How to sharpen a chain on a saw

Chainsaw chain sharpening blunt teeth

Oregon 520-120 and 410-120 Electric Chain Grinder Instructions

PowerSharp System

This system allows the chain to be sharpened in seconds without even removing it from the bar. Includes PowerSharp chain, abrasive bar, guide bar and sharpener. In order to sharpen the chain with them, you will need to take the following 3 steps:

install the PowerSharp bus and chain;
fix the bar inside the sharpening device, after which it is installed on the tire;
the end of the chainsaw is pressed against an object and started for a couple of seconds.

The video below shows in more detail how to sharpen a chainsaw chain with your own hands using this system:

When to sharpen and how to find out

Problems that may arise due to untimely chain maintenance:

curves cuts;
huge pressure;
increased fuel consumption;
faster wear of the leading parts of the chainsaw and a reduction in its service life.

Signs by which you can find out that the chain is dull:

the tool tries to escape from the hands, gets stuck;
small shavings are poured, almost dust;
the saw deepens only with great effort;
cutting time increases.

In addition, blunt teeth can simply be examined carefully. Signs of dullness will be visible even to the naked eye.

The earlier the chainsaw chain is sharpened, the less metal is grinded, which means that it can last longer.

Sharpening kits

One of the most common methods is with a set of round and flat files, a holder, a stop template and a hook used to remove sawdust. For the correct positioning of the holder, special markings are applied to it, allowing you to determine the correct angle for sharpening. It is installed on the upper part of the tooth and the stop, while the round file remains under it and is located just next to the blade. Thanks to the holder, the file is at the correct height, or more precisely, protrudes 1/5 above the blade. For sharpening the cutting tooth, only round files are used, since the contour of the tooth has a rounded shape.

Kits must be purchased based on the chain pitch. You cannot use the same sharpening kit for different chains.

Before you start sharpening the chainsaw chain at home, the tire must be secured in a vice or with a clamp, the main thing is that the saw does not move during processing. Having installed the holder according to the markings, begin smoothly and without too much pressure, move the file strictly away from you 2-3 times. Similar actions are repeated with all other teeth. The file must be turned over from time to time so that there is no one-sided wear. The force of pressure and the number of movements for all should be the same, this is necessary for uniform sharpening of all teeth. If they are different, then cracks may form in the chain, which will lead to its breakage.

To make it easier to work, the teeth are first sharpened on one side, and after them the saw is turned over and the teeth are aligned on the other.

They start sharpening from the smallest tooth so that the length of all the others is the same with it. After the work on the processing of the blades is finished, proceed to the limiters. A template from the kit is installed on top of the chain in such a position that the stopper is in the hole. The protruding part is grinded with a flat file.

The video shows an example of how to sharpen a chainsaw chain with a file:

There is another set, which, instead of a holder, has one template, both for sharpening the blade and for grinding the stop. Install it so that the chain falls into the holes. Then the round file is placed on top of the rollers and fed under the blade. During sharpening, you need to ensure that it is always parallel to the lateral edges of the template.

There are 2 separate holes for the stopper, labeled Soft for soft wood and Hard for hard wood. The protruding part from the slot, grind with a flat file.

Sharpening is carried out only from oneself and with smooth movements, the number of the latter should be the same for all teeth.

How and how to sharpen the chain teeth

The saw chain teeth are irregularly shaped. They consist of a base, a blade and a depth gauge. At the same time, the blade has a vertical blade and a horizontal blade that falls at an angle. It is thanks to these blades that the chainsaw cuts wood. They work on the principle of a plane, cutting off pieces, and the limiter adjusts their thickness (the difference in height between it and the horizontal blade will be the thickness of the chips). You can sharpen the chainsaw chain manually or using a machine.

Manual and electric machines

If the teeth are severely worn and the cutting blade has lost its shape, it will take a long time to align them by hand. In this case, a manual machine or an electric one with a sharpening wheel is usually used. The first type of device is in the form of a bow saw with a round file. The machines are stationary and mobile, which can be installed directly on the tire.

To adjust the necessary parameters, start with the smallest tooth. After all the teeth are sharpened and aligned, the round file is replaced with a flat file to sharpen the stops.

