Happiness is a sharp chain for your chainsaw.

T. Erdelyi

T. Erdelyi

Joined
Feb 3, 2001
Messages
32,359
After 15 trees and about 8 cords of wood, there was nuthin' left to sharpen on the chain so I sprung the $20 for a new chain, a sharp chain puts such a smile on my face as it slices through 24"+ Black Walnut logs.

I'm swingin' a Husqvarna 445 Chainsaw with a 16" & 18" blades and I've been usin' it since March and I love it, it cut's through hardwoods like a Beaver on Speed.

I sharpen my chains with a round file and it usually comes back to shreddin' sharp with 5 minutes of touch up.

All you guys swingin' chainsaws, what are ya cuttin' with and how do ya keep yer chains sharp?

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I use a Round hand file also. Mine is a Steele Farm Boss.

I have went a couple of years using the Round file and am not getting the results I think I should anymore, I'm thinking of trying the kit that goes on a Dremel but am a little hesitant since I have never used it before.
 
Chainsaws chains are easy to oversharpen and what happens is that the clean out behind the saw tooth on the chain never gets sharpend and the saw tooth becomes smaller than the clean out tooth and the chain ceases to cut, Oregon makes a file jig with references marks for the pitch on the saw tooth and it makes it easy to sharpen.

The problem with the dremel sharpener is that it's not field expedient ya gotta plug it in somewhere a file ya can throw in yer back pocket with the plug wrench.

I've useds Stihls and most other brands but nuthin' starts like a Husky, Stihl make a great pro saw but for the money ya can't beat a Husqvarna.

It sure beats the hell outta usin' an ax or bow saw. :)
 
I really like the Lee Valley Hand Crank Sharpener, the design looks great and it's portable for use in the woods, I gotta check that one out.
 
Echo 370 with 18" Oregon bar and chain. Once you loose the limiter caps and set the carb right and swap out the factory bar and chain these cut as well as any saw out there.
Sharpening isn't hard to do with a file. You need the correct size for the chain, and maintaining the correct angle on every cutter is important. Its also important to keep the cutters all the same size or close to it. If one or more cutters are damaged, start with the worst one. Count how many strokes it takes to get it right and do the same amount with the rest. Once the cutters are good, the rakers need to be set. There are gauges for this, usually every 4 or 5 normal sharpenings the rakers should be adjusted. Use a flat file, but make sure its the correct type. There is a file specifically for rakers. Its got smooth sides unlike common flat files. This prevents the file from taking the edge off the cutter if you get to close. Taking too much off the rakers can make the saw kick hard, especially if using an aggressive chain, and can cause the saw to bog down in the cut.
 
T. - that sounds like what I may have, need to check out the Clean Out Tooth area.

Good info, Arathol.

Yeah, that Lee Valley Tool looks very interesting, Thanks for the link Slimbilt!
 
I took down a pine tree a couple of weeks ago that was starting to threaten the power lines that run through my land.

I used a new Stihl and it works perfectly. It was like cutting through hot butter with a knife. Ofcourse it's new so I haven't sharpened it yet.

I'm quite pleased with myself, the tree came down exactly where I wanted it to. Watching "Ax Men" on tv served me well.:)
 
I used to do alot of cutting and had a number of saws- a hobby that gets expensive quick. Best saws I ever used/owned:
Ported Husq 372
Stihl MS440
Husq 346NE
Husq 359
Dolmar 50cc(don't recall the model)

I put more use on the Stihl MS440 & the 044 than anything else- saws would work all day. I've had plenty of others but the above were the best. Now- house with no land, no farm and no woodstove. I quit cutting for others so I just have a small Husq for yard work and helping others. Run 16" 3/16" Woodsman Pro chains. I would have the check the brand of sharpener- bought it years ago, clamp on model with fittings to guage clean outs.

Bill
 
I run ECHO have two of them, also put myself through college with a Sachs Dolmar, 18 inchers with FULL Chisel is hard to beat got to KEEPEM sharp and tuned using the best oil mixed with fresh clean fuel AT the factory reccomended mix rate, also I ALWAYS add Stabil to my mixes NEVER had a fuel problem!!! Sharpening w/ a Foley Belsaw set up, keep three chains in a rotation /saw USE premium bar oil w HIGH tack rate and GREASE nose rollers at EVERY fuel fill flip bar at every chain change (kinda like rotating tires on vehicle) improves live of equipmet SIGNIFICANTLY!!
 
