While I like his testing methodology, his idea of sharp and mine are definitely different. Then there’s this:
Speak up, me? I like his vids, but my personal preference is different. Nothing wrong per-say, I just do it different. He puts a lot of time and effort to get those results. Those shimmers/shiney spots along the edge of the cutter are light reflection. To me that indicates it's not quite sharp yet.
Warner I applaud his effort & his methodology also & the time he took to do so. BUT everyone is a critic... That being said that toof ain’t sharp, I would be hanging that one on the needs sharpened peg. At least one toof was burned from hacking too much-too fast off with a wheel grinder. One mans sharp chain isn’t every mans sharpened chain. He also didn’t go into detail on how he maximized sharpness on the 2nd round so folks that are trying to learn can learn. Everyone develops their own technique good/bad/ugly but for safety sake & best results a solid-stabil mounted bar in some type of vise ( bench vise/log vise) or chain vise are best for the least amount of movement & best results, especially for folks just starting out. Alot folks are heavy handed when they start out sharpening. I am speaking from experience.
I've spent a lot of time learning to sharpen as well. I bought a really nice grinder, read, watched, learned & promptly destroyed a few chains. I am modestly proficient with a file & pretty good with a grinder. It takes a very light touch with a grinder to make a truly sharp chain & that comes with practice. Now that I've gotten decent with round ground chain, these guys have got me just about shamed into going "square". If you look closely at some of Jason's pics of cutters he's sharpened you'll see a mirror finish on all the angles. Those chains will cut smooth & fast, they'll be 10-20% faster than my best round grind. I've screwed around with angles, raker height, & chain type long enough to know what I like. Best teacher is practice & patience. Find what works for you & make firewood.
What don’t you like about what he is doing to the depth gauge? Removing too much? Squaring it? The Oregon tool?
I’ll hazard a guess . He’s just doing the standard “ .025 depth gauge setting fits all “ ,file job . Using a progressive gauge will give better results . Especially as the cutter gets filed back a bit . I post this from time to time ,as it is helpful . http://gepkolcsonzo.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/complete-book.pdf This will explain it a lot better than I can . Lots of other good stuff in there as well
Nixon summed it up. If you're interested enough to learn how the chain does its cutting, read that file he shared. It's very informative, especially the part about the depth gauges. Progressive style is best in my eyes.
Great video, I enjoy his content, thanks for sharing! I only have a few years experience running saws but I picked up the Stihl 2 in 1 file sharpener and its by far the best I've used. So simple to use and the results are top notch as you can see by his comparisons.
Just curious about the why. I mostly use the progressive gauge, but in the field I may run a file across flat. In my opinion a chain is in 3 categories. It’s cutting good, could be better, but it can finish the job, or I’m not using it. I like using saws that I’ve sharpened, because I know exactly how it’s going to cut, but I’m not going to sharpen all the saws all the time at work. Optimum is not always possible in a work environment.
Agreed, Saturday I had a split Oak limb to buck, hit something & trashed the chain, grabbed another saw & hit something else. Got annoyed & threw on a stumping chain. Was it great, no, but good enough. Finished the day with it, then sharpened the good chains. Sometimes you just gotta get the job done.
