Simon Avery wrote:
(Alan Campbell) wrote:

Hello Alan

snip loads of chainsaw stuff I agree with

AC| You should sharpen them every time you refill the chain oil.

Not so.

With petrol chainsaws, you fill both oil and 2/stroke at the same
time. With electric you just fill the oil when required. Typically, at
full speed cutting either will last somewhere in the region of 30
minutes on a full tank of either, and if you're sharpening the chain
every 30 minutes you won't have much of a chain left after a day.
Logging (clean logs, off the ground) should go all day without
sharpening if you're careful.

Yes, that's my experience with log cutting, the blade stays sharp for
a *very* long time. When it gets blunt it's nearly always because
I've hit something nasty (a nail or whatever) or because I've tried to
cut stuff too near the ground or have got to cut dirt/soil for some
other reason.


The rule of thumb is simply "sharpen when it's not cutting as good as
it should". More often is wasteful, less often is dangerous. (Same
principle as a dull knife is more likely to cut you than a sharp one)

One diagnostic for a blunt blade is that it produces sawdust rather
than wood chips. If you start getting anything other than chippings
then the blade is getting blunt.

--
Chris Green )