How sharp is your chainsaw chain?

[BNAElkhntr]

tag following

[KFhunter]

My chains are sharp enough you want to wear gloves with NO HOLES as you advance the chain. 😳🤣

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[CastleRocker]

I still have my old Silvey grinder.  The mistake a lot of weekend firewood cutters make is, they forget to take the riders/rakers down when they file a chain!  If they are as high as the tooth, (or higher) your tooth can't cut.  You put a straightedge across a couple teeth, and use feeler guage.  On my old saw, I like to run them at .027" for hardwood, and .032" on softwood.  Also, most folks don't geind the gullets out as often as they should.

[RB]

I still have my old Silvey grinder.  The mistake a lot of weekend firewood cutters make is, they forget to take the riders/rakers down when they file a chain!  If they are as high as the tooth, (or higher) your tooth can't cut.  You put a straightedge across a couple teeth, and use feeler guage.  On my old saw, I like to run them at .027" for hardwood, and .032" on softwood.  Also, most folks don't geind the gullets out as often as they should.

 

My buddy that has been cutting timber for over 35 years has a Silvey and I have not sharpened a chain since I had him do it, flat out cuts wood when freshly ground! I could never file a chain as good as that grinder does.

[Norman89]

Far more information then you could ever imagine on chain sharpening and grinding check out buckin Billy Ray on YouTube probably over a hundred videos on the subject. Beware using his methods will make the chain more hungry then most firewood saws can handle in out local woods but my 044 064 and 288 love it for timber falling and bucking. The working Corning and the gullet are critical to proper performance and a good QUALITY raker gauge 👌

[Skillet]

I just use a round file in the cheapy Oregon file and guide unit. Works ok for my non-commercial use, definitely better than hoping the Stihl Gnomes will sharpen your chain for you.

I'm definitely stealing the wedge idea to tension the chain on the bar for sharpening. I've been cranking the bar really right, but the chain still wants to roll a little.

[NitRally]

Dude I just watched this like 3 hours ago and from now on sq fill g my chains.

[Axle]

Interesting. That was a good video. 

[BigGoonTuna]

I still have my old Silvey grinder.  The mistake a lot of weekend firewood cutters make is, they forget to take the riders/rakers down when they file a chain!  If they are as high as the tooth, (or higher) your tooth can't cut.  You put a straightedge across a couple teeth, and use feeler guage.  On my old saw, I like to run them at .027" for hardwood, and .032" on softwood.  Also, most folks don't geind the gullets out as often as they should.

 

My buddy that has been cutting timber for over 35 years has a Silvey and I have not sharpened a chain since I had him do it, flat out cuts wood when freshly ground! I could never file a chain as good as that grinder does.

not to mention square files cost a fortune and can’t be tuned like a grinder. Silveys use carbide dressers mounted on the grinder to set up the wheel to the operator’s preference.

For firewood cutting I only like round ground chain, I leave the squareground for the timber fallers. It does cut faster but once that corner hits any sort of grit it’s all over. The timber fallers I used to know always carried several chains to swap out in the field, don’t recall a single one who would sharpen their chains in the field. Landing guys are a different story, most of them used round ground .404 chain because it would hold up in those nasty conditions.

The best tool I used for touching up chains with a file is the Carlton “file-o-plate”, sadly I don’t think they make them any more. With that little credit card sized tool, it would guide your file into the correct location and angle, as well as act as a raker filing gauge that would not only get the raker to the right depth, but the perfect angle as well.

[KFhunter]

I've been watching this guys videos, He's is out of bellevue, pretty good videos.
This video was really interesting to see how dull factory chains are.
Think of it this way.If i sharpen my chain like this in theory i could be close to cutting two truck loads of wood in the time in took me to do one, roughly.
i'm going to try to learn and pay more attention to details when sharping my saw.
Thought some of you guys might be interested in this.

So I watched this video,  these guys are doing a big disservice to firewood cutters. 

They're convincing people to go with a square grind on their chains and all that's going to happen is a big huge grin when the saw is running through wood, quickly followed by a big sad when it isn't cutting anymore.  The first patch of dirt you drag through the wood and its done. 

If the chain is being sharpened, it isn't cutting.   

Put round grinds on it, cut a bit slower, but cut a lot longer between sharpening = more wood to split at the end of the day and your chains will last a lot longer.   


square grinds will cost you more money, you'll be tossing chains in the trash faster, and you'll spend a lot more time sharpening.   

 

[Magnum_Willys]

I run skiptooth square cut chain on my 28” truck saw to clear blowdowns in a hurry but carry round chisel backups.  Those square cuts dull quick - especially on burnt bark timber. 

[Born2late]

After hearing your guys input on the drawbacks of going square it looks like i need to focus on being better at sharping round.
Thanks for the advice of guys. As a firewood cutter i don't do it enough to know the drawbacks.

[Born2late]

I still have my old Silvey grinder.  The mistake a lot of weekend firewood cutters make is, they forget to take the riders/rakers down when they file a chain!  If they are as high as the tooth, (or higher) your tooth can't cut.  You put a straightedge across a couple teeth, and use feeler guage.  On my old saw, I like to run them at .027" for hardwood, and .032" on softwood.  Also, most folks don't geind the gullets out as often as they should.

 

My buddy that has been cutting timber for over 35 years has a Silvey and I have not sharpened a chain since I had him do it, flat out cuts wood when freshly ground! I could never file a chain as good as that grinder does.

not to mention square files cost a fortune and can’t be tuned like a grinder. Silveys use carbide dressers mounted on the grinder to set up the wheel to the operator’s preference.

For firewood cutting I only like round ground chain, I leave the squareground for the timber fallers. It does cut faster but once that corner hits any sort of grit it’s all over. The timber fallers I used to know always carried several chains to swap out in the field, don’t recall a single one who would sharpen their chains in the field. Landing guys are a different story, most of them used round ground .404 chain because it would hold up in those nasty conditions.

The best tool I used for touching up chains with a file is the Carlton “file-o-plate”, sadly I don’t think they make them any more. With that little credit card sized tool, it would guide your file into the correct location and angle, as well as act as a raker filing gauge that would not only get the raker to the right depth, but the perfect angle as well.

I saw some on ebay for sale when i was just looking at these

[HntnFsh]

Totally agree on the round file. Its all I use for cutting firewood. Wont dull as quick and I'm not cutting for production. I'm pretty good at filing my own chains, but after a few touch ups I'll have them machine ground just to get the length of the cutting tooth the same and the angles all the same.

[hunter399]

I keep it pretty sharp .
With a round file.No guide none of that garbage.I cut a few cords sharpen.Sometimes I will sharpen or touch up if I want to cut a cord in just an hour or two .Just to speed up the process.