Chainsaw blade sharpening

[DRC458]

I got the chain saw sharpening kit for my Dremel. Works great for me. My son bought a table top model from (IIRC) Harbor Freight. He's quite pleased with it. He doesn't cut commercially, but he's cut down a lot of trees and cut them up for firewood while clearing some lots up at Kaw Lake. His saws do get a workout!

 

[Firpo]

I don’t think you can just grab a file and give it a go. You have to maintain a specific angle as well as having the correct diameter file. I have the Dremel sharpener and it works great. In fact, after using it a while you get a feel for the angle you want and can forgo the jig.

 

[Bocephus123]

I have had a mower shop sharpen my stihl chain, a friend owns the shop.
No charge I watched him.
I sharpened my own other chain the same way on his machine and on an electric a buddy gave me.

The trick for my cutting style is 30°
Factory Stihl chains I use are 30°

25 cuts slow.
Those electric machines do not get the chain near as good as my hand filed chains.
In fact every chain that got the electric treatment cut so poor that i hand filed them to make them cut to my standard.

On a Stihl chain there is a hash mark on the top of the cutter tooth and that hash is at a 30° to the cutting edge.

Makes it easy to file by hand keeping that angle.

Both sides need the same angle or the chain will not cut straight and will want to bind in deep wood.

Files cut 1 direction do not pull a file backwards it will dull it and cutting performance of the file will suffer.

If you go electric then just tap the tooth and release and tap again and release.
You do not want to over heat the cutting tooth. If you do it will not keep an edge.

Make sure the chain gets a lot of oil when in use on the saw.
Should go without saying but my newer MS250 and a buddies 250 do not plow near enough oil.
I had to modify them.

I leave the chain on the bar when sharpening it.
Of course keep it out of dirt and rocks when using it on the saw.

Take a very close look at the cutting edge of the tooth .
Notice the very outside leading edge of the cutting tooth.
Is it slightly beveled in or chamfered in on the outside.
If yes then it will not cut well until you grind that tooth to eliminate all that bevel.

That bevel is from dirty wood or dirt or rock.
It may be 1/2 the length of the cutting tooth if you ran it a lot in the dirt .. if that is the case time for a new chain and clean the groove in the bar out really well.


You may know all the above already but if not then ya do now unless i can't type what I wish to explain.

Good Advice

 

[swampratt]

My friend got a jig as he was having issues sharpening his saw.
I showed him with the file.
I actually got him the saw an MS250.
He sold some of the post oak here.
Lots of trees to cut on his property and I showed up with my saw and we raced each other on a log.
I was amazed how well his cut and I just barely beat him and I think it was my technique.

We raced a few times and he finally got tied with me watching what I was doing.

I praised him for having sharpened his chain so well.
He then told me it was a brand new Stihl chain from the box and all his other chains stihl chains he tried to sharpen just don't cut.
I sharpened 3 of them for him during a break time.

He said I make it look easy.
I seen his jig and I used it and only reason I used it is because it held the file for me and I usually hold a bare file with my gloved hand not even a handle on my file most of the time.

It can be done and File is the only way i have ever done it.
Well until this year when i thought maybe the electric ones should be awesome.

I am back to file only

But I am usually the odd ball in a group so ya know how that goes.

Like @OHJEEZE said.

Practice!

 

[swampratt]

Here is something I have been wanting to try out.
https://www.mgpsupply.com/products/vallorbe-double-chisel-bit-files-1
Watch the video.

I also want to try a skip tooth and 1/2 tooth skip chain.

The 1/2 skip tooth is maybe called something else but the object is to have a tooth that has been narrowed so it only cuts 1/2 the width and then a full width tooth follows that but only needs to cut the other 1/2.
It is also a skip tooth though.
Supposed to cross cut much better (Make slabs) and running a longer bar for wider slabs requires more power and the skip tooth helps out the smaller saws when a long bar is needed.

Of course my MS250 has oil and muffler mods done to it.
Amazing what some muffler mods do to 2 stroke engines.

 

[OHJEEZE]

Here is something I have been wanting to try out.
https://www.mgpsupply.com/products/vallorbe-double-chisel-bit-files-1
Watch the video.

I also want to try a skip tooth and 1/2 tooth skip chain.

The 1/2 skip tooth is maybe called something else but the object is to have a tooth that has been narrowed so it only cuts 1/2 the width and then a full width tooth follows that but only needs to cut the other 1/2.
It is also a skip tooth though.
Supposed to cross cut much better (Make slabs) and running a longer bar for wider slabs requires more power and the skip tooth helps out the smaller saws when a long bar is needed.

Of course my MS250 has oil and muffler mods done to it.
Amazing what some muffler mods do to 2 stroke engines.

There is skip tooth for cross cutting, but what your calling 1/2 skip tooth is called milling chain or ripping chain!

The narrow cutters are called scoring cutters. The wide ones clearing cutters!

 

[Aku]

Bought one of these years ago, and still use it. Works just fine.
Electric Chain Saw Sharpener

 

[rawhide]

Bought one of these years ago, and still use it. Works just fine.
Electric Chain Saw Sharpener

I bought one these several years ago when on sale. It's still in the box.

 

[swampratt]

Bought one of these years ago, and still use it. Works just fine.
Electric Chain Saw Sharpener

That is the same one a friend gave me.
There is a learning curve with it as the clamped chain can flex a bit and the plastic body of that tool can flex also.
At least the one I was given did and i had to figure out where 30° was because their marked 30 with the flexing added in was not correct.
If you are just limbing you may never notice.
You get into 12" or larger stuff the correct angles on both sides start to make a difference.

 

[DRC458]

Bought one of these years ago, and still use it. Works just fine.
Electric Chain Saw Sharpener

I bought one these several years ago when on sale. It's still in the box.

I think that's the same one my son bought. He's been happy with it.