chainsaw file life

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Boom Stick

Feeling the Heat
Oct 26, 2011
312
Capital Region, NY
Curious about how long a round file should last. My first file was a stihl round file without guide and I initially was sharpening freehand. It lasted a good bit but I replaced it as it felt slick and lost its bite. I now use a guide and figured if I rotate the fileI can evenly wear on it. I am assuming these are not nicholson quality files.....cheapo stihl files. Under normal conditions how long should a round file last me.....how many sharpenings before I toss it out? Do they need to be cleaned at all for metal shavings? Thanks!!
 
Yes, get a file card and keep it clean. But remember that files are diposable. You might still have your grandfather's axe but you shouldn't be holding any sentiment about his files. If it doesn't feel like it is biting anymore get another out of your supply, don't you by them by the dozen?
 
Lots of factors:

Hardness of chain
Hardness of file
Number of cutter links in a chain loop
How dull you let the cutters get before sharpening
Rotate your file periodically.
Blow out filings from file valleys.

Some cutter links are harder than others. Some files are harder than others. Stihl chain requires harder files, and genuine Stihl files are up to the task. Save Edge are pretty good, too.

If one of my 3/8 pitch, 32" full comp Stihl chains is very dull, I can kill a good Stihl file in one sharpening of that chain.
 
Trick to keep your files lasting longer, rub them down with some plain cheap bar soap before you use them, keeps the filings from sticking and clogging up the gullets. You still need to use a file card every so often to clean out gullets.
 
Yes, get a file card and keep it clean. But remember that files are diposable. You might still have your grandfather's axe but you shouldn't be holding any sentiment about his files. If it doesn't feel like it is biting anymore get another out of your supply, don't you by them by the dozen?

Perhaps true with cheap modern round files, but otherwise wrong! The best files to be had are vintage Simmonds, Diamond backs, Heller, and Nicholsons. Send them out for sharpening, and they come back sharper and last longer than most of the crap you can afford to buy today. If you have any of your grandfathers vintage files of which you'd like to dispose, please send them my way.

One of the biggest, but most frequently ignored factors in file life is storage. Keep them separated. This is why files come to you individually wrapped, or wrapped in a large roll with paper separating each file from the next.
 
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