The advantage of electric machines is that the disc is fed directly under the blade to be sharpened. In addition, the quality of sharpening in this case is guaranteed and all teeth will be the same size.

The video below shows an example of sharpening a chainsaw with your own hands using an electric machine.

The blades are always sharpened first, and only then the stops.

The sharpening angle can be changed. it depends on the purpose of the application. A smaller angle is used for cutting hardwood, and a larger one for soft. In any case, it should be between 25 ° and 35 °. 10 ° angle is used for chains intended for longitudinal cutting.

Types of chainsaw sharpening and correct work with them

Next, we will tell you about several popular ways to sharpen the chain, which can be done both at home and in production.

Professional sharpening on the machine

Sharpening on the machine can be done with a manual machine or a professional machine.

Professional machines are powered by a network. The sharpening principle is almost the same as for manual sharpening:

the chainsaw chain is fixed in the guides;
then adjust the width of the groove and select the angle;
lowering the sharpening disc;
the chain is moved along the holder, clamped, each tooth is processed.

The grinding element in professional machines is an emery stone. A good automatic machine is not cheap, because professional sharpening equipment is mainly located in services and workshops. Buying this for home use is not rational.

When you need to sharpen your chainsaw chain?

In the process of working with a chainsaw for any, even the highest quality tool, the chain loses its original sharpness over time and needs to be sharpened. What are the signs that you can understand that the chain saw an electric or chainsaw dull and it’s time to sharpen it?

Below are the main signs that it is time to sharpen the chain:

during operation, the saw loses stability, breaks out of the hands and vibrates strongly;
a chainsaw or an electric saw produces shavings only of small sizes, but does not produce large shavings;
the saw part gets bogged down in the material, cutting cannot be done efficiently and quickly;
the deepening of the chainsaw into the wood does not happen by itself, in order to perform a longitudinal cut, the tool has to be “sunk” into the material with your hands, applying efforts and pressing the blade;
during sawing, a curved cut is formed;
the chainsaw heats up quickly and strongly;
chain wear is much faster;
fuel consumption increases.

If you marked several of the described signs on your home tool, then it’s time to sharpen the chain.

The original chainsaw chain can be sharpened several times, it will retain all working properties. the sharpness of the cut, the quality of the cut, the speed of rotation along the tire.

Here are some important tips to help you stop sharpening your chainsaw longer:

do not use a new chain with an old sprocket and vice versa;
if during the operation of the chainsaw you have already ground off two chains, replace the sprocket with a new one;
the chain must be run-in before full-fledged operation of the chainsaw with normal load (run-in is performed immediately before sawing, 1 minute at low speed, and then 1 minute at medium speed);
after the new chainsaw has cooled down, check the degree of its tension;
always use chain saw lubricant, quality oil;
keep the links in a normal taut position, because during operation the chainsaw is often tilted in different directions, which increases the likelihood of the chain slipping off the bar;
check the position and direction of the depth gauge, after the 3rd or 4th sharpening check the parameters of the depth gauge.

We work with a file

The best solution is simple gadgets for sharpening work. This set includes a round and flat file, special holders, a gauge template, a hook for removing chips, etc. Structurally, “adaptations” may differ, but the functionality has a common logic.

The diameter of a round file is directly related to the size of the chain:

– Chains with ø 1.3. require a file of ø 4 mm (used much more often);

– Chains with ø 1.6. require a file ø 5.2 mm;

– To sharpen the depth gauge, use a flat file.

Sharpening process

Having previously “turned on” the chain brake, firmly grip the tire of the chainsaw in a vice (a firmly clamped saw is the key to successful sharpening)
Set the template so that the arrow points towards the nose of the tire. Be sure to mark (with chalk) the tooth from which you started sharpening, otherwise you can go along the second circle;
Sharpen in the direction of the arrows. Remember, there is a special factory cut on each tooth in the chain. It indicates the maximum sharpening angle.
In addition to the cutting tooth, there are stops on each link. They are sharpened as needed. This is necessary when, as a result of sharpening, the height of the tooth decreases, and problems arise in the operation of the chainsaw. As a rule, the limiter is sharpened after 2-3 sharpening of the teeth;

“If you don’t have the skills to sharpen, it’s better to start with inexpensive chains.”.

Recommendations:

The file should not go beyond the upper part of the cutting edge by more than 1/5 of the working part of the file. The pressure is carried out with the same effort;
The movement of the grinding tool is performed in one direction “away from you”, and the number of movements for each tooth must be equal;
To sharpen a vertical plane, the position of the file must be at right angles;
For sharpening the horizontal plane, file position, at an angle of 20-30 °
If there are teeth of different heights, the reference is the smallest.

Advantages: Ability to “charge the saw” in the field. At the same time it’s cheap.

Manual file sharpening at home

A flat file can be used for the tooth stops. The sharpening template is attached to the sharpened element.

Stages of manual sharpening of a chainsaw chain at home:

fix the chain (bar) so that it is completely motionless;
do not change the sharpening angle during the entire sharpening;
perform 2-3 forward movements with a file with light pressure;
turn the file in different directions;
sharpen to the size of the smallest tooth.

How to sharpen a chainsaw chain with a file with your own hands. about this video below:

The following video from the owner of a chainsaw on how to sharpen a chainsaw chain with your own hands

Rake angles for different types of chains can range from 60 ° to 85 °. The greater the degree of the rear angle of the upper blade of the chain, the more it will be tilted back, on average, the value of this angle is from 50 ° to 60 °. For the implementation of the cutting process, the indicator (degree) of the clearance angle of the upper blade is most important, and the upper blade itself is very important for high-quality sawing.

The main condition when sharpening a chainsaw or electric saw chain: the cutting performance is directly proportional to the sharpening angle, that is, the higher it is, the better the chainsaw will cut the material. The smaller the sharpening angle, the smoother the tool will be, and the less vibration will be during operation.

Avoid sharpening angles greater than 35 ° and less than 25 °. In rip saw chains, an exception for the sharpening angle is allowed, in these chains the sharpening angle can be 10 °.

Chainsaw teeth

Chainsaw teeth have a specific geometry. You need to understand and know what part of them should be sharpened. In general, the “logic” of cutting wood resembles a plane.

The cutting surface has two edges. One is lateral, the other is slightly beveled. The cutting depth limiter adjusts the thickness of the chips. Let’s take a closer look. The elements of the cutting-working link are arranged as follows:

Base with axle holes;
Tooth scapula;
Cutting depth limiter;
End face of the blade (placement. vertical);
Top edge of the blade (placement. horizontal);

Sharpened edge Dull After touching the ground

After sharpening, the height of the stop and the angle of the sharpened working edges should not differ greatly from the parameters specified by the manufacturer. This is an important condition and it needs an “eye and eye” behind it. Otherwise, the saw will not work as expected.

Do not over-grind or change the location of the links. The normal operation of the instrument depends on the identity of their location. Otherwise, increased stress on the chassis, tire and engine is likely. The cut can be crooked. There is also a small chance of breaking the circuit.

Topics. some expert advice:

“Announcement in the newspaper: I am changing the chainsaw for a prosthesis”.

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Quote of wisdom: It’s not about the word, but the tone in which this word is pronounced (Belinsky).

Chainsaw sharpening angles and tooth configuration

The cutting edge of a tooth is characterized by the following parameters:

In addition, each tool model has its own tooth pitch, the value of which for household and semi-professional models is associated with the power of the chainsaw and the torque that the drive develops. For example, for rip sawing, the pitch is taken less (for example, 0.325 inches). In this case, the productivity of work will decrease, but the required effort will be significantly lower. The upper values of the steps for household chainsaws are extremely rare, mainly when felling trees with a large trunk diameter. In this case, the motor power should not exceed 2500 W.

The thickness of the cutting edge for most manufacturers of chainsaws is set the same, and equal to 1.3 mm (there are also edges with a thickness of 1.1 mm, but, firstly, they are extremely difficult to sharpen at home, and, secondly, such links are extremely not very functional: they can only be used for cutting thin branches).

The height of the chain profile can be either 0.625 mm or 0.762 mm, and in most cases it is a low profile that is used for household gasoline-powered tools. When sharpening the limiters, this parameter is very important, because with a decrease in the height of the above-permissible values, the vibration of the tool during operation increases, although the quality of the cut remains satisfactory. Therefore, you should not get carried away with lowering the height of the limiter when sharpening a tooth.

The sharpening angle of the chainsaw chain depends on the main purpose of the tool. for transverse or rip sawing. Since the resistance of the wood is always noticeably higher when ripping, the edge of the tooth must also be very sharp. It is recommended to do it in the range of 6 12 ° (for comparison. with the prevalence of cross-cut. up to 25 30 °). Naturally, in the first case, sharpening should be done more often, and especially carefully, since an unacceptably small angle of inclination of the tooth contributes to its rapid chipping during the operation of the chainsaw. This is especially important for links that are made of structural alloy steels containing silicon and manganese, for example, 40KhGS or 35KhGSA.

When to sharpen and how to find out

Problems that may arise due to untimely chain maintenance:

curves cuts;
huge pressure;
increased fuel consumption;
faster wear of the leading parts of the chainsaw and a reduction in its service life.

The speed at which teeth become blunt depends on the frequency of use of the tool and conditions. It is enough just to hook the ground or stones a couple of times, and you will already need to sharpen the chainsaw chain.

Signs by which you can find out that the chain is dull:

the tool tries to escape from the hands, gets stuck;
small shavings are poured, almost dust;
the saw deepens only with great effort;
cutting time increases.

In addition, blunt teeth can simply be examined carefully. Signs of dullness will be visible even to the naked eye.

The earlier the chainsaw chain is sharpened, the less metal is grinded, which means that it can last longer.

Chainsaw chain sharpening template

When purchasing a chainsaw, it is advisable to acquire a special template (see Fig. 3), with which you can easily set the optimal values of the tooth angles. With its help, the values of the rear angles of the upper and end blades are controlled, as well as the leading edge angle (it is indicated in the manufacturer’s instructions, and can vary within 65 80 °).

It is especially important to use a template to estimate the value of the clearance angle of the upper blade. This angle of sharpening of the chainsaw chain is very difficult to determine otherwise, but meanwhile it must be maintained within rather limited limits. from 50 to 60 °.

Measurement of the sharpening angle is performed by determining the angle between the upper cutting edge and a line perpendicular to the chain guide.

The angle of sharpening of the chainsaw chain can be changed, depending on what kind of work will be done. As the hardness of the wood increases, its value should be lower. In general, it is considered the optimal value of the angle 10 12 °. with a longitudinal cut, and 25 30 °. with a cross cut.

Figure 3. Appearance of the template for sharpening the teeth of a chainsaw

Sharpening can be done manually using a round file with a working diameter of 4 5.5 mm, or on a machine. In the first case, it is extremely important to correctly position the tool in relation to the sharpened tooth. The upper edge of the working part of the file is approximately one fifth higher than the upper edge of the tooth. The tool is positioned perpendicular to the chain axis, and at an angle of 25 30 ° to the upper edge of the tooth

One round file is not enough. You will need a flat file to sharpen the limiter, and a hook that removes the resulting sawdust to clean the work area. There are also special holders on the market, on which the mowing line is graduated with the direction of movement of the file relative to the axis of the chain. As can be seen from Fig. 4, the holder can be mounted on top of the tooth and rest on its upper edge. Since the height of the holder is adapted to a certain chain pitch, it should be selected in relation to chainsaws of specific models and brands.

No Nonsense Guide to Chainsaw Sharpening. How To Sharpen A Chainsaw Properly. FarmCraft101

The minimum required set in order to obtain the correct sharpening angle of the chain by hand is shown in fig. five.

Figure 5. Set of sharpening tools and accessories

First, the teeth are sharpened in one direction, and then in the other. Start with light pressing of the tool away from you, gradually increasing the load. During sharpening, the round file is periodically rotated along its axis.

Technical features of the grinding process

The sharpening operation is complicated by the fact that the teeth have a large number of cutting edges located in different planes and having different sharpening angles. During the sharpening of the teeth, it is necessary to make the same amount of movement, while it is necessary to withstand the same pressing force. As a result, all teeth will receive the same type of sharpening.

