I was running this saw for about 2 hours at about a 30-50% duty cycle ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxfQm1wmg0ItKDLavxj1nXtQY9HP7EF504 and it did a great job. I used the lever for the built in sharpener to clear chip buildup out more than to actually sharpen the chain. It managed to cut some hardwood stumps much larger than it's size without bothering the neighbors with hours of 2 stroke noise.
Yeah, but where is the fun in that? Seriously though, electric chainsaws have a long way to go to compete with big pro saws. For smaller timber, they can be useful.
As I was taught by a faller fifty years ago now, start with the file low and as it moves forward twist the file in your hand and lift. This covers the whole face of the tooth from bottom to top in one pass and spinning the file uses the whole file and helps to keep it clean. Use only 2 or three passes, sharpen lightly but frequently.
I don't think his point was about better sharpening per se, but to twist in order to use the entire file surface to avoid clogging up one side of the file with sawdust.
William that is exactly the technique I learned in the woods when I was falling except it included Edward Lester's comment to never drag a file backwards. I cringe when I see someone drag a file.
@@dwighthires3163 dragging a file does almost nothing negative compared to lifting and resetting. There have been scientific experiments done, and they showed no average difference. Just FYI.
I’ve been falling timber in British Columbia since I was a teen. Hand sharpening is the only way to go, two firm passes with the right size file on either side, one pass on the rakers every third sharpening, takes about five minutes on a 24” bar and with practice to get the angle memorized, you should have big bright chips every time.
Well buzz not knowing how old you are now sharpening is an art form doesn’t matter what your sharpening I understand but I’m kind of picky about how shit gets sharpened I have a jig because I’m a homeowner when you’re in the field you give her tits he could take this back in the shop sharpen it up shit he’s at home he should have more than one chain ready to go but it is an art form you don’t do it right you just throw that chain in the garbage sorry I’m rambling Unfortunately for this fella he spent a lot of money on junk
Been cutting with, and sharpening, chain saws for 48 years now. My favorite hobby. This video has VERY good insights and advice. I personally use one hand for the file, and the other gloved hand to hold the tooth steady in the bar's slot....makes for a consistent mating file to tooth. I also, as noted below, put a 1/4 turn twist in each stroke....razor sharp, friends. Enjoy...stay warm...and be safe!
Yes my biggest complaint about the whole video. You need to take the chain off the bar and put it in a chain sharpening vise. I have a vise that my father used back in the sixties. It is two pieces of wood about 12 inches long with thumb screws that you put the chain into. It also has x's which are guides to the proper angle of the file to the chain. Works great and gives consistency to the sharpening process.
I take a paint pen and mark what will be my first tooth, when it comes around it is time to change direction and to the opposite facing teeth, until the marked one comes around again. No counting or losing count.
@@sharkman8810 told, if Stihl chain, the coloured link indicates if safety or pro type chain build. Green, safety, low kickback etc Orange, more experienced operators, less protection built-in. More aggressive cut.
All the information I've found about hand filing is quite adament to avoid dragging files back against the material. Make a filing stroke, lift the file away and then have another go, but not back and forth like a washboard. Good video. Nice presentation and no wasted time. Thank you.
Agreed - don't cut on the backstroke, roll the file but first thing to do is to check the "points" on the teeth. Each tooth should have a nice sharp angle on the point. If the point is rolled, beat or burred at all it will shine - the light collects on the roll. You have to get rid of the rolled edge and make a sharp point or all your sharpening will be wasted. I used to cut and pile 5 cord of pulpwood a day. The guy working the strip next to me cut and piled 7 cord a day and he only had one lung. He felt bad for me one day and showed me the bad points on my chain and helped me with sharpening. Quick way to get rid of a rolled point is to use a one size over file on the point to get the nice V then use a proper size to get under the top edge and roll in for the crescent moon. File stroke, roll, lift and no back drag.
Wrong. The key is in the shape of the file teeth. They are unidirectional by design to cut in one direction only. If you really believe it doesn't matter how you drag a file back and forth on hardened toolsteel with no apparent difference in longevity, then go ahead and run your drillbits and endmills and ANY other machine tool cutters in reverse and tell me how long they last.
Because toolsteel, as opposed to mild steel is what your chain cutters and your file is made from. Toolsteel is a general term that refers to types of steel with enough carbon to make them "heat treatable". Your cutters are hardened, your files are hardened even "harder". That's the only way one can cut the other.
You really need to get rid of those safety chains. Since you've been cutting for a few years you know about kickback and shouldn't have that issue. Those big safety rakers just just stop the blade from cutting faster. And tighten up that chain when you sharpen it so you're not filing it sideways when it rolls out.
Safety chain! Wow I missed that. I throw those suckers out so I don't grab it by mistake. Lawyers came up with that piece of crap for liability issues I'd bet👍😎👌
Friends , I watched tons of hand filing videos. I sucked. I watched Billy one time all the way through paid attention and the first time I sharpen the chain with a file after that I was a pro.
@@davidbryant5844 I agree. I learned more from Buckin in one video then I did in years just going at it on my own. His eye-in-the-sky close ups that got me to put on some reading glasses and take a good look at exactly what I was doing. It was a game changer.
Always good to seek out advice, Im always learning. My buddy saved me a ton of time early on by telling me to switch to a shorter bar. Shorter bar less equals less sharpening time. He's been in the wood business for 40 years and like most have said already use good files and sharpen often there's really no shortcuts to getting a sharp chain. Its absurd how many times a tooth hits the ground even with the slightest touch. The older I get the more aware I am of wearing protective gear. One slip to the leg alone in the woods and your probably finished without a tourniquet. Im embarrassed to admit how little I knew about chainsaws when I started 30 years ago, wish I had UA-cam.
I ran both 16 and 18 inch bar for decades cutting firewood. Last year I bought a stihl 362 cm with a 25 inch bar and just bought a stihl 500i with a 25 inch light bar.. My back feels relieved... BTW 61 here... " stand up and buck "
@@wittsend1961 I find filing less painful then a sore back, run the biggest bar that your saw can comfortably handle, my Stihl 066 is nicely balanced with a 33" bar but the 36 is easier to handle. Running skip tooth chain makes filing quicker but I don't know how well it works in hardwood, living in coastal BC it's all softwoods.
I use the little oregon bits like you showed EXCEPT I put them in a die grinder that spins 20,000 rpm and I get my chains razor sharp. I actually sharpen brand new chains before using them because I can get them to cut better. Also the other thing A LOT of people dont do like you said is lower the rakers as they sharpen a chain over and over. The rakers are what sets how deep of a cut each tooth on the chain takes. If you sharpen the chain over and over and dont lower the rakers it will never cut well.. You can adjust the rakers based on the HP of your saw, more HP the lower you can set them and really make some chips.. The other thing is that chain you show is a "safety chain" with rolled over rakers and they dont cut nearly as well as a "pro" chain with just straight up rakers....
@@njonebale7889, full chisel chain definitely cut faster, but also dull faster. Sounds like he's dealing with a lot of dirty wood, so a semi chisel chain might be the better option for him. Especially if he hasn't learned the different techniques in cutting wood, so he doesn't drag the dirt through the wood when he makes his cuts.
Are all saftey chains supposed to have the depth gauges folded over like that? Pretty sure the chains I use on my ms250 are saftey chains (has the green link) and the rakers are straight up
Grinding takes off to much metal and heats up the metal to weaken the metal, it also effects the Angel. Stihl makes an awesome Sharpener that lowers the rack to the perfect point at the same time. In other words I disagree with you.
yes, and then after sharpening, loosen it back to normal tension so you don't prematurely stretch the chain and ruin your sprocket. If you check your bar nuts, you don't have to tighten them while sharpening - just wait till loosening the chain.
@@jimwittneben7719 actually that's only true when you're running your saw and the chain is warm it's going to loosen up a little bit so when you tighten it again height then at the end of the day when you're done if you store your chainsaw without loosening the chain that is true the chain will get cold it will stretch the chain and hurt your sprocket but not if it's been put away cold and you tighten it to sharpen it you can leave it like that if you want
yes. It pained me to watch the angle of the chain pitch sharply when the drivers left the bar...and that horrible sound of the file being used on the backstroke stopped the video...right there, lol. seriously!
@@jimhofoss9982 I agree. That was a show stopper for me also. It's difficult for me to have much confidence in the quality of information when folks don't understand the basics. And proper file usage is about as basic as it gets.
I'm an arborist that's been running and sharpening saws for over 40 years. The Stihl and Pferd 2 in 1 sharpeners are the best thing going. Files your rakers to proper depth and sharpens the cutter at the same time. Try em, you won't be disappointed.
You'll be back in a year, "Took Me 5 Years To Figure This Out."...Buy an Oregon bench grinder with a Borazon grinding wheel. I have two Oregon grinders. One set up "at angle" to sharpen the cutters (simultaneously with the gullets by the way) and the other grinder set at 90 degrees to take down the rakers as needed. Two griders are great so you don't have to change the grinder's angle when switching from the cutter to the raker. I just use the thick pink stone wheel for the raker sharpening (The Oregon grinder comes with three wheel sizes for the three main chains widely used) The Borazon wheel is a little more money but has three main advantages. It sharpens more quickly. It tends to not overheat the steel so the cutting tooth doesn't loose it's temperance, so your edge will last longer. And it will outlast five stone wheels. Do yourself a favor. After 4 years you don't need safety chain. Go with full square chisel Oregon 72LG chain. Get rid of that cheap Holzfforma. It will break under severe commercial use. I currently run three Husqvarna 372 XP's. When you buy anything Husqvarna, if it doesn't have XP in the model number, your wasting your time and money. I've been cutting 34 years, 150 cords plus every year. Still learn something everytime out.
@@billsherrard8452 Not everyone is so self-absorbed to want to see themselves on UA-cam. I'll wait for his future video when he confirms my assertions. Serious volume firewood producers aren't hand sharpening chains.
Stihl pro chain has longer teeth ,harder temper than Oregon chain so if you know how to keep your bar out of the dirt you'll get more wood cut per chain! Stihl bars are harder than husky bars and last longer , maintain better as in chunks don't fall off the bar rails
I've always steered away from machine grinding chains because less metal is taken off by hand-filing, so they last longer. Same with knives. But I've had friends tell me all sorts of stuff in an attempt to get me to change. 'Being a cheapskate' is the criticism I like the most, because it's true - given a choice, I would rather spend less. But more significantly it's humans (ignorantly or unthinkingly for the most part) consuming stuff that's got us into the climate mess we are currently in, and I think we all need for this realisation to inform every single thing we do. And last month I found the clincher argument for my friends: one of them and I discovered we each have had the same German cook's knife for nearly the same time (11 vs 12yr) and his was so much reduced in depth from his bench-grinder sharpening that it was thin as a fillet knife. Mine, sharpened with steel and strop and yearly carborundum is nearly as new.
As some others have said: 1. Tighten - over tighten the chain for sharpening, this keeps the file and tooth at 90 deg. 2. Make sure you have the right size file, it’s usually written on the box of a new chain. Buy two files per chain. 3.File - push the file- towards the sharpened edge only, do not draw it back across the tooth on the backstroke. 4. Those new file guides with two round files and one flat file combined made by, Stihl and others, work well. 5. Maintain the proper angle horizontally between the file and the bar, ie. parallel to the hatch marks on the each tooth. 5. Practise man Practise, I got better at it as I sharpened more. Eventually, it becomes a ‘zen’ thing, Relaxing , and I love doing it! 6. Definitely clamp the saw in a vice, as shown.
