[NA]Chainsaws[NA]

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
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20,316
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west Texas
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Dave Taylor
Maybe Matt?
what is the best (fast, in the shop, preferably with power tools) method to sharpen a chain?

Also,.. is w Texas the only place with trees so hard they shoot sparks when the blade is working it? No kidding. Sparks, no where near the ground or gravel or rocks.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Maybe Matt?
what is the best (fast, in the shop, preferably with power tools) method to sharpen a chain?

Also,.. is w Texas the only place with trees so hard they shoot sparks when the blade is working it? No kidding. Sparks, no where near the ground or gravel or rocks.
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Three strokes with the file on each tooth every morning and as needed during the day. No big deal.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Also,.. is w Texas the only place with trees so hard they shoot sparks when the blade is working it? No kidding. Sparks, no where near the ground or gravel or rocks.
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Considering you only have 2-3 trees in west Texas.... Are you sure you weren't mistaking fence posts full of staples for short limbless trees?? ;)
 
hand file, OK. seems dated, but probably most efficient.
We have plenty of trees in the mountains; juniper, mesquite, dogwood. All rock hard. Well, short scrubby trees. Some of these are 6" diameter and a hundred years old.
its a brand new chain I want to keep up with. Used once now.
 
Dave,

I hand file frequently to touch up and keep razor sharp. However, I've been doing it for 20 years and have developed a "touch". Not saying it's rocket science but if you don't do it a lot it's hard to get right. Even so, I take them in to the machine periodically to re-set everything to specs. I'd suggest having several chains avail and swapping out as needed. That way you can keep the ball rolling as far as getting the job done and sharpen when it's convenient.

I suspect that most of the vegetation there gets a lot of dirt and sand embedded in it due to the wind. That could easily account for the sparks. Likely very tough on chains.

Wish I was there to help!
 
When I was in high school, I cut firewood for family, friends and spending money -- sharpened the cutters with the round file and dressed down the rakers as needed every day. I got a new saw a few years ago and I think the chains (made in China) now are representative of everything else made in China. A brand new chain, then sharpened, is so dull it won't cut, and so poor quality it won't take an edge in less than an hour of cutting. The Home Depot replacement chain behaves the same way ... or is it me? Have I completely lost my sharpening touch?

http://www.wikihow.com/Sharpen-a-Chainsaw
 
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Along with keeping the chain sharp, learn to let the saw do the work. If you're pushing the saw through the wood then maybe you're trying to force it. Let the cut of the chain take the saw through the wood. If it won't cut without a lot of pressure then stop for maintenance. Sharpen, lubricate, and adjust.

I'm just an amateur but I learned from a log home builder. Keep it sharp and oiled and the chain will go a long ways. Abuse it and you'll be buying chains and bars.
 
As has been previously stated, a regular touch up is what is needed most of the time. It does take awhile to develop the touch, but with practice, you'll get it! But every once in awhile, a good professional sharpening is in order. Be very careful about getting one of those power sharpeners- they can ruin a chain in just a few seconds!

When I was a timber faller in Calif, I would touch up my chain maybe 2-3 times a day, and every evening when I got home, I'd really clean it up. But that was on a hotrod saw and cutting up to 30+ trees a day. (da mned BIG trees, too! Not those toothpicks they grow in Colorado)
 
Reminds me that in The Spirit of St Louis Charles Lindbergh quotes his father as saying " one boy is a boy, 2 boys is half a boy, and three boys is no boy at all"
 
colomtnflyer said:
Be very careful about getting one of those power sharpeners- they can ruin a chain in just a few seconds!
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I'm not sure what power sharpener you're referring to but I've have an Oregon "dremel style" sharpener for 20 years and it does a great job (and I typically cut upwards of 5 cords a year, sometimes as much as 10). Apparently they don't make them anymore though because I can't find an example on Oregon's website.

The only problem is that I have a big saw and a little one (a Stihl 044 & 017) and they take different stones. Changing the sharpener's stones and adjusting the depth gage isn't the quickest thing to do so I typically hand file the small chains.
 
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Let'sgoflying! said:
How tight is too tight? 1/4" slack or?
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Here's my method although it's one of those you know it's right when you see it deals: tighten the chain until it doesn't stop immediately upon releasing the throttle but not to the point of free wheeling. I recall reading something sometime about a dime's thickness of slack between the chain and bar???? That said, I'd recommend taking advice to one of the pros here versus my experience.
 
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adjust it as tight as you can while still being able to easily slide the chain by hand (saw OFF duh)

I've had many chains come off over the years both in the air and on the ground, large and small saws. I've always expected it to be a life threatening event but in fact I've never even torn my clothes. They stop becoming dangerous right quick apparently.
 
Obviously, too tight wears the chain very quickly... but a chain which is too loose also wears quickly from chain slap (chain slap can also lead to metal fatigue and the possibility of the chain breaking while cutting...NOT a good thing...). Either condition also ruins the bar. If you ever begin to develop a burr on the edge of the bar near the tip, your chain tension has been incorrect.

We always used the rule of thumb, 1/2 - 3/4 of the guide tooth when the chain is pulled near the middle of the bar. If you can see the entire tooth, its too loose! Less than 1/2, its too tight.

And remember- oil is cheap, chains are expensive... if your saw has one, hit the manual oiler often! A lot of the newer home owner saws do not have a manual oiler. But virtually all professional saws do have one.
 
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And be sure to put the oil in the oil tank and the gas in the gas tank, unless you are trying to smoke out the mosquitoes :D
 
colomtnflyer said:
We always used the rule of thumb, 1/2 - 3/4 of the guide tooth when the chain is pulled near the middle of the bar. If you can see the entire tooth, its too loose! Less than 1/2, its too tight.
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Exactly what my lumberjack grandpa taught me ...
 
3/8" chain, I think I need a 7/32" file. ?
Can a chain be shortened? The guy who put a new one on for me must not have checked, and the tensioner is almost at its limit.
Any prefs in bar oil? That poulan oil is nice, sort of a honey consistency. The stuff at the hardware store turned out to be like 50 weight engine oil :(
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
3/8" chain, I think I need a 7/32" file. ?
Can a chain be shortened? The guy who put a new one on for me must not have checked, and the tensioner is almost at its limit.
Any prefs in bar oil? That poulan oil is nice, sort of a honey consistency. The stuff at the hardware store turned out to be like 50 weight engine oil :(
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Sure they can be shortened. I used to buy my chain by the 100' roll and make my own. You need a few tools and a little practice.

As far as oil, I bought regular non-detergent 30W in 5 gal buckets. It was cheap, flowed easy, and was easy to clean off the saw. It was plenty sufficient to do the job.

Again, let me remind you that this was all about having the saw running 6-8 hrs a day. Treat your saw well, and it'll last awhile.
 
I'm guessing a regular bike chain splitter ought to work to shorten the chain.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
hand file, OK. seems dated, but probably most efficient.
We have plenty of trees in the mountains; juniper, mesquite, dogwood. All rock hard. Well, short scrubby trees. Some of these are 6" diameter and a hundred years old.
its a brand new chain I want to keep up with. Used once now.
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I just used a grubber on a three point hitch for most of them, and a dozer with a grubber for the rest. Then I ran through with a root plow on the D-9. If you don't get the tap root below the bulb on a mesquite, you're just going to get more.
 
My dad was an engineer in the Bundeswehr, and he always said that for tree clearing det cord was hard to beat :D.
 
vontresc said:
My dad was an engineer in the Bundeswehr, and he always said that for tree clearing det cord was hard to beat :D.
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I don't doubt this, but if you are sending the logs to a mill, they get a little upset when it arrives in splinters! lol
If I dropped a large tree, it could be worth maybe $100 to me. :yesnod:
If it broke when it fell, it wasn't worth a plugged nickel. :frown2:
 
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