Sharpening Chain Saw

[anonomoose]

any one that comes up to help cut john's wood this fall , i will teach you how to sharpen and cut the rakers. if you can't sharpen with just a file maybe you shouldn't be cutting? i never spend money to sharpen just a file when the teeth are gone spend 20$ for new chain , i challenge any one to change their chain quicker than i can sharpen mine

RP....go check behind the seat of your pickup truck and see if you have 50 old chains layin around back there.

Most rookies will dip the bar a few times or cut wood that has lots of dirt covering it and then the file is futile....and will take a long time to get the nicks out.

As for as the lands go...I lower them a bit on each sharpen...though I have heard that once every three sharpenings is okay too. I want good chips flying and filing or grinding them down will keep the bar in the meat. Ideally you should never have to push the saw down to get it to cut....and if you have to do that....the chain is too dull, and you will wear the bar much faster. Eventually the bar will have to be replaced, but turning the bar upside down can extend the life significantly if you do it every other sharpening.

Whity...is right....expect the unexpected as a limb that cracks back, or a tree that dislodges a widow maker on your head can put you out of business in a hurry and maybe perminently. So use that knot on the top of your shoulders BEFORE you start cutting.

 

[rp7x]

behind the seat

one new chain and one new bar , in the glove box new sprokets and nuts for the bar , still in the truck from at johns last year , never leave home with out them , when i take the chain off there aint notin left

 

[yamahauler]

This has the happenings of a lumberjack competition between rp7x and ???, lol

 

[anonomoose]

That's a good idea!

On the next ride in, RP and BENZ can square off ...chainsaws in hand....none of that cheatin stuff either.....and then see if RP really can sharpen that 20 incher faster than BENZ can get his chain off.

Winner gets to ride with John on a back country ride...(and then report promptly to everyone here....where the heck he rides.....exposing those juicy spots for the whole clan to track up)

Oh, and loser has to buy rootbeers for all!

 

[G]

In order to have a competition you will need to have dull chains. I can help with this. If the combatants come to my house this weekend I will have a whole semi load of Tamarac to be trimmed up. If you want I will even supply some dirt so you can stick your saws in that to further the dulling process. Just trying to help out. Grub.

 

[anonomoose]

Grub Sawyer....any relation to Tom?

 

[wilson]

if's there one piece of metal in a 30' tree, i'll find it with a brand new chain!! never fails!

 

[benz]

RP might be able to sharpen his chain faster than i can put a new one but i bet my next cut will be faster.... Actually RP might be right, in the heat of the battle i would probably put the chain on backwards.

Uh OH will the site rules need to be updated to say no arguing over you can chuck more wood?

 

[doomsman]

My father in law could run a file on a chain real fast and he tried
to show me how he did it. A chain he sharpened would fill your
boots with chips fast but it dulled very fast so he cut wood with
a file in his hip pocket.

 

[anonomoose]

if's there one piece of metal in a 30' tree, i'll find it with a brand new chain!! never fails!

I think I read about that one! Something like "Wilson's rule of wood cutting".

I believe this is taught in nearly every lumberman's course there is....fact is I think Paul Bunyon mentions it somewhere or other too.

 

[rp7x]

ready to go

i tuch up my chain every tank of gas , i'm always ready for a challenge, any one else

 

[mjkaliszak]

There is a big difference (at least I have found) between the hardness of the chains in some makers.

I suggest that you buy several chains from the major makers and then take your time sharpening them AT HOME in a vice with lots of light in the shop.

The file works good for a chain that needs touch ups, but for a dull chain the power unti will do it quicker and better.

It sounds like this is the first time you have owned a saw.???

Unless you are very skilled, (and even if you are)...let me suggest that you buy the "rest of the package" which includes ear muffs and eye protection, and the chainsaw leggings that will save your legs if you make a slip. It is a pain in the butt to put them on, but as you do it, imagine what a pain in the butt, heading to the hospital with blood gushing out and the nice scar or worse from that mistake.

Chainsaws are a wonderment to own and definitely are a great tool for the shed, but they are dangerous and it only takes one slip to put you in a place you really really regret for not taking the time and extra money to get set up correctly.

There is NOTHING like your own place in the woods to cut away and have some fun and enjoy the outdoors.....it adds true dimension to your life.....

You could be stuck in a hotbox like OLD NASH is where trees are scarce as hens teeth....eh?

I have to agree here with several comments. Buy the chaps as said. The average saw injury is 110 stiches.... OUCH.
I have tried files, the dremmel attachment and even have dressed up a surface grinder wheel in a tool room then stood there sharpening link after link. I would suggest buying some oregon chains and having 3 in total. Then pay the 5 bucks or so to have them sharpened at a " saw shop ".
In closing... watch the safety video on felling a tree. I have seen a lot of weird things happen.