, than use it till it is heating up and not really cutting anymore. It takes more work to sharpen a dull chain, than to keep a sharp chain sharp, if you catch my meaning.

[Maine logger88]

I usually wait till it's not cutting as good and then file however long that is May be 1 hitch may be 5. But agree as others have stated that it's better to file before the saw is dull. As running a dull saw is unproductive hard on the saw and dangerous. I just don't have a set schedule for it just whenever I feel it doesn't cut perfectly anymore. When cutting up firewood or cutting up on the landing unless the wood is yarded on snow I may file a couple times per tankful

[Dave Shepard]

I sharpen when I notice a drop off in cutting performance. That might be half a tank or five. Felling big pine I can go a long time between sharpenings.

[CTYank]

Depends on the chain and how clean the wood is, mostly.

If the wood is clean, and the saw is spitting chips vice dust:
With full-chisel, I check the chain at each fillup. Generally, every second fillup, for my bigger saws, I pop on a Granberg guide, and give each cutter a stroke or two to restore them to razor-sharp.
With semi-chisel, I just keep it cutting, with a quick check each fillup, and likely give 'em a stroke when quitting.
For dirty wood, or suspect, I put on a loop of semi-chisel, and monitor the chips, with periodic glances.
When a saw is not self-feeding and is spitting dust, I file the cutters NOW, as it takes to get them sharp. Black locust is a suspect, both for mineral content and cutting difficulty.

About depth gauges, if I can stick to the light filing mentioned above, I find that the depth gauges wear typically at a rate to match the rate at which the cutters are being filed down, and I don't have to file them. Honest. If it's making good chips, don't fuss with success.  8)

Is it obvious that I really like semi-chisel chain? Like, WoodlandPro 30SC, by the reel.

[luvmexfood]

All the above and also consider the type of wood and if it is green or dry. Trying to cut dry locust can be like trying to cut a rock. That stuff can get so hard you can't drive a nail in it but does make good fence posts.

[dirtmover1250]

what you all say makes sense. i sharpened my chain 2 or 3 times and didnt worry about the depth guages. then once i got the chain in a vise where it was easy to hold onto, i filed the chain down some more and then started doing the depth guages. it turned out to be 3 or 4 hours worth of work. i think a once over for every tank might work out better, and probably do the depth gauges at the end of the day.

[beenthere]

Wow, I've never spent more than half hour sharpening a chain and filing the depth gauges.  Not even when rocked. Don't mean to belittle, as you are learning. Just sayin... and I sharpen the chain on the bar with the bar in the vice.

So hopefully that time was in learning and it will get quite a bit faster over time. Hope you have a good gauge to use for both the round file and the depth filing.

[Dave Shepard]

Like beenthere said, hope it's just a learning curve. That is a lot of filing. I would say that three strokes on a 36 cutter 20" loop would be about 4-5 minutes. Taking the rakers down two strokes and two strokes in the gullet, and I would say closer to ten minutes. That is with good, sharp files on chain dulled from normal use, not rocked.

[dirtmover1250]

its been rocked. i had been working on an abandoned railroad ROW for a bike path. the chain got into the railroad ballast stone. after i did that i used 12 or 13 strokes to get it back looking good. That was the second time i sharpened it, the first time was 7 strokes per tooth. neither of which i checked the rakers. this has been my first occasion ever sharpening a chain.

[thecfarm]

You will get the hang of it. Takes me 3-4 sharpening after I rock mine to feel it is back where it should be. I am clearing a grown up pasture and have clumps of white maple. Lots of dirt are in the stumps. Sometimes I only get half way through a stump and I have to stop and sharpen the chain. I get alot of practice.
Some carry 2-3 chains with them. When one gets dull,swap it out with a sharp one. Than when they get back home,they sharpen the dull ones.

[John Mc]

Dirtmover - Don't worry, it gets quicker as you get more practice. I can't do a 20" chain in 4 or 5 minutes like some others can unless I really stay focused on moving along. (Since I'm not doing this for living, and stopping to sharpen a chain is also my enforced break to stop and check how "sharp" I am as well, I tend to take my time. It's great opportunity to have a snack, rehydrate, and generally enjoy being in the woods.)

