Chainsaw Question

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I am cutting 22 Mexican fan palms down and then cutting them into about 2' logs.

 

I have a Husqvarna 16" 142 chainsaw.  I bought some Husqvarna replacement chains and two chains did 7 trees (almost). 

 

How do you sharpen your chains.  I have 4 dull chains?  I bought a Dremel kit, but of course it does not work on my model Dremel.

 

I could buy these chains as they are cheap, but I will need to change my bar as my saw is 3/8 drive, low profile, 0.041 gage.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MDKU511/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A15RMP1KHXKX4E&psc=1

 

Is there a better was to sharpen a chain? 

 

Is something like this better than a power sharpener? 

 

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200308557_200308557?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Logging > Chainsaw Sharpeners %2B Grinders&utm_campaign=Granberg&utm_content=1976&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-eXbjoj01gIVBQxpCh0xwgsOEAQYBSABEgKr3vD_BwE

 

 

Do I need to buy better chains (I am using the Husky ones right now). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mungkiman]

Having never used a power sharpener, I'll vote yes...

 

[Ceptorman]

I have a Stihl with a similar sharpener like the one from Northern tool, it works great. The key is not letting them get completely dull, and make sure the auto oiler works well on your saw. An easy way to tell if it's oiling properly is to run the saw at full throttle aiming the blade at something that will show the oil flow. Sometime the oiler gets clogged with saw dust, I spray mine with DW40 occasionally. I'm not familiar with that type of tree, it must be pretty tough. Is the tree dead?

[tigerwoodKhorns]

the trees are not dead, full of water. 

 

oiler is working but i do need to keep an eye on it. 

 

 

[Jeff Matthews]

I never had any luck making a chain last very long.  Of course, I always bought the cheap-o chains.  I'd find out what kind of chains the professional tree removal people use.  They are probably better qualified to say whether high quality chains are worth it.  Or maybe they sharpen their chains a lot.  I don't know.  I know I never was interested in sharpening a $5 chain.

[wvu80]

Husky sells a chain sharpening kit which includes a couple of files and a guide tool. (make sure this is the right tool for the size of your chain)

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Husqvarna-Chainsaw-Sharpening-Kit/3562428

 

 There are several Youtube videos on how to sharpen your chain as well.  Husky has a couple of very detailed videos.

 

The bottom line to sharpening is you only need to take 2-3 cuts with your file on each link, filing in one direction only.  Once you go through one side, turn the saw around and do the other side.  It's easy to do when the chain is on the chainsaw and takes about 5-8 minutes, not long at all.  There is a specific angle for hard wood, another for soft wood.  The Youtube vids can help you with the proper angles.

 

I would also recommend you use a quality chain saw oil, not motor oil.  Motor oil makes the chain stretch prematurely. 

 

 

[Woofers and Tweeters]

6 hours ago, tigerwoodKhorns said:

I bought some Husqvarna replacement chains and two chains did 7 trees (almost). 

What diameter are the trunks and are you trying to cut any rocks in two too? I try to never let the saw cut into the ground and usually get good life out of a sharpening. 

5 hours ago, Ceptorman said:

and make sure the auto oiler works well on your saw.

 

5 hours ago, tigerwoodKhorns said:

oiler is working but i do need to keep an eye on it.

Using a good quality bar oil will make the chain and bar last a lot longer. 

 

I use a tooth file to keep an edge on my saws and only use a power sharpener once in a while. I have two Stihls: one for trimming and one for the large work. I can't imaging needing to sharpen the saws as often as you're having to. Does that tree have a lot of sand in the wood (minerals) or on the bark? 

[The Dude]

I use what WVU80 recommended, just a different brand.  I sharpen periodically to ensure that the chain is still sharp and never dull completely.  We had a storm a couple months ago that wiped out a lot of trees at our camp ground.  There were about 20 of us out there cutting trees.  Most of the helpers had new Stihls and several chains.  When their chains would dull, they would replace them.  I never once seen any of them sharpen it.  One told me he just takes them all in at once to have them sharpened.  I would sharpen my periodically and never had to replace it, it would still cut just as good as any of theirs with new chains on them.   Sharping a chain by hand doesn't take long, I would also recommend a stump clamp or some sort of vice to hold the bar while your trying to sharpen it.  It makes it a little easier to handle the chainsaw when its clamped down.  You biggest issue sounds like the wood you are cutting. 

