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Hi TG, There is no great mystery in sharpening saw chains. You can very quickly learn to do as good or better a job than some of the �professional� sharpeners. AND, you will probably be more concerned about minimizing grinding on your chains to prolong their life (whereas someone else might be tempted to grind off more tooth material than necessary in the name of efficiency). It takes only a few minutes with an appropriate file to sharpen a chain. Be sure to use the correct diameter file for your chain. You can also buy a file holder that has a simple guide to help keep alignment correct. Also, several companies offer rotary sharpeners, on the order of a Dremmel Tool, in either 12 VDC or 110 VAC. This is my preferred way to sharpen. They make quick work of sharpening. Use the proper diameter abrasive grinder bits for your chain. Diamond bits are available quite economically. Take care to not grind so aggressively as to heat the tooth metal (or its temper will change). Using either the file or the rotary sharpener (usually the latter), if I am working in the shop I hold the saw in my vice by its bar and work with good light and some magnification (to be able to really see the tooth edge). When the tooth edge looks sharp (no shine and no wear marks), especially the outer corner, it is sharp. It is important also to file the "rakers" every couple or few sharpenings to keep their depth correct in relation to cutting tooth edges. Several companies sell simple and very inexpensive depth gauges for this purpose. This is especially true if you often work in dirty or downed wood as we do. You tend to take more meat off the teeth if you have hit dirt. You can find loads of information, instructions and equipment by doing a web search on the topic "chainsaw sharpen". Here is one -- Link
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