Hi,

I have a chainsaw, with (today) 3 blunt chains.

I have a handfile for sharpening which works fine, but takes forever.

Local guy charges a fiver a chain, which I think is a bit rich, but seems to
be the going rate!

I just found these http://tinyurl.com/5scyh (Chronos Ezlap chainsaw
sharpener) on the web. Seem like very good value.

Question: Anybody got tone? Are they any good? Any comments?


David

Some tips based on my 20 years of cutting firewood with my Husqvarna chain
saws.
I make sure the chain is always tight ie you should just be able to pull it
wearing protective gloves.
2 grease the nose sprocket every day you use it.
3 the chain will pick up a film of resin and dirt after 5 minutes use you
will see the brown film appear on the teeth--wire brush each tooth--takes
less than 5 minutes-miracle-the chain will go through wood like a hot knife
through butter.
4 pick up a sharpener that clamps to the bar that way you stand a chance of
getting a true tooth profile-discard worn files they only cost 80
pence--make sure you use the correct diameter file its critical.
5 get the chain professionaly sharpened each season--I dont bother now but
it saves time in the forest when the saw wont cut straight.
6 the chain needs sharpened when the saw starts to veer off from the right
angle--it cuts to the sharp side.
7 always use fresh petrol-it goes off--so does this new fangled organic 2
stroke oil.
8 always wear eye protection the chips are murder on your eyes-Im sure you
have discovered this already.
9 check the oiler is working every few cuts by pointing the nose at the wood
it should spray oil.
10 you can use gear oil as chain lube in an emergency.
11 never lend your saw its a lethal weapon in the wrong hands--mine came
back scrap-he failed to put oil in the petrol!!.
Happy sawing
wrote in message
...
On Sun, 10 Apr 2005 20:36:09 +0100, "Vortex"
wrote:

Hi,

I have a chainsaw, with (today) 3 blunt chains.

I have a handfile for sharpening which works fine, but takes forever.

Three strokes per tooth on an 18" chain is 5mins.

Local guy charges a fiver a chain, which I think is a bit rich, but seems
to
be the going rate!

I'd avoid these as often they'll use a dry disc grinder and the tooth
gets a bit hot, this seems to make the chrome layer peel off.

I just found these http://tinyurl.com/5scyh (Chronos Ezlap chainsaw
sharpener) on the web. Seem like very good value.

Question: Anybody got tone?

Not me

Are they any good?

Don't know

Any comments?

I've found diamond files are great for honing, the trouble is most the
time you stop to sharpen a chainsaw it's because grit in the wood bark
(or floor :-() has done some damage. You need to sharpen out all of
this damage until the shiny edge of the cutter disappears (sharp edges
don't reflect light). My feeling is a sharp file gets back to the
undamaged metal fastest without undue side effects, I'd expect the
small cuts taken by this diamonds file to take a while even in a
drill. Not to mention how unwieldy it would be.

Don't be afraid to discard a file if it gets blunt, rotate it as you
pause between teeth to even out the wear, use full, straight, strokes
and a firm pressure to ensure a good cut without skidding.

Obviously it takes a bit of practice but a quick resharpen on the saw
several times a day is still the most effective, compared with the
time taken to dismount and replace a chain, which still needs
sharpening later.

AJH


David

"tom patton" wrote in message
. uk...
Some tips based on my 20 years of cutting firewood with my Husqvarna chain
saws.
I make sure the chain is always tight ie you should just be able to pull
it
wearing protective gloves.
2 grease the nose sprocket every day you use it.
3 the chain will pick up a film of resin and dirt after 5 minutes use you
will see the brown film appear on the teeth--wire brush each tooth--takes
less than 5 minutes-miracle-the chain will go through wood like a hot
knife
through butter.
4 pick up a sharpener that clamps to the bar that way you stand a chance
of
getting a true tooth profile-discard worn files they only cost 80
pence--make sure you use the correct diameter file its critical.
5 get the chain professionaly sharpened each season--I dont bother now but
it saves time in the forest when the saw wont cut straight.
6 the chain needs sharpened when the saw starts to veer off from the right
angle--it cuts to the sharp side.
7 always use fresh petrol-it goes off--so does this new fangled organic 2
stroke oil.
8 always wear eye protection the chips are murder on your eyes-Im sure you
have discovered this already.
9 check the oiler is working every few cuts by pointing the nose at the
wood
it should spray oil.
10 you can use gear oil as chain lube in an emergency.
11 never lend your saw its a lethal weapon in the wrong hands--mine came
back scrap-he failed to put oil in the petrol!!.
Happy sawing
wrote in message
...
On Sun, 10 Apr 2005 20:36:09 +0100, "Vortex"
wrote:

Hi,

I have a chainsaw, with (today) 3 blunt chains.

I have a handfile for sharpening which works fine, but takes forever.

Three strokes per tooth on an 18" chain is 5mins.