Also, if the saw chain is sharpened more than 4 or 5 times, then the depth gauge must be reduced.

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Even the popular STIHL does not last forever: once the teeth of a chainsaw wear out, which is easy to determine by the nature of the generated chips. With a blunt cutting edge, the chips are small, because the working edge does not cut, but crumples the wood. Naturally, the effort expended by the operator increases dramatically. It’s time to sharpen the saw. How to do this correctly. choose the optimal technology, establish what angle of sharpening the tooth should be and how to check it?

How to sharpen a chain on a STIHL saw

The use of chainsaws allows you to change the size and shape of wood and other materials. The cutting element of the chainsaw is the chain, which moves at high speed during operation. There are blades on the chain, the geometry of which ensures fast cutting. Over time, the chain becomes dull and the teeth need to be sharpened. Sharpening the chain is a procedure that you can perform yourself, since it is no more difficult than sharpening another cutting tool. The only conditions for sharpening can be called the use of a special design. This is due to the fact that the created tooth has an unusual geometry: it consists of two cutting edges, the angle is created using the lateral and upper planes. The particular difficulty of sharpening is that the upper surface has an angle relative to the mowing line of the chain movement, which must be maintained with great accuracy.

Sharpening kits

Kits must be purchased based on the chain pitch. You cannot use the same sharpening kit for different chains.

To make it easier to work, the teeth are first sharpened on one side, and after them the saw is turned over and the teeth are aligned on the other.

The video shows an example of how to sharpen a chainsaw chain with a file:

There is another set, which, instead of a holder, has one template, both for sharpening the blade and for grinding the stop. Install it so that the chain falls into the holes. Then the round file is placed on top of the rollers and fed under the blade. During sharpening, you need to ensure that it is always parallel to the lateral edges of the template.

There are 2 separate holes for the stopper, labeled Soft for soft wood and Hard for hard wood. The protruding part from the slot, grind with a flat file.

Sharpening is carried out only from oneself and with smooth movements, the number of the latter should be the same for all teeth.

When to sharpen and how to find out

After examining the saw chain, the foreman decides whether it is time to sharpen the tool or not.

As a rule, the saw chain loses its performance properties during intensive work. Things can get to the point that the chain will have to be resharpened several times in one day. The contact of the saw with the ground can also be the reason. In fact, quite a few times to strike the saw chain on the ground and you can stop all work. The chainsaw will simply stop going into the tree. By the way, one of the signs of a dull saw is the appearance of small chips.

The sooner measures are taken to sharpen the chain, the longer it will last. Understanding when regrinding is required is quite simple. The feed change will take place. A chain with correctly sharpened teeth will retract even with a little effort, but if you have to exert a greater feed force during operation, then this means only one thing, the teeth have lost their sharpness.

The use of a dull chain is not permitted. By the way, this is a safety requirement. And the process will require significant muscular effort from the lumberjack. As a result, this leads to a decrease in the quality of the cut, an increase in the amount of fuel used and an accelerated development of the chain.

File

The file can be used to carry out the work in question. A file is used to remove the required metal layer from the surface. For this case, a special set was created:

Round file with an unusual holder.
Flat file required for adjusting the depth limit.
Hook.
Special template.

The round file holder is created along with scribing lines that are used to position the tool correctly. The plate itself, during operation, comes into contact with the depth gauge and the surface of the blades, and the file goes around and removes the metal layer. The use of a special holder with a file allows you to ensure the correct fit of the tools to the work surface. It is worth using only the file that is designed to perform this kind of work.

The rules for carrying out work include:

The same number of movements should be done.
It is necessary to control the force of pressure on the surface during its processing.
The template, which is used together with the file, allows you to observe important sharpening values.

At different lengths, there is an uneven course and the formation of cracks in the material. If the length indicator is not the same at the time of the start of processing, then all cutting teeth are sawn off according to the indicator of the smallest of them.

Sources:

http://fishingsecrets.info/kak-pravilno-tochit-cep-na-pile/
http://crast.ru/instrumenty/kak-tochit-cep-na-pile-shtil

Chainsaws chain, sharpen