That rig made by stihl with the 2 rounds and 1 flat is the best sharpening rig out I use my every tank of gas and do 3 passes per tooth cuts like butter and str8. Best 40$ I ever spent
@@chasshaw7111 hey, no in case you don't have the three and only the classic one sharpner, there is an extra small metal device which shows you how much you have to remove from the guide inbetwen. I will try to find it and send you the link
The 3 pass rule is a shitty rule. File until sharp. You can even see on the first tooth you didn't file it all, it should all be bright metal and a burr raised on the top plate.
Love that burr that you can flick off with your fingernail. Also a nice clean file too. Fighting with an old file stinks. Nothing like the first pass with a new file
Yep 3 is a great starting point. When I started paying attention to each individual tooth is when I finally got a sharp chain. So my rule is make a couple passes the pay attention to the tooth. When it is sharp go to the next one
Hacksaws , files , drill bits , etc etc . Most teeth are carefully engineered , to cut one direction . Generally speaking , if a tooth is not maximum cutting , it is causing premature blunting . develop the action , of pressure to cut , lift on the backstroke . Thanks R M
Best advise I've gotten on here is don't let you chain get to dull they say to brighten it up every tank of gas but i get by with every 2 tanks hand file still works great.
Great video, I’d like to confirm the Stihl 2 in 1 does a great job of filing the tooth and depth guide with perfect distance from tooth to depth guide. Also to stand out better I use old fashioned white out to mark the first tooth. Gary
Eventually, you'll learn to sharpen with one motion that effects the gullet as well as the cutting edge. You'll know when you see the file "marry" the top cutting edge. 3 strokes is usually all that it takes for a non abused chain. Be sure to use a 7/32 file for 3/8th chain. Was a professional logger and have been cutting wood for 45 yrs. Needed to hand sharpen a 20" bar in under 4 minutes.
It's so sl to hear anybody freely say "this took me four years to figure out." Props to you for being a humble guy and passing along your well-earned knowledge. Obviously good folks watching the video, too. Merry Christmas, y'all.
Ironically I discovered hand filing does the best sharpening also. Been sharpening with a bench grinder 16 years and found last week that a file does the best job... thanks for confirming
Ditto! Tried a few gadgets. None lived up to their hype. I always went back to hand filing, but after a few times doing so I got "diminishing returns". This is the first person I recall that talks about the gullet in a clear fashion.
Old fashioned way . No gadgets or guides needed . My Sthil has a faint line at the back of each tooth to show correct angle for the tooth . Use anything as a straight edge across two teeth , to see your Raker height . No special tools to be bought or stored or carried along . May need more practice , and seeking good advice ( but ) Ironically , training your hand and eye , gives pretty good results . Cheers
I applaud you for posting this vid and subjecting yourself to all the experts who shower you with their self righteous wisdom. They want everyone to believe they fell out of a vagina knowing how to sharpen a chain
I've had really good results with the Stihl 2-1 sharpening tool. I know, it looks like a gimmick but it works and it's easy! Wranglerstar tested it on his channel and was surprised and impressed. Sharpens all of these edges in one pass.
Try out some Pferd files they are sharper and stay sharper than Oregon files my grandfather cut wood by hand for a living and he said someone gave him a Pferd file the first week he started 35 years ago and to this day he swears by them I tried them and I'm not going to use any other file
AND DO NOT EVER DRAG UR FILE BACKWARDS..UR DULLING WHAT YOU JUST FILED..&..YOU ARE DULLING UR FILE TO..PLUS TAP UR FILE AGAINST SOMETHING HARD EVERY NOW & AGAIN TO DISLODGE THE METAL CUT IN THE FILE TEETH..SOMETIMES THEY STICK IN THE CUTTERS OF THE FILE..IFYOU GET USED TO DOING LIKE THIS UR FILE WILL LAST WAY WAY LONGER.. BUT DONT EVER DRAG UR FILE AGAINST ANYTHING ON THE REVERSE...PLEASE...( ALL OF THIS INFO APPLIES TO ALL FILES USED FOR MANY OTHER PURPOSES..) FLAT FILES NEED A 'FILE CARD' PULLED THRU THE FILES CUTTING TEETH NOW & AGAIN...IN ORDER TO KEEP THAT FILE SHARP...DONT YOU DARE EVER USE THAT 'FILE CARD' FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE....ALSO KEEP FILES IN PROTECTIVE CASE'S SO THEY DO NOT TOUCH EA OTHER...& ..KEEP FILES FREE OF OIL & GREASE... HAND FILEING A CHAINSAW CHAIN WILL MAKE THAT CHAIN LAST WAY WAY LONGER THAN POWER GRINDING IT.. HAPPY CUTTING FOLKS...
As a tool grinder for 35 years the rake angle ( the area that the chip follows after cut) is the most important. To keep that correct I use a file holder. It also shows the angle to the tooth. Well worth the time and money.
The electric chainsaw sharpener you showed at first is often miss-used and that's why it does not get good results. What you pointed out is right. With electric sharpener, first don't touch the face of the tooth but sharpen the gullet. Then as you raise the sharpener, push-in on the sharpener wheel as you exit to sharpen the face. You will get better results this way. Forth years of sharpening chains teaches you things. Hope this is helpful.
Simple tips took me years to learn(!) : 1) Color a tooth top with a Sharpie so you can quickly see when your sharpening loop is complete. 2) Over time the sawbar groove top surface can flatten out beyond the bar edge so I file away the splay both sides to restore uniform bar thickness. 3) If you don't have a grapple but have a tractor bucket with/without digging teeth, roll the log against the bucket edge on the ground with a cant hook then tie the cant hook handle to your upper center bucket hook (or use a hook on your tie for the bucket top lip) then lift the log so you have an instant sawhorse regardless. 4) Use a wire brush or hatchet away any underlog dirt at each area to be finish-cut before you finish the cut -through after your 75% upper log cuts even if you've no way to lift your log and/or keep it mud-free.
Been sharpening chains with a file since I was ten. Using two hands like he does always crowns the tooth. Much easier using one hand and tighten the chain more so the teeth don’t roll back and move around. Use my thumb on one side of the tooth to stabilize it. Have never had a problem sharpening a saw this way and always a out of the box result.
I find shoving a wedge on the underside between the bar & chain you will achieve ultra tension reducing the tacking of the chain during sharpening. Once you have complete one or a couple teeth take the wedge out move it along & re-wedge it. Handy trick to free up the other hand if you want to refine alternative motions, angles & twisting. But I bet you can do a wicked sharpen if you've been doing it since 10yrs
i been working with a chainsaw all my life ,and today . the first filling on my new chain is the sharpest that chain will ever be. sharper than factory .
My family owned a mower store. I am a small engine mechanic. Certified briggs and stratton tech, I have sharpened more than 1000 chains in my life. We prefer Oregon Semi Chisel at 3/8. The flat teeth hold their edge longer and bounce off debris, the hogged out kind have a sharper thinner edge that blunts faster and hooks onto debris which can snap the tooth off completely. I have seen chains run into star pickets, fencing wire, Nails, Screws.. you name it :D I came to say you got it right. Well done. As others have said tighten the chain and don't file on the backstroke. Make sure to file the rakers down under the level of the tooth peak if the teeth are really worn down. (raker height gauge preferred) Thanks for taking the time out to teach others.
So it took 4 years for you to figure it out that you MUST clean the logs from dirt with a broom before you start cutting them? Damn that's a long time. WOW seeing you sharpen that chain.. i think it will take the next 4 years to figure it out that you are doing it the wrong way. When you sharpen a chainsaw.. you do it.. in one way motion.. not 2 ways. You fuckup that chain doing it the way you do it in this video. Don't ask me how i know.. in 17 years of cutting firewood i think i know a few things related to chainsaws. No offence man.. but instead of wating 4 years more.. take my advice and put it to test. this is not a HATE comment.. but some people learn to do things the wrong way.. then they stick doing it that way for far to long.
I will never disagree that hand filing is or can be more accurate. What I can say is that what ever method you use it can be perfected to create box sharp chains. I use a hand file to touch up and my Oregon 620-120 to take it back to original. No one is a loser in this if you understand what you are doing and commit to a process.
lol yup this! after he said the best way to get it sharp as new is to do it by hand I was agreeing 100% due to having watched buckin billy ray! no more evening the teeth out of anything like that anymore for me
Buckin Billy uses a larger than recommended file on small chains, it calls for a 5/32, he goes up a size. I don't though. I don't have the money to remove that much material.
@@Hammerback0 the larger size file is exactly what I came here to suggest it was my mentors first suggestions you can actually get half size files and just go 1 half size over spec
Noticed you’re lighting your fire with tinder at first. Don’t do that. Place the big logs at the bottom with a bit of space, then the smaller once across them with some air, then the tinder at the top. Fire will always seek fuel and by doing so, it will seek its way down and feed itself. Old Swedish way of starting a fire. Last you longer until you need to refill and also, wait until you have a good bed of hot coal before putting new firewood on. Doing that will keep the fire clean instead of getting sot on your glass. And best part is, will save you almost half the amount of wood by burning the wood correctly. 👍
I have a different way of making a fire at my house that works very well. I tried your technique and that worked very well too. I can totally see how it conserves wood more efficiently. I have a wood furnace that requires the temperature to get pretty hot for the thermostat to trip the fan which blows the hot heat thru my house. I think what I’ll do for now on is make my initial fire the same as I always do, just so I get the temperature up faster. Once that fire is burned out, I’ll continue to make my fires the way you described. Thanks for the tips 👍🏻
For simple math, how many BTU’s in a stick of maple [inch cubed] ? Now, if you are burning 1/2 the amount, then would you also suggest you are getting 1/2 the BTU’s? Answer is yes So, are you then suggesting that people are using to many BTU’s by burning from the bottom? Answer is also yes If you think otherwise, are you then suggesting the time to burn dictates the BTU amount Answer is yes All of your answers are incorrect And moisture content, draft etc play a role, however that is a completely different topic. Your theory has nothing to do with any of that. That topic is one of energy wasted drying under seasoned wood while in the fire box Yes it will in fact burn longer, it will not however add a single BTU to the stick of wood
@@notachance374 Your ‘theoretical’ answer to a practical problem misses the point. Practice makes perfect in context. Please give the suggested technique a fair trial before dissing it.
@@forestMog there is nothing “theoretical” in my response A specific pc of wood, species based has X BTUs The rate of burn does not in ANY way change this, the energy stored is only released at a different rate. My “point” is that and that alone There is nothing wrong with top down, in fact it’s desirable depending on circumstance. One I use both in my wood stove and mostly always in my smokers.
If you flip the saw upside down in the vice, the body of the saw is out of the way and you can sharpen more teeth without moving the chain. Also when you have a brand new file use nice light strokes until you break it in. The files are acid sharpened and the cutting edges are very fragile. If you put too much pressure on those edges big chunks break off making the file dull. If you use light strokes then just little chunks break off keeping a sharper file.
I knew about the acid sharpening of the files. But break in time I didn't, maybe that's why my files suck after a while 😂😂😂👊😎 common sense right in front of you... you just don't think about it. 👊😎🤪 thanks for the tip.
Working in the woods every day with a saw one develops the skill to make a saw cut free hand. This is true for a chain right of the box, not sharp, well not sharp enough. Needs to be touched up with a file. Now that I am not running a saw all day, every day, the out of the box chain seems good enough for me now. The skill one looses from not being active is also apparent when I walk up to the tree. Look for the lean and not seeing it right. My experience is if you don't use it you loose it.. this is what separates the pros from the rest of us.
Check out Buckin Billy ray if you really want to learn out to hand file, you are on the right track but have a ways to go. No shade your way great video. Also another tip tighten your chain before filing.
