My impression is that, when it comes to the home use type gas chain saws,
the new chain blade seems to last quite awhile. Then, once it goes dull,
and you get it sharpened, it cuts great for a few whacks, then is dull
again, almost immediately.

If this indeed is the case at large, then maybe the answer is simply to have
a big roll of chain blade handy. Make up a new blade each time the old one
dulls, and discard the old one.

For me, it isn't the money so much as it is I really can't afford for my
chain to go dull quickly. I need a bit more longevity out of whatever I'm
using to cut with.

Is having a roll and chain breaker stuff handy a good way to go to avoid
short life spans of resharpened blades.

"RB" wrote in message
...
My impression is that, when it comes to the home use type gas chain saws,
the new chain blade seems to last quite awhile. Then, once it goes dull,
and you get it sharpened, it cuts great for a few whacks, then is dull
again, almost immediately.

If this indeed is the case at large, then maybe the answer is simply to
have a big roll of chain blade handy. Make up a new blade each time the
old one dulls, and discard the old one.

For me, it isn't the money so much as it is I really can't afford for my
chain to go dull quickly. I need a bit more longevity out of whatever I'm
using to cut with.

Is having a roll and chain breaker stuff handy a good way to go to avoid
short life spans of resharpened blades.

If that was the case, wouldn't commercial loggers do that? They seem to
have tried and true techniques for sharpening saws. IIRC, they just carry
extras, and slap a sharp one on when the other goes dull. They do have a
lifetime, and can be resharpened to a point where a new one is the only
answer.

Steve

"Steve B" wrote in message
news:NvEXf.1640$I%6.1427@fed1read12...

If that was the case, wouldn't commercial loggers do that? They seem to
have tried and true techniques for sharpening saws. IIRC, they just carry
extras, and slap a sharp one on when the other goes dull. They do have a
lifetime, and can be resharpened to a point where a new one is the only
answer.

Simple solution:
1. Buy a round file to fit (new one every year) and
a holder for it (marked with diagonals at 25, 30 and 35 degrees.)
2. Sharpen your own blade either every morning or every time
you refill the gas tank: 16 strokes on each tooth does it, quite
fast if you steady the saw on any object with parallel lines.
3. A sharp blade removes small square chips of wood, a dull
saw only sawdust. When your resharpened chain fails to
produce chips, buy a new one.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Don Phillipson wrote:
"Steve B" wrote in message
news:NvEXf.1640$I%6.1427@fed1read12...


If that was the case, wouldn't commercial loggers do that? They seem to
have tried and true techniques for sharpening saws. IIRC, they just carry
extras, and slap a sharp one on when the other goes dull. They do have a
lifetime, and can be resharpened to a point where a new one is the only
answer.


Simple solution:
1. Buy a round file to fit (new one every year) and
a holder for it (marked with diagonals at 25, 30 and 35 degrees.)
2. Sharpen your own blade either every morning or every time
you refill the gas tank: 16 strokes on each tooth does it, quite
fast if you steady the saw on any object with parallel lines.
3. A sharp blade removes small square chips of wood, a dull
saw only sawdust. When your resharpened chain fails to
produce chips, buy a new one.


1. is true
2. is bogus about the frequency of sharpening
unless you are cutting into dirt or are a logger
and sharpening takes you about 1 minute. And 16
strokes of a file is way too much and will quickly
wear away the teeth. More like 3 strokes per
tooth after cutting at least 80 square feet of
wood with an 18" bar (probably take you 3 tank
fulls depending on the size of the chainsaw).
3. Not true. A sharp chain produces long slivers,
upto 3-4" long on fresh wood, considerably shorter
on dry wood but no where near square. When chip
length decreases to the width of the teeth (square
chip), the chain is well on the way toward dull.

I used to work in a shop that sharpened chain saws. After we purchased a
commercial chain sharpener, our sales of new chains soared. Most commercial
saw sharpeners eat up chain teeth and yes they can overheat the chain,
causing the metal to loose its hardness. My advise is to learn how to do a
sharpen the chain correctly or seek out someone who can do it for you, the
old fashion way.
"Steve B" wrote in message
news:NvEXf.1640$I%6.1427@fed1read12...

"RB" wrote in message
...
My impression is that, when it comes to the home use type gas chain saws,
the new chain blade seems to last quite awhile. Then, once it goes dull,
and you get it sharpened, it cuts great for a few whacks, then is dull
again, almost immediately.

If this indeed is the case at large, then maybe the answer is simply to
have a big roll of chain blade handy. Make up a new blade each time the
old one dulls, and discard the old one.

For me, it isn't the money so much as it is I really can't afford for my
chain to go dull quickly. I need a bit more longevity out of whatever
I'm using to cut with.

Is having a roll and chain breaker stuff handy a good way to go to avoid
short life spans of resharpened blades.

