I've got the rotary stones for the Dremel, I've got the little diamond
home with the 'X' top to get the angles right, pretty much just do it by
hand with a good (new) saw file. My new saw blade has the proper angle
embossed into the top of the chain, makes it easy to get the angle
right. If you don't have that, a simple guide made from a scrap of
aluminum or plastic works just as well. The key is uniformity.

I clamp in the vice engine to the left, do the left hand side teeth.
Switch ends, do the right hand teeth with the engine on the right. Use a
magic marker to show where you started. 2 or 3 firm strokes per tooth,
clean the chips out (very important) of the file with your hand or a
wire brush. Takes about 5 minutes, I do it about every 2 run hours, more
often if the bark got dragged in the dirt. In the field you can make a
cut in an upturned log, works fine as a vice.

If the saw starts cutting circles (usually wants to drift to the right),
one side of the saw is dull. If you did the dirt level cut of a stump,
this always happens to the right side of the blade.

About every 4th sharpening you need to look at the depth gages (the
little flat spots directly in front of each tooth. These need to be set
to the mfg specs, usually about .025". If your saw is underpowered you
will need to go less. If the wood is soft, you can go up .005" or so.

The blade needs sharpening if you look straight down at a tooth and you
see a shiny leading edge from the top. If the leading edge is well
rounded as viewed from the top, you will have a long job of sharpening.

Just for comparison, my Stihl 290 (3.75 hp) with a .375" width chain on
a 20" bar will do a 20" wet/green red oak log in 51 seconds. My old Mac
10-10 with the same bar/chain setup is a bit slower at 60 seconds. Ya
gotta have a SHARP chain.

SteveB wrote:
I'm using a chain saw more now. I got four or five chains, some dull, and
some unfindable. I have a Sears sharpener that has an alignment jig. I
have kind of gotten the hang of it, and it seems to work pretty good. But,
we're going to go up and cut some wood, and I think if I can figger out the
angles, a pocket hand file would be infinitely easier to use in the field.

Any pointers, tips, or easy to follow sites?

What about a battery Dremel type sharpener?

I'm looking for quick and easy and portable.

Steve