First try at square filing

I bought a square ground chain to try and liked it but the cheapo files I got originally were crap and I was unable to sharpen it with them. I had ordered a double bevel file and it arrived Saturday. Sunday morning I was able to get it figured out how to sharpen it. The first try wasn't going well till I figured out I needed to open up down at the bottom of the gullet with a round file first so the double bevel file wasn't hanging up on the little tooth that was there. I didn't figure this out on my own, I saw videos and read about it on here. I would have never known about square filing without becoming a member here. I've learned a lot from the brain trust here.

I was able to get it sharpened, but it doesn't look like most of the pictures you guys post here. But it does cut well and self feed. I wasn't able to hold a nice corner like you guys show, but I'm happy to at least get started and I'm sure it will get better with practice.

I'm hoping to pick up on some better techniques at the GTG coming up this weekend.

My set up.


A couple views of one of the chisels. About average, some are better, some are not as good. I'm not sure my eyes are good enough to get much better though.

It looks like I may have gotten a little too aggresive with the round file or maybe used too large of round file. I've still got some figuring out to do on this...

 

I takes some practice! I bought 3 or 4 so I could use that as a template which helped. I refuse to buy a $1,000 grinder, so much like you I watched videos and figured it out! Cuts fast when sharp right!!!!

 

I used it on some Honey Locust yesterday and wow, I'm a convert to the square life... I usually use my 250 with semi-chisel chain on it for limbing and marking the logs to cut. But after using this square ground chain on my 362 the 250 felt really sssslllllloooowwwwww. I even re-sharpened the chain a couple times thinking I hit something, but it was just that much slower than the square ground that I was having trouble reaching for the 250... Please, NO CAD.... Please, NO CAD... The wife just jabbed me for the CC bill where I got the 2 new light bars and chains and.... So I gotta tone it down on the spending for a while... LOL

I cut 3 tanks of gas on that Honey Locust and it is seeming to hold an edge well too. I started with a new Stihl square ground chain because I've been wanting to try it and knew right away that I wouldn't be happy going back to round file. I'm just hoping that I get faster at sharpening and figure out my set up better so it's at least close to as quick as I can round file. When I'm out working and get into some fence or dull a chain on something, it's awful handy to be able to able to set up on the tailgate of the truck and put a fresh razor edge on a chain in a few minutes.

I don't usually keep many spare chains, but I may have to buy some to keep on hand. Usually I just keep filing them till they're down to a nub and then go buy a new chain.

I'd buy a few extras if I find a good deal on loops. I've always run Stihl chain as it seems to hold an edge best for me, but I did get a Oregon when I got the 32" bar a few weeks ago because the price was attractive on it. Stihl chain is expensive.

 

Get some rsl and a 500i. After that you may never be the same again.

 

Of coures I wouldn't be the same. My wife would kill me!


Happy wife, happy life...

 

I say happy me is happy me!!!! Buy her a potted plant or two just after....everyone wins!!

 

I came to FHC years ago by way of the square filing thread. I find it no harder to maintain sharp chain using a double bevel vs. a round one. Just need to get the angles where ya want them. Being more durable than round was an unexpected bonus! Practice makes perfect. I enjoy it, for the most part, with a good tune on the radio as I work. When I’m working over huge monsters, sharpening 135dl’s multiple times a week makes me wish I had that grinder. But 1k!?!? Outta my pay grade.

 

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm sure I'll get to the point where it will be easy and I figured I would document my journey so others that are interested won't dilly dally like I have getting started. I'm really liking cutting with the square so I'm committed to getting tuned up with the double bevel file.

After ripping through that locust with the square, I can't imagine stepping back to the round file. I'm sold... Just bummed that I waited this long.

 

Square chain “sawdust”, lol! Gotta love it.

 

It does cut good. Just takes practice. I'm nowhere as good as The Wood Wolverine . I might have to send him a chain or 2 to sharpen.
You do need to use a smaller round file on the gullet. And it is harder on the files the way you have to sharpen into the teeth.
A couple I have done, I only have 4 square grind chains total.

