Chain Saw Sharpening

16 years ago

Can someone help me? I bought my husband a sharpener so he could sharpen his chain from his chain saw. He's been unable to use it because he needs to know what 'angle' his chain saw is (or something like that). He's driving me crazy because he keeps talking about how he needs to cut some wood, since it's turning cooler. Yet he can't figure out how to use this sharpener and neither one of us really know much about any type of tool. Any suggestions on how to find out the info he needs? The info should be in the owner's manual, but it was discarded (oops) because it was dirty. Thank you.

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Comments (7)

masiman
16 years ago
The angle is usuall 30 or 35 deg (looking down on the chain, relative to the bar). All sawchain I have sharpened want the file to be level, not tilted nose up or nose down. However, there is sawchain out there that wants the file to be tipped from horizontal. The sawchain will also determine the size of roundfile to use (assuming that is round ground and not square ground). Most consumers will use round ground sawchain.

In the end, it is the sawchain that determines how you will need to sharpen. If you can identify your sawchain, you can look up manufacturers recommendation on how to sharpen.

If you are unsure, now may be the time to get a new sawchain. It should come with a little pamphlet or instructions about how to care for the sawchain.
joecool85
16 years ago
30 degrees is a good general rule of thumb, all the saws I've work with run a chain with a 30 degree cutter. Never heard of 35, 22 is common though.
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I had bought the Harbor Freight grinder and found the same sloppy tab that is suppose to stop and position the cutter for clamping. It also has enough side to side play that you would have to re-adjust for doing the left side and right side cutters. I tweaked mine and it made a big time improvement. First remove the clip from the plastic pivot and then remove the chain stop. I put it in a vice and slightly tightened the curl. I then clamped it in the vise to hold the curl and could see the arm was pointing to one side. I nudged the arm so that it was squared to the curl. Removed some of the burrs from inside the curl with a round file and put it back on the grinder. The stop tab now stays near enough to center that I don't adjust for each side anymore. I'm using my saw for clearing stumps around my few acres and I rock the chain constantly. I ran an Oregon grinder in my uncle's shop many years ago and while there is no comparison, this grinder does a good job to bring the chain back to usable condition. To help your sharpening technique, learn to always grip the grinder in the same place and pull the grinder down with the same arm motion and you won't flex the plastic housing mounts to get noticable variations in the chain. I do have multiple chains and if I were to be going somewhere to cut, I'd take a few. But for stumping work I use only one chain therefore the sharpener is already set waiting to grind without having to reset and re-adjust all the stops. I make a few extra trips back and forth to my garage this way but I'm getting old and need to take the extra breaks anyway.
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Hi Jakester, Sorry to hear about the loss of your son. You don`t really need a manual for your Nick. As I recall the only adjustments on your Nick are for the topplate angle, wheel depth, and tooth length. Adjust the topplate angle to something between 25 and 30 degrees, this angle isn`t crucial but maintain symmetry on both sides. Then set the depth so that the radius on the wheel edge goes into the sideplate but the inside of the topplate is just contacted by the straight side of the wheel. From the outside of a perfectly ground tooth it will be imperceptible but from the inside the junction between the top and side plates, which is known as the "working corner", will be bisected by the straight line formed by the side of the wheel. If you don`t set the wheel deep enough it will form a topplate that is very sharp but fragile on the leading edge but blunt just beyond. Set the wheel too deep and you will get too much hook which makes the chain grabby and power hungry. Start grinding on your most damaged or shortest tooth. Take a very light cut on each tooth on that side, reset the length stop, and grind each tooth on that side again. Repeat this process until all damage or dullness is ground from each tooth then start the process on the other side. To check that the teeth or even length from side to side simply fold a chain in your hand and place the backs of a couple of teeth together. It is completely unnecessary to first grind one side, pivot the vise and grind the other side in a mostly futile attempt to grind both sides to an even length. Only the best grinders like a Silvey 510 will reliably grind evenly from side to side. Just accept the limitations of the Nick and work accordingly. Don`t forget to dress the wheel to maintain the shape and expose sharp crystals as you grind. You will probably be able to do a complete side on a chain before dressing if you take a light cut. If the teeth turn blue while grinding you are either using a dull wheel or trying to take too much off the tooth in one pass. Also remember to lower your depth gauges periodically.
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rcmoser
16 years ago
Along with sharpen the teeth you will also want to clean out the oil feeder holes and bar slot that the chain rides in so the chain will get proper oiling. without oil it won't take long for it to get dull again and wear on the bar. Another problem is chain tension. Chain will loosen up quickly if ran dull or hot (from lack of oil or dull). Keeping the chain tight (as recommended my the saws manual) will keep the bar is good shape and reduce the chance of the chain jumping off the bar.
canguy
16 years ago
Both Oregon and Husqvarna show good sharpening technique.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sharpening video
dmullen
16 years ago
What kind of chain saw is it and what model?

Many manuals are available free on the saw company's web site and if not, someone here probably has one and can provide the information.
mking
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you to everyone who replied. I just read these and my husband is already in bed, but I'll let him know to see if any of this helps. Just in case someone out there does happen to have a manual. This is the info I have: It's a Poulan and the model number is UT10947, but when I type that model number into the Poulan website it brings up 'no results' so I may need to double check that model number (my son wrote it down for me). But if that just happens to be the right number and someone has a manual and can let us know for certain what the angle is, I'd appreciate it.
canguy
16 years ago
That sounds like a Homelite model number.

Chain Saw Sharpening

Comments (7)

masiman

joecool85

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Chain Saw Sharpening

Comments (7)

masiman

joecool85

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rcmoser

canguy

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mking
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