Having trouble maintaining correct pitch when sharpening chain. Have a hand sharpener( Husky) that holds round file and a flat file for rakers.Trouble is I am right handed and when I sharpen I always seems to have trouble maintaining even sharpening from right to left. Also angle is maintained by eye as you go. Years ago I had a sharpener that mounted to bar, set the angle and height of round file and it worked great. Rakers were done seperately with a flat file. Anyone know where I can get one or anyone using something that works well. thanks in advance.
Chain sharpener
- Thread starter Steamer
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Steamer you can do a Google search for chain sharpeners or try Baileys.
btw I take it you are using a vice to do this and do you tighten the chain enough so you can just move it with a gloved hand?
When I 1st started hand sharpening I had to keep a large log up by the house for a test cut...it got frustrating going into the woods to find the saw cutting left or right. It was only after taking off the file guide when I was sure enough I had the angles locked down that I made real progress with hand filing.
Now using a little bit of pressure it just takes one swipe across the tooth while I rotate the file a third rotation to make my chain sharp. Of course if I hit a rock or metal fencing that's another story. Remember it's the very points of the chain that do the cutting...so as you're drawing the file across the tooth that's your objective...a sharp point.
As you draw the file across the tooth with your thumb and forefinger try rotating the file up toward the point of the tooth. Another important trick is ground control. Find yourself a comfortable position over the saw and far enough away from the spikes that you can file confidently and stay there without moving your feet, stay in position using the file to pull the next tooth closer by the back of the tooth. Oh btw use a black magic marker on the top of tooth you start from...it'll show up fine if you wipe the tooth off with a rag 1st.
My advice is don't dick with the raker's until you observe moving chain on a log won't cut and pull through or across the log with authority and leaving those nice wood chips only a sharp chain can leave...then attend to the rakers.
If you grind chains the raker's will need attention. You master the art of hand filing and you'll cut 25 full cords of wood or more and find your chain is all stretched out without attending to the raker's.
btw I take it you are using a vice to do this and do you tighten the chain enough so you can just move it with a gloved hand?
When I 1st started hand sharpening I had to keep a large log up by the house for a test cut...it got frustrating going into the woods to find the saw cutting left or right. It was only after taking off the file guide when I was sure enough I had the angles locked down that I made real progress with hand filing.
Now using a little bit of pressure it just takes one swipe across the tooth while I rotate the file a third rotation to make my chain sharp. Of course if I hit a rock or metal fencing that's another story. Remember it's the very points of the chain that do the cutting...so as you're drawing the file across the tooth that's your objective...a sharp point.
As you draw the file across the tooth with your thumb and forefinger try rotating the file up toward the point of the tooth. Another important trick is ground control. Find yourself a comfortable position over the saw and far enough away from the spikes that you can file confidently and stay there without moving your feet, stay in position using the file to pull the next tooth closer by the back of the tooth. Oh btw use a black magic marker on the top of tooth you start from...it'll show up fine if you wipe the tooth off with a rag 1st.
My advice is don't dick with the raker's until you observe moving chain on a log won't cut and pull through or across the log with authority and leaving those nice wood chips only a sharp chain can leave...then attend to the rakers.
If you grind chains the raker's will need attention. You master the art of hand filing and you'll cut 25 full cords of wood or more and find your chain is all stretched out without attending to the raker's.
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