How often do you sharpen your chainsaw

You're on the right track. Most of us got by in our first years of burning by scrounging while we tried get two or three years ahead.

Dmitry said:

Lot of people reccomend stihl 2 in 1 , seems like a good idea to cut your rakers while you are doing teeth . The thing is about 40$ . Seems like lot for basic designe . Probably worth it . I'm just too greedy

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This. I got a Pferd and IIRC they make them for Stihl. I have a regular round file I was learning with but the 2 in 1 hits the rakers also, done and done. That's my preference anyway for 3/8 chains. I have an MS 170 with Picco chain I sharpen with my cheapo HF electric bench sharpener. Sharpen like 8 chains and it already paid for itself

At work, cutting roadside, I'll touch up the chain with every fuel stop. Roadside cutting is a different breed of cutting. The trees have sand and dirt embedded in them, as well as the occasional barbed wire or nail. Chains don't last long. And, I'm on someone's else's dime.
Cutting at home, when it needs it. If I noticed I'm working harder than I should be small chips or if I hit the ground.

I know I'll probably catch some flack but I take mine to my local aubuchon. They have a guy who sharpens and returns to store 1 week later for $8, does a great job. Usually do it before major cutting times, maybe 2x per year.

I made up a bunch of labels from blue painters tape that say sharp, half, and dull that are stuck to the side of my equipment box. I stick them on the top of the saw so I know every time I grab a saw what the condition is. Very helpful when you have multiple saws going at any one time.

I sharpen mine after every serious outing, or before going out to do heavy bucking. If it's just noodling or cutting a couple of trees, I likely will end up leaving the sharp sticker on it, and don't touch it, unless it's dirty wood and needs a touch up.

Much easier to hit each cutter 2 or 3 times and keep them in optimal condition and cutting big chips, vs. letting the blade get dull and having to bring it back.

Dmitry said:

Lot of people reccomend stihl 2 in 1 , seems like a good idea to cut your rakers while you are doing teeth . The thing is about 40$ . Seems like lot for basic designe . Probably worth it . I'm just too greedy

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It's an amazing sharpening tool. Worth every penny imo. I only wish it was the first sharpener I purchased, not the 20th.

I was going to buy it when Pferd first came out with it and won some awards. Was cheaper at my Stihl dealer than what I could get it for online, under 40. Paid for itself already in my book.

Dmitry said:

Lot of people reccomend stihl 2 in 1 , seems like a good idea to cut your rakers while you are doing teeth . The thing is about 40$ . Seems like lot for basic designe . Probably worth it . I'm just too greedy

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Sounds great, thanks for the tips guys. I'm definitely going to pick up the Stihl 2 in 1 this week. So far I've paid a guy $15 to sharpen mine, so it'll pay itself off in 3 jobs.

teekal said:

Sounds great, thanks for the tips guys. I'm definitely going to pick up the Stihl 2 in 1 this week. So far I've paid a guy $15 to sharpen mine, so it'll pay itself off in 3 jobs.

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Let us know what you think once you've gotten to use it. If you can, stick the bar/saw in a vice and get in a comfortable position. Works great.

DodgyNomad said:

Let us know what you think once you've gotten to use it. If you can, stick the bar/saw in a vice and get in a comfortable position. Works great.

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I talked to my Pops, and he already has what appears to be the next step up. Does anyone have any experience with this model?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41LhwZDHc1L.jpg

I am leaning towards getting the 2 in 1 anyway, as it seems a lot more user-friendly. Also you don't need to hook it up to a car battery in order to use it.

teekal said:

I talked to my Pops, and he already has what appears to be the next step up. Does anyone have any experience with this model?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41LhwZDHc1L.jpg

I am leaning towards getting the 2 in 1 anyway, as it seems a lot more user-friendly. Also you don't need to hook it up to a car battery in order to use it.

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The biggest problem I see with people using electric sharpeners of all kinds is unevenness/inconsistency from cutter to cutter over time. I've used several and own several electrics, and I find it hard to sharpen every tooth the same.

I really notice it when I'm sharpening and correcting blades for other people who are using grinders. The cutter length varies a lot especially on older chains.

Why I like the 2 in 1 it provides feedback better than my other file holders, and you can feel when the cutter/gullet becomes sharp so positively, in addition to fitting the hand so well which helps you maintain ideal angles. When using electrics, it's easy to grind one cutter more than the next. And with the cost of chains, I hate the idea of excess metal being ground off unnecessarily.

Tree pointer is right on.

The saw should pull itself into the wood and self feed. The felling dawgs should not have to be used to cut a piece of wood.

In chainsaw races one NEVER uses the felling dawgs as it increases the risk of stalling the chain which would be an immediate loss.

You could get some grinder(s) From left to right, rakers, .325 and 3/8th/.404 grinders

Touch the chain up before every outing.

Nothing fancy just a few swipes. Rakers once a season.

My chain always performs and its on the second cutting season with room for another year. I have been using the same file for this chain as the teeth form to the file.

Don't carry any files or a spare chain either.

You will probably find the cut will slant off if you use the dog in a cut. That's if you only have one dog.

Simple...If you start seeing DUST instead of CHIPS time to sharpen the chain. It's not rocket science!

I recently used mine for the first time since last winter. It tended to pull to the right. I assume that's because when I sharpened it I ending up filing one side more than the other.

While bucking up my landing logs today, I whacked a (definitely unseen) pointy piece of granite sticking up between two of the smaller logs a the bottom of the photo. Instantly screwed! Thank goodness for the old spare chain. I had been following the practice of dressing it up after every couple of tanks. Now I'll be spending some time in he garage trueing things up with the Granberg guide.
That's only about the second time in three years I've been bit. The first, an old power line lag screw and glass insulator was completely grown into a log. No chance I ever saw that one. That chain has never cut quite right since.

BrotherBart said:

Exactly right. Ten years ago Eric Johnson a member here gave me the answer to that one. File one side then turn the saw upside down and file the other side. You can't do the same angle switch hitting.

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Hmmmm....neat idea about flipping your saw. It's always a pain to undo the wingnut on my Granberg to change from one direction of filing to the other. I'll have to try flipping the saw over & see how that works. Thanks for sharing!

BrotherBart said:

Exactly right. Ten years ago Eric Johnson a member here gave me the answer to that one. File one side then turn the saw upside down and file the other side. You can't do the same angle switch hitting.

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That sounds so crazy, it just might work! I'll have to try that the next time I touch up the chain.

I turn mine upside down when in the granberg sawmill where I can't access the other side. Otherwise just turning the saw around works fine for me.

Didn't think of turning it upside down, thanks.

just to add. although I'm only a year into serious cutting, I bought a timberline and sharpen at every fueling on my 362CM. It only takes a minute or two and I've found Im less tried and get much more done with a razor sharp chain. Once I got over sticker shock, I bought a second cutter for my extra saw, an Echo Cs-530.
https://www.timberlinesharpener.com/

The mistake a lot of beginners make is starting the day with a dull chain. If you plan on going out into the woods and your first step is to sharpen your chain, stop right there. The resting state of your chain should be sharp. My wife and I live on a very large piece of property in a very rural area, next to a tree farm. We also own the several mile road into our house which means we are responsible for taking care of it. This means that, at a moment's notice, I may need to grab one of my saws and cut us in or out of our road. This typically happens at least once a month. If I had to first sharpen my chain, I would be out of luck. When your are all done with your firewood cutting/tree felling/whatever you do with your saw, take time to relax and sharpen it immediately afterward. I am in the habit of making that the end of my saw experience every time and it yields great dividends when you can grab your saw and know it is sharp at any given time.

As to the question of how often: If you are not hitting ANYTHING but wood, I like to touch mine up every other time I refuel the saw. Also, keep extra chains. Lots of them. I own 32 currently of different types including low kickback ones and professional chains. This way you can keep plenty of sharp ones ready in case you hit a rock/nail/something while cutting, and simply change the chain out and keep moving. Organize the dull ones so that on a day when you have some time, you can sit down and sharpen a bunch.

I know its not the greatest but I have decent results with the Harbor Freight unit - I have spare chains and sharpern them all at once, setting it up for one angle - sharpening all the chains and then setting up for the opposite and sharpening all the chains (if that made sense-all my chains are the same)

and I change blades when I start to see some dust but I am stubborn so if I am in my last cut or two for the day sometimes i wont

hard to beat for $30
http://www.harborfreight.com/electric-chain-saw-sharpener-61613.html

I know some people have the sharpening down to an exact science - if that you this isnt the unit I think you would want

I use the HF sharpener for my MS170 micro chains, I got the Pferd 2 in 1 for my 3/8 chains on my other 2 saws