Chain saw Sharpener use for Sharpening your Chain
Chain saw sharpener use for sharpening your chain to keep your chain saw cutting as if new.
A properly sharpened chain is the key to how well your chain saw will cut.
Whenever you cut something with a chain saw the chain loses its ability to remove material, it gets dull.
The chain is designed to be sharpened numerous times.
Each time you sharpen the chain a small amount of material is removed from the tooth.
Your goal is to only remove enough to bring the tooth back to a state of sharpness.
There are three different angles that you must adhere to if you want to end up with a chain that will cut as it did when new.
The first thing you need to do is determine the chain you have.
The easiest way to accomplish this is to look on the box that the chain came in and if this is an Oregon chain all of the information will be listed.
The chain number will be something as: 90SG which is an Oregon number,
or similar, and there will be a number given in degrees, such as: 30, and also a file size such as:5/32in- 3/16in- 7/32in.
Take note of this info because it is very important.
There are different methods you can use to re-sharpen your chain:
- Replace chain with new one
- Take to sharpen shop
- Hand file
- Hand file holder
- Electric chain sharpener
Replace chain with new one is not a cost effective means of curing the problem.
You will end up wasting a lot of material by disposing of the used chain
Taking your dull chain to a shop that sharpens chains is one option that may or may not be cost and time effective for you.
Filing the Chain
A round file is used in the filing of the chainsaw
chain. This is the old proven method of chain saw sharpener that has been in use for years.
It must be the proper diameter for your chain, this is very important.
You will find this diameter listed on the box that the chain came in, or you can look on a chain chart.
When using the file you must maintain the proper angles, not an easy task to accomplish.
Chain file holder,
guide
A better way to use the hand file is with a chain file holder, guide.
The correct file is attached to the holder and then used in the same manner as before, but aligning the scribed mark on the holder up with the bar.
This gives you one of the angles but not the others.
This does work, but how accurate you file the teeth will to a large extent depend upon you.
How well you master the different angles that you must maintain.
It is difficult to get the teeth filed with the same amount off each tooth.
It is human nature to file one side more than the other.
When you get this to an extreme, the chain will cut at an angle, and not as efficient.
Electric chain sharpener
A better way to sharpen the chain is with an electric oregon chain saw sharpener.
When you use this you are assured that the required angles are correct and that each side will have the same amount of material removed.
I use a look alike electric chain sharpener .
This is a cheaper way to go and it works well for me.
I have used this for a number of years and it just keeps on doing the sharpening job for me.
I did try some of the cheaper versions but they were awkward and the quality of the finished sharpening job was lacking.
Granted this is more expensive than the before mentioned methods.
If you can have a chain that cuts as well as new.
Able to obtain this in a matter of minutes, isn't it worth the added expense?
You are serious about the journey you are on now, turning your country property into a forestry garden, so why not invest some money in an item that will make this task so much easier and time effective.
A chain saw sharpener will keep your chain cutting as well as new.
This will make your cutting job so much safer and easier that it will be worth the investment.
You can go to this site to obtain more information on this type of sharpener. I feel that the Oregon sharpener is hard to beat. It does cost more but you get a quality sharpener:
File the chain riders
There is one more area you need to pay attention to.
The chain has part of the tooth sticking up that is away from the part you filed.
This is known as the rider.
This determines how much material the tooth will remove.
This must be maintained so that it is below the height of the sharpened part.
This is typically .025inch lower.
A handy gauge will easily determine if you need to lower this rider.
This tool is usually included with the saw and if not can be obtained where you get the files.
To file this down use a 6in or 8in mill flat file.
Usually a couple of passes will do the trick.
If the rider is too high the shaving will be thin.
If too low the chain will bog down the motor, and there is a greater risk of kickback.
Now that you have your chain cutting as new with your chain saw sharpener it is time to make sawdust.
Make sure you check out the chain saw safety page so you can do this task safely and easily.
You can go to this site to obtain the type of file that you need:
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