Chain sharpening

[Ron Scott]

I'm partial to hand filing with use of the Husky roller guides. I used to spend time watching my skilled tree fallers sharpen their saw chains while on the job. I learned from them and became comfortable with hand filing.

[John Mc]

After trying several methods I also prefer the Husqvarna roller guide just wish they would make one for chain on my small saw.

If you are using 3/8 low profile on your smaller saw, Husqvarna does make 2 roller guides for those chains. 
For the chains that use 5/32" (4.0mm) round files, you want Husqvarna part number 596 28 48‑01. 
For those that use an 11/64" (4.5mm) round files, look for Husqvarna part 596 28 47‑01.

Unfortunately, both of these lack the built-in progressive depth gauge tool, but they are good roller guides for that size chain.

[Ianab]

I suspect that sharpening, whether by hand or with a grinder, is difficult to get the hang of without someone actually showing you how. I had someone teach me how to freehand file a chain when I was about 18. One quick course from someone who knows how to do it right saves so much trial and error. I realize not everyone has that luxury, but anyone that struggles- watch for someone who has a saw that cuts straight and fast, and watch them sharpen.

Agree with you there. 
While not rocket surgery, there is a skill to it, like sharpening any tool. If you are starting out, first thing you should do is have a REALLY close look at a new chain. Look at the angles of the cutting edges etc, and how the top of the cutter shows no rounded over edge. Then when you sharpen, you are trying to make it look like that again.  If you touch up the chain as soon as the cutting slows down, it will only need a couple of file strokes on each cutter, or a gentle kiss with a grinder. Edge looks good again, and it cuts like new again. Rinse and repeat until you run out cutter. Rakers need checking and filing down occasionally to keep the chain biting into the wood.  That's a plus for the 2 in one guides, if the rakers are too high, it skims them at the same time.
I have a lot of respect for the folks than can freehand file a chain, AND get it cutting better than new. For us mere mortals, pick a guide system you like, and I'm no knocking grinders either. I've recovered some chains that have tried to cut rocks etc, and it takes a while with a hand file. It would take some careful grinder work as well, lots of fine passes, but my arm wouldn't be as tired if I had a good grinder. 
Main thing I like about a hand file is you can touch up a chain in the field in a few minutes.  There is no excuse to push on with a dull chain and really mess it up. Others may prefer to carry several chains, swap them over and sharpen them all later? Neither plan is wrong. 

[Gary Davis]

I have a friend  that just got the h f sharpener I got to try it out  the chain was in bad enough shape that it took two times around but the results were satisfactory 

[AndyVT]

I have to admit that I use  a HF grinder. Granted I don't cut a lot, but it works fine for me with a better wheel put on it. I adjust the thing so it almost hits the tooth, and then take advantage of the cheap quality of the unit and flex the grinder head so it kisses the tooth.
When I am logging, I go through a lot of chains.
I have an Oregon grinder that after many years of use has a little slop in the pivot and like you I make use of the flex to just kiss the tooth with a couple of taps.
 I hand filed for decades before that and my arthritic hands just couldn't take it anymore.

[Arcticmiller]

I have a Oregon/(probably made by tecomec) 620, it's pretty nice, there is a steep learning curve though, and I messed up a few chains in the process. It's reasonably accurate and far better than my hand filing.

Since it's ideas for spending someone else's money, I'd go with this one! Having watched some videos of it work I'm pretty impressed by it.

S-451-C High Production Grinder - Simington Chain Grinder

[Old saw fixer]

I have been sharpening chains by hand, starting freehand, then using a Stihl FG2 (bench mount).
I would like to get a Stihl USG grinder not because I have a large volume of chains to sharpen but because I like learning challenges and doing the best work I am capable of.
I sharpen my lawnmower blades and balance them using a Magna-Matic 8000 grinder and MAG-1000 balancer.  I like the results and can afford the equipment.  It is my hobby so to speak.
The only reason I don't take in work is because it is hard to get folks to understand that a blade or chain is shot and that frequent sharpening doesn't cost any more than waiting until half the blade/chain has to be removed to make a good job. 