Commercial cutter here, I've lost count of the number of guys who start off filing their chains, fancy themselves as a rare expert chain filer and either never step up to a bench grinder or don''t bother learning to properly use the bench grinder if they buy one so decide "bench grinders are no good, files are way better and, besides, I'm the rare expert filer, the plebes might need to use a bench grinder but not my file expert self." If you are a hobbiest or a couple tanks of gas a year homeowner, a file is fine. But if you depend on your saw to heat your house or make money, you can't afford to not bench grind your chains. Hand filers undercut their tooth which produces a longer, thinner cutting edge which cuts like a raped ape...for about 7 minutes then dulls quickly which is why hand filers commonly touch up their chain at every or every other tank. I've got work to do, I can't be sitting on my ass stroking my chain at every or every other tank. Plus, with a bench grinder, I'll get 25-30 sharpens out of a chain and a sharpen usually lasts me between 1.25 and almost 3 days. And that's with heavy cutting in the woods including limbing. (limbs are the hardest part of the tree and dull the chain the worst of any part of the tree) Also, I'm in an area that has glacial silt blown into the bark of the trees which, like any dust in the cut, helps dull the chain. You're spot on about the importance of correct raker height but way wrong about filing vs. bench grinding. The only way a hand file can beat a bench grind is if you don't know how to properly use your bench grinder. BTW, the chain in vid, the one with the folded over rakers is low quality chain. I thought they stopped making it back in the '80's or early '90's. The folded over rakers produce a lot of drag and get funky and thin when you lower them. I buy these chains at garage sales and use them when I've got destructive work like cutting stumps off in the ground to do so I don't tear up my good chains.
If you are not careful with a bench grinder, you can overheat the cutter and temper it making it hard or even impossible to sharpen again. I have used Oregon 72 chain with full chisel cutters for years with excellent results. The depth gauges are straight up and easy to file. It is not a "low kickback" chain; it is great for professional use. I am retired from a saw shop where I worked for the past 21 years. Oregon 72 chain is the correct chain for the Husqvarna 372XP in the video.
You sir are exactly right, the only saw file i own is a raker file and a titanium raker guage. I have about 15 chains that i have ground in my box, if a chain gets dull, i switch it out and grind it when i get home. Sharpening on the job kills production.
Years ago I worked for the US Forest Service and I spent the entire summer on a four man crew thinning and cutting standing timber to reduce the fire loads around a couple of big camp grounds that had major die off from spruce bark beetles. We were not required to buck or limb the downed timber, just get as many on the ground in a week as we could. I discovered that if I did a quick touch up with the file every time or every other time I fueled up that I was able to drop more trees on a tank of fuel then the others. The saw just ran more efficiently and it only took a couple of minutes once you learned the tricks of hand sharpening. The other advantage of always having a sharp chain was that I was much more accurate and had less hang ups then the others. A couple of guys consistently had issues and a few close calls and it almost always came back to them not taking care of their saws and or chain maintenance.
I never used full chisel I've always used semi it's I'm always in dirty firewood. But I also touch up the chain after every tank and I never have a problem going dull.
@@1d1hamby the stihl tool is simple to use for quick mindless sharpening. I've never seen a faster way to sharpen, doesn't mean it's perfect just easy.
Fact.. I tired every which way... and the Stihl one is just the best one I have found so far... yes its not like they are out of the box and the old timers can still out sharpen it but for out in the field on the fly it really really made it easy for me to get my saw back into shape fast
Take the raker file out of the 2in1 and just use the round files if the rakers are too low A few sharpenings later the rakers will be back in spec .... rinse and repeat
When you cut you don't use your log dogs which greatly improve your downwardly force/bite increases your cut pressure equals quicker cut time. Plus using just a round file with out a guide bar is also double the work (and less accurate), with a guide bar(attached to round file) it automatically sets depth for the round file so you can hit your correct angle (those diagonal marks top of each tooth) and line up the corresponding angle marks on file guide to get correct angle, also it sets the correct depth so you hit both your gullet & top of tooth at the same time giving the perfect sharpened tooth. Typically it only takes 3 strokes per tooth if you keep up with sharpening each 2-3 tanks of use . I'm sorry it took you 4 years how to actually still do it wrong.
I hope I can help you with your chain sharpening. That chain grinder you need to bump good for making sparks and that’s about it. I am an Australian and we have some of the hardest woods anywhere. I have also been lucky to work around the world and soon found out about the young bull and the old bull story. So I started asking why they constantly out cut the young ones. And getting quite a few answers that were the same or nearly the same so you start to take note. So with all the old timers that have shared there knowledge comes to around 700 years of experience. If you want a chain that cuts better than out of the box so here goes. Now if you go to where you are talking about rakers (depth gauges) and Andrew from north west splitters I think, shows a tooth in good detail that I will talk about. If you take a look at the tooth you will see a line at the chain top level, now if you take notice when the factory put the first grind in it just went below that line. You will notice that your tooth rises from that on a steady rise toward the top of your chain, You are starting to get a back lean in your tooth. To fix this you need to take the gullet down to this line or what I call the 3 witness mark this should take it down so you can see just the thickness of the steel in the chain now the gullet has been removed. Now we need to work on the tooth cutting surfaces if you are using 3/8 chisel chain you will need the 7/32 file and I would suggest purchasing a file holder with the angles marked in it. This set the top plate cutting depth correctly wether you use the 10 degree handle drop or the straight 90 degree this sets your working point perfectly, If you are filing by hand and you are going to deep or to high your working point is useless. If you are using chipper chain or semi chisel the point is less crucial. You may need to go down to a 13/64 file but check the 3 witness mark on the back of the tooth if you are on the line or just below or just above the line and are taking out the gullet that’s the right file, this also works for the smaller chain and bigger chain. Now with the degrees on the plate 10 25 30 35 If you are cutting very soft wood and very clean you can use the 35 it cuts faster but looses its edge quicker, the 25 cuts slower but stays sharper longer, that’s why ripping chain is set for 10 degrees holds the edge the longest but is very slow. Ok the gullet is gone and the chain is sharp the rakers/depth gauges are next get the single tooth depth gauge stihl call them a file gauge and Husqvarna have them Origen have them Carlton have them. If you use the ones that are the long ones they only average out over the two teeth if you have a big tooth in the front and a calf worn out one at the back it kicked it up an the opposite if it the other way around. The single tooth sets every tooth to take the same thickness of chip off the full tooth to the smallest tooth. I have proven this on a new chain by removing half a tooth on all teeth on one side and leaving the full new on the other and still cutting a straight cut because the were taking off the same side chip. I generally use the stihl ones at the moment because the handle the safety chain the bast, as we can’t get a lot of chain at the moment. They have a soft or hard wood marking that sets the soft wood side a little deeper than the hard side. Once you have done all this your chain will cut better than out of the box chains. I hope this helps, cheers and have good holidays.
@@davesilvia9711 I get that but when ur in the woods n ya wrap a rock or somethin with a 372xp at full rpm, a power sharpener is necessary to fix the chain fast. But thats why we would go to the job with extra chains. N we fix em all up at once at the end of the day. Shit happens all the time loggin.
What a lifestyle. I start my morning by dropping a couple of logs, then at work I fell a few logs and at night I'm stihl sawing logs. These vids give me a woody! I gotta leaf now. See ya fellers!
My teacher always said when it is below zero and/or the wood is covered in snow, the chain will get dull faster than in non frozen wood. I will try to wipe the snow of or just knock it of with another piece of wood. I myself and my co workers at work always use these file guides that you put on the file, they will help with sharpening the edge of the cutters and in the same pass creating the half moon shape. If used in the right way, those guides guarantee a sharp chain
If you are cutting frozen green wood try sharpening your chain a little more square with the bar and step up one size with your file. It won’t cut quite as fast but it will not dull as quickly.
There is a stump vise that pounds into a tree stump with two pointed barbs, then will hold your bar, so you can do it right in the field. Dress the edges every 3 or four hours, the guys that use one or two tanks are right on it, if you keep it sharp you only need to a couple of strokes . You should see the part you filed shiny, following the factory cut angles will train your hands and eyes to the correct angle, and the thing about the height of the raker is very important. If you see powder instead of big chips you know its dull. I saw a video on a guy that made a vise out of a tree stump still standing Took about 39 seconds and he was filing. It takes time to develop these skills and learn the mysteries. You are doing great. Most of all, wear leather gloves while sharpening chains. If you don't, you will soon learn why I offer this advice. Merry Christmas and may God bless you during the new year.
I didn't realize how little interaction with the ground it actually takes to dull a saw. I knew not to cut into the ground but I thought incidental contact here and there wouldn't hurt. So wrong. That little bit will save me a lot in the future. Thank you!
Another tip (you may already know this ) I learned last year that the most efficient way to saw through wood , is in fact the rocking back and forth from nose to dogs pretty well , not just straight cut where you leave your saw level and cut through that way , it helped me alot
good tip, if you don't saw clean wood. (e.g. clear loads of small trees / bug bushes), where you need to saw near the ground. often you have dirt on and in the wood (sometimes even small gravel). so the chain dulls extremely quickly. can't stop every 5 min to resharpen.
Young man you still have a ways to go before you understand sharpening!! Your chain was way too loose ,you cannot file efficiently with a moving tooth! Your round file will file out the gullet if your parallel with you bar rails and don't drag your file back over the tooth ,it knocks the teeth down and ruins your file which can't be resharpened! Don't mean to be harsh but I've been doing this over 40 years and am still making my living with a chainsaw. I wish I hadn't had to learn the hard way! But sharpening can be enjoyable especially when you head for a log with a chain 100 per cent sharp . I've watched a lot of guys on youtube and the one thing I don't see stressed nearly enough is to look and I mean really look at the dull tooth! Get some reading glasses if your older and magnify them so your seeing where they're dull and what it will take to get them back to 100 percent sharp . There are some old chainsaw how to manuals that are really good ! They were written by old guys that cut in the 50s,60s,and70s and contain real knowledge about tree cutting and saw maintenance they'll be online if you look for them. Buckin Billy is a character but watching him cut with one hand on his chainsaw and file at cutter tooth without looking at what his file is doing reminds me of the Turtle man hunting Bigfoot! or Forrest Gump shrimping!
Well , 50 years I've learned a little about sharpen chainsaw chains , most of saws are big 94cc , 99cc Using a 7/32 file , while filing if the file cut back under the cut edge of the chain that when you have to pickup on your file to get it to sharpen the tooth , in order to get the tooth back in shape, I have found using 1/4" file will re shape this tooth without having to file the tooth away... The gauge part of the tooth buy a gauge for that job so all teeth are the same and if your cutting in soft wood and you want it to cut a bigger chip , you can take a flat file and hit you gauges 3 or 4 licks more each.. As the chain tooth get smaller the set will leave it . I have had one name brand chain that about half way used up the set is gone and it will not cut ...not because it isn't Sharpe but because there's not enough set to cut a big enough cut to clear the width of the bar... At this point you can sharpen at an angle that is almost straight across to get more set and use as much of the chain as possible ... before having to replace it.. When your chain get a little dull , sharpen it , 3 or 4 light licks with a file is better then having to file away you teeth plus when the chain is dull your wasting your engine..... ..
You can say about Buckin' what you want, but he knows how to sharpen a chain. The man has been perfecting his skill over the past 20+ years. You don't have to believe me, just watch his saws fly through the wood.
Yep get that chain tight on the bar, jam your scrench between the bottom of the bar and chain. You don’t want the chain to move when filing. Just a tip.. if you use an oversized file it will get your gullet and the cutting edge all in the same swipe. Mark your first tooth with a sharpie.
Have you tried getting behind your saw. I don't pull up I pull back twards the power head just the way I was taught rarely use a vice and never use one in the bush. Watch buckin Billy Ray's video again see how he leans over the power head with the handle in your chest this is the way I have always sharpen my saws. Do you have a grinder and I agree it's nice sometimes if you have a bad chain someone brings you but I like to just hand file and keep them Sharp and the guides set properly. The reason I say to watch his video again is your close you're just working too hard on it. Watch how he rocks the boat then files it sharp and we never switch ends with the saw to file the opposite side I just file one side than the other side all from the power head end of the saw if you master this technique you will find it faster and easier definitely way faster with better results than any Grinder. It takes some hrs on the file to get the hang of it. Also do what works for you as a young chicken spanker I filed like you and did fine but an old guy taught me to file the way I do now and buckin Billy Ray's video was the 1st person I saw who filed like myself other than some older guys I have cut with. But I can tell you this a lot of people who have cut for a good many years will hand me their saw to sharpen it like mine. Keep up the good work can't keep helping people with your videos. Good luck and safe cutting my friend.
I'm old school and I have always felt I do a better job with a hand file. I think that touch ups are important too. If the chain isn't really dull, just a quick job will help a lot. I have used the Stihl all-in-one sharpener, but I still like hand sharpening.
the issue i see with the all in one is the flat file wears down and the guys only change out the tooth file. It really annoys me because it really screws up how the whole setup gets.. and then the complain about strange things that start happening and dont bother to realise what the real issue is
Fresh out of the box is not sharp! You should never run a dull chain or a chain without oil ever!( You’re change should cut better than new its whole entire life at 50% it’s done. When you know what you’re doing you should be able to cut 300 cords with the chain. Number one Bark is dirt. Hitting the ground is not with dull your saw it’s chain speed. If you take care of your chain you don’t have to take the rakers down. If you take care of your chain you don’t have to take the rakers down. Rakers are meant clean the sawdust out of the cut Bark is dirt You’re right dee bark your cut before you saw chain speed never Suck bark in to your cut. you do a good job UA-cam videos. Control your chain speed do you know what jogging is?
I've sharpened chains for close to 60 years, not bragging just fact. 1 thing I've noticed is that 90% of the people get the angle off from 1 side to the other. I tell 'em to bring the chain in to be tried up on a wheel after 3 hand filings. It's worked well.
Agree with the other comments on tightening the chain. Get it so tight that its a bit of a struggle to move it, and the sharpening goes better. I've never been a pro, but have been cutting firewood for 50 years, starting with an ungodly heavy Mac. I also tried grinder options and hand files always won out. Like so many things, the quality of files has gone downhill. Nicholson used to be good. But now the best I can find are pferd, but I have not yet tried the Vallorbe files.
Well for one thing, your chain is way too loose to be sharpening! The flex in the chain, changes the angle of the flute as well as the leading edge. Stihl makes a great hand sharpening system that covers all 3 areas at once. I have been falling, limbing and bucking 10 cord a year for the past 17 years and thought I was good at sharpening. I went to the Stihl system 5 years ago, and out of all the systems I have tried, this is by far the cheapest, quickest and most accurate system out there. Even with a novice sharpener, this will bring the chain back to new where it throws beaver chunks off after about 3 passes every tank of fuel! Like I said, I thought I was excellent at sharpening, and would do so for all my friends and family. Now, they all own these and I don’t have to sharpen them any more. You never again have to touch the rakers!
The first thing you want to do IS..... properly tension the chain to the bar. You cannot get a properly sharpened tooth when the chain is tolling over and lifting off the bar. Second, it is N0T recommended to drag your file backwards across a sharpened tooth. Third learn to take smooth strokes in one plane without wobbling, dipping or stuttering.
Yep, thats what I always say "box sharp". It took me 4 years as well to really get my handfiling to the point I could make a dull chain "box sharp". I got a Stihl 2-1 file and I have given up handfiling. It takes the rakers down perfectly in the same stroke. Its just less work and that's my gig.
hand filing sucks period! great information and you need to know how to do it so thanks for the tutorial. do yourself a favor and just buy a good electric grinder, not that dinky thing. on your brand new chainsaw chain box, up on the side panel somewhere are three different degree numbers they are your set numbers and once you get comfortable with the machine your chains will be brand new sharp...consistently... only took me five years to figure it out!
Agree. Great point. The saw owners Manuel will tell you what diameter file to use. I use the flat metal gauge to maintain my angle. Been doing it for decades and still double check my angles with it.
Scar you're right, the file he's using is too small in diameter. Use a 7/32 ( 5.5 mm ) file for this size of chain and buy a depth gage for the rakers.
Good stuff - Here's another top tip to give you an even sharper edge - ROLL THE FILE (approx 1/4 of a turn counter-clockwise as you push) this smooth twist of the wrist will sharpen that top edge even more.
Everybody has their favorite way to sharpen a chain...whatever works for you I guess. That said I try to never sharpen a chain on the bar because all those little metal filings fall into the bar groove and as the chain runs around the bar the filings wind up abraiding the bar surface leading to premature wear. I prefer to do major chain sharpening by removing the chain from the bar and placing it in a sharpening vice guide clamped in a bench vice. I then flip the bar 180 degrees before remounting the chain. Why do I do that? Because the bottom edge of the bar takes the brunt of abuse as you apply force to cut downwards through the log. By flipping the bar each time you reinstall it you spread the wear evenly between the two surfaces and extend the life of the bar. Another bar tip...as the chain rotates around the bar it ends up creating an edge burr. This burr causes the bar to bind as it moves downward through the log. So it's a good idea to check for the burr from time to time and when it gets pronounced use a regular drill mounted sanding disk with 220 grit paper and make a light pass or two down both face surfaces of the bar to remove the burr. Last but not least the best way to set raker height is with a raker guide as it's very difficult to achieve uniform raker height when filing by eye.
I have been doing it like this for years. But i do it in one stroke -i start at the bottom and work my way up and round and push through at the top for the cutting edge- every 5th time i sharpen the teeth i add the raker in with a couple of strokes. Only push the sharpner through to sharpen if you pull it will slightly dull the cutting edge.I also use a spark plug brush to take away any swarf/bits left on the cutting edge! About time someone showed how its done!!!!!!
I was running this saw for about 2 hours at about a 30-50% duty cycle ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxfQm1wmg0ItKDLavxj1nXtQY9HP7EF504 and it did a great job. I used the lever for the built in sharpener to clear chip buildup out more than to actually sharpen the chain. It managed to cut some hardwood stumps much larger than it's size without bothering the neighbors with hours of 2 stroke noise.
Yeah, but where is the fun in that? Seriously though, electric chainsaws have a long way to go to compete with big pro saws. For smaller timber, they can be useful.
As I was taught by a faller fifty years ago now, start with the file low and as it moves forward twist the file in your hand and lift. This covers the whole face of the tooth from bottom to top in one pass and spinning the file uses the whole file and helps to keep it clean. Use only 2 or three passes, sharpen lightly but frequently.
Twist shouldn't be needed. Round files are spiral ground.
Amen brother that's how I do it and Never drag a file backwards .
I don't think his point was about better sharpening per se, but to twist in order to use the entire file surface to avoid clogging up one side of the file with sawdust.
William that is exactly the technique I learned in the woods when I was falling except it included Edward Lester's comment to never drag a file backwards. I cringe when I see someone drag a file.
@@dwighthires3163 dragging a file does almost nothing negative compared to lifting and resetting. There have been scientific experiments done, and they showed no average difference. Just FYI.
I’ve been falling timber in British Columbia since I was a teen. Hand sharpening is the only way to go, two firm passes with the right size file on either side, one pass on the rakers every third sharpening, takes about five minutes on a 24” bar and with practice to get the angle memorized, you should have big bright chips every time.
Agree
Me thinkus this guy has to be a slow learner! Four years. And I agree with you, hand sharpening is the best.
I file every other fill
Pretty much exactly what I do while on the fire line.
Well buzz not knowing how old you are now sharpening is an art form doesn’t matter what your sharpening I understand but I’m kind of picky about how shit gets sharpened I have a jig because I’m a homeowner when you’re in the field you give her tits he could take this back in the shop sharpen it up shit he’s at home he should have more than one chain ready to go but it is an art form you don’t do it right you just throw that chain in the garbage sorry I’m rambling Unfortunately for this fella he spent a lot of money on junk
Been cutting with, and sharpening, chain saws for 48 years now. My favorite hobby. This video has VERY good insights and advice. I personally use one hand for the file, and the other gloved hand to hold the tooth steady in the bar's slot....makes for a consistent mating file to tooth. I also, as noted below, put a 1/4 turn twist in each stroke....razor sharp, friends. Enjoy...stay warm...and be safe!
Does it bother anyone else that the chain is lose and moves all over as he sharpens???
this bothers me too.... two OOOO's in loose, lol yes,your right!
Drove me nuts!
Yes my biggest complaint about the whole video. You need to take the chain off the bar and put it in a chain sharpening vise. I have a vise that my father used back in the sixties. It is two pieces of wood about 12 inches long with thumb screws that you put the chain into. It also has x's which are guides to the proper angle of the file to the chain. Works great and gives consistency to the sharpening process.
@@rickpatrick908 So if you are a timber faller working in the woods you need to carry a vise & wood blocks and take the chain off to sharpen?
WOW!
@@BooRadley1228 It's not that unreasonable. You can put a vice on a truck bumper and I'm sure there's plenty of trucks around.
I take a paint pen and mark what will be my first tooth, when it comes around it is time to change direction and to the opposite facing teeth, until the marked one comes around again. No counting or losing count.
Me too. I use a red sharpie.
I use a black sharpie. Forgot to mention that
I just start at the odd colored link all the time. I think this is the link that they use when they "make" the chain.
@@HometownAcres My eyes aren't what they used to be. Hard for me to see the black one.
@@sharkman8810 told, if Stihl chain, the coloured link indicates if safety or pro type chain build.
Green, safety, low kickback etc
Orange, more experienced operators, less protection built-in. More aggressive cut.
All the information I've found about hand filing is quite adament to avoid dragging files back against the material. Make a filing stroke, lift the file away and then have another go, but not back and forth like a washboard. Good video. Nice presentation and no wasted time. Thank you.
Look again, that's a myth, ua-cam.com/video/xbykic--SKA/v-deo.html
Helpful hint: tighten your chain before you file, it keeps it in the guide groove, and helps you maintain better angles
I hold each tooth with one hand and sharpen with the other. That gives me the best control.
@@bobnewman534 I do that as well, reduces file chatter
Never pull a file backwards, it rolls the teeth over, wears it out quicker and just like your saw blade, makes it cut inefficiently.
It hurts to watch
Agreed - don't cut on the backstroke, roll the file but first thing to do is to check the "points" on the teeth. Each tooth should have a nice sharp angle on the point. If the point is rolled, beat or burred at all it will shine - the light collects on the roll. You have to get rid of the rolled edge and make a sharp point or all your sharpening will be wasted. I used to cut and pile 5 cord of pulpwood a day. The guy working the strip next to me cut and piled 7 cord a day and he only had one lung. He felt bad for me one day and showed me the bad points on my chain and helped me with sharpening. Quick way to get rid of a rolled point is to use a one size over file on the point to get the nice V then use a proper size to get under the top edge and roll in for the crescent moon. File stroke, roll, lift and no back drag.
@@cellerfeller1474 Reading all the good comments makes me wonder why the big corporations don’t give precise instructions for filing. Thanks youtube!
