Back & Forth or one way?

Heres a question for hand filers. Do you file back and forth or one way when you sharpen? I watched my friend go back and forth the other day after he had asked me. I go in one direction.

 

One direction only.

 

One way! Drawing back on the file pushes the sharp edge of the file down. Please don’t. It’s worse than fingernails on a chalk board.

Did you ever see the vid of the guy that chucked up a round file in his drill?

 

Saw chain files are made to cut one way only. Never go back and forth.

Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk

 

Ive seen videos of "professional" tree guys going back and forth with a file and i thought the same. Think ive seen the drill sharpener video too.
I liked that rotating bar attachment file jig you have, just didnt like the price when i looked it up.
BTW, I only go one way!

 

As do I! Lol.
Best thing if interested would be to find a used one. They are spendy. I just used it on dads Husky 435. Made that .325 chain crazy sharp and every tooth precisely the same.

 

I forgot the name of it??? I think i did look on ebay and even used were pricey. I hate being cheap!

 

If you don’t have the money to frivolously spend, it’s not an essential item. That’s more than reasonable. It’s a Timberline. Sometimes you can find FHC or OPE guys selling for 50/80 bucks.
Had a difficult time focusing on the fresh metal but this pic shows the almost stropped finish they leave.

 

That edge is so nice its almost ashamed to cut with. I know how you like your saws sharp though.
Just checked ebay. 3/8 pitch new is $181. Most of my saws are .325. Too bad they dont have interchangeable sizes.
Is it significantly sharper than hand/machine ground?

 

Absolutely yes!
$181? yikes. I wouldn't even consider that. $100 would be pushing it. When I bought mine, there was a discount code available on their website.
Timberline Chainsaw Sharpener
It's $125 there.
And you can get all different size carbide cutters. I have about 5 of them.

 

Thanks for the info and link. I "put in cart" the 3/16" and left the sight. Ill see if they email with a discount. An old online cheapskates trick.

 

I saw an acquaintance do that once. Surprisingly he was in his upper 60's.
Not only sawing the file back and forth but also swinging the angle front to back like he was trying to polish something round. I lost my sh!t.

"Ed, that's not a f@cking fiddle.....".

 

Already answered by many but here's a straight forward video on hand filing.
How to Sharpen a Chainsaw

 

Do yourself a favor and buy a chain sharpening vise. Amazing cutters when your done because of zero movement on the cutter when you’re filing. One of the best investments I ever made. Works on any pitch chain. Forgot, file one direction only.

 

So Brad does not go both ways.... got it. Seems like you would struggle with control drawing the file toward yourself, at least without a jig.

 

That method of maintaining rakers is best in my experience. Those guides trained me pretty well on hand filing too.

 

Never pull a file backwards with any pressure. A file has the cutting edge supported only going forward. Frequently chalking the file will prevent pinning and allow the chips to fall free.

 

I take the chain off and put it directly in the vise to sharpen maybe 75% of the time. Sometimes placing the bar directly in the vise as well.

 

Even with the 2 in 1 files, putting the bar in a vise is a big thing to keep the saw from moving.

 

Just get a pferd csx aka 2 in 1 file, and a vise.