I run Stihl's chain which seems to have a better heat treat :D than the other popular brands of chain I've used on dead hardwoods, which seems to test the best of chain and your sharpening skills.
Green woods are easy cutting and can cut most days without toughing up a chain till days end.

use .325 and .375-3/8 chain

Sharpen with a Stihl file guide and round files.


[video=youtube;A52p9jc-gOo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A52p9jc-gOo&feature=fvsr[/video]
 
I use a Jonsered 67 super with a 16 inch bar. The chainsaw is perhaps the most satisfying tool to use. I typically sharpen the chain after every second refueling and sometimes more often if i hit some sand on the firewood or a rock. It will dull the chain right away and there is no point pushing down on the saw to make it cut.

When sharpening I place the saw in the vice and look over all the rivets for safety. Then I use the round file to sharpen the cutters. Periodically after a few sharpenings I chech the rakers (some of you call them cleanout teeth). I always suspect the rakers when the saw doesn't perform after sharpening. As the teeth get smaller the rakers need to be taken down. Place a file on top of the sharpened cutters and measure the height of the rakers. They should be lower by a thickness of a dime. file them down to that level but not more. If you do the saw will cut well but will have the habit of kicking back.

The best chain performance gets better with sharpening. The chain becomes smaller and lighter with repeated filing. If you are sharpening properly you will notice that your saw revs up higher with more power with a good old chain. Gotta love chainsaws, one of my best friends.
 
Husky 372 w/24" bar.I usually take down the rakers a little bit every time I sharpen my chain. Just got a new chain. Probably 20 cords on that chain before replacing.--KV
 
Ya know what the worst thing to see in the wood ya cut after ya put a new/sharp chain on?

A shiny round 1/16" circle in the wood ya cut, I saw that and thought, damn and it was a new sharp chain and I only made one cut.

I check the chain, it seems ok, I do another test cut through another piece of Black Walnut, seems ok, I even go back and look at the first piece I cut, lookin' for the other half of the nail, no luck.

So I go and pull out my knife, (a Case Camper) and start diggin' around the nail and I notice it shaves off a piece of the nail but too easily.

A little more diggin' and I find out it's a .22 that some one hust have shot into the tree 20 years ago, (musta been me :) ).

I was just happy it was soft lead and not hard steel, off to cut up some more wood before the rain starts.

Anybody else just quarter their wood wit a saw instead of splittin' with an ax or wedge?
 
No I don't quarter wood with the saw. But I do cut vertically down the log to make a break in the bark on tough to split looking lengths. Doing so makes the log easier to split.
 
I've been cutting about 150 cords a year for the past couple years off a 100ac woodlot that we own,mostly oak and black birch.I've been using Poulans and have no complaints with them.I swapped the 18" bar on my 295 with a 20 this year and it eats through 18-20" oak without any trouble.I swapped the bar and chain because I wasn't happy with the Oregon chain for the 18" bar,the chain for the 20" bar lasts a lot longer.You have to keep the rakers cut down along with the cutter to keep a saw cutting good and watch that your not putting to much pressure downward on the file when your sharpening,it will undercut the cutter,if it happens you can usually get it back by using the next bigger file to sharpen the next time.

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beau5278 said:
I've been cutting about 150 cords a year for the past couple years off a 100ac woodlot that we own,mostly oak and black birch.I've been using Poulans and have no complaints with them.I swapped the 18" bar on my 295 with a 20 this year and it eats through 18-20" oak without any trouble.I swapped the bar and chain because I wasn't happy with the Oregon chain for the 18" bar,the chain for the 20" bar lasts a lot longer.You have to keep the rakers cut down along with the cutter to keep a saw cutting good and watch that your not putting to much pressure downward on the file when your sharpening,it will undercut the cutter,if it happens you can usually get it back by using the next bigger file to sharpen the next time.
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That's impressive. Those saws have a bad reputation from what I've heard and read. How many seasons do you get from one of these saws and do you have any trouble finding parts.

Back in the day I was a die hard USA Homelite guy who later made the switch because of the limited parts stream I was running into. Still have the saws and they still run but with months to a year of down time was getting too much to stay with the brand.
 
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