If that was the case, wouldn't commercial loggers do that? They seem to
have tried and true techniques for sharpening saws. IIRC, they just carry
extras, and slap a sharp one on when the other goes dull. They do have a
lifetime, and can be resharpened to a point where a new one is the only
answer.

Steve

RB wrote:

My impression is that, when it comes to the home use type gas chain saws,
the new chain blade seems to last quite awhile. Then, once it goes dull,
and you get it sharpened, it cuts great for a few whacks, then is dull
again, almost immediately.

If this indeed is the case at large, then maybe the answer is simply to have
a big roll of chain blade handy. Make up a new blade each time the old one
dulls, and discard the old one.

For me, it isn't the money so much as it is I really can't afford for my
chain to go dull quickly. I need a bit more longevity out of whatever I'm
using to cut with.

Is having a roll and chain breaker stuff handy a good way to go to avoid
short life spans of resharpened blades.



Have you considered whether the place sharpening the chain for you is
doing it correctly? Maybe they're pushing things and overheating the
chain teeth, thus making them go soft? Are they reducing the height of
the "depth stops" in between the cutting teeth to make up for the
reduced length of the sharpened teeth?

My suggestion is that you learn to sharpen them yourself. A Dremel or
similar high speed rotary tool and a few chain saw sharpening stones for
it will do the job while the chain is on the saw quicker than you can
say Jill Robinson.

There are small guides available for Dremels which make it easier to
keep the angle correct on every tooth, but I've always done it by eye
and my chain saw cuts well enough for me.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

RB wrote:
My impression is that, when it comes to the home use type gas chain saws,
the new chain blade seems to last quite awhile. Then, once it goes dull,
and you get it sharpened, it cuts great for a few whacks, then is dull
again, almost immediately.

If this indeed is the case at large, then maybe the answer is simply to have
a big roll of chain blade handy. Make up a new blade each time the old one
dulls, and discard the old one.

For me, it isn't the money so much as it is I really can't afford for my
chain to go dull quickly. I need a bit more longevity out of whatever I'm
using to cut with.

Is having a roll and chain breaker stuff handy a good way to go to avoid
short life spans of resharpened blades.



A properly re-sharpened loop should be just as sharp and last just as
long as a new one. But sharpening includes more that just reshaping the
leading edges of the teeth. For one thing the ramps which determine
cutting depth have to be ground too because every time a tooth is
sharpened it becomes shorter (front to rear) and that changes the geometry.

I use a Stihl 029 "Farm Boss" which I re-barred to 18" and changed over
to standard pitch chain (0.375" IIRC). For a while I used Bailey's
carbide impregnated loops and they did seem to hold up better in dirty
conditions but they were expensive enough that as they got past the
point of being sharpenable I got rid of them and replaced them with
standard good-quality chain. I make it a rule to always have at least
three usable loops on hand so that if one or two are in for sharpening
the saw is still usable. Chain loops are inexpensive enough that it
looks like false economy to not have spares.

Oh, and I gave up on sharpening my own chains. I did a lousy job
freehand, the jigs looked like a waste of money for my purposes, my
local saw shop will sharpen mine for something like $4.00, and I'm even
more lazy than I am cheap.

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com

RB wrote:
My impression is that, when it comes to the home use type gas chain saws,
the new chain blade seems to last quite awhile. Then, once it goes dull,
and you get it sharpened, it cuts great for a few whacks, then is dull
again, almost immediately.

If this indeed is the case at large, then maybe the answer is simply to have
a big roll of chain blade handy. Make up a new blade each time the old one
dulls, and discard the old one.

For me, it isn't the money so much as it is I really can't afford for my
chain to go dull quickly. I need a bit more longevity out of whatever I'm
using to cut with.

Is having a roll and chain breaker stuff handy a good way to go to avoid
short life spans of resharpened blades.



It does seem that a new chain seems to hold a
cutting edge a bit longer but that is probably
just because it is sharpened more accurately.
Many home saws use exactly the same chain as other
users. So your experience is not common.

If your sharpened ones seems to dull rapidly
compared to a new blade, then the chain is not
being sharpened correctly. Probably sharpened at
too great an angle (sharper but won't hold up).

The chain on an 18" bar shouldn't need sharpening
until you have cut at least a cord of green wood
into 18" lengths. And you can keep sharpening it
until the teeth are only about 3/16" wide and you
have cut at least 20 cords. The average home
owner would probably never need more than one
chain. Keep the chain out of dirt and rocks.
I've cut into quartz hidden between bark and the
wood and the chain is instantly dull, but about 5
strokes of file instead of my regular 3 will
sharpen the chain.

But if you are lazy, sure, you can buy chain by
the roll, buy a breaker tool, and just count links
to get the correct length. Probably save 5-10
minutes over sharpening the chain.