sharpening

[Big_eddy]

Big Eddy, sure did get your moneys worth out of that chain!  

I got 4 more sharpening out of it before I pinched it and a rivet broke. Somewhere I have a note as to how many cord it cut. I think it was just north of 60. All blocking up logs from a pile.

[Silhouette]

I sharpen the chains in the field while they're on the saw, I sharpen often and I usually don't remove a lot of material with the file in one session (unless I've cut into rocks or nails).

Normally I use a stihl 2 in 1 file holder and file one side while sitting behind the saw and the other side while sitting beside the saw, using my dominant arm for both. Every once in a while I will use a file without a holder or guide and file freehand to make sure I file all of the gullet. I don't care about making every cutter the same size, only about making every cutter sharp and the same angle.

If the saw won't cut straight after filing then you're systematically sharpening one side different from the other, either by not sharpening one side enough or by not getting the angles right.

[David B]

A lot of it is the relationship between the raker and the cutter. A different angle on the cutter translates to a different cutter height and distance from the raker. If each raker is filed with a progressive gauge like the one that comes on the husky roller guide, or the west coast saw gauge, the chain should cut ok. 

All that being said, my chains cut smoother and more consistently when I grind them all the same. That’s the main thing I like about having a grinder. 

[maple flats]

I hand sharpened for about 35 years with good results, but then I got a hired hand who had major issues and never got a good sharpening by hand. I had many chains and had him trained to swap a chain as soon as any notice of not cutting well started. By then I had enough arthritis in my thumbs that I couldn't sharpen more than one chain, so I bought a MAXX sharpener. Now I sharpen 10-12 chains at a time, doing all on one side, then changing the grinder to do the other side. With each chain I just need to adjust for the tooth wear and I can do as many chains as need it in short order.
Before I bought the grinder, I never thought I'd use one, but arthritis changed that, and I really like the grinder and how sharp it gets every chain.