Sorry, noob question. I have the stock chain on my 550xp (18" bar if that matters). Paid to get it sharpened a couple times, but decided to develop my own sharpening skills. But I didn't know my chain size and went to the store where I bought my saw and the guy pointed me to this one picture below. Now I've only used it once and did a bit of a rush job. The file guide thing didn't sit on the chain as I'd seen in the vids. Not sure if that was user error. So I freehanded it. To mee the file seemed to big to go through the grooves of the tooth. But I don't know if that's how it's supposed to be. I did a pretty crappy job. One one hand, I noticed the saw was cutting faster versus how dull it was previously. On the other, my cuts were pretty crooked. So to the experts on this forum...can anyone tell me if I bought the wrong file size? I wish Husky had that idiot-proof homeowner chain sharpener thing that Stihl has.
There should be some numbers on the bar telling you what chain is required. Like for instance. .050 for width. .325 for the length. 72DL for the amount for drive links. If not then you can measure your old chain. You measure the width at the drive link. You measure the length by picking and measuring the center to center of any 3 rivets and dividing by 2. For example .325 chain would be .650 between rivets when measured. You measure the drive links by counting how many there are.
Just get the Stihl sharpener I have one and love it it great because it takes your rakers down evenly as you sharpen the tooth. The only thing is that you can not use this sharpener properly on a half or full skip chain because the rails on the sharpener are meant to ride on the tooth in front of the tooth that you are sharpening. This is only meant for touch ups it's not too effective if you would hit rock and try to sharpen it with that, don't ask me how I know! That's when I break out the Dremel with the sharpening stones!
I have a 550xp also, and it has ,325 pitch chain. I have the husky sharpening kit for ,325 chain. Seems to work great on oregon chain not so great on stihl chain. Im not sure why but the guide just doesnt sit right on the stihl chain. I have been meaning to buy one of the stihl sharpeners havent got to it yet.
Those 325 kits are nice I have on and does a great job once you get the hang of it. Get a h23 chain if you don't already have one h30 are lame
That’s more than likely the right one for your chain as most 50cc range saws come stock with .325 pitch. This is the dimension that dictates your file selection as it represents basically the size of the tooth. The same file could be used for any .325 pitch chain, regardless of gauge or # of DL. I find with new chains, or ones which have only ever been sharpened with a wheel, there will be a burr in the bottom of the gullet which sort of grabs the file as you’re sharpening and often makes it hard to fit the file between the tooth and the raker. I usually file this away freehand the first time I sharpen the chain, with the same or a smaller sized file, as an initial step. If you don’t find you like that guide, and decide to try something else, there’s no reason you can’t use the Stihl 2-in-1 on a husky chain; as long as you choose the correct model size for your chain.
Thanks all. Appreciate the info. I'm installing a bench vise soon so will take time to figure this out.
Ill get one of those stihl files sometime in the future but for now i just got a roller one. Tad spendy but they are nice to not have to mess with rakers. Oh and there is a knock-off brand(if it even is that still looks like good quality) of that type if files for like half price on amazon. Just remember BuckinBillyRay says "get the gullet"
Good reminder. I’ve watching a lot of YouTube vids. Quite a range of technique and advice. I will search for a “bars and chains 101” thread. The basics.
Yes & No. Just because someone has an opinion and You Tube video doesn't mean they know anything. Look for threads on the forum AS with "Philbert", he is Da Man on sharpening.
