JR North wrote:
Point well taken. I actually learn/do everything I can, and
implement/integrate that knowledge. Saw chains just don't happen to drop
neatly into that.

I'm just an amateur, but have cut and split (hydraulic) maybe 30 cords
over the years, and learned a bit about how the saw and chains behave
in that time.

So it is around $20 for a new chain, $6 for machine sharpening at a
shop, and $0 to hand-sharpen with a file.

If you use the grinder every time, you might get only a few machine
sharpenings before the teeth are used up. Of course it depends on the
situation. Did you hit a rock, or just wear down the edges evenly.
Either way, if you cut a lot of wood, you'll come out ahead by learning
to sharpen with a file.

I tried a file jig, and tried sharpening on the saw, and didn't like
either way. I do take the chain off, and lay it in a bench vise with
jaws open just wide enough to hold the drive teeth rigidly. Filing by
hand, the chains I use (Stihl and Oregon) have angle marks, that are
good enough to get the angle right.

Sometimes there is a hard edge on teeth and it takes an extra oophm or
a first cut at a different angle to get through the hard surface, after
which the teeth cut more easily. So it is a good thing to be able to
move the file at any angle, not constrained by a guide. Took a few
tries but now it feels natural.

Now, when a chain looks half used up, I'll take it in for a machine
sharpening to get everything even again, and then use it up the rest of
the way by hand.

I also learned it's worth to be really careful about what you're
cutting through, and cutting on, planning cuts to avoid dirt and rocks
wherever they may be.