Local guy charges a fiver a chain, which I think is a bit rich, but
seems
to
be the going rate!

I'd avoid these as often they'll use a dry disc grinder and the tooth
gets a bit hot, this seems to make the chrome layer peel off.

I just found these http://tinyurl.com/5scyh (Chronos Ezlap chainsaw
sharpener) on the web. Seem like very good value.

Question: Anybody got tone?

Not me

Are they any good?

Don't know

Any comments?

I've found diamond files are great for honing, the trouble is most the
time you stop to sharpen a chainsaw it's because grit in the wood bark
(or floor :-() has done some damage. You need to sharpen out all of
this damage until the shiny edge of the cutter disappears (sharp edges
don't reflect light). My feeling is a sharp file gets back to the
undamaged metal fastest without undue side effects, I'd expect the
small cuts taken by this diamonds file to take a while even in a
drill. Not to mention how unwieldy it would be.

Don't be afraid to discard a file if it gets blunt, rotate it as you
pause between teeth to even out the wear, use full, straight, strokes
and a firm pressure to ensure a good cut without skidding.

Obviously it takes a bit of practice but a quick resharpen on the saw
several times a day is still the most effective, compared with the
time taken to dismount and replace a chain, which still needs
sharpening later.

AJH


David


An old guy once told me. There are two things in life you never lend out,
your chainsaw & your wife, Cos sure as hell, they both come back f****d.

mory.

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 14:09:09 +0100, wrote:

Yes there are two things that cause problems with a saw in normal use,
blunt chain and dirty air filter. Using the wrong mix is the main
mistake made, it shows up quite quickly now only unleaded is
available. I guess the next major reason for failure is driving over
the saw ;-).

And the other one is getting it stuck in the tree :-)



--
Holly, in France
Holiday home in Dordogne
http://la-plaine.chez.tiscali.fr

wrote in message
...
On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 00:02:13 GMT, "tom patton"
wrote:

I make sure the chain is always tight ie you should just be able to pull
it
wearing protective gloves.

OK, even with gloves pull it forward though.

2 grease the nose sprocket every day you use it.

No thanks

3 the chain will pick up a film of resin and dirt after 5 minutes use you
will see the brown film appear on the teeth--wire brush each tooth--takes
less than 5 minutes-miracle-the chain will go through wood like a hot
knife
through butter.

Build up on the teeth points to poor oiling or dull teeth.

4 pick up a sharpener that clamps to the bar that way you stand a chance
of
getting a true tooth profile-discard worn files they only cost 80
pence--make sure you use the correct diameter file its critical.

I normally advise the roller type for a beginner.

6 the chain needs sharpened when the saw starts to veer off from the right
angle--it cuts to the sharp side.

Yes but this normally means there is some severe damage other than
dulling of the cutting edge.

7 always use fresh petrol-it goes off--so does this new fangled organic 2
stroke oil.

Never had this problem, what I have know is for a saw to be stored
with petroil and the petrol evaporates leaving oil fouling the carb.

9 check the oiler is working every few cuts by pointing the nose at the
wood
it should spray oil.

The loss of shine or sagging of the chain shows up overheating through
lubrication problems.

10 you can use gear oil as chain lube in an emergency.

If you want to small of cat's pee, I use osr cooking oil.

11 never lend your saw its a lethal weapon in the wrong hands--mine came
back scrap-he failed to put oil in the petrol!!.

Yes there are two things that cause problems with a saw in normal use,
blunt chain and dirty air filter. Using the wrong mix is the main
mistake made, it shows up quite quickly now only unleaded is
available. I guess the next major reason for failure is driving over
the saw ;-).

I was always amused at the arguments that ensued when a seized saw was
brought in under warranty, when it was stripped down you could see all
the tell tale signs plus all the oil that had been tipped in to free
it up :-).

AJH

What does 'dulling' mean...not heard that one before.

Steve

In article ,
"r.p.mcmurphy" says...
snip

What does 'dulling' mean...not heard that one before.

Losing keenness

What does 'dulling' mean...not heard that one before.

Losing keenness

what...as in blunt?

Steve

On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 12:11:44 +0100, r.p.mcmurphy wrote:

What does 'dulling' mean...not heard that one before.

Losing keenness

what...as in blunt?

In my book a "dull" blade is one still sharp enough to cut you easily
but not *really* sharp any more. A blunt blade is one that will still
cut but you aren't likely to lose a finger.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ll.com...
On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 12:11:44 +0100, r.p.mcmurphy wrote:

What does 'dulling' mean...not heard that one before.

Losing keenness

what...as in blunt?

In my book a "dull" blade is one still sharp enough to cut you easily
but not *really* sharp any more. A blunt blade is one that will still
cut but you aren't likely to lose a finger.



not sure that distinction applies to chain saws though!

--
Richard Sampson

mail me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk