Chain saw

They are very difficult to file and a vise is necessary. I bought some sharpening stones and run them in my dremel. I now keep a sharp chain and cut much happier.

Anytime my chain starts heating up, it's because I've dulled it. That's time to change chains, sharpen, or go home.

They are a big logging supply dealership out of Washington State. Browse around.. nice descriptions of chain types, filing techinques etc.

Link

I might as well toss in the rest of my 2cts... which pretty much matches what others have said.

Your bar shouldn't get that hot. You're not getting lube to it, running the chain way too tight or something's really wrong with the grind on the chain.

Hold the saw with the bar tip over a board, piece of cardboard etc... rev it up.. you should see some oil coming off the chain. Make sure you have a tip luber and keep your roller tip greased too.

If your saw is producing sawdust, something is wrong with the way your chain is sharpened. You should see 'chips' coming out if cutting cross grain.. if ripping, you should get nice long curly shavings.

A dull/bad chain will heat up... this probably explains why your bar getting so hot.

A properly sharpened chain working on clean, green hardwood should cut a pickup load of firewood before needing a touchup. Dirt, rocks etc will kill the chain much sooner that that.

By the way, what kind of wood are you cutting, and what condition is it in ?

-- bb

Shawn, if you have a dirty log make sure the chain exits on the dirty side. Going into dirt will dull it real fast.

BB's right about the kind of wood too. I've been asked to cut black locust that was a little too much for a friend. But then I never tried to sharpen his chain for him. He's sure my bigger saw was the answer. If I'm cutting oak that's been dead for a few years and the sapwood's rotted away, I'll get maybe a quarter the wood cut per chain as I would with green wood.

I've taken chains that others have thrown away, filed the rakes and cut for a good while with them.

You either have a lack of oil or a chain problem. Chips should be shavings, not sawdust. I can get a 2" long shaving if I have the teeth just right. Your saw probably doesn't have the power for quite that. I've found that I can file sharper than the grinders and get better shavings. Took a bit of practice but you count the strokes of the file with the saw in a vise and you'll get the hang of it. Teeth should be the same size on each side. If not, vary the number of strokes per side to correct your pressure differences.

Your manual should give you the proper angles. As F14, said if the rakers are too tall it won't cut well either. Grinding is, of course, only as good as the person setting up the grinder. It also takes a lot more off the teeth than filing.

I run a 20" bar and it takes me at most 4 minutes to file. I also don't let the chain get really dull. Then it would take a LOT longer, use up more steel, and give a distinctly inferior production. Watch your chips, they'll tell you how the saw is doing and when to change chains. Heat can also be really hard on an expensive bar. You mostly need practice sharpening and don't forget that files get dull too. I buy by the dozen.

Sharpening is not hard once you learn how. The trick is to have the right size file, and hold it at the right angle. There are two angles to consider, the angle of the tooth in the same plane as the bar, and the angle of the tooth perpendicular to the bar. I've tried a couple of different kinds of jigs, and find I can do as good a job and do it faster freehand. Takes me about 5 minutes to touch up a chain. About every 5 to 10 touch-ups, I take it to a pro with a machine. That re-establishes the correct angles (which inevitably get a little off when you hand file) and he may take the rakers down a tad if necessary. In case you didn't know, the raker is the straight piece on each link that clears the chips out of the cut. As you sharpen the teeth, the height of the tooth goes down a little each time, and eventually, the chain is riding on the rakers, not on the teeth. If you take the rakers down too much, the tooth bites off more than the saw can chew and it will bog down. The chain gets real "grabby" which is dangerous and increases the chance of kickbacks.

Having two chains really helps, you can keep sawing while one is being sharpened at the shop.