Finally got around to building a chainsaw vise for holding the bars while filing. It's nothing fancy but with a couple of screws or a clamp you can mount it most anywhere. A simple $6 hold down bolted to a bent piece of 1/4" steel plate. The rubber headed bolt for the hold down was replace with a piece of 1" angle iron. To allow this piece of angle iron to pivot/rotate to match the bar, I loosely sandwiched the head of a 5/16" carriage bolt between the angle iron & a flat washer which was welded to the angle iron. The rubber pads keep the vise from pushing against the chain while protecting the bar & keeping it from sliding in the vise. The file guide is a Stihl 2n1. The larger saws will set directly on the bench. For the smaller saws I use a small piece of 2x6 under the power head.
Wanna make another? I know a guy, who knows a guy, who wants one like that Looks good man. That was well thought out.
Nice home made vice. Looks like it works well. How do you like the Stihl 2n1 sharpener? I had one and like it a lot. Always had trouble keeping the correct angle. It has helped me greatly.
Nope! Notice the jaw opens wide. One of the reasons for the wood spacer & rubber blocks for the jaws. With the rubber blocks only 1" tall, if you clamp on the lower portion of the bar it keeps the file & your hand from hitting the vise, well in most cases. There will always be someone who does to prove me wrong. You can rotate the vise any direction you want, provided you have a place to screw it to, even a wall.
