Chainsaw sharpening

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smokinj

Minister of Fire
Aug 11, 2008
15,980
Anderson, Indiana
Anyone that takes there chains to the dealership to be sharpen what do they charge you, and what size chain?
 
come on, nobody should have to do that.
 
Adirondackwoodburner said:
come on, nobody should have to do that.

yea right if nothing else hitting some metal would slow em down. I have been doing 5+ chains a week just wondering what other people are paying.
 
I was bucking up a large Oak on the ground and got a little cutsy with the ground. I nicked the ground and saw a spark, which happened to be a small rock. Destroyed the chain and it would have taken forever and a day to sharpen it. My local shop charges $10 on the saw and $6 if its just the chain. For 6 bucks I let them sharpen it and used my other saw.
 
Our local shop charges $4.50 a chain when not on the bar, $10 a chain on the bar.

NP
 
I guess I dont understand this. so you are using yoursaw for a few hours or say one or two tanks of gas and then it becomes dull so you take the chain to the shop to ahve it sharpened? That makes no sence. I sharpen my chain at every fillup minimum and work all day long.
 
Adirondackwoodburner said:
I guess I dont understand this. so you are using yoursaw for a few hours or say one or two tanks of gas and then it becomes dull so you take the chain to the shop to ahve it sharpened? That makes no sense. I sharpen my chain at every fillup minimum and work all day long.

many schools on this one I change my chains when needed and sharpen in the shop where there is cold beer.I know that most will say its quicker to touch up a chain between fill ups but Id still rather do it in the shop where I can put a lot of focus on each chain

I started a sharping service a few months ago thats why Iam asking the question just to get a bigger picture
 
what am i doing wrong? At about two tanks of gas I don't notice any loss, at about three I might notice some diminished cutting, and usually around 4 I need to sharpen it. I've gone longer and certainly i've gone just a minute or two before I dulled it on rocks or nails or something.

lol, maybe my saw is running too rich and i'm just eating up the gas, so my fillups aren't the same as y'all.
 
well i figure since i have stopped and usually take a break anyways at each fillup I might as well sharpen. Normall it is three strokes each tooth and thats it
 
Danno77 said:
what am i doing wrong? At about two tanks of gas I don't notice any loss, at about three I might notice some diminished cutting, and usually around 4 I need to sharpen it. I've gone longer and certainly i've gone just a minute or two before I dulled it on rocks or nails or something.

lol, maybe my saw is running too rich and i'm just eating up the gas, so my fillups aren't the same as y'all.


if I run 2 tanks out on either or both saw's there is a lot of wood to be moved,but I also run with razor shape chains no matter what. Have a dozen chains ready to go at any given time just makes it a lot funnier with great chains (you never know when your going to hit something or rotten wood)
 
Yo,
$6/7 off, $9/10 on (two dealers nearby).

S
 
Places around me were $6 - 7 for the chain not on the bar, last time I had them do one which was several years ago... They didn't do anything better than what I can do with my POS HF grinder, and not as good as I can do with a file. On top of that, all they did was the cutters, they didn't touch the depth guages / rakers...

Nowadays I'll do them myself, normally by hand on the saw, after every tank of gas, unless they got rocked or otherwise seriously messed up, in which case they will make a round on the HF grinder (I have to be REALLY desperate for that...)

Gooserider
 
Danno77 said:
what am i doing wrong? At about two tanks of gas I don't notice any loss, at about three I might notice some diminished cutting, and usually around 4 I need to sharpen it. I've gone longer and certainly i've gone just a minute or two before I dulled it on rocks or nails or something.
It seems better to touch them up after each tank or 2 and have a really sharp chain all the time than to run them until dull. Just my $.02
 
I usually sharpen every 2nd tank of fuel--unless I hit something first. Usually only 3-4 strokes per cutter with the hand file, I get the rakers later.

NP
 
7 bucks a chain. I have them done every winter, I touch them up with hand file rest of the time at my shop. when im out cuttin I just throw a new chain on and continue on. Most of the time im scrougin so mud and dirt is on the wood and they dull quick so ill carry 4 with me.
 
I find that the more often I hand file, the easier it is to keep the factory shape when I file freehand. If I wait too long, the cutters are much more out of shape and I have to work harder to get them right. Therefore a quickie with each fill up works best, If I'm lazy, every other tank.
 
smokinjay said:
Danno77 said:
what am i doing wrong? At about two tanks of gas I don't notice any loss, at about three I might notice some diminished cutting, and usually around 4 I need to sharpen it. I've gone longer and certainly i've gone just a minute or two before I dulled it on rocks or nails or something.

lol, maybe my saw is running too rich and i'm just eating up the gas, so my fillups aren't the same as y'all.


if I run 2 tanks out on either or both saw's there is a lot of wood to be moved,but I also run with razor shape chains no matter what. Have a dozen chains ready to go at any given time just makes it a lot funnier with great chains (you never know when your going to hit something or rotten wood)

I'm with smoking on this one.....don't cut a lot, but I bring 1 chain on the bar, and 2 with me to the field.....if one gets dull, i swap it out and put in a fresh one.....all the sharpening is at home in the basement on the vice....just works better for me this way
 
sharpening chain around here 6-7 bucks, most of them do not take the time to due them properly and never seem to touch the depth gauges. I charge 6, if they bring it in on the saw it is no biggie to me and I will clean up the bar also. the little extra on the bar seems bring in a little more down the road apiece.
 
blades said:
sharpening chain around here 6-7 bucks, most of them do not take the time to due them properly and never seem to touch the depth gauges. I charge 6, if they bring it in on the saw it is no biggie to me and I will clean up the bar also. the little extra on the bar seems bring in a little more down the road apiece.

I have been charging 5 bucks up to 18 in 6 bucks to 25in. havent seen any bigger yet and will do it the same price on or off. Iam with you its repeat buzz !
 
I was dulling chains quickly sawing hickory, and I followed Gooserider's and others advice to touch up the chain after every tank of gas. That has been working really well. I probably cut five times longer with my primary chain, and just now replaced it with my backup. That beats the $6-8 I was paying for each chain every week.
 
Probably redundant, but make sure to check Your chains ranker height as well as just putting an edge on Your chain .
You can sharpen a chain "til the cows come home but, if the ranker height is wrong,it won't cut worth beans .
 
smokinjay said:
Anyone that takes there chains to the dealership to be sharpen what do they charge you, and what size chain?

I will if I hit a nail or rock the sh_t out of a chain.

Dealer here charges $6.
 
Nixon said:
Probably redundant, but make sure to check Your chains ranker height as well as just putting an edge on Your chain .
You can sharpen a chain "til the cows come home but, if the ranker height is wrong,it won't cut worth beans .

often over looked
 
Hello There,
Just bought a kit to start sharpening my own chains--the dealer spent some time showing me how to do it right. BUT, I have one question: how often do the rakers have to be filed? I sharpened my chain (RSC) for the first time last night, and it seems as if (using the gauge in the kit) the rakers are fine. Are they every other, should I file 'em a bit for the fun of it?

Thanks!

S
 
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