Care & feeding of chainsaw blades

This thread is relevant to my interests.  I borrowed my old man's saw to cut down a half fallen over apple tree and general yard clean up.

Thanks for the safety reminder - getting PPE before I touch the saw again.  I will say, it's amazing the difference a sharp chain makes. 

I keep the appropriate round file in the toolbox for touch ups and it takes a few minutes.  A good, full sharpening takes me 30 minutes or so.

As far as how often to sharpen... at the risk of sounding flippant or sarcastic... when it's dull.  I just spent a month or so cutting up two massive Maples that I had taken down in January.  I made it through the whole project without a single touch-up.  It was a Norway Maple, so pretty hard stuff, too, but it was still green which kept it softer.  After those two trees, it still cuts pretty darn fine so I'll do a touch up with a file and call it good.  Most of my upcoming cutting is likely just little branches that fall in the yard.  If I were planning another bigger project, I would do a full sharpening.  If you're cutting locust or oak, maybe more frequently.  If you're cutting white pine, maybe never.  Ok, not never but not that frequently.

There is also an art to filing the guide teeth (the non-sharpened fins between the blade links).  They ride along the wood and determine how much of a bite the blade gets.  More filing means more of the blade tooth is introduced into the wood.  If someone suggests that, I would skip it unless you're really experienced or have a pretty powerful saw.  More cut means more risk of kickback and chatter.  The blade on my lightweight saw right now is an older chain from a previous saw that did have the guide teeth cut down.  The new saw is not nearly powerful enough for it and unless you have just the right pressure it will stall the chain.

One sign that you need to sharpen is chatter.  If the blade want's to vibrate and jump, it might mean that the links aren't sharp enough to cut and they bounce off instead of grabbing.  Another sign is if your cuts through thicker stuff curve a little to the left or right.  That's an indicator that you may have dulled the right or left facing teeth and it cuts better in the other direction.  The big sign I look for is the sawdust pile.  Just like a drill bit in steel, if you're getting nice, thin ribbons and chips, it's sharp.  If you're getting small, indiscernible dust, it's dull.

I've been trying to figure out what sharpening tools to buy instead of paying the shop to do it. I just ordered one of the non-Stihl file sets linked above. Thanks for the tip, I looked at the stihl model and thought it was a gimmick that wasn't worth $55. But after the endorsement I'm happy buying the cheaper one.

Maybe I can sharpen my own now.

Appropriate  chainsaw chaps. Some interesting but inappropriate ones come up on a Google search

In reply to ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) :

Our local Stilh dealer "farm store," sells the Stilh brand sharpeners for the same price as that one on Amazon.

I've got the 0.325" & 3/8" version, and like them a lot.  We got SWMBO her own saw, after she spent a day with me running the saw, and her dragging limbs.  About 2 hours in she proclaimed, "This is boring, I want my own saw!"  Yes dear...

I was up to the task of teaching her how to safely operate the saw, and some of that S-212 training I mentioned earlier came in super handy.  She's an educator with a PhD, so she's no dummy, she's a quick study, but I wasn't so sure I was going to be able to teach her to sharpen chains with loose files without ruining a few chains in the process.  The sales guy showed us that Stihl file when we bought her saw, I thought it would probably at least get her used to filing at the correct angle.  Be damned if the thing doesn't work even better than I hoped.  SWMBO needed maybe 2 lessons (she only really needed 1, but wanted a little affirmation for the 2nd) now she's paying attention to her chips, and sharpening as needed on her own.

Pearls go with everything, even chainsaw chaps.

In reply to Turboeric :

That's good to know.  Do you do it with the blade on the saw? 

In reply to carguy123 :

Yes. I usually just plunk it on the tailgate and go to it. If it has been allowed to get really dull, it takes much longer. A regular touch up is quick. Kind of like the difference between sharpening a really hacked up knife with a file to revive it, versus a quick hone with a steel to gently evicerate that tomato.

Visiting my local stihl dealer involves human contact, the blue one will be sent to me. Lol.

I keep a spare chain (sharp) in my chainsaw case and just swap chains when it gets dull and I'm out cutting wood, then sharpen both when I get back home. With the file linked above, it only takes 5-10 minutes.

i like the looks of that sharpening file.  Makes it kinda foolproof.  I bought a cheap $6 set of three files for the three common chain styles.  They had plastic molded handles so you could easily identify which file it was... then they fell off and got lost so I have to guess.

One big advantage of the Stihl style file thingy is that it sharpens the teeth and files the rakers (guide teeth) at the same time in such a way as it is impossible to file the rakers too low. You get optimum cutting depth all the time, and nice big chips and curls effortlessly. It's a really clever bit of design.

