Sharpen a chainsaw chain - PEP BB tool.sand.chainsaw

r ranson wrote:This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in tool care.


To get certified for this BB, post three pics:

  - action pic of sharpening
  - closeup of a tooth that is really dull
  - another closeup of the same tooth - nice and sharp!

This is my attempt with pictures and explanation:


1) This picture shows a lot actually. The first pointer is that when I sharpen my saw, I get comfortable. This is not to be hurried, though it only takes about 5 minutes to file a chainsaw. I do it at my kitchen table, using a towel under my saw to catch filings because I am married do not want to experience divorce again. I am warm, comfortable and dry here though, so I do a good job. You will also see in the photo I am only using a bare minimum of tooling, nothing expensive: a chainsaw and raker file!


2) In this photo you see the dull cutter. Here I have to make a confession, it does not look super dull because it is not. I never let my saw get dull, and no one else should either. When you do, the teeth get hot, then the bar, then that heat gets transferred to the bottom case of the saw where the crankshaft is. Being only 2 strokes, they get very little oil. I have gotten 22 years of heavy life out of my saws because I always run them sharp...no heat build up, so no engine problems! Still this tooth is dull, you can see some dulling at the very top of the cutter. But also look at the raker. This tooth is half filed down, and yet the raker is still pretty high.


3) This is just an action shot as required. Ever since 1990 when they started adding the engraved angle line to each cutter tooth, there is no guess work when it comes to filing a saw. I used 3 strokes of the file for the cutter, and 2 for the raker. As for the Stihl hat I am wearing being just plain wrong...filing a Husky with a Stihl hat? Hardly; this model saw is JUNK. It is not that big of a saw granted, but it has no power and is a rattle box. I do not recommend this chainaw to anyone!


4) This shows the finished filed tooth and raker. Its cleaned up and ready to cut. The raker has been filed down just a bit to allow it to take a nice slice of wood.

The saw in the picture; the one I do NOT recommend buying, is a Husqvarna 562. I failed to mention that in the text.

I'm sure we'll be using this saw tomorrow for the PEP event so I thought i'd sharpen it for future BB's.
I usually like to secure the bar to a vice but I figure I could do without compared to other tasks that seemed more fitting at the time.
To prevent the saw from moving around I only sharpened teeth halfway down the bar then moved the chain to from the first sharpened tooth to the middle.
I experimented with what felt comfortable. Tried filing with one hand or resting a couple fingers for resistance force and resting on the motor as well. Or resting on it, resiting with one hand and filing with the other. They all had their percs.
went out for a test cut and threw out decent sized shavings.

What kind of cameras are being used for those detailed close up pix? I've tried a few times & it looks like a chainsaw but has no detail of the teeth.

Mike Barkley wrote:What kind of cameras are being used for those detailed close up pix? I've tried a few times & it looks like a chainsaw but has no detail of the teeth.

I'm using my cell phone, which is a Samsung Galaxy S8. Someone shined a light from their phone on the final pic.

I too am having issues with close up shots. Here's my go at this.

Hate to say it but I think they need to be clearer with more detail. Especially the last pic. My opinion is the middle pic is acceptable. The first one is marginal & might be good enough IF the last pic was better. Travis & Robbie set the bar pretty high here & clear proof is required for these BB's.

They did indeed set the bar high ( pun unintended )  I'll see what I can do with a different camera ...and a different saw.

Can I use an electric file?