[AT] Chain saw sharpening

Larry Goss rlgoss at insightbb.com
Sat Mar 31 20:59:38 PDT 2012


It has been economically impractical for a commercial repair shop to sharpen saw chains and mower blades for better than 10 years.  The maximum that the public will pay for having the job done is around $3 - $6.  If a shop does it right (sets the tooth height, keeps the chain cool, and grinds both directions to the same depth) then chain sharpening takes 20 minutes to half an hour per chain.  That means that the direct labor cost for the job is more than the customer wants to pay.  So at the shops I worked in better than 10 years ago, it was a company policy that hourly employees did NOT sharpen chains.  The economics is not much better for mower blades, so they extended the policy to those also.  The company president and vice president sharpened those items after hours when the hourly help went home.  As a courtesy, any of the employees could sharpen blades and chains for walk-in customers who wanted fast turn around, but those jobs were discouraged because the company was loosing money by providing the service "while they wait."  Salaried employees don't have to worry about the amount of time it takes for the process.

Too many technicians "crowd" the grinder on saw chains to get the job done faster.  But that can ruin the chain in a single sharpening.  Bottom line: A tooth should never get so hot that you can't touch it IMMEDIATELY after it has been sharpened.  If you get a chain back from a shop that is discolored or has burrs hanging on it, don't use that shop for sharpening.

At the price that is quoted in this thread ($18) you can very easily justify purchasing one of the plastic chain sharpeners from Harbor Freight.  In my experience, that tool is worth it so you can control keeping your chains cool so they don't loose their temper.  Yes, it is made of plastic, and it's a stone wheel rather than a diamond-studded steel one, but it will do a decent job IF you adjust the depth of cut when you switch from left-facing to right-facing teeth (or vice versa).  You are supposed to be able to switch from one side to the other without adjusting the grinder, but the swivel is just a bolt, and it isn't precise enough to grind both directions without adjusting to correct for the grinder.  If you don't make that correction, then the chain will be ground differently on the two sides and you will end up with a chain that wants to cut a kerf that goes off to the side.

This is probably more than you wanted to read about chain sharpening.

Larry 

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dick Day" <ddss at telebeep.com>
To: "ATIS" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2012 8:49:45 PM
Subject: [AT] Chain saw sharpening

Greetings.

I can get the chain sharpened locally for $18.  I've seen manual file sets that mount on the bar and allow you to sharpen the chain. I've also seen electric, both 12-volt and 110.   The reviews I've read about the electric ones are quick to point out that the cheap ones don't last. I cannot justify $150 and up for a decent one, so I figured I would try my hand at manual sharpening.

I have an 18" electric Worx chain saw and love it.  The specifics of the chain are gauge=.05  length=18"  links=63  pitch=3/8"

Can anyone suggest what I should get to sharpen the chain?

Thanks

Dick Day
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