Tighten up on that chain and QUIT dragging that file on the backstroke!
ua-cam.com/video/6lxJ3E_UjtY/v-deo.html
Wrong. The key is in the shape of the file teeth. They are unidirectional by design to cut in one direction only. If you really believe it doesn't matter how you drag a file back and forth on hardened toolsteel with no apparent difference in longevity, then go ahead and run your drillbits and endmills and ANY other machine tool cutters in reverse and tell me how long they last.
Just look at file tooth profile at about 3:40 of the video you referenced.
@@keithmessinger75 Why are you blabbering about tool steel?
Because toolsteel, as opposed to mild steel is what your chain cutters and your file is made from. Toolsteel is a general term that refers to types of steel with enough carbon to make them "heat treatable". Your cutters are hardened, your files are hardened even "harder". That's the only way one can cut the other.
You really need to get rid of those safety chains. Since you've been cutting for a few years you know about kickback and shouldn't have that issue. Those big safety rakers just just stop the blade from cutting faster. And tighten up that chain when you sharpen it so you're not filing it sideways when it rolls out.
@Josh Blick I’m 15 and have been cutting wood for 2 years, just bought a ms 261c and have been using skip tooth for 1 1/2 years
@@anonymouscorky6091 Good deal. Just be safe.
Had never used a chain like that.
Safety chain! Wow I missed that. I throw those suckers out so I don't grab it by mistake. Lawyers came up with that piece of crap for liability issues I'd bet👍😎👌
Also try turning or rotating the file as part of your stroke to use your whole file and minimize build up on the file 👍 kool video Adam
Buckin Billy Ray All you need to know about chainsaw and how to.
Buckin Billy Ray is the expert of experts on axes and wood splitting. Love that guy
its just common sence and look at the mirror from the glaze from file in the material.
Friends , I watched tons of hand filing videos. I sucked. I watched Billy one time all the way through paid attention and the first time I sharpen the chain with a file after that I was a pro.
@@davidbryant5844 I agree. I learned more from Buckin in one video then I did in years just going at it on my own. His eye-in-the-sky close ups that got me to put on some reading glasses and take a good look at exactly what I was doing. It was a game changer.
Always good to seek out advice, Im always learning. My buddy saved me a ton of time early on by telling me to switch to a shorter bar. Shorter bar less equals less sharpening time. He's been in the wood business for 40 years and like most have said already use good files and sharpen often there's really no shortcuts to getting a sharp chain.
Its absurd how many times a tooth hits the ground even with the slightest touch. The older I get the more aware I am of wearing protective gear. One slip to the leg alone in the woods and your probably finished without a tourniquet. Im embarrassed to admit how little I knew about chainsaws when I started 30 years ago, wish I had UA-cam.
I ran both 16 and 18 inch bar for decades cutting firewood. Last year I bought a stihl 362 cm with a 25 inch bar and just bought a stihl 500i with a 25 inch light bar..
My back feels relieved... BTW 61 here...
" stand up and buck "
@@wittsend1961 I find filing less painful then a sore back, run the biggest bar that your saw can comfortably handle, my Stihl 066 is nicely balanced with a 33" bar but the 36 is easier to handle. Running skip tooth chain makes filing quicker but I don't know how well it works in hardwood, living in coastal BC it's all softwoods.
Make sure you're file isn't dull. They are cheap and a new one can save a ton of time
I use the little oregon bits like you showed EXCEPT I put them in a die grinder that spins 20,000 rpm and I get my chains razor sharp. I actually sharpen brand new chains before using them because I can get them to cut better. Also the other thing A LOT of people dont do like you said is lower the rakers as they sharpen a chain over and over. The rakers are what sets how deep of a cut each tooth on the chain takes. If you sharpen the chain over and over and dont lower the rakers it will never cut well.. You can adjust the rakers based on the HP of your saw, more HP the lower you can set them and really make some chips.. The other thing is that chain you show is a "safety chain" with rolled over rakers and they dont cut nearly as well as a "pro" chain with just straight up rakers....
true! homey is using a beginner chain, needs to run chisel skip chains, probably cut that tiny log in three seconds.
@@njonebale7889, full chisel chain definitely cut faster, but also dull faster. Sounds like he's dealing with a lot of dirty wood, so a semi chisel chain might be the better option for him. Especially if he hasn't learned the different techniques in cutting wood, so he doesn't drag the dirt through the wood when he makes his cuts.
Are all saftey chains supposed to have the depth gauges folded over like that? Pretty sure the chains I use on my ms250 are saftey chains (has the green link) and the rakers are straight up
Good info about rolled over rakers . Then comments about semi chisel and such
Grinding takes off to much metal and heats up the metal to weaken the metal, it also effects the Angel.
Stihl makes an awesome Sharpener that lowers the rack to the perfect point at the same time.
In other words I disagree with you.
When he mentioned the gullet I thought about buckin billy ray, then he referenced him 😂
When your sharpening your chain tighten up your chain more so it’s not coming out of the bar
yes, and then after sharpening, loosen it back to normal tension so you don't prematurely stretch the chain and ruin your sprocket. If you check your bar nuts, you don't have to tighten them while sharpening - just wait till loosening the chain.
@@jimwittneben7719 actually that's only true when you're running your saw and the chain is warm it's going to loosen up a little bit so when you tighten it again height then at the end of the day when you're done if you store your chainsaw without loosening the chain that is true the chain will get cold it will stretch the chain and hurt your sprocket but not if it's been put away cold and you tighten it to sharpen it you can leave it like that if you want
yes. It pained me to watch the angle of the chain pitch sharply when the drivers left the bar...and that horrible sound of the file being used on the backstroke stopped the video...right there, lol. seriously!
@@jimhofoss9982 Yup, files don't cut on the back stroke.
@@jimhofoss9982 I agree. That was a show stopper for me also. It's difficult for me to have much confidence in the quality of information when folks don't understand the basics. And proper file usage is about as basic as it gets.
I'm an arborist that's been running and sharpening saws for over 40 years. The Stihl and Pferd 2 in 1 sharpeners are the best thing going. Files your rakers to proper depth and sharpens the cutter at the same time. Try em, you won't be disappointed.
Agreed mate , just picked up two of those . Work fantastic
I enjoy stihl sharpener just as much as holding a loose file=)
@@reallife9036 My enjoyment comes when I stick it in the tree and the chips fly.
@@raytyre750 Absolutely agree. The efficiency is unmatched, especially out in the field.
Guys learn to file by hand,nothing beats it "LEARN TO FILE " !!!
I always try to think of it like sharpening the chain and cutting a little wood in between sessions....
You'll be back in a year, "Took Me 5 Years To Figure This Out."...Buy an Oregon bench grinder with a Borazon grinding wheel. I have two Oregon grinders. One set up "at angle" to sharpen the cutters (simultaneously with the gullets by the way) and the other grinder set at 90 degrees to take down the rakers as needed. Two griders are great so you don't have to change the grinder's angle when switching from the cutter to the raker. I just use the thick pink stone wheel for the raker sharpening (The Oregon grinder comes with three wheel sizes for the three main chains widely used) The Borazon wheel is a little more money but has three main advantages. It sharpens more quickly. It tends to not overheat the steel so the cutting tooth doesn't loose it's temperance, so your edge will last longer. And it will outlast five stone wheels. Do yourself a favor. After 4 years you don't need safety chain. Go with full square chisel Oregon 72LG chain. Get rid of that cheap Holzfforma. It will break under severe commercial use. I currently run three Husqvarna 372 XP's. When you buy anything Husqvarna, if it doesn't have XP in the model number, your wasting your time and money. I've been cutting 34 years, 150 cords plus every year. Still learn something everytime out.
Don't tell us, show us!
Make a video
@@billsherrard8452 Not everyone is so self-absorbed to want to see themselves on UA-cam. I'll wait for his future video when he confirms my assertions. Serious volume firewood producers aren't hand sharpening chains.
that oregon grinder is worth the money, works amazingly well, u can fine tune the angles as well
Stihl pro chain has longer teeth ,harder temper than Oregon chain so if you know how to keep your bar out of the dirt you'll get more wood cut per chain! Stihl bars are harder than husky bars and last longer , maintain better as in chunks don't fall off the bar rails
I've always steered away from machine grinding chains because less metal is taken off by hand-filing, so they last longer. Same with knives. But I've had friends tell me all sorts of stuff in an attempt to get me to change. 'Being a cheapskate' is the criticism I like the most, because it's true - given a choice, I would rather spend less. But more significantly it's humans (ignorantly or unthinkingly for the most part) consuming stuff that's got us into the climate mess we are currently in, and I think we all need for this realisation to inform every single thing we do. And last month I found the clincher argument for my friends: one of them and I discovered we each have had the same German cook's knife for nearly the same time (11 vs 12yr) and his was so much reduced in depth from his bench-grinder sharpening that it was thin as a fillet knife. Mine, sharpened with steel and strop and yearly carborundum is nearly as new.
As some others have said:
1. Tighten - over tighten the chain for sharpening, this keeps the file and tooth at 90 deg.
2. Make sure you have the right size file, it’s usually written on the box of a new chain. Buy two files per chain.
3.File - push the file- towards the sharpened edge only, do not draw it back across the tooth on the backstroke.
4. Those new file guides with two round files and one flat file combined made by, Stihl and others, work well.
5. Maintain the proper angle horizontally between the file and the bar, ie. parallel to the hatch marks on the each tooth.
5. Practise man Practise, I got better at it as I sharpened more. Eventually, it becomes a ‘zen’ thing, Relaxing , and I love doing it!
6. Definitely clamp the saw in a vice, as shown.
Excellent summary.
I sharpen my saws with EVERY tank of gas.
2 or 3 strokes per tooth. Quick and easy.
North Central Florida
That rig made by stihl with the 2 rounds and 1 flat is the best sharpening rig out I use my every tank of gas and do 3 passes per tooth cuts like butter and str8. Best 40$ I ever spent
Ι use Stihl and it is amazing. However, there is a small metal "tool" to calibrate the guide in between the teeth
@@kokkinias hi are you referring to calibrating the Stihl 3-file sharpener? Please provide more info.
@@chasshaw7111 hey, no in case you don't have the three and only the classic one sharpner, there is an extra small metal device which shows you how much you have to remove from the guide inbetwen. I will try to find it and send you the link
The 3 pass rule is a shitty rule. File until sharp. You can even see on the first tooth you didn't file it all, it should all be bright metal and a burr raised on the top plate.
That’s why I said it’s a starting point. You should still examine each tooth individually before moving on
Love that burr that you can flick off with your fingernail. Also a nice clean file too. Fighting with an old file stinks. Nothing like the first pass with a new file
Yep 3 is a great starting point. When I started paying attention to each individual tooth is when I finally got a sharp chain. So my rule is make a couple passes the pay attention to the tooth. When it is sharp go to the next one
I was taught never sharpen on a back stroke ruins the file.
What file cuts on a back-stroke? Name one. More important- keep files clean, avoiding double-cutting chips.
@@jacquesblaque7728 back stroke files. 🤣
@@jacquesblaque7728 bastard file
Hacksaws , files , drill bits , etc etc . Most teeth are carefully engineered , to cut one direction . Generally speaking , if a tooth is not maximum cutting , it is causing premature blunting . develop the action , of pressure to cut , lift on the backstroke . Thanks R M
They sell a gauge to set the height of the rakers
Stihl makes the 2 in 1 file. Excellent tool. It’s all I use now.
I just bought a generic 2 in 1 myself, but haven't had the opportunity to use it yet.
@@wsfd4321 since I’ve been using it, and got good with it, I haven’t used anything else since. Great tool that’s worth the money.
This is what I use also. Great tool.
I was gonna leave the same comment. The wheel has been reinvented!
@@scottwarren8847 yes, sir, when used properly, that’s all ya need.