I have to admit I've never used protective chaps, but after reading along here and being a little more realistic about things, I just ordered a pair of those too. They're a whole lot cheaper than sewing your leg back on.

I clamp the bar of mine in the vise and run one or two passes with the file every other use unless I used it an excessive amount the time before. Usually I am just cutting up one or two 3-6" diameter trees so it stays pretty sharp.

I've been meaning to buy chaps for ages, what brand do you guys tend to like/prefer? 

They're not exactly common place over here, but really, they should be.

Where do you find those chaps and how much are they?

BTW don't do a search for those chaps if your safe search is off - it's really ugly ---- & weird!

Most places that sell saws will have chaps. 

These are the ones I ordered:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TZXUG9I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There was a cheaper pair with high ratings, but I like the fact these wrap all the way around the calf but were still open enough to provide some airflow. I'm in the south, so hot weather chainsaw work has to happen sometimes, I figured these would be a little cooler.

Also, as mentioned, most any saw shop should have them.

It's worth noting that chaps have different ratings (measured in chain speed necessary to cut through them) and I would highly recommend getting the best ones you can find. Around here at least, the Worksafe BC compliant ones have the highest rating and that's what I would look for. Outside of BC it might be different. I like the ones that cover the entire calf, zipping up around them for maximum safety.

I've always tried to be careful, but did manage to knick my chaps one day when I'd finished a cut and pretty much stopped paying attention to the saw, let go with one hand and it twisted around with the chain still going. The point of that story is that it can happen to you. It was minor and might not have gone through a pair of jeans, but it woke me up, that's for sure!

My chaps are whatever the NPS issued me in the early '00s, I'm sure whatever GSA carried at the time.

We bought these for SWMBO, and have given a pair to a couple of people we know using saws frequently.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017TKJC66/

We got the shortest pair for SWMBO, she's 5' 1-1/4" and has to roll the top over to keep them from dragging the ground and being a tripping hazard.

Re: chaps.  I have two uncles who made careers of cutting trees.  I spent many summers working with both of them and have MANY hours swinging a chainsaw on my own.  None of us ever owned or wore chaps and have had zero incidents.  They both wore forestry helmets from way back and I took that to heart early and have a nice Stihl helmet with earmuffs and facemask ( I even wear it when weedeating)

Always plan your cut and pay attention but I think the helmet is far more important that the chaps.

https://www.labonville.com/W850KP-Chap-Wrap-Series_p_1280.html

I have these.. They are Made in the USA and UL listed..  sure.. not cheap, but cheaper than stiching your leg back together.

In reply to KyAllroad (Jeremy) (Forum Supporter) :

I mean, I've driven cars since I was 9 or 10 years old, and never been in an accident that I really needed a seatbelt, but I still wear it. [knocks on wood]

I agree on a hard hat, for sure when felling.  I wish I'd worn hearing protection when I was younger, and much more frequently over the years, between child labor in grandpa's machine shop, child labor mowing hay, child labor mowing the yard, high school lawn mowing business, shooting fire arms with no hearing protection, a pair of 12" subwoofers, and of course, chainsaws.  What?

I have to scold SWMBO to put her ear plugs in, when she's running her saw, she's the only one of us that can still hear thunder, I don't need both of us going deaf.

An electric saw doesn't make much noise but ear plugs would keep the chips out of your ears.

I looked at both Lowes and HD this morning and neither had chaps in the store.  I was told they "might" be online.

Well I found out you guys were wrong about when to replace the blade and sharpening.

I ordered one of those Stihl blade sharpeners from Amazon but before it could was delivered the chain stretched enough to reach the end of the adjustment range.  So the answer to the question about when to replace the blade is when it stretches too much.

I got the sharpener thingy today and there are no written instructions, just some drawings.  It looks as if I clamp it in a vise and then do a 90 degree slide across it at a 30 degree angle tooth by tooth.  Does that sound right?  Somehow I thought it was a lot less tedious than that and that I was going to be able to slide it up and down the chain and it would do it's job.

I never needed to sharpen the old blade for the life of the chain.  Based upon my own personal experience it seems that if you don't do something stupid with the blade, or you're not cutting anything harder than oak, the sharpness of the blade lasts for the very limited life of the chain.

I talked with my son-in-law who I found out has recently cleared a bunch of land with his dad and he confirmed what I think I learned.  Their chains stretched until they were out of adjustment range and then they threw them away. 

In reply to carguy123 :

Again, I've spent a LOT of time swinging a chainsaw.  The only time the chain ever stretched was when the oiler wasn't working.