chain saw reflections and question

My impression is that, when it comes to the home use type gas chain saws, the new chain blade seems to last quite awhile. Then, once it goes dull, and you get it sharpened, it cuts great for a few whacks, then is dull again, almost immediately.

If this indeed is the case at large, then maybe the answer is simply to have a big roll of chain blade handy. Make up a new blade each time the old one dulls, and discard the old one.

For me, it isn't the money so much as it is I really can't afford for my chain to go dull quickly. I need a bit more longevity out of whatever I'm using to cut with.

Is having a roll and chain breaker stuff handy a good way to go to avoid short life spans of resharpened blades.

Reply to
RB
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If that was the case, wouldn't commercial loggers do that? They seem to have tried and true techniques for sharpening saws. IIRC, they just carry extras, and slap a sharp one on when the other goes dull. They do have a lifetime, and can be resharpened to a point where a new one is the only answer.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

Have you considered whether the place sharpening the chain for you is doing it correctly? Maybe they're pushing things and overheating the chain teeth, thus making them go soft? Are they reducing the height of the "depth stops" in between the cutting teeth to make up for the reduced length of the sharpened teeth?

My suggestion is that you learn to sharpen them yourself. A Dremel or similar high speed rotary tool and a few chain saw sharpening stones for it will do the job while the chain is on the saw quicker than you can say Jill Robinson.

There are small guides available for Dremels which make it easier to keep the angle correct on every tooth, but I've always done it by eye and my chain saw cuts well enough for me.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

A properly re-sharpened loop should be just as sharp and last just as long as a new one. But sharpening includes more that just reshaping the leading edges of the teeth. For one thing the ramps which determine cutting depth have to be ground too because every time a tooth is sharpened it becomes shorter (front to rear) and that changes the geometry.

I use a Stihl 029 "Farm Boss" which I re-barred to 18" and changed over to standard pitch chain (0.375" IIRC). For a while I used Bailey's carbide impregnated loops and they did seem to hold up better in dirty conditions but they were expensive enough that as they got past the point of being sharpenable I got rid of them and replaced them with standard good-quality chain. I make it a rule to always have at least three usable loops on hand so that if one or two are in for sharpening the saw is still usable. Chain loops are inexpensive enough that it looks like false economy to not have spares.

Oh, and I gave up on sharpening my own chains. I did a lousy job freehand, the jigs looked like a waste of money for my purposes, my local saw shop will sharpen mine for something like $4.00, and I'm even more lazy than I am cheap.

Reply to
John McGaw

New ones are not that expensive. I suspect the real reason why you haven't had much luck with sharpening is you ran it too long dull. That will anneal the teeth and they won't hold an edge. I just buy them on sale at the BORG and toss them when they get dull.. If you are careful they last a pretty long time. Kiss the dirt a few times andf they are toast.

Reply to
gfretwell

Simple solution:

  1. Buy a round file to fit (new one every year) and a holder for it (marked with diagonals at 25, 30 and 35 degrees.)
  2. Sharpen your own blade either every morning or every time you refill the gas tank: 16 strokes on each tooth does it, quite fast if you steady the saw on any object with parallel lines.
  3. A sharp blade removes small square chips of wood, a dull saw only sawdust. When your resharpened chain fails to produce chips, buy a new one.
Reply to
Don Phillipson

OK. Some spares on hand it will be. Thanks.

Reply to
RB

When I bought my Husky 345, it came with free shipping and two extra chains. And all for $237. I jumped on it. And, I think I will take the poster's suggestion about getting them sharpened for $4 each. I will have to make sure about that figure, but if it's even close, that makes it so easy.

AND, if I keep it out of the dirt and away from nails this time, the chains should stay sharp longer.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

It does seem that a new chain seems to hold a cutting edge a bit longer but that is probably just because it is sharpened more accurately. Many home saws use exactly the same chain as other users. So your experience is not common.

If your sharpened ones seems to dull rapidly compared to a new blade, then the chain is not being sharpened correctly. Probably sharpened at too great an angle (sharper but won't hold up).

The chain on an 18" bar shouldn't need sharpening until you have cut at least a cord of green wood into 18" lengths. And you can keep sharpening it until the teeth are only about 3/16" wide and you have cut at least 20 cords. The average home owner would probably never need more than one chain. Keep the chain out of dirt and rocks. I've cut into quartz hidden between bark and the wood and the chain is instantly dull, but about 5 strokes of file instead of my regular 3 will sharpen the chain.

But if you are lazy, sure, you can buy chain by the roll, buy a breaker tool, and just count links to get the correct length. Probably save 5-10 minutes over sharpening the chain.

Reply to
George E. Cawthon

  1. is true
  2. is bogus about the frequency of sharpening unless you are cutting into dirt or are a logger and sharpening takes you about 1 minute. And 16 strokes of a file is way too much and will quickly wear away the teeth. More like 3 strokes per tooth after cutting at least 80 square feet of wood with an 18" bar (probably take you 3 tank fulls depending on the size of the chainsaw).
  3. Not true. A sharp chain produces long slivers, upto 3-4" long on fresh wood, considerably shorter on dry wood but no where near square. When chip length decreases to the width of the teeth (square chip), the chain is well on the way toward dull.
Reply to
George E. Cawthon

I suspect you don't know much about chainsaws or sharpening a chain.

Reply to
George E. Cawthon

Reply to
John Lawrence

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