[JL Sargent]

Having sharpened literally hundreds of chainsaw chains, I would suggest you go with something like this one. A cheap copy of a very expensive sharpener.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Electric-Power-Chain-Saw-Sharpener-4200RPM-Bench-Wall-Mount-Grinder-Wheel-Tool-/372055498299?epid=2204873052&hash=item56a03c5e3b:g:TUUAAOSwB31Zn2VG

 

I bet there is a good Youtube video on how to use it properly too. The sharpener above is simply a cheap copy of this sharpener.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OREGON-Chainsaw-Saw-Chain-Professional-Bench-Grinder-Sharpener-511AX-520-120-/112231613601?epid=2254545443&hash=item1a218684a1:g:9FwAAOSwuOxZ2sXj

[JL Sargent]

Here is a good video on how to use one. I have not picked up a chainsaw "file" in 20 years. It's a good idea to sharpen before your chain gets too dull.

 

[dirtmudd]

 

 

 

 

[JJkizak]

Keep in mind a professional logger loads up his truck with about 10 sharp chainsaws as they do not waste time sharpening or changing chains. They do that at home.

Also when you sharpen a chain properly it will never and I repeat never cut as fast as the original new chain because you have shortened the length of the tooth. And when you do sharpen the chain you just can't touch it lightly you have to grind down the rounded bevel you made on the teeth when you hit the dirt or rocks by mistake. Sometimes this might be over 1/16th of an inch loss of length on the teeth. Then you have to reduce the height of the rakers or your nowhere. The rakers determine how deep the blades cut into the wood. You almost have to use a machine or the results will start to creep from one side or the other during the cut. I haven't met anyone yet that could sharpen a chain by eyeball and have it work properly or as a new chain but not saying that it can't be done. I have 10 old chains hanging in the garage that I sharpened many times and the tooth lengths have been reduced almost 1/8" with the grinding wheel actually cutting into the base of the tooth. The rakers have also been cut down more than .025". If you cut the rakers down too much the teeth will cut too deep and the chainsaw will stall because of the power requirement. Best to use the chainsaw oil as it doesn't splatter all over the place.

JJK

[CECAA850]

For touch up I've always used a flat and round file.

[JL Sargent]

When it's all done correctly, the saw literally pulls itself through the wood in a straight line. When I see somebody doing all that pushing and rocking with their saw, they really need to sharpen. Once I've felled a large tree, I then prune it with a pole saw which is so much faster than a typical chainsaw.

 

[HDBRbuilder]

All types of PALM trees make chainsaw chains dull very quickly when cutting them down,  The "wood" fibers are tough, they don't remain stable (tend to move around) while cutting, and the trees are generally FULL OF WATER carrying nutrients.  This entire combination works together to dull chains very quickly.  Keep n mind that palm trees are more akin to a grass or bamboo in the way they grow than anything else...they grow in short stacked SEGMENTS.

 

[wvu80]

1 hour ago, CECAA850 said:

For touch up I've always used a flat and round file.

That is what's in the Husqvarna package, about $15.  It also has a plastic quick change handle so you can change files in seconds.

[wvu80]

10 minutes ago, HDBRbuilder said:

All types of PALM trees make chainsaw chains dull very quickly when cutting them down,  The "wood" fibers are tough, they don't remain stable (tend to move around) while cutting, and the trees are generally FULL OF WATER carrying nutrients.  This entire combination works together to dull chains very quickly.  Keep n mind that palm trees are more akin to a grass or bamboo in the way they grow than anything else...they grow in SEGMENTS.

I've never heard of that before, but being from West Virginia we don't have many palm trees.  

 

Our version of a chain dulling tree is the hard wood Black Locust.  The fibers of the tree don't line up, they intertwine.  A single tree will dull a chainsaw chain to the point is is not usable until sharpened or replaced.  Those locust trees are so tough they are used for fence posts and can last for 50 years.

[JL Sargent]

The secret to correctly sharpening a chainsaw is "correct and consistent cutting edge geometry". I personally can only achieve that level of accuracy with a chain grinder. How that is possible with a hand file is beyond me. 

[CECAA850]

2 minutes ago, JL Sargent said:

The secret to a correctly sharpening a chainsaw is "correct and consistent cutting edge geometry". I personally can only achieve that level of accuracy with a chain grinder. How that is possible with a hand file is beyond me. 

All you're doing is knocking the burrs off.  Makes a huge difference.

[wvu80]

5 minutes ago, JL Sargent said:

The secret to a correctly sharpening a chainsaw is "correct and consistent cutting edge geometry". I personally can only achieve that level of accuracy with a chain grinder. How that is possible with a hand file is beyond me. 

The Husky kit comes with a filing gauge which can be used to set the correct angle for either soft of hard wood.  I haven't been able to figure out how to use it yet.