- Joined
- Feb 27, 2014
- Messages
- 2,131
I used to have this little jig that clamped on to the chainsaw bar and guided a round file at the optimum angle and held the chain from moving. It only took 1 to 2 swipes with the file on each tooth and was easy to move the chain to the next tooth. I can't find it any more and when I went on to amazon to replace it, it seems there are only much more complex versions that have cranks and special cutting bits.
I don't pretend that I really understand the tooth geometry of a chain saw cutting edge but it seems that the are two things to get right. One is controlled by the diameter of the round file and so that one is hard to get wrong. the other is the angle from the plane of the bar. That does not seem very critical.
So, if you stuck with me this far, my question is: do I really even need a jig. Can I just clamp the chainsaw by the bar into a vice and go to town manually. It's not like a chain stays sharp very long anyway. I realize that chains are cheep and so I could just lean by experimentation and replace the chain if I screw it up, but why work if I can just type .
If you think this is not going to work I am open to suggestions on in-place sharpeners or jigs that you think are worthwhile
Thanks fellow hobby machinist.
Michael
I don't pretend that I really understand the tooth geometry of a chain saw cutting edge but it seems that the are two things to get right. One is controlled by the diameter of the round file and so that one is hard to get wrong. the other is the angle from the plane of the bar. That does not seem very critical.
So, if you stuck with me this far, my question is: do I really even need a jig. Can I just clamp the chainsaw by the bar into a vice and go to town manually. It's not like a chain stays sharp very long anyway. I realize that chains are cheep and so I could just lean by experimentation and replace the chain if I screw it up, but why work if I can just type .
If you think this is not going to work I am open to suggestions on in-place sharpeners or jigs that you think are worthwhile
Thanks fellow hobby machinist.
Michael