saw chain sharp?

1948jr

Member
I got a new saw chain sharpener TIMBER TUFF I think I set it at 30 degrees but when I cut it pulls to the right . Can anyone tell me how to sharpen a chain thanks
 
Two things will make it pull. First is a bent bar, the other is you either have the angle incorrect or you didnt get one side sharp enough and it is digging instead of cutting. Now I need to explane or try. First take a brand new unused chain. Don't turn on the sharpener. Put on a pair of magnifying glasses and very gently match the gusset of 5he chain to the grind wheel. Most if I remember are 30 degrees. Every time you advance the chain TWO positions you should get exactly the same fit on the nose. After you have tryed a few, mark the table with a felt tip. Next turn the table and match the chain the other way around. Mark the table again after you try it out. Both should match perfectly. Now you need to set how much of a cut you will make. With 5he grinder running you advance that screw just a little till you start to cut some of 5he tooth. Check and see how sharp of an edge you are getting. When you get all of 5he way around turn the table for the teeth that cut the other way and your other adjustments should stay the same. The chain should now cut straight. I DON'T use safty chain. Use square sholder full chisel type. Cuts like cray. I sure hope I explained this so you under stand it. Very best way is to find a VERY friendly saw shop, pay to have some chains sharpened, a closely watch. Also don't tell him you bought a machine. Just tell him it doesn't cut straight.
 
If it is an older chain are the rakers filed correctly? Do you have a guide to file the rakers?
 
I have the same brand of chain sharpener. Never had a problem, one thing I make sure I sharpen each tooth just til the "rounded off" edge is gone and don't push it or you may heat up the edge. One thing my dad always did after sharpening the chain was use a can with a little kerosene, dip the chain to wash the shavings off. I do that too and there's always some shavings that wash off.
 
I have a Timber Tuff sharpener also
At first my saw would cut to the right when chain starting to get dull.
I started using the wide stone(provided with machine) to knock down the rakers
I do one side of the chain rakers and then put chain in backwards and do the other side.
That makes sure Im taking the rakers down the same on each side
It certainly does better!!!
I personally think some of the right side pull(after chain begins to dull) is due to the dog spikes are normally on right side of the bar.
When chain is SHARP, even tooth length, and equal raker depth My chains do very well with the TIMBER TUFF !!!
I admire the professional loggers who never need modern machines to sharpen their chains !!!!
Here they want $7 to sharpen a chain at hardware stores
 
The cheaper knock offs are notorious for vise problems. Mine came from Northern tool but is same machine. Check the length of the cutters if not the same your vise pivot needs to be tweeked. Mine was off a bunch. If you see nothing obvious with the chain buy a new chain, if it also cuts crooked take the bar to a saw shop and have it ground. You cab do it at home with a disk sander and table at 90 degrees.
 

If it pulls to the right, the left side is sharper. (I think) Anyhow, one side is sharper than the other. Been a few years since I used a chain saw.
 
There are several factors that will make a saw chain pull or cut to one side.

1. The length of the left and right teeth need to be the same. Some grinders don't automatically grind left and right teeth to the same length. I used to have a Foley Belsaw that I had to grind one side and then use a caliper and adjust the stop when I rotated the anvil for the other side so the cutting edge would be the same distance from the rear on all the teeth.

The rakers/drags should be the same height on the teeth for both sides.

2. A worn bar can also make a bar pull. Remove the bar and check with a square to see that both sides of the chain groove are the same height. There are files made to dress bars or a grinder with a table alongside the wheel that is perpendicular to the wheel will work too.

3. Another thing to look for especially on a well-used chain is the sides of the chain where it slides in the bar not being the same height. You can use a caliper to make sure the tie plates are the same distance from top to bottom. If one side is worn more, the chain will lean and it will cut in a curve.

4. And of course, you are fully grinding all the worn part away when you sharpen the chain, aren't you? The worn part will usually appear as a shiny area on the cutting edge of the tooth. Keep in mind that most chains dull more quickly on the right side teeth, So its a good idea to grind the right side first. If you think about it, the right side is the side that is down closer to the dirt when you are cutting the tree down. And you tend to get the right side closer to other non-cuttable things that could dull a chain because the operator usually stands to the left of the saw.
 
Spent most of my adult life using a dremel tool to sharpen saw chains. Used a file for the first time a few years ago and was AMAZED at how easy it was! Sometimes simple is much better!!

Just remember to replace the file after 2 to 3 sharpenings.
 
I too use a dremmel and a diamond burr I get off ebay for about $1.25 each.
Mine last about 5-6 times.

I have a belsaw chain sharpener but don't use it. I feel get more life by using
dremmel and just remove material from under tooth.

If chain is pulling to the right, try removing some material off left teeth
depth to make the left side remove more material. If that doesn't work, try a
new chain and bar.
geo.
 
(quoted from post at 01:52:10 02/25/17) I got a new saw chain sharpener TIMBER TUFF I think I set it at 30 degrees but when I cut it pulls to the right . Can anyone tell me how to sharpen a chain thanks

I suggest you go to You Tube and watch every video on chain sharpening with a Timber Tuff grinder you can find. Chances are, if the saw cut straight before the chain dulled, it's not a bar problem but an issue with what you are doing with the grinder. The teeth need to but ground at the same angle, hook and depth on both sides, then the depth gauges (rakers) need to be lowered to the same depth relative to the tooth length. Either you aren't grinding correctly or you haven't done the rakers. All the chain makers have videos and manuals on chain sharpening.
 

I take a stump vise with me to the field and every tank of fuel and oil I touch up the chain with a file and guide and it's always sharp. I started doing this a few years ago and by far the best way I've done.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top