chain saw file vs dremel grinding stone

wa5ngp said:

I've got a chainsaw that I've been sharpening with a 5/32 file. I've decided to start using a dremel grinding stone instead. So far I've only found 3/16 stones which is of course 1/32 larger. So........question, is that acceptable? Or do I need to look harder to find a 5/32" grinding stone?:dunno:

Don

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I've seen chains that were sharpened by a shop,and the cut area was done with a smaller stone.Myself,I'd look for the correct size,maybe online.The larger size would grind away the top before it gets into the kerf of the chain.:trink40:Once done,if you'll touch it up more offen,you wouldn't need the dremel.But I use one as well,so who am I to suggest that!!:sidelaugh

I've done a bit of searching and have not found a 5/32 stone, you will probably immediately prove me wrong. It seems like the rotary stone would be better than a file as the edge would be smoother.

Can you point me to a site that talks about the relative advantages of using a file, vs stone, vs specialized sharpener etc?

I have decided to start touching it up after every tankful. It seems like when new the chain stayed sharp a long time but shortly after a bit of abuse (hit some dirt) its necessary to sharpen very often.

I've decided its time to buy new chains anyway so that I can rotate them.

Don

Obviously you eventually end up with enough wear to require a power sharpening. But, I like to touch my chain up by hand with a stump vise and a file. When I do, I like to put the same number of strokes on each cutter. So that I preserve pretty even cutter length throughout the life of the chain. I find I can keep my chains cutting well even after cutting some dirty wood, which I often get into by cutting dead wood. Unless I catch some metal (almost never happens around here), or hit a stone pulled up into the base of a tree (happens more than I wish), or just get plain sloppy and stick my saw into some dirt, I can keep a chain sawing cleanly for several gallons of fuel. Then, I take them to my local saw shop, sit on a crate by his wood fire, pet his dog, shoot the bull for a while, and let him run them through his sharpener. Works for me, and I'll usually need a gallon of bar oil or a replacement felling wedge, or something by then anyway

What is it that the "power sharpening" does that you are not able to do with a round file? Does it put some kind of special shape back into that barb?

Today I just cut mountain juniper and there was hardly any reduction in sharpness. So I could go thru lots of fuel doing that, besides, I love it cause I just hate that invasive Juniper. :sterb003: However, old oak, that's another story. Perhaps the oak gets it so hot that the hardness gets messed up?

Don

Jere39 said:

Obviously you eventually end up with enough wear to require a power sharpening. But, I like to touch my chain up by hand with m run them through his sharpener. Works for me, and I'll usually need a gallon of bar oil or a replacement felling wedge, or something by then anyway

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5/32chain if I get 12 to 15 face cords of fire wood in the wood that I get mix dead very hard to soft I think i doing good some time I get more that a bouness chain are 20 bucks .using a drenel and filing the rackers down about 4 junk after times the chain is junk so in my case a store bauth chain is the best that i will get after all my saw are poulin and are douing well one saw has cut over 200 cords and is still strong a better saw is not in my favour because of the type of wood that i get and if I lose a saw it's not a big lost Iburn about 14 to18 face cords a year out of junk wood don't it's gets any better in my case

wa5ngp said:

What is it that the "power sharpening" does that you are not able to do with a round file? Does it put some kind of special shape back into that barb?Today I just cut mountain juniper and there was hardly any reduction in sharpness. So I could go thru lots of fuel doing that, besides, I love it cause I just hate that invasive Juniper. :sterb003: However, old oak, that's another story. Perhaps the oak gets it so hot that the hardness gets messed up?

Don

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Don, I was speaking only for myself. I cut 90% oak, some hickory and beech, then I clean up wild cherry and mulberry. Much of the oak I cut is dead and lying on the ground. I am sure there are folks who can and do sharpen with a file for the life of the chain. I know I do not hold a perfect 30° angle on each and every stroke, nor do I hold it perfectly perpendicular to the chain on every stroke. And as I said, if I hit steel or stone, I may end up with a couple of very badly buggered cutters. Finally, of course I cannot file the rakers with a round file. So, for me, I'll pay $5 for a fresh face every once in a while. Besides, I like the shop dog.

When you live on a Christmas tree farm and have 20 people cutting 1000's of trees on a single day not looking where they are cutting hitting rocks and whatever you need a fast way to get the job done.
I use a 12 volt dremel and I slap the bar in a truck mounted vise without removeing the engine. This is the best cutting dremal cutter I found so far. Fast and cheap and it does a good job and last a long time...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5pc-Diamond...969?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4600d4f499

I don't why I didn't find that 5/32 stone on ebay before. tks for the pointer. In any case I'm finding I'm getting much better with my file. Kinda an art I guess. While I'd like to visit a good old boy with an official sharpener the thought of needing to remove the chain from the saw frequently is not pleasant.

I also notice that Tractor Supply has my chain in a 2 pack for $30 so that's a reasonable way to go.

You should see my back 40 now. Lots of amputated Junipers. I know the oak trees will love the fact that those junipers are not stealing their water. Next step is use the juniper for fuel to make charcoal outa the dead oak limbs.

With your tree farm, what brand and size chain saw do you use?

Don

Kbeitz said:

When you live on a Christmas tree farm and have 20 people cutting 1000's of trees on a single day not looking where they are cutting hitting rocks and whatever you need a fast way to get the job done.
I use a 12 volt dremel and I slap the bar in a truck mounted vise without removeing the engine. This is the best cutting dremal cutter I found so far. Fast and cheap and it does a good job and last a long time...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5pc-Diamond...969?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4600d4f499

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That's awesome. When I was growing up we had the largest Christmas tree farm in the state of Ga. about 180 acres. When I graduated high school and joined the Marines the folks sold out and moved to town.

Shack said:

That's awesome. When I was growing up we had the largest Christmas tree farm in the state of Ga. about 180 acres. When I graduated high school and joined the Marines the folks sold out and moved to town.

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Lost access to free labor, its a common story. When my brother and I left, Dad sold his green house business, quit farming - leased the farm land to neighbor farmer, and marked half the old lawn off for pheasant propogation (which actually meant he stopped mowing it). But he stayed there. The old farmstead is 5th generation family built and owned. Kind of nice to be able to go home and take a hike through the woods and fields where I played cowboy and indians 50 years ago.

wa5ngp said:

What is it that the "power sharpening" does that you are not able to do with a round file? Does it put some kind of special shape back into that barb?

Don

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Using a rotary style tool like a Dremal will only save you the muscle power of stroking the file and perhaps make it easier to maintain the proper angles as you're just holding it steady instead of stroking it across the teeth.

I have one of the fancier grinding wheel style saw chain sharpeners. It has the advantage of being able to reliably cut all the teeth to the same length. I'm sure at one point or another we've all had a chain that wanted to curve through those long cuts despite our best efforts to persuade it otherwise! This is typically caused by uneven sharpening of the left teeth vs. the right teeth. When sharpening with a file, most people have a tendency to use slightly different pressure while filing the two sides; over many filings this causes the teeth on one side to be more worn then the opposite side, and the longer teeth cut faster/deeper than the worn teeth, pulling the bar sideways into the cut.

I personally find that after 4-5 sharpenings my neighbor & I both tend to be out 0.005-0.015" right vs. left sides. Using the bench sharpener allows me to set the teeth true again, restoring the straight cutting!

Well I work for a saw shop with one of those really nice wheel style sharpeners with all of the angle gauges and a $400.00 diamond sharpening wheel so I almost NEVER hand file, if I get a dull chain, (hit the dirt, dirty wood, etc...) I just take that chain off, throw it in the case, put on a fresh spare, (I try to keep at least 5 chains for any of my saw/bar combinations) and keep on rockin. Then, I take the dull ones to work and put them on the jig, 5 minutes later they are as good as new. I only take the drags down on every other sharpening, more than that and the chain can start to take too much of a bite. If I am cutting and the chain just barely starts to get dull, pulling powder instead of chunks, I will touch it up with a file. Usually three to five strokes per tooth is all it takes; you can hear when the file has the tooth back in spec. But, other than that, I just prefer the consistency of the jig. Also, NEVER buy cheap chains, they will not hold an edge and only make you mad while cutting. :banghead3 I run the STIHL hardwood chain, full chisel, on every saw I own. :fing32:

Joe

Dude11,

I know several PRO cutters that do just that. They buy a brand new chain and the first thing they do is grind the drags completely down on a bench grinder. If you have a saw/bar combination that will pull it, say a 20" bar on a MS 460 MAGNUM it makes for extremely fast cutting; the saw will be pulling out strings. It is also EXTREMELY DANGEROUS and I do not recommend ANYONE do this EVER!!!!!

Joe

what makes it so dangerous? Kickback?

I know several PRO cutters that do just that. They buy a brand new chain and the first thing they do is grind the drags completely down on a bench grinder. If you have a saw/bar combination that will pull it, say a 20" bar on a MS 460 MAGNUM it makes for extremely fast cutting; the saw will be pulling out strings. It is also EXTREMELY DANGEROUS and I do not recommend ANYONE do this EVER!!!!!

Joe[/QUOTE]

I'm sure most of you know how to sharpen a chain saws...
For those that don't this is what I do.
I use a dremel with a diamond bit.
I don't take the chain off the saw. It's not needed.
I take a black marker and mark one tooth.
Mount the saw blade in my vise.
I then sharpen every other tooth thats easy for me to reach all the way around back to my mark. Then I flip the whole chainsaw upside down in the vise. This makes it very easy to do the other every other tooth.
In the picture the edge you see at the end of the arrow is what needs to be sharp. As you can see now it is very not sharp...
You should not be able to see any shinny spot on the edge. If you do then you need to sharpen some more.