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Got a fast way to sharpen chain?
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buy 4 chains.. rotate them thru your sharpening source..
life is short...
*Locally, there's so little difference between sharpening and buying new (16" saw) that I'm not sure it's worth sharpening. Of course, the last time I paid to have a chain sharpened, it came back almost toothless because the (bleep) who sharpened it obviously didn't know the term "light touch," so I may be biased.I do keep a file in the box that lumps around with the saw, to touch up the teeth every hour or so. Four strokes/tooth seems to extend the life considerably, and just takes a couple of minutes.Keeping it oiled and not loaning it out, too...but you probably already know that.BTW, I sent you an e-mail: the Ryobi parts arrived today. Perfect fit, and thanks again.
*r,Dremel with stone. 5 minutes.KK
*If you do it often, buy a chain saw grinder. Takes me about 2-3 minutes per chain.John
*I'm gunna have to try to get someone to give me onna dem chain grinder thingys for christmas. I use a file. It helps to have at least two chains. If one gets dull while yer working, you can quickly change it for the other one, and then sharpen both at the end of the day.
*A file in my back pocket. Oncce or twice a day it's a nice way to enjoy some quiet in the woods. I stand the saw on end leaned against a log at about 22 degees. Then I can run the file at a level to the ground and control angle of grinds without a guide. You need an extra chain for surre in case of emergency to keep production up but I rarely change it until old is worn out.
*Actually, you should file the chain everytime you fill it. I set it on the tailgate and lean ontop of the body of the saw, then file...all 84 of them dang teeth. Once in a while you have to file the guides down, but that depends on what you are cutting and how much power the saw has.Oh ya, those files don't last forever, don't be afraid to throw them away.
*Throw them far away, so you will not be tempted to go pick them up and use them again. A good file is a joy to sharpen with. An old one just makes a chore into a hard labor sentence.
*Thanks for input, merry xmas y'all.
*7 chainsaws....gas...electric and hydraulic...oh...and air. And lots of chains. Run one till gas time...go to the next...then fill em all and file em all quick.Once a year....grab some beer...and file all your chains on a spare bar clamped in a vise, or toss em out....Or let the pros do it.near the stream,aj
*Oh Great one on the Mountain.Problem is that most of those "pros" are dummies with power grinders and no respect for tools. They take a third of the metal off an almost new chain the first time through. I've had to throw it away after they nick into the link because I don't want a broken chain wrapped around my leg or face.
*Two chains, one oregon file guide. Two chains will get me through as much as I want to cut in a day. Clamp on the file guide when you get home, crack a cold beverage and spend 30 min. sharpening chains. Nice way to unwind after a day of noise and heavy lifting.
*I get my chain saw loops sharpened for $ 3.00 per loop by a local sharpening service that does a GREAT JOB....
*I'm a 3-chain guy.One, the rattiest (oldest chain with the least tooth remaining, not the dullest), for ground cutting.The other two good chains get cycled on/off the bar as required.Like others, I give it a quick filing whenever I gas up. After several "quick filings" I take it indoors for a thorough sharpening with the file. After several "thorough filings" I sharpen it with a grinder. I finally bought an Oregon elecric sharpener last year (from Northern), and a good purchase it was. The sharpening shops here always charged too much, and took too much metal off the chain.A sharp chain is a thing of beauty to cut with. A dull chain is an accident waiting to happen.
*I own more chain and bars than I want to think about. The local sharpening service and a few chains in the best route for the occasional user. Learning to sharpen a chain is somewhat of an art particularly free hand (without a guide). Take your time use a file guide and be patient, take the same number of strokes off each tooth in the loop and check your raker depth when your done. the dremel trick works but you will wreck chains that way. A properly sized round file working from the outside of the tooth in is the only way to go.Have funWTN
*USE ONLY IF YOU HAVE A STEADY HAND. Stick the chainsaw file in a drill. Or buy some round power chainsaw files $3 at Lee Valley. They just stick into a dremel
*Not too long ago a guiy was cutting up a blown down that happed to be in my way to getto a job. After watching him graon away for awhile, I got mine out and made about four cutts to his one. He just set his saw down to watch me. I stopped cutting and asked nicely, "Would you like me to show you haow to sharpen your chain?" since it was obvious hat the problem was."Naw, I've got my own way of doing it"I found a whole pile of dull chains in the garage later that had never seen a file.