It's an art to file right. One point he missed is all teeth must be the same height. Oh, get a raker gauge.
I don't think they work with that crap safety anti kickback chain anyway. That chain is for homeowners😜
Best advise I've gotten on here is don't let you chain get to dull they say to brighten it up every tank of gas but i get by with every 2 tanks hand file still works great.
Great video, I’d like to confirm the Stihl 2 in 1 does a great job of filing the tooth and depth guide with perfect distance from tooth to depth guide. Also to stand out better I use old fashioned white out to mark the first tooth. Gary
I like the white-out idea to mark the starter tooth. I've been using kids colored sidewalk chalk. I put it on the side of the tooth.
I use my wife’s old fingernail polish , red is good !
If you want your files to last, don’t draw them backwards across the work piece. They only work n the push.
Eventually, you'll learn to sharpen with one motion that effects the gullet as well as the cutting edge. You'll know when you see the file "marry" the top cutting edge. 3 strokes is usually all that it takes for a non abused chain. Be sure to use a 7/32 file for 3/8th chain. Was a professional logger and have been cutting wood for 45 yrs. Needed to hand sharpen a 20" bar in under 4 minutes.
THat is how i do it. make first the gully round, and with the right size file you see the top of the teeth get sharped and make a brim on it.
Cool
if you cant keep sharp , you cant keep up , we dont need ya . lol
What brand of chain and file do you prefer? Thanks in advance!
@@wwgbert Pherd for the files and Sthil for chains.
It's so sl to hear anybody freely say "this took me four years to figure out." Props to you for being a humble guy and passing along your well-earned knowledge. Obviously good folks watching the video, too. Merry Christmas, y'all.
Good man... for sure
sl?!
Ironically I discovered hand filing does the best sharpening also. Been sharpening with a bench grinder 16 years and found last week that a file does the best job... thanks for confirming
Ditto! Tried a few gadgets. None lived up to their hype. I always went back to hand filing, but after a few times doing so I got "diminishing returns". This is the first person I recall that talks about the gullet in a clear fashion.
Amen
Old fashioned way . No gadgets or guides needed . My Sthil has a faint line at the back of each tooth to show correct angle for the tooth . Use anything as a straight edge across two teeth , to see your Raker height . No special tools to be bought or stored or carried along . May need more practice , and seeking good advice ( but ) Ironically , training your hand and eye , gives pretty good results . Cheers
I applaud you for posting this vid and subjecting yourself to all the experts who shower you with their self righteous wisdom. They want everyone to believe they fell out of a vagina knowing how to sharpen a chain
LOL
Well said.
If yoyre falling out of vaginas then you got bigger (or smaller) problems than a dull chain. My advice is to take shorter strokes ...
Some of us actual did though.. so its not that big of a deal if people want to help. It's just the rude or arrogant people that can jump off.
More than 50 % of younger folks never fell out of a vagina, their mums had Caesarian deliveries. How about yours? ;-)
I've had really good results with the Stihl 2-1 sharpening tool. I know, it looks like a gimmick but it works and it's easy! Wranglerstar tested it on his channel and was surprised and impressed. Sharpens all of these edges in one pass.
Be sure to use the proper size file and don't forget, files go dull too.
Try out some Pferd files they are sharper and stay sharper than Oregon files my grandfather cut wood by hand for a living and he said someone gave him a Pferd file the first week he started 35 years ago and to this day he swears by them I tried them and I'm not going to use any other file
AND DO NOT EVER DRAG UR FILE BACKWARDS..UR DULLING WHAT YOU JUST FILED..&..YOU ARE DULLING UR FILE TO..PLUS TAP UR FILE AGAINST SOMETHING HARD EVERY NOW & AGAIN TO DISLODGE THE METAL CUT IN THE FILE TEETH..SOMETIMES THEY STICK IN THE CUTTERS OF THE FILE..IFYOU GET USED TO DOING LIKE THIS UR FILE WILL LAST WAY WAY LONGER..
BUT DONT EVER DRAG UR FILE AGAINST ANYTHING ON THE REVERSE...PLEASE...( ALL OF THIS INFO APPLIES TO ALL FILES USED FOR MANY OTHER PURPOSES..) FLAT FILES NEED A 'FILE CARD' PULLED THRU THE FILES CUTTING TEETH NOW & AGAIN...IN ORDER TO KEEP THAT FILE SHARP...DONT YOU DARE EVER USE THAT 'FILE CARD' FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE....ALSO KEEP FILES IN PROTECTIVE CASE'S SO THEY DO NOT TOUCH EA OTHER...& ..KEEP FILES FREE OF OIL & GREASE... HAND FILEING A CHAINSAW CHAIN WILL MAKE THAT CHAIN LAST WAY WAY LONGER THAN POWER GRINDING IT.. HAPPY CUTTING FOLKS...
I took a white marker and marked 30 degree angles on the vice jaws to guide my filling.
As a tool grinder for 35 years the rake angle ( the area that the chip follows after cut) is the most important. To keep that correct I use a file holder. It also shows the angle to the tooth. Well worth the time and money.
The electric chainsaw sharpener you showed at first is often miss-used and that's why it does not get good results. What you pointed out is right. With electric sharpener, first don't touch the face of the tooth but sharpen the gullet. Then as you raise the sharpener, push-in on the sharpener wheel as you exit to sharpen the face. You will get better results this way. Forth years of sharpening chains teaches you things. Hope this is helpful.
Simple tips took me years to learn(!) : 1) Color a tooth top with a Sharpie so you can quickly see when your sharpening loop is complete. 2) Over time the sawbar groove top surface can flatten out beyond the bar edge so I file away the splay both sides to restore uniform bar thickness. 3) If you don't have a grapple but have a tractor bucket with/without digging teeth, roll the log against the bucket edge on the ground with a cant hook then tie the cant hook handle to your upper center bucket hook (or use a hook on your tie for the bucket top lip) then lift the log so you have an instant sawhorse regardless. 4) Use a wire brush or hatchet away any underlog dirt at each area to be finish-cut before you finish the cut -through after your 75% upper log cuts even if you've no way to lift your log and/or keep it mud-free.
Quit dragging that file on the backstroke
Made me cringe too. The file will stay in good cutting condition a lot longer if you don't drag it backwards.
Been sharpening chains with a file since I was ten. Using two hands like he does always crowns the tooth. Much easier using one hand and tighten the chain more so the teeth don’t roll back and move around. Use my thumb on one side of the tooth to stabilize it. Have never had a problem sharpening a saw this way and always a out of the box result.
I find shoving a wedge on the underside between the bar & chain you will achieve ultra tension reducing the tacking of the chain during sharpening. Once you have complete one or a couple teeth take the wedge out move it along & re-wedge it.
Handy trick to free up the other hand if you want to refine alternative motions, angles & twisting. But I bet you can do a wicked sharpen if you've been doing it since 10yrs
Duane, How old are you now, 11?
@@martinkerker1190 good one bro...🤣
i been working with a chainsaw all my life ,and today . the first filling on my new chain is the sharpest that chain will ever be. sharper than factory .
My family owned a mower store. I am a small engine mechanic. Certified briggs and stratton tech, I have sharpened more than 1000 chains in my life. We prefer Oregon Semi Chisel at 3/8. The flat teeth hold their edge longer and bounce off debris, the hogged out kind have a sharper thinner edge that blunts faster and hooks onto debris which can snap the tooth off completely. I have seen chains run into star pickets, fencing wire, Nails, Screws.. you name it :D I came to say you got it right. Well done. As others have said tighten the chain and don't file on the backstroke. Make sure to file the rakers down under the level of the tooth peak if the teeth are really worn down. (raker height gauge preferred) Thanks for taking the time out to teach others.
So it took 4 years for you to figure it out that you MUST clean the logs from dirt with a broom before you start cutting them? Damn that's a long time. WOW seeing you sharpen that chain.. i think it will take the next 4 years to figure it out that you are doing it the wrong way. When you sharpen a chainsaw.. you do it.. in one way motion.. not 2 ways. You fuckup that chain doing it the way you do it in this video. Don't ask me how i know.. in 17 years of cutting firewood i think i know a few things related to chainsaws. No offence man.. but instead of wating 4 years more.. take my advice and put it to test. this is not a HATE comment.. but some people learn to do things the wrong way.. then they stick doing it that way for far to long.
I will never disagree that hand filing is or can be more accurate. What I can say is that what ever method you use it can be perfected to create box sharp chains. I use a hand file to touch up and my Oregon 620-120 to take it back to original. No one is a loser in this if you understand what you are doing and commit to a process.
Can’t ever go wrong referencing Buckin Billy Ray!
lol yup this! after he said the best way to get it sharp as new is to do it by hand I was agreeing 100% due to having watched buckin billy ray! no more evening the teeth out of anything like that anymore for me
3 thumbs up for Buckin Billy Ray
Literally just watched the new Buckin video lol. Never miss one
You most certainly can. What he does and what you do are two entirely different things. He's just found a way to make money on the internet.
I referred him today to a client. Buckin!
USING THE CORRECT DIAMETER FILE SHARPENS THE GULLET AND CUTTING EDGE AT THE SAME TIME...IMO...OR AM I WRONG?
That's right.
But to do it without a depth setting jig is folly, at least for beginners
Follow Buckin Billy Ray Smith on sharpening and "get the gullet!!!"
Buckin Billy uses a larger than recommended file on small chains, it calls for a 5/32, he goes up a size. I don't though. I don't have the money to remove that much material.
Absolutely correct!!
@@Hammerback0 the larger size file is exactly what I came here to suggest it was my mentors first suggestions you can actually get half size files and just go 1 half size over spec
Noticed you’re lighting your fire with tinder at first. Don’t do that. Place the big logs at the bottom with a bit of space, then the smaller once across them with some air, then the tinder at the top. Fire will always seek fuel and by doing so, it will seek its way down and feed itself. Old Swedish way of starting a fire. Last you longer until you need to refill and also, wait until you have a good bed of hot coal before putting new firewood on. Doing that will keep the fire clean instead of getting sot on your glass. And best part is, will save you almost half the amount of wood by burning the wood correctly. 👍
I have a different way of making a fire at my house that works very well. I tried your technique and that worked very well too. I can totally see how it conserves wood more efficiently. I have a wood furnace that requires the temperature to get pretty hot for the thermostat to trip the fan which blows the hot heat thru my house. I think what I’ll do for now on is make my initial fire the same as I always do, just so I get the temperature up faster. Once that fire is burned out, I’ll continue to make my fires the way you described. Thanks for the tips 👍🏻
For simple math, how many BTU’s in a stick of maple [inch cubed] ?
Now, if you are burning 1/2 the amount, then would you also suggest you are getting 1/2 the BTU’s?
Answer is yes
So, are you then suggesting that people are using to many BTU’s by burning from the bottom?
Answer is also yes
If you think otherwise, are you then suggesting the time to burn dictates the BTU amount
Answer is yes
All of your answers are incorrect
And moisture content, draft etc play a role, however that is a completely different topic. Your theory has nothing to do with any of that.
That topic is one of energy wasted drying under seasoned wood while in the fire box
Yes it will in fact burn longer, it will not however add a single BTU to the stick of wood
@@notachance374 Your ‘theoretical’ answer to a practical problem misses the point. Practice makes perfect in context. Please give the suggested technique a fair trial before dissing it.
@@forestMog there is nothing “theoretical” in my response
A specific pc of wood, species based has X BTUs
The rate of burn does not in ANY way change this, the energy stored is only released at a different rate.
My “point” is that and that alone
There is nothing wrong with top down, in fact it’s desirable depending on circumstance. One I use both in my wood stove and mostly always in my smokers.
