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how to file a chisel chain?

Started by LeeB, November 03, 2012, 10:30:08 AM

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LeeB

Can one of you filing experts tell me a little about filing a chisel chain?
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

beenthere

LeeB
Hand filing?
Which brand chain?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

sharkey

Im not an expert, but I can tell you how I file my chain.

If your referring to square ground Oregon 72 CK, CL or CJ chain, I use a goofy file and file from the outside in.  Hold your file to obtain a 45 degree angle for the top and side plate corner.  Otherwise if your filing Oregon 72 LPX. JPX, LGX chain with a 7/32 round file, file inside out with a slight downward tilt on the handle end (down 10 degrees) to give a sharp corner with a slight hook.  Just keep in mind that the corner does the work. 

http://www.oregonproducts.com/pdf/chain/72LPXChain.pdf

http://www.oregonproducts.com/pdf/chain/72LGX_F&B.pdf

http://www.oregonproducts.com/pro/products/chain/72_73_75cj-ck-clsuperguardchain.htm   

Al_Smith

I use a multi bvel held so you get 85-90 degrees on the side plate .If you do it correctly the angle where the flat portion of the file meets the side angle of the file that angle will meet right in the working corner .Oh the yes the flat portion sharpens the top plate while the short side gets the side plate .

Trust me it's not the easiest way to file a chain which is why the west coasters have a leg up on us from the heart land .They use the stuff ,we don't .

drobertson

No expert here either, but if I understand sharkey's method, I am doing the same thing.  Inside to outside with a down angle, just fuzzing the carrier link, five stokes on the drags and they cut like new or better.
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

Clam77

Every instruction for sharpening a chain I've seen has you sharpening from the inside-out... Not sure why as that's not the way a file works best.  Having worked in machine shops and wood shops with files and sharp-edged cutting devices, you're supposed to sharpen from the outside-in on the edge to keep from screwing the leading edge up. 

Having said that- which type of chain are you talking about filing - round ground or square ground chisel chain??  I myself use round-ground and as Sharkey said, it takes a different method as opposed to square-ground. 
Andy

Stihl 009, 028, 038, 041, MS362
Mac 1-40, 3-25

LeeB

I'll have to look at some of the new chains I have in the box still. They ask me what kind of chain I want when I buy new and I tell them to give me whatever cuts the best. They always give me chisel but I never looked to see how it's ground. I resharpen with a round file. I don't guess I knew there was a round and square ground chisel, hence my question on how to properly file it.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

Clam77

If you're using a round file then it's obviously a round-ground chisel chain.  The method Al described up above is for sharpening a square-ground type. 

If you do a quick search on the forum here you'll find some older threads that already describe several opinions and different angles that people use - as well as a couple threads for various sharpening guides that people like to use.

Madsen's has a huge amount of knowledge you can read as well... 

http://www.madsens1.com/muu_barchain.htm

Andy

Stihl 009, 028, 038, 041, MS362
Mac 1-40, 3-25

Al_Smith

The reason on square chisel that most people file into the tooth rather than away is because you can see the compound edge more easily .You are trying to align two sides of a file at once .

I've got several loops of square but quite honestly the only time I do square file is for a race chain .On that in a scale of 1 to 10 I'm probabley a 4 or 5 .

Well sure square is faster and on the west coast Dougles firs it works out great for them .Keep in mind many of the crowd on the coast machine grind those chains .

With a round chisel it takes me about 5 minutes to touch up a 72 driver loop .Lawdy if that were square I'd be at it a half hour .

mad murdock

I have to confess, I have always sharpened chisel chain with a 7/32" round file, even if it was square ground to begin with, I end up fileing the gullet of each tooth thereby converting it to a round file sharpened chain, takes a bit more effort after first "dulling" of a new chain, but once I file it once, for the rest of the life of the chain, I only have to have 1 style file in my toolbox and sharpening is way faster. In my experience cutting speed of an out of the box new aware ground chisel over my modified round filed chain, negligible to imperceptable difference. 
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

Al_Smith

There's more than one person who started out with square then filed it round .

A race chain though is just that .Cuts like a beaver on steroids but won't last long .You can't use it for a work chain .
Square won't hold an edge either like round but like I said on the coast they carry extra chains .We in the heart land carry a file .

mad murdock

Mebbe that's my problem Al!?! I am a bit of Northern Great Lakes region transplant out here.  I can sharpen 3 saws faster than changing a loop of chain. Go figure :)
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

Al_Smith

Yeah it's just a preference I think .

drobertson

clam77, thanks for the link, this answers a few questions I have had.  I never knew about square filing. I use a chisel chain most of the time, but use the 7/32 round file.  This works good for me, I keep the gullet even at the bottom as I move the edge back.  I do hit the drags(rakers) a few strokes, and leave them flat rather than the suggested rounding. I Just eye ball the flats for equal lenghts and this works good for me too. I got into some pine Thursday, and my 362 was a bad mamma jamma. Probably the smoothest, fastest it has been ever. My Logger uses a 066, and he even commented on the (lil) saw,  bottom line is that nothing is much sweeter than a good running sharp saw.   
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

lumberjack48

Filing 3/8 chisel, use a 5/32 file and a file-o-plate to cut rakers, if you try this once, you'll be hooked.
My 034 Super would cut with a 066 Mag in wood up to 16 inchs, it was a blast to run. I ran 9 to 12 tanks of gas a day though the 034.
The reason people swap chains, they haven't found the knack to throw an edge back on [quick]
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

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