As good as a chain filer as you can be, its still impossible to get
all the teeth on the loop the same size as some will ber filed more
than others due to damages etc..........So about all I do is use a
file to keep them touched up, and file that chain probably no more
than 3 times if it really needs a good sharpening, and not just a
touch up.......After that it gets thrown in the pile and eventually
carried to the saw shop where they use a machine grinder and once set
it will make all the teeth uniform again (uniform that is in that it
will grind away wifer or longer teeth and make them all the same as
the smallest one since thats what the grinder is set on.

I buy Woodsman brand chain by the rolls from Baileys, and its pretty
cheap. Woodsman chain is actually Carlton Brand chain, which is of
very good quality........I try to sytay away for the chain with all
the anti kickback features on it as I want to cut wood, and have
experieince, and what a difference between backyard saw chain and pro
or commercial chain......The chrome edged or plated chain sucks big
time and will wear a file out quicker, and is more of a pain to
sharpen or touch up than good high quality carbon steel chain
is.......Same with files, Pferd makes the best longest lasting files
for chain sharpening..........Husky brand files are actually Pferd
files.......Its important to hold the right angle, so the rake is
proper, and the tooth does not get whats called a beak or hook on it
from too much undercut, and its also important to keep the rakers
filed to the correct limits below the top of the chains teeth. The
amount is different for a lot of saws, but its genberally .025 to
..030" on most saws....Too much and the chain grabs and stalls more
than it cuts, too little and your making to fine of chips and working
harder than you should be to cut the same amount of wood with a
properly adjusted raker on the chain.

There certainoy is nothing wrong with sharpening a chain by hand, but
do it wrong and the saw will not perform properly, and its possible to
ruin a bar and chain with improper sharpening.......Get ahold of whats
called a File-O-Plate made by carlton until you get used to what angle
the cutters need to be filed to and also the rakers adjusted to. Much
easier than a Oregon file guide......


On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 09:21:47 -0500, granpaw
wrote:

===Hello all.
===After reading the numerous posts as to the best chainsaw to have, I was
===wondering.
===This being a metalworking group, where many are machinists, welders etc.
===who, for the most part, seem fairly self sufficient, why is it that
===no-one seems to want to suggest that the OP sharpen his/her own chain(s)
===manually?
===If a person uses a saw for any amount of time at all it *will* need to
===be sharpened.
===I do not advocate the use of electric sharpening stones, I have used
===them and found them IMHO to do more harm to a chain than good, as it is
===near impossible to reliably do each tooth exactly the same.
===
===Chain sharpening is the least labor intensive part of sawing IMO and can
===save you lots of time,gas,and money.
===A few pointers I might add:
===Always tighten your chain, if needed, before sharpening and use the
===proper sized round file.
===Secure the saw by the bar in a vice if possible, so that the chain
===turns freely and mark the chain so you can tell when you have filed all
===the links.
===File all the links on one side of the bar then turn the saw around and
===do the other side.
===Always use the same number of strokes on both sides of the chain, at the
=== proper angle and depth in each tooth, if you don't, your saw will
===eventually try to cut a circle, as one side of the chain has more "meat"
===than the other. IIRC the correct angle is around 35º for most chains.
===Don't force the file, it will take off quite a bit of metal if it's a
===good file, if it ain't get a new one.
===
===Hope this short spurt helps someone out there.
===granpaw
==="Cutting wood warms three times..cutting it...splitting it...and burning
===it."
===
===
===
===
===
===


==============================================
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"The original frugal ponder"
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