[booman]

Came across this thread and am reading about people being impressed with the 2 in 1 file.  I think the main reason is because maybe for the first time the depth gauge is also being filed to allow the chain to get a full bite.  Admittedly, I have not tried one of these sharpeners and I am sure they work just fine.  Also, a motor driven grinder does not do anything to the depth gauges although it sharpens just fine it is not up to optimum.
I try to file the depth gauges at least every other time I file the teeth, by hand.  There are tools that work very well for doing this.

[booman]

Here is one.    Offsite photo link deleted by Admin, refer to photo posting rules.

[booman]

Looks like that didn't work.  It is a depth gauge file guide.

[Magicman]

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[booman]

Thanks for the reminder Magic.

[Corley5]

I got a MAXX grinder a couple months after getting my firewood machine. That would have been in February of 06 I do believe. I haven't hand filed any saw chain since. The first thing to do is throw away the rock wheels and get CBN ones. I bought a Tecomec when I got my harvester and set it up for 3/4 pitch with a CBN wheel. It's now equipped with a flat CBN wheel and is used only for cutting rakers. I prefer my MAXX for grinding cutters as the head can be flipped left or right so the wheel is always pulling into the cutter. Oregon and Tecomec grinders pull in one way and out the other which can leave a bur on the outside of the cutter. Older models had a reversing switch to prevent this. OSHA didn't approve of the spark shower the operator got sharpening one side. Three-way rocker switches can be had ;)

[John Mc]

I've used a Stihl 2-in-1 sharpener (which is really just a re-badged Pferd Chainsharp CSX in a different color), and found it "OK". The one thing I don't like about it is that it uses a non-progressive method for setting the depth gauges. With that, the efficiency of the chain tends to drop off a bit as the chain gets sharpened back. It also makes the chain more sensitive to having all teeth the same length. Using a progressive depth gauge tool addresses these two issues.

I do prefer hand sharpening over grinding. I tend to use either the Husqvarna roller guides or the guides sold by Stihl or Oregon which clip on to the file to hold it at the right depth. I use the progressive depth gauge tool to set the raker height. (My eyesight is not good enough to file freehand with a bare file and actually see what is going on with the tooth, so I seldom bother with that.)

[MAF143]

I round filed for years with the guide that clips on the round file and decided to get a grinder.  For me it just seemed like taking the chain off the saw, setting up the grinder (since I don't have the room in my shop to have it mounted permanently) took way more time than sharpening with a file on the saw.  The grinder got used once and has been holding down a shelf ever since.

This is a sharpening fixture I made from a 1-1/2" thick slab of hardwood.  I screwed a C-clamp on an angled cut on the end to clamp the bar.  The bottom of the slab has open cell foam stapled to it so it will set on my table saw or truck tailgate and not slide around.  Holds the saw / bar / chain nice and stable for filing.


 

A few years ago I tried square filing my chains with a double bevel file.  Cuts faster and stays sharp longer than round filed chain.  I practiced it and converted all my chains from round filed to square filed and haven't looked back.  As long as my eyes can see good enough to file this way, I will.

It takes a little practice and isn't for everyone, but it works very well for me.



 



 

[John Mc]

I like that slab fixture, MAF143. I'm not sure what you mean by "an angled cut on the end", and can't see it in the photo, but it sounds as though it works well.

I usually use a stump vise when filing in the woods. At home, I hammer the stump vise into a scrap of 2x4 and clamp that in an old Stanley Workmate workbench/stand I've had for probably 20+ years. It works well for me, but it would be nice to have something to use out of the back of my truck.

Someone (Gordon?) had a picture of how he welded a stump vise on to the loader on his tractor, which I also though was a great idea.

[MAF143]

I like that slab fixture, MAF143. I'm not sure what you mean by "an angled cut on the end", and can't see it in the photo, but it sounds as though it works well.

I have made several of these over the years for friends and family that cut wood.
The slab is just a round that I noodle a slab out of, nothing special although I try to stay with long lasting species.
The one end where the clamp is screwed in, I angle it a bit and mount it so you don't pinch your fingers when you tighten the clamp and the saw head gets kind of centered on the slab.