When I first started, I was constantly having to stop and check to see how things were going. After a while, I developed a feel for when the file was seating properly in the tooth, which usually tells me it's getting close to sharp. That sped things up considerably.  You'l also be able to feel when the chain is losing it's edge

As one of my Game of logging instructors once said, "you don't sharpen your chain because it got dull, you sharpen it to keep it from getting dull." It's easier on you and on your chainsaw if you keep the chain sharp.

For me, cutting hardwoods (mostly oak, maple, beech), that often means a quick touch-up after every tank of gas (just a couple light strokes on each tooth). If I'm feeling that it's still cutting nicely, I might go two tanks. This all assumes I don't rock the chain or hit the dirt.

You should also remember to do bar maintenance from time to time (deburring the rails and squaring them up, flipping the bar over so you work the other side of the bar). This is generally not something I do in the field; I wait till I'm home with a little time on my hands. The better I am about keeping the chain sharp, the less often I have to do bar maintenance.

[lledwod]

I usually sharpen every second tank, 3-5 strokes per tooth. Probably takes less than 2 minutes on my 16" bar. I am cutting clean soft wood (spruce). If I am doing 'log work' that becomes once for every tank. I take the rakers down about 3 times over the life of the chain, seems to work fine for me but I have never had a gauge, maybe I should get one!

[DDDfarmer]

I'll touch the chain 1-2 strokes at every fill up or sooner as required.  If you think its dull it most likely is, stop and sharpen. 

Dad always told me learn the right technic first, practise will bring the speed.

[lumberjack48]

  When running full chisel you know instantly when you lose the edge on it. On full chisel or semi chisel at any given time look straight down at your chain, if you see a shiny edge along the cutter its dull. You have to file it until the shiny edge is gone.
My rule of thumb was sharpen when it loses its edge. When falling this might be every tree or 50 trees. When bucking on the landing there were days i'd file a chain away.
The main thing is to know what your looking at, what it looks like dull and when its sharp. Another thing is do not rock the file, make long slow straight strokes, you'll watch the shiny edge disappear.

[HolmenTree]

Good points lj48.
Also never file with direct sunlight on your cutters.Turn your back to the sun and shade your chain, makes a world of difference getting a good look at those cutting edges while filing them.

If you're pushing 40 yrs old or older reading glasses are a must two. Probably why I was having a problem hand filing in my late 30's before I realized I needed reading glasses. :D

Easy to find clean cutting wood in the wilderness, but farm or urban trees you can't see what's inside them.
Learning to avoid cutting dirt and stone on the ground is as important as learning to file itself.

[Straightgrain]

I hit the chains every morning before working or when they become dull.

Sometimes, they go to the local dealer; like when a brand-new double skip chain hits a hidden nail. :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

I take the time to mark my firewood cuts (16"), clean-off mud and other debris with a hatchet, and I didn't see the nail...messed the chain up real bad.

A plus! My hunting buddy earns his pay at the local logging supply store; sharpening chains, building chokers, offering me expert advice, and selling parts and equipment over the counter. I don't mind giving them my business; my filing simply cannot match what he does with the chains at the grinder.

[Corley5]

  I go to a sharp chain at the first hint of the saw not cutting as it should.  Not much else out there that will work you as hard as a dull chainsaw 

[luvmexfood]

I cut some this morning and started skidding. Sort of steep. How to chain log then run a 45' cable from end of chain to tractor. After several trips doing this when I got ready to cut again the saw needed a sharpening break. Or so I told myself. :D

[dirtmover1250]

I had a pretty good run today helping a friend clear up some property. I ran about 4 or 5 tanks though, sharpened the chainsaw each time. im getting the hang of it pretty good now, i was throwing chips all day, and maxing out my chainsaw on one tree. ;D

This first junk tree here. does this look like mulberry to you? its a tan bark with yellow wood in the center. i thought that stuff was dulling up my chainsaw on another cutting session, but it didnt seem to be much of a problem this time. i also checked my air filter and there wasnt anything in there, just one little chip, nothing else. i see now why its much easier on the saw to do it frequently, its easy on everything. not just the operator.




old storm damage that was sitting for 2 years.

[BubbasDad]

Cant get great look since using my phone but kinda looks like locust

[thecfarm]

That sounds good. Just keep track of the number of stokes you take and mark your start on the chain. Hope you bought some chaps.  ;D

[ZeroJunk]

I have to say that I never heard of sharpening a chain after every tank of fuel.