If you flip the saw upside down in the vice, the body of the saw is out of the way and you can sharpen more teeth without moving the chain. Also when you have a brand new file use nice light strokes until you break it in. The files are acid sharpened and the cutting edges are very fragile. If you put too much pressure on those edges big chunks break off making the file dull. If you use light strokes then just little chunks break off keeping a sharper file.
I didn’t know about a file being fragile at first and the break in (and I know just about everything 😂) thanks for the tip.
My dad taught me that :-) About honing in new files, band saws, hacksaws, etc.
I knew about the acid sharpening of the files. But break in time I didn't, maybe that's why my files suck after a while 😂😂😂👊😎 common sense right in front of you... you just don't think about it. 👊😎🤪 thanks for the tip.
@@dougn4942 👍
Nope, I never knew that. Cheers.
Working in the woods every day with a saw one develops the skill to make a saw cut free hand. This is true for a chain right of the box, not sharp, well not sharp enough. Needs to be touched up with a file. Now that I am not running a saw all day, every day, the out of the box chain seems good enough for me now. The skill one looses from not being active is also apparent when I walk up to the tree. Look for the lean and not seeing it right. My experience is if you don't use it you loose it.. this is what separates the pros from the rest of us.
Check out Buckin Billy ray if you really want to learn out to hand file, you are on the right track but have a ways to go. No shade your way great video. Also another tip tighten your chain before filing.
Spinning the file during troke movements is what I also do...
Try spinning on the back stroke only for better results all around and less fatigue.
Commercial cutter here, I've lost count of the number of guys who start off filing their chains, fancy themselves as a rare expert chain filer and either never step up to a bench grinder or don''t bother learning to properly use the bench grinder if they buy one so decide "bench grinders are no good, files are way better and, besides, I'm the rare expert filer, the plebes might need to use a bench grinder but not my file expert self." If you are a hobbiest or a couple tanks of gas a year homeowner, a file is fine. But if you depend on your saw to heat your house or make money, you can't afford to not bench grind your chains. Hand filers undercut their tooth which produces a longer, thinner cutting edge which cuts like a raped ape...for about 7 minutes then dulls quickly which is why hand filers commonly touch up their chain at every or every other tank. I've got work to do, I can't be sitting on my ass stroking my chain at every or every other tank. Plus, with a bench grinder, I'll get 25-30 sharpens out of a chain and a sharpen usually lasts me between 1.25 and almost 3 days. And that's with heavy cutting in the woods including limbing. (limbs are the hardest part of the tree and dull the chain the worst of any part of the tree) Also, I'm in an area that has glacial silt blown into the bark of the trees which, like any dust in the cut, helps dull the chain.
You're spot on about the importance of correct raker height but way wrong about filing vs. bench grinding. The only way a hand file can beat a bench grind is if you don't know how to properly use your bench grinder.
BTW, the chain in vid, the one with the folded over rakers is low quality chain. I thought they stopped making it back in the '80's or early '90's. The folded over rakers produce a lot of drag and get funky and thin when you lower them. I buy these chains at garage sales and use them when I've got destructive work like cutting stumps off in the ground to do so I don't tear up my good chains.
What grinder do you use?
If you are not careful with a bench grinder, you can overheat the cutter and temper it making it hard or even impossible to sharpen again. I have used Oregon 72 chain with full chisel cutters for years with excellent results. The depth gauges are straight up and easy to file. It is not a "low kickback" chain; it is great for professional use. I am retired from a saw shop where I worked for the past 21 years. Oregon 72 chain is the correct chain for the Husqvarna 372XP in the video.
@@jacklowe3788 Tecomek LR 36941. I think a lot of brands, including Oregon, put their name on this grinder.
You sir are exactly right, the only saw file i own is a raker file and a titanium raker guage. I have about 15 chains that i have ground in my box, if a chain gets dull, i switch it out and grind it when i get home. Sharpening on the job kills production.
Also my grinder is water cooled, having said that, the first day of cutting has removed any temper a chain had to begin with.
Years ago I worked for the US Forest Service and I spent the entire summer on a four man crew thinning and cutting standing timber to reduce the fire loads around a couple of big camp grounds that had major die off from spruce bark beetles. We were not required to buck or limb the downed timber, just get as many on the ground in a week as we could. I discovered that if I did a quick touch up with the file every time or every other time I fueled up that I was able to drop more trees on a tank of fuel then the others. The saw just ran more efficiently and it only took a couple of minutes once you learned the tricks of hand sharpening. The other advantage of always having a sharp chain was that I was much more accurate and had less hang ups then the others. A couple of guys consistently had issues and a few close calls and it almost always came back to them not taking care of their saws and or chain maintenance.
Excellent comment!
The steel to the one filing system works yet change my chainsaw life
I never used full chisel I've always used semi it's I'm always in dirty firewood. But I also touch up the chain after every tank and I never have a problem going dull.
Stihl 2 and 1 file I’ve been hand filing my chains for 20 years got it for Christmas last year simple easy and works great
I find it takes the rakers down too far for me. I gave mine away. I like to tune the chain to the power saw with the wood I'm currently cutting.
@@1d1hamby the stihl tool is simple to use for quick mindless sharpening. I've never seen a faster way to sharpen, doesn't mean it's perfect just easy.
Fact.. I tired every which way... and the Stihl one is just the best one I have found so far... yes its not like they are out of the box and the old timers can still out sharpen it but for out in the field on the fly it really really made it easy for me to get my saw back into shape fast
Take the raker file out of the 2in1 and just use the round files if the rakers are too low A few sharpenings later the rakers will be back in spec .... rinse and repeat
Fabz Acres 100% correct. The raker files are not set correctly on the 2 in 1. Wrong angle and way too much off.
Nicely done, Adam. Thanks for sharing. -Ed
Use the Stihl 2 in 1 file holder, it gets your rakers and the tooth perfectly every time you sharpen, it even has an angle guide to help you.
make sure you change out all files at the same time when needed. i work with guys that only change the tooth file and it screws everything up..
When you cut you don't use your log dogs which greatly improve your downwardly force/bite increases your cut pressure equals quicker cut time. Plus using just a round file with out a guide bar is also double the work (and less accurate), with a guide bar(attached to round file) it automatically sets depth for the round file so you can hit your correct angle (those diagonal marks top of each tooth) and line up the corresponding angle marks on file guide to get correct angle, also it sets the correct depth so you hit both your gullet & top of tooth at the same time giving the perfect sharpened tooth. Typically it only takes 3 strokes per tooth if you keep up with sharpening each 2-3 tanks of use . I'm sorry it took you 4 years how to actually still do it wrong.
I hope I can help you with your chain sharpening. That chain grinder you need to bump good for making sparks and that’s about it. I am an Australian and we have some of the hardest woods anywhere. I have also been lucky to work around the world and soon found out about the young bull and the old bull story. So I started asking why they constantly out cut the young ones. And getting quite a few answers that were the same or nearly the same so you start to take note. So with all the old timers that have shared there knowledge comes to around 700 years of experience. If you want a chain that cuts better than out of the box so here goes.
Now if you go to where you are talking about rakers (depth gauges) and Andrew from north west splitters I think, shows a tooth in good detail that I will talk about. If you take a look at the tooth you will see a line at the chain top level, now if you take notice when the factory put the first grind in it just went below that line. You will notice that your tooth rises from that on a steady rise toward the top of your chain, You are starting to get a back lean in your tooth. To fix this you need to take the gullet down to this line or what I call the 3 witness mark this should take it down so you can see just the thickness of the steel in the chain now the gullet has been removed. Now we need to work on the tooth cutting surfaces if you are using 3/8 chisel chain you will need the 7/32 file and I would suggest purchasing a file holder with the angles marked in it. This set the top plate cutting depth correctly wether you use the 10 degree handle drop or the straight 90 degree this sets your working point perfectly, If you are filing by hand and you are going to deep or to high your working point is useless. If you are using chipper chain or semi chisel the point is less crucial. You may need to go down to a 13/64 file but check the 3 witness mark on the back of the tooth if you are on the line or just below or just above the line and are taking out the gullet that’s the right file, this also works for the smaller chain and bigger chain. Now with the degrees on the plate 10 25 30 35 If you are cutting very soft wood and very clean you can use the 35 it cuts faster but looses its edge quicker, the 25 cuts slower but stays sharper longer, that’s why ripping chain is set for 10 degrees holds the edge the longest but is very slow. Ok the gullet is gone and the chain is sharp the rakers/depth gauges are next get the single tooth depth gauge stihl call them a file gauge and Husqvarna have them Origen have them Carlton have them. If you use the ones that are the long ones they only average out over the two teeth if you have a big tooth in the front and a calf worn out one at the back it kicked it up an the opposite if it the other way around. The single tooth sets every tooth to take the same thickness of chip off the full tooth to the smallest tooth. I have proven this on a new chain by removing half a tooth on all teeth on one side and leaving the full new on the other and still cutting a straight cut because the were taking off the same side chip. I generally use the stihl ones at the moment because the handle the safety chain the bast, as we can’t get a lot of chain at the moment. They have a soft or hard wood marking that sets the soft wood side a little deeper than the hard side. Once you have done all this your chain will cut better than out of the box chains. I hope this helps, cheers and have good holidays.
My dads been in the timber buisness for a long time. To save time he uses the power sharpener first n touches up with a file.
You buy a good enough chainsaw sharpener and know what you're doing you don't need to file unless ur out in the bush
dont let it get so dull that you have to use a power sharpener, just a lick with a hand file every tank full and it stays sharp
@@davesilvia9711 I get that but when ur in the woods n ya wrap a rock or somethin with a 372xp at full rpm, a power sharpener is necessary to fix the chain fast. But thats why we would go to the job with extra chains. N we fix em all up at once at the end of the day. Shit happens all the time loggin.
Thanks for the tips Adam. I’m new to firewood and chainsaws and need to work on filing my own chains soon.
What a lifestyle. I start my morning by dropping a couple of logs, then at work I fell a few logs and at night I'm stihl sawing logs. These vids give me a woody! I gotta leaf now. See ya fellers!
You are very special
My teacher always said when it is below zero and/or the wood is covered in snow, the chain will get dull faster than in non frozen wood. I will try to wipe the snow of or just knock it of with another piece of wood. I myself and my co workers at work always use these file guides that you put on the file, they will help with sharpening the edge of the cutters and in the same pass creating the half moon shape. If used in the right way, those guides guarantee a sharp chain
Wood that is "frozen" in the winter, is easier to cut than wood in the warmer weather. Has to do with the cells in the wood.
If you are cutting frozen green wood try sharpening your chain a little more square with the bar and step up one size with your file. It won’t cut quite as fast but it will not dull as quickly.
There is a stump vise that pounds into a tree stump with two pointed barbs, then will hold your bar, so you can do it right in the field. Dress the edges every 3 or four hours, the guys that use one or two tanks are right on it, if you keep it sharp you only need to a couple of strokes . You should see the part you filed shiny, following the factory cut angles will train your hands and eyes to the correct angle, and the thing about the height of the raker is very important. If you see powder instead of big chips you know its dull. I saw a video on a guy that made a vise out of a tree stump still standing Took about 39 seconds and he was filing. It takes time to develop these skills and learn the mysteries. You are doing great. Most of all, wear leather gloves while sharpening chains. If you don't, you will soon learn why I offer this advice. Merry Christmas and may God bless you during the new year.
I’ve been Cought slicing my finger open on a chain before when sharpening. Yes gloves are very important. I should have been wearing them
You got it. The tiniest bit of dirt is murder on anything sharp
I just use a dremel with a angle guide set at half speed can sharpen a chain in less than 5min
I didn't realize how little interaction with the ground it actually takes to dull a saw. I knew not to cut into the ground but I thought incidental contact here and there wouldn't hurt. So wrong. That little bit will save me a lot in the future. Thank you!