 



 
There's a second one leaning on the table saw base that will go to my great niece's boyfriend who just got a 462 last summer.  These are both out of Hickory, but I prefer Honey Locust.  The picture back in the first post was a Honey Locust slab.



 
anti-slip foam on bottom


Another advantage to this is that I can reposition it so I can always file right handed.  Not quite sure how to explain that but I just kinda get comfy and file away...

[John Mc]

Thanks. Makes much more sense now that I see the pictures.

Mount the clamp on the butt end, but off to one side, so the handle on the screw hangs off the side of the board. The angle cut in the end of the board aims the bar down the board so the powerhead is centered left/right on the board, rather than hanging over one side or the other.

Is that a 6" C-clamp?
Is the anti-slip foam something you picked up at the hardware store?

I may make one to sit in the back of my woods truck.

[g_man]

I like that slab fixture, MAF143. I'm not sure what you mean by "an angled cut on the end", and can't see it in the photo, but it sounds as though it works well.

I usually use a stump vise when filing in the woods. At home, I hammer the stump vise into a scrap of 2x4 and clamp that in an old Stanley Workmate workbench/stand I've had for probably 20+ years. It works well for me, but it would be nice to have something to use out of the back of my truck.

Someone (Gordon?) had a picture of how he welded a stump vise on to the loader on his tractor, which I also though was a great idea.

I Like the vise on my grapple - handy. Have two of them.




 




 


gg

[MAF143]

Is that a 6" C-clamp?
Is the anti-slip foam something you picked up at the hardware store?

I've used 4 or 5" cheapo clamps from HF but sometimes have to add a pad on the c side of the bar so the chain doesn't drag on the frame of the clamp when advancing the chain.  In the one picture you can see a white nylon pad from the bottom of a chair.  I drilled a hole same size of the nail on it through the end of the c-clamp and glued it to the clamp to give it some clearance.

The foam is just stuff I rustle up from around the house...  I like the 1/2" thick open cell mattress pads the best.  If the foam is too thick the whole thing will kind of wobble a little.  It just needs to be thick enough to grip, not bounce.  I learned this trick from roofers using foam couch cushions on steep roofs so they stick to the shingles like Spiderman.

[John Mc]

I have some leftover tool box liner (a thin rubber mat that is supposed to be non-slip) that I got from Harbor Freight a while back. I bet that will work under the slab.

I see what you mean about the pad to space the chain out from the clamp a bit.

[RetiredTech]

 I probably don't cut as much as most folks here, but I use a file to sharpen probably 95% of the time. However I also have the El Cheapo HF sharpener that comes out when the chain has a mishap with something harder or I have a crooked cut I can't seem to fix with the file. I bought it for years and only had to use it a few times so far. At that rate it will probably probably "last as long as I need it." (My Grandads favorite saying.) If it does die I wouldn't  buy a another one. There are too many better, affordable options out there.
 I definitely see @MAF143 's clamp in my future. I wonder why I didn't think of that? Thanks for the photos.

[Al_Smith]

It's all what you get used to with a file .This is what I use as a guide patterned after what Oregon had at one time before they cheapened them up with clips .A secret is using a bare file and periodically take the gullet down to the tie strap so 
it will carry a bigger chip before it rolls out .

[Keepfixin]

I use all sorts of devices for sharpening! But my best edge us usually achieved with an old Granberg filing guide. 
Freehand is possible but only a last resort. 
An Oregon filing guide is pretty good. 
A Tecomec grinder with 3/16" wheel is better.
 But my grinder is outside so I have to get the chains really clean of bar oil or my wheel loads up and leads to dressing the wheel about 4 times per chain. :-/ So today I just ordered a 1/4" wheel to try and see if it makes a difference. Worked for a logger about 10 years ago and he had a Silvey grinder with a 1/4" wheel I believe and we never dressed the wheel or cleaned chains and it kept on sharpening chain! It was also a white wheel. Dont know what composition it would have been?

[JD Guy]

For those of you who do use grinders where is best source for the CBN wheels? I spent some time searching online but would prefer some real world experience.
Thanks