The Stihl and Pferd "Easy chainsaw sharpener" tool?

Anybody try one of these out? They look pretty interesting, easy to use!






And while I'm at it, I forgot what size file I need to use on my Echo CS-400 with 3/8" Low pro chain?

 

Yes I have one for my 3/8" chains, when I first saw them I thought they were a bit of a gimmick but eventually gave the still one a try. I use it all the time now it is a very good tool. Now I have to get one for 404 and another for 3/8" Lo pro.


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I have the Pferd. I like it, but I do a better job sharpening right-handed, pushing left to right than left-handed pushing right to left. My cuts have a little curve to them.

A quick sharpen at tank refills keeps the chain very sharp. I'll get a stump vise to hold the bar at some point.

 

I have one for 3/8 .050 and I like it quite a bit ... I have a robot grinder that I use to true the angles but to do the rakes requires a wheel swap and another swap back to the sharpening wheel ... I do a few chains on the machine and then throw em On the saw ... mark the right and left hand tooth and give a light swipe or 2 with the STIHL tool ... gives a great cutter whilst simultaneously getting the rakes ...

 

I have them for my .325 and 3/8 picco. I was useless at sharpening before I had them. I would highly recommend them to anybody. They have saved me a lot of aggravation and money.

 

Yeah I have one too. Makes sharpening the chain nice and easy.

 

Trying to procure one of these silvey raker machines ... talk about speed and precision man oh man ... makes ya wonder that with all the modern technology ; the old tried and true system is better ! If can’t find - gonna make !

 

How are these compared to new chains?

The reason I ask is: to me a new chain feels kind of "dull", so I have always wondered if a machine makes them like new chains, I'll continue to do my filing by hand. But if it is quicker than doing them by hand, I might buy one. I also questioned the amount of time it takes to remove the chain and put it back on: wouldn't just filing the chain by hand take the same time?

I am not causing trouble here, these are just questions that made me wonder if I should get one or not.

 

I have a logosol robot grinder and ALWAYS touch a new chain ... the factory mass-produces the cutters and whilst adequate they are no where near as sharp as after they come off the logosol! It’s truly a Razer-Sharp chain and cuts very very quickly with the geometry I use ...

 

I have 4 of these picco 325 and the 2 3/8 sizes that stihl and Oregon recommends I use them for all my hand filing and don't own a round grinder setup as I gave it away I also have the timberline with all the different size butts but it is slow to me

 

I usually wait until I have 10+ chains to sharpen and am down to the last sharp one on each saw ... find the longest cutter of the 10 chains with caliper and sharpen one side .. measure next longest and rinse and repeat until one side is done ... I hang em on a long screw with a rubber hose on the screw ... grab 10 chains and flip em around on the screw ... then do the other side same way ... if you are meticulous with your chains and stop cutting when the chips diminish you can get many many sharpenings from one chain

 

Hey thanks, that answers my question then.

 

I always considered myself a "Tooth Taker", but I do not like a dull chain.

I am retired now so production is not a huge issue to me. I'll typically cut from 8:00 to Noon, then come down and have lunch, then file my saw. I just find I do a better job sitting at the kitchen table, saw on a towel, talking to Katie as I file away where it is nice and warm, and my tummy is full.

I might go back and finish out the rest of the day, many times not...

I have, and can, pound out a load (10 cord) in a day, but generally I do it over a few days instead as this gives me 12 cord, 10 taken by my truck driver, leaving me 2 cord for the next load. Some weeks I get 2 or 3 loads a week, but mostly one is enough. My days of pounding out 100 cord a week are LONG over.

Generally a filed saw chain cuts about 4 cords, or 2000 board feet. I can get about 30 cord on a saw before I consider it junk, but it varies wildly. I junked a chain this week just because I hit a rock. It made me so mad. I am logging hemlock that blew over in that gale a month or so ago. And this one blow down, when it flipped over, it did so, so quickly, that its root ball send a fist sized rock onto the trunk. Of course now it is frozen to the trunk and being horizontal to the ground is covered in snow. I started to sever the bole from the stump and drove my saw right into that rock. The chain was just past halfway used up, so by the time I filed the saw chain down to usable condition...well minds well just junk it. The kicker is, now I swipe the snow off the trees and have yet to find another with a rock on it!

The rakers of course are adjusted to whatever I am cutting. We are down into the single digits (f) now so I am taking a lot less off the rakers. Some because I am in softwood (Eastern hemlock), but now it is frozen softwood.

 

As a side note, and not to be dramatic, but taking these blow downs is kind of cool/dangerous. It depends how the root ball sits. If it is over center, it typically remains still, but if its not quite over center, when you cut the tree off the stump, it flops back down to the ground. A logger has to be ready for that.

Sometimes I push the stump back over with my skidder if it aids in getting the tree out, and the root ball is in the way.

Funny thing is, the wind seemed to only hit trees in the 14-20 inch diameter size. (on the butt). Anny smaller and they stayed firmly rooted to the earth, as well as anything bigger. I am clearing 40 acres for future fields and on these 40 acres I counted 90 trees tipped over alone.

I have found it is not worth trying to make a "twitch". I have 7 chokers on my skidder. Instead I just grab whatever is convenient, and yes sometimes just tugging a single tree out, but I am only a few hundred feet from my yard right now. Its faster doing that then trying to fuss around in the brush to pull these blow downs out several at a time. It is not like felling where you can drop them where you want. Sometimes 3 trees are all tipped over in a clump: what a mess!

 

I thought i read there's not one for the 404

 

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I’ve used Rich’s silvey - square ground chains ... they cut nicely ... if I could get the volume I would pick up a silvey or a simington and offer service ... the only way I do it is if I make the chain ... just ain’t worth to try and restore a caca chain for 10c a driver !

 

I thought the raker machine was pretty awesome. Have watched an auto sharpener before at the Bunyan Show, but never knew such an animal existed as the raker machines.