Another tip (you may already know this )
I learned last year that the most efficient way to saw through wood , is in fact the rocking back and forth from nose to dogs pretty well , not just straight cut where you leave your saw level and cut through that way , it helped me alot
Righteous good comment . Shorter cutting surface . Maybe not technically correct , but experiment and find different techniques you like . Cheers
Sharp chain no need to do that put the saw in and let it eat
good tip, if you don't saw clean wood. (e.g. clear loads of small trees / bug bushes), where you need to saw near the ground. often you have dirt on and in the wood (sometimes even small gravel). so the chain dulls extremely quickly. can't stop every 5 min to resharpen.
Rocking the saw cuts slower always
Young man you still have a ways to go before you understand sharpening!! Your chain was way too loose ,you cannot file efficiently with a moving tooth! Your round file will file out the gullet if your parallel with you bar rails and don't drag your file back over the tooth ,it knocks the teeth down and ruins your file which can't be resharpened! Don't mean to be harsh but I've been doing this over 40 years and am still making my living with a chainsaw. I wish I hadn't had to learn the hard way! But sharpening can be enjoyable especially when you head for a log with a chain 100 per cent sharp . I've watched a lot of guys on youtube and the one thing I don't see stressed nearly enough is to look and I mean really look at the dull tooth! Get some reading glasses if your older and magnify them so your seeing where they're dull and what it will take to get them back to 100 percent sharp . There are some old chainsaw how to manuals that are really good ! They were written by old guys that cut in the 50s,60s,and70s and contain real knowledge about tree cutting and saw maintenance they'll be online if you look for them. Buckin Billy is a character but watching him cut with one hand on his chainsaw and file at cutter tooth without looking at what his file is doing reminds me of the Turtle man hunting Bigfoot! or Forrest Gump shrimping!
Well , 50 years I've learned a little about sharpen chainsaw chains , most of saws are big 94cc , 99cc
Using a 7/32 file , while filing if the file cut back under the cut edge of the chain that when you have to pickup on your file to get it to sharpen the tooth , in order to get the tooth back in shape, I have found using 1/4" file will re shape this tooth without having to file the tooth away...
The gauge part of the tooth buy a gauge for that job so all teeth are the same and if your cutting in soft wood and you want it to cut a bigger chip , you can take a flat file and hit you gauges 3 or 4 licks more each..
As the chain tooth get smaller the set will leave it . I have had one name brand chain that about half way used up the set is gone and it will not cut ...not because it isn't Sharpe but because there's not enough set to cut a big enough cut to clear the width of the bar...
At this point you can sharpen at an angle that is almost straight across to get more set and use as much of the chain as possible ... before having to replace it..
When your chain get a little dull , sharpen it , 3 or 4 light licks with a file is better then having to file away you teeth plus when the chain is dull your wasting your engine.....
..
You can say about Buckin' what you want, but he knows how to sharpen a chain. The man has been perfecting his skill over the past 20+ years. You don't have to believe me, just watch his saws fly through the wood.
Yep get that chain tight on the bar, jam your scrench between the bottom of the bar and chain. You don’t want the chain to move when filing. Just a tip.. if you use an oversized file it will get your gullet and the cutting edge all in the same swipe. Mark your first tooth with a sharpie.
Some may use a plastic tree wedge on the bottom side between the bar and chain.
Get a Stihl 2 for 1 hand sharper it does your cutters and clearer at the same time it’s about $40.00 it great
I
basically the only video that actually teaches you how to sharpen a chain correctly.
Have you tried getting behind your saw. I don't pull up I pull back twards the power head just the way I was taught rarely use a vice and never use one in the bush. Watch buckin Billy Ray's video again see how he leans over the power head with the handle in your chest this is the way I have always sharpen my saws. Do you have a grinder and I agree it's nice sometimes if you have a bad chain someone brings you but I like to just hand file and keep them Sharp and the guides set properly. The reason I say to watch his video again is your close you're just working too hard on it. Watch how he rocks the boat then files it sharp and we never switch ends with the saw to file the opposite side I just file one side than the other side all from the power head end of the saw if you master this technique you will find it faster and easier definitely way faster with better results than any Grinder. It takes some hrs on the file to get the hang of it. Also do what works for you as a young chicken spanker I filed like you and did fine but an old guy taught me to file the way I do now and buckin Billy Ray's video was the 1st person I saw who filed like myself other than some older guys I have cut with. But I can tell you this a lot of people who have cut for a good many years will hand me their saw to sharpen it like mine. Keep up the good work can't keep helping people with your videos. Good luck and safe cutting my friend.
You did well if it only took four years to figure out 👍👍👍👍
I've been in the game for 10 and I'm no better 🤣
Try going to 35 or 25 angle on your cutter's will cut faster with more of a chip from your wood. But yeah good video
I'm old school and I have always felt I do a better job with a hand file. I think that touch ups are important too. If the chain isn't really dull, just a quick job will help a lot. I have used the Stihl all-in-one sharpener, but I still like hand sharpening.
Same.
the issue i see with the all in one is the flat file wears down and the guys only change out the tooth file. It really annoys me because it really screws up how the whole setup gets.. and then the complain about strange things that start happening and dont bother to realise what the real issue is
Fresh out of the box is not sharp!
You should never run a dull chain or a chain without oil ever!(
You’re change should cut better than new its whole entire life at 50% it’s done.
When you know what you’re doing you should be able to cut 300 cords with the chain.
Number one Bark is dirt.
Hitting the ground is not with dull your saw it’s chain speed.
If you take care of your chain you don’t have to take the rakers down.
If you take care of your chain you don’t have to take the rakers down.
Rakers are meant clean the sawdust out of the cut
Bark is dirt You’re right dee bark your cut before you saw chain speed never Suck bark in to your cut.
you do a good job UA-cam videos.
Control your chain speed do you know what jogging is?
I've sharpened chains for close to 60 years, not bragging just fact. 1 thing I've noticed is that 90% of the people get the angle off from 1 side to the other. I tell 'em to bring the chain in to be tried up on a wheel after 3 hand filings. It's worked well.
I do that myself... I file a chain after two tanks and change them out after the second filling.
That's why I sold all my stuff n got a pellet burning heater!!!!
Hahahaha!
Ikr
Agree with the other comments on tightening the chain. Get it so tight that its a bit of a struggle to move it, and the sharpening goes better. I've never been a pro, but have been cutting firewood for 50 years, starting with an ungodly heavy Mac. I also tried grinder options and hand files always won out. Like so many things, the quality of files has gone downhill. Nicholson used to be good. But now the best I can find are pferd, but I have not yet tried the Vallorbe files.
Love your "no nonsense" videos. Another good one Adam. Looking forward to your livestream with shifty!
Well for one thing, your chain is way too loose to be sharpening! The flex in the chain, changes the angle of the flute as well as the leading edge. Stihl makes a great hand sharpening system that covers all 3 areas at once. I have been falling, limbing and bucking 10 cord a year for the past 17 years and thought I was good at sharpening. I went to the Stihl system 5 years ago, and out of all the systems I have tried, this is by far the cheapest, quickest and most accurate system out there. Even with a novice sharpener, this will bring the chain back to new where it throws beaver chunks off after about 3 passes every tank of fuel! Like I said, I thought I was excellent at sharpening, and would do so for all my friends and family. Now, they all own these and I don’t have to sharpen them any more. You never again have to touch the rakers!
The first thing you want to do IS..... properly tension the chain to the bar.
You cannot get a properly sharpened tooth when the chain is tolling over and lifting off the bar.
Second, it is N0T recommended to drag your file backwards across a sharpened tooth.
Third learn to take smooth strokes in one plane without wobbling, dipping or stuttering.
Yep, thats what I always say "box sharp". It took me 4 years as well to really get my handfiling to the point I could make a dull chain "box sharp". I got a Stihl 2-1 file and I have given up handfiling. It takes the rakers down perfectly in the same stroke. Its just less work and that's my gig.
I have the similar one for my husqvarna. I do have to flip the files around for opposite sides but that’s easy to do
I've gotten to the point where I'll tune/adjust/file the chain from the box, to the power saw and wood I'm currently cutting.
hand filing sucks period! great information and you need to know how to do it so thanks for the tutorial. do yourself a favor and just buy a good electric grinder, not that dinky thing. on your brand new chainsaw chain box, up on the side panel somewhere are three different degree numbers they are your set numbers and once you get comfortable with the machine your chains will be brand new sharp...consistently... only took me five years to figure it out!
Add a high quality US or Aussie CBN wheel and then you’ll be happier still. The friable aluminum oxide stock wheels simply do not compare.
If you’ve got the right sized file, it will sharpen the whole tooth at the same time, your using wrong sized file.
Agree. Great point.
The saw owners Manuel will tell you what diameter file to use. I use the flat metal gauge to maintain my angle. Been doing it for decades and still double check my angles with it.
Scar you're right, the file he's using is too small in diameter. Use a 7/32 ( 5.5 mm ) file for this size of chain and buy a depth gage for the rakers.
Hmm...Using my hydraulic loader jaws to lift the logs off the ground; Never thought about that one! /S
TRY The Stihl 2 in 1 chainsaw sharpener & evaluate it. Some folks are really impressed with it. What do you think?
That chain is a safety chain ,they are a hard chain to keep sharp I usually use a single raker chain
Buckin is the man.
Good stuff - Here's another top tip to give you an even sharper edge - ROLL THE FILE (approx 1/4 of a turn counter-clockwise as you push) this smooth twist of the wrist will sharpen that top edge even more.
Final somebody got some damm sense
Agreed. I discovered that entirely by accident; it makes a big difference.
Good point . Cheers
It helps a lot to tighten your chain so you can just comfortably turn from tooth to tooth, this makes it more rigid and easier to sharpen.
Everybody has their favorite way to sharpen a chain...whatever works for you I guess. That said I try to never sharpen a chain on the bar because all those little metal filings fall into the bar groove and as the chain runs around the bar the filings wind up abraiding the bar surface leading to premature wear. I prefer to do major chain sharpening by removing the chain from the bar and placing it in a sharpening vice guide clamped in a bench vice. I then flip the bar 180 degrees before remounting the chain. Why do I do that? Because the bottom edge of the bar takes the brunt of abuse as you apply force to cut downwards through the log. By flipping the bar each time you reinstall it you spread the wear evenly between the two surfaces and extend the life of the bar. Another bar tip...as the chain rotates around the bar it ends up creating an edge burr. This burr causes the bar to bind as it moves downward through the log. So it's a good idea to check for the burr from time to time and when it gets pronounced use a regular drill mounted sanding disk with 220 grit paper and make a light pass or two down both face surfaces of the bar to remove the burr. Last but not least the best way to set raker height is with a raker guide as it's very difficult to achieve uniform raker height when filing by eye.
I usually file the gullet first and then the tooth
You also get better results if your chain is really tight while you're sharpening it
I always rotate the file on every pass, makes the file last longer ...
I do that too!
Also there is a mark on the top of the tooth of the angle that you hold your file that gives you the correct tooth angle
I have been doing it like this for years. But i do it in one stroke -i start at the bottom and work my way up and round and push through at the top for the cutting edge- every 5th time i sharpen the teeth i add the raker in with a couple of strokes. Only push the sharpner through to sharpen if you pull it will slightly dull the cutting edge.I also use a spark plug brush to take away any swarf/bits left on the cutting edge! About time someone showed how its done!!!!!!
Enjoy your videos
Adam has great videos