 

I watched a video where they were square filing up through the tooth just like a round file. That's the way I did it.

 

Its a lot harder to keep your corner lined up that way.

 

So I don’t use a ton of force while filing. I take multiple light/smooth passes instead of really pushing hard on one. I think this is a little easier on files. I keep 3 in rotation. The oldest one takes the first 2-4 swipes on a round chain for conversion, then the middle file does the lions share getting angles and such. Then if I want perfection, I use a newer one for a pass or two to make it pretty. And I meticulously clean the files as I use em. Their too expensive to mistreat.

 

T.Jeff Veal , The Wood Wolverine

I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy... I will strive to get there. I'm impressed with the difference it makes so I will put in the effort to get better.

 

I come up through the bottom also with the double bevel file. Stihl makes a triangle file for square filing, and I started out with one of those, because no one local had the double bevel files, and with the triangle file I do go down from the top, but I like the double bevel files better and now go up from the bottom. I don't have that much trouble staying in the corner, but I was looking at a stock factory Stihl branded square grind chain loop, (actually I have bought and used a couple) they have a bit of a beak on them from the factory, but they still cut good and hold up good. I have a Stihl skip tooth, factory square grind on my 261 and it cuts great. I run it and I run it for several tanks of gas, before I touched it up, and it was still cutting pretty good, but I knew it deserved a touch up.

My point being, the factory chain may not win a chainsaw race against a professionally ground race chain, but for a working chain it ain't that bad. So, I don't fret about a tiny beak if I end up with one, anymore. I will correct it if it's easy to do, but sometimes I just move on to the next tooth, (I just make sure the vertical is not leaning back, any), then I finish up with filing the rakers and they seem to cut great for my purposes. I pay about as much attention to the rakers as anything. I know some people only file the rakers occasionally, but I am usually always disappointed with my sharpening job, if I don't do the rakers, so, I always do and pretty much always get a good cutting chain when I am done.

But, bottom line, I am sold on square filed chain for my purposes.

 

To my eye, that looks pretty good.

 

Here's a picture of a brand new unused factory square grind, Stihl chain. It has quite a beak on it, IMHO. And I know that some people say that factory square grind does not cut. And I am sure it won't run with a race chain, etc., but it doesn't do all that bad, either, for the average Joe out there. My only point is that this factory grind is pretty far from being in the corner of the tooth and it still works pretty good. When I hand file, square grind, and I am still learning, but mine are always a whole lot closer to being right in the corner then this factory chain, so would it be too brash to suggest that there seems to be a fair amount of leeway or forgiveness in this square grind sharpening gig?

 

And here is a picture of a Stihl factory square grind chain, I am running on my 261. It has been sharpened only once by me. I did not file it but a few strokes per tooth, to take it back to about factory. I was lazy and just did not want to take the time to file it enough the first time to take it all of the way into the corner like most people including myself would prefer. On this particular chain, I just chose to sort of follow the factory grind, because it was just easier, and the chain had been cutting pretty darned good, so I didn't file a lot away. I will end up in the corner in a future sharpening or two or three, or sooner if it seems to not be cutting well.

I just wanted to show how far off this factory chain is, yet it cut quite well, I thought, and held up really well, I have cut a fair amount of wood with it and done quite a bit of noodling, one day, but I never hit the dirt or a rock with it.

 

So, my last two posts was just to show that there seems to be a lot of territory between factory grind and the common contour that most people strive to prefect. I just didn't realize until I bought some factory square grind chain, just how different it is compared to skillfully hand filed, or the examples of square grinds I have seen on this site. I wonder why factory grind is so far off? Do you think they do it that way because it's faster and cheaper to make production chains that way, or do you recon they consider it to be a longer lasting chain instead? My guess is it might be a little bit of both at the expense of maximum cutting speed.

 

I don’t believe that is a square ground cutter. That looks like it was done on a round grinder