Chainsaws....

NPKennny said:
Wades_76_cj7

Oregon 511a for a round grinder. Small flat file and a progressive depth gauge for rakers.

I use Foley Belsaw diamond wheels in my grinder to make it easier.

I hand file most of my chains, though.

I find myself using the grinder when I touch up friends and neighbors chains. I have such great neighbors that I find ziplock bags of awful chains hanging on my gate.

I typically clamp the saw by the bar in my vise for hand filing and raker work.

IMG_7915.jpeg


IMG_7916.jpeg
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I need you as a neighbor!!
 
Wades_76_cj7 said:
for those of you that are using a saw more than just a hobby how are you sharpening your chains? I hand file in the field but I am looking at picking up a bench grinder to fix some chains that I hit dirt or found some embedded wire in trees.
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I have 2 Oregon saw chain grinders.
one I leave set up for .325 pitch for the small saws, with a standard 5/32 grinding wheel
the other is for the .375 and .404 pitch chains with a 3/16 CBN wheel

NPKennny said:
Oregon 511a for a round grinder. Small flat file and a progressive depth gauge for rakers.
I use Foley Belsaw diamond wheels in my grinder to make it easier.
Click to expand...
I have a diamond wheel as well, but it is only for carbide chains, all others use a CBN wheel

to trim the rakers I switch the wheel on the one I use for larger chains
hand filing works fine for the first time or two. but unless you really look at each tooth when filing, you will find some will be longer than others causing cutting problem.
TrikeKid said:
... I'd love to have a square grinder but they're big money
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yup over 1k now and I think the only one still making them is Simington

I start with square ground (I buy a roll of chain)
will hand sharpen them no more than twice (sharpening square is an art)
then I go to the grinder with them and grind them as standard chisel chain
 
Yeah the hydro off the tractor, skidsteer or other works pretty slick. This is the one we got and it makes short work of the giant rounds that we have to work with on a semi weekly basis.

split-fire.com

The Best Skidsteer Log Splitter with Interchangeable Wedges.

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They have tractor mounted options as well.
 
Java230 said:
I need you as a neighbor!!
Click to expand...
Here’s what I’m usually working with. Helped my buddy get saws ready for his Christmas tree outing over Thanksgiving.

This takes about 4 passes on the grinder and loses 1/2 of the chain life.

IMG_7928.jpeg


Then I set the saw in the vise and knock the rakers back by hand. This much grinding requires a pretty significant reset for the depth gages. (Potato pic because of sunroof glare.)

IMG_7929.jpeg
 
Steve300xcw said:
How much time will you have in getting that chain back into shape?
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30-40 mins all in. I blow out the filter and clean under the clutch cover as well.

It’s certainly not a business model for me!

Wades_76_cj7 said:
what is he trying to cut to round the cutters over like that? rocks? dirt?
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This looks like a curb or sidewalk. Typically a rock will get one side of cutters. Concrete or a curb will get both sides. It coarsely grinds the tooth from the top, stripping off the hardened plating.

It happens pretty quick, but with this chain, someone tried to keep cutting when they hit the ground. Persistsnt operator!

A shop would throw this chain in the trash, rightfully.
 
Chevy_man said:
I don't think that's worth it unless you're going through a few chains a month.
If I bought a spool I think my kids might die before it's used up.

I do try to stay out of the dirt and rocks though.
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hundred feet of chain's like $250, ain't **** to have ****ting on the shelf and it ain't a lot of work to do once you got a couple finish nails on your bench so you don't gotta count drive links

it is kinda a pain feeling pressured to only having one size of chain
suddenly I'm overstocked on .325 bars and sprockets now that I've got a roll of 3/8 chain
 
[486] said:
hundred feet of chain's like $250, ain't **** to have ****ting on the shelf and it ain't a lot of work to do once you got a couple finish nails on your bench so you don't gotta count drive links

it is kinda a pain feeling pressured to only having one size of chain
suddenly I'm overstocked on .325 bars and sprockets now that I've got a roll of 3/8 chain
Click to expand...

I've been alternating the same 2 chains for 3 years now. Still plenty of life left.
For the amount of times I'll spend $27 on a Stihl chain I just can't be bothered :laughing:
 
Steve300xcw said:
I was going to say, isnt a new chain like $30? :laughing:
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3pack for $20 if you're willing to buy unbranded chinesium.

the kind of guy to run the chain that dull in the before pic is not a discerning user.

I've been known to run a chain as dull as it will reasonably function and i can't come anywhere close to that :eek: that chain must have been buried in rocky mud and he juat let her eat.
 
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So are the unbranded chinesium ones any good?
Got the local Stihl shop to make a chain for the new to me husky and nearly fell over when I got the bill. Coulda got a 5 pack of **** ones for that.
 
andrew_ln65 said:
So are the unbranded chinesium ones any good?
Got the local Stihl shop to make a chain for the new to me husky and nearly fell over when I got the bill. Coulda got a 5 pack of **** ones for that.
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yes, they punch way above their weight in dollars versus the name brand stuff. Neotec is the china chain i have the most extensive usage on

I used to be a disciple of oregon/stihl chain too, and no doubt it's better stays sharp a little bit longer, but nowhere close to 3-4x better to match the cost differential.
 
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WTF? said:
3pack for $20 if you're willing to buy unbranded chinesium.

the kind of guy to run the chain that dull in the before pic is not a discerning user.

I've been known to run a chain as dull as it will reasonably function and i can't come anywhere close to that :eek: that chain must have been buried in rocky mud and he juat let her eat.
Click to expand...

Used to cut a lot of rail road ties. That'll **** up a chain right now :laughing:
 
Steve300xcw said:
Used to cut a lot of rail road ties. That'll **** up a chain right now :laughing:
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concrete saw with a carbide toothed blade does real good on nails and wire and "barn wood"
especially if you set the teeth to make a wider kerf than normal
you do only get 4" or so of depth, but the durability is unmatched
 
andrew_ln65 said:
So are the unbranded chinesium ones any good?
Got the local Stihl shop to make a chain for the new to me husky and nearly fell over when I got the bill. Coulda got a 5 pack of **** ones for that.
Click to expand...

I think it's like anything cheap and Chinese, there's little to no QC. So one batch will suck balls and the next will be amazing.

It probably really depends what you're cutting. Soft woods are pretty easy on chain as is, while some of the hard woods can be hell on stuff that isn't properly hardened.
 
The new to me Husky:
IMG_20250403_192923.jpg


Got caught with my pants down a couple of years ago when a neighbour got a huge Eucalyptus dropped and the arborist dumped all the wood in my driveway. Plenty of stuff 4-5' across and I only had smaller saws or an 18" 82v cordless. It was hard ****ing work but I got through it, over a full season's worth.

Been on the lookout since for something cheap, 60+cc, could pull a 24" bar, in decent condition, that would just start and run without ****ing around. Wanted a Stihl but new and used saws are all stupid prices in Oz. Paid $450 for this with 4 chains all nearly at EOL. 362's go for like $1200 used so this was a steal.
 
[486] said:
hundred feet of chain's like $250,
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show me where you can get it for that price.

I looked last week and it is about $400 for a 100 foot reel
Oregon
75CJ100U

I guess if you find the cheapest chain you can get lower, but if you make your own chains, why not use something with quality
 
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WLDWUN said:
show me where you can get it for that price.

I looked last week and it is about $400 for a 100 foot reel
Oregon
75CJ100U

I guess if you find the cheapest chain you can get lower, but if you make your own chains, why not use something with quality
Click to expand...
dude you quoted 486. you know he's gonna use the absolute cheapest **** available. His labor isn't worth anything to himself. lol
 
got a job thinning out some dead ash trees on a subdivision lot that I brush hogged this summer. Several trees are beetle kill I would assume. also trimming up some hedge trees in the fence row so they can mow closer to the fence. I dropped several yesterday and poled them up then loaded in my dump trailer to take home to work up for firewood.
Here's the first load
20251206_145524.jpg
20251206_145537.jpg
 
Wades_76_cj7 said:
got a job thinning out some dead ash trees on a subdivision lot that I brush hogged this summer. Several trees are beetle kill I would assume. also trimming up some hedge trees in the fence row so they can mow closer to the fence. I dropped several yesterday and poled them up then loaded in my dump trailer to take home to work up for firewood.
Here's the first load
20251206_145524.jpg
20251206_145537.jpg
Click to expand...
how much of an effort is that dump trailer going to make unloading that?
 
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