Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Proper Lubrication of the Chain Saw Front Sprocket

Bristo beat me to my reply. You still have to be a bit careful about sharpening IE cut the teeth same length. As you cut teeth you have to nip the rakers down some too as you cut more and more. But I've not had much issue with the rakers, I don't have to keep at them as much as the teeth.

I'd think it takes me 5 minutes to sharpen an 18 inch chain.

This one you can't change a lot of the angles like you can on my more expensive one I keep in Alaska at the house. But so far this lil cheap has done well enough. Plus when the chain is dull, its right there at the house to hit it with.

I'm not usually lazy, but things like this I am. And sharpening knives anymore... Havels Piranta takes apart a whole moose or brown bear... nuff said there. Plus paper wheels on a grinder...

Seriously. I'm not sure how many cords, who measures that [bleep] anyway, its cut, on a low boy and to the barn or split and to the barn and tossed in. I try to cut only clean stuff, stay out of the dirt etc... I can cut the top of the tree limbs almost all with one chain. But its cutting the big rounds that wears on a chain in a bit. Mind you I don't let the chains get dull, as soon as they quit cutting nice, I swap. I don't want to have to grind the heck out of the teeth, just touch em up.

No clue on Locust. We have Bois D Arc but its not fire wood and I have cut it dry for gun stocks and thought after a year of aging it was not that difficult to cut.

I sharpen all my chains with a Granberg File-N-Joint at the shop.



For a touch up out in the timber, my new best file is a Pferd that files down the rakers at the same time.

As Simon mentioned, Fiskars, 8lb I think.

I have one, it's a good tool for the non-traditionalist or anyone who isn't looking for a fancy $289 legacy maul....lol




Oak, the Pferd looks like a better version of what I use.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044U4TC2/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I like the hammer face on it. Might have to get after it w the angle grinder.

Oak, the Pferd looks like a better version of what I use.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044U4TC2/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
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Sam the Pferd has two angle visual aids, sure helps.

Looks like it would much 'handier'.

I used to do quite a bit of chain saw milling and used an Oregon file guide for that. Its a goofy double angle to get ripping down just right and its about impossible to nail it by eye. For every day saw use though I don't use a guide. There's guide marks on the chain for the angle and there's no up/down angle. I just go by what old Harry who started logging before saws were even invented taught me years ago. Don't over think it, follow the guide marks, just make sure every one of the teeth look just the same when your done. If you need to file the worse tooth 10 strokes do the same to them all. Sharpen early don't wait for it to get dull. Watch your chips if they're big and square its sharp.

I use a Stihl (metric) 3/8 file in the Oregon file guide. The Stihl metric file is a little smaller diameter than the Oregon 3/8 (SAE) file. I use this method on Oregon 3/8 semi chisel chain. A pro logger gave me this advise.

I’ve got to get one of those. I hate sharpening chains to the point that often I just buy a new chain instead of doing it

I don't spike the logs together. Along with getting a winter cut, the other critical thing for dovetail notch construction is to make only one building log out of one log.
"Box in the heart." If you have a 16 inch log, cut off 5 inches from each side, so that the center of the round log remains the center of the construction log, a 6 inch thick log that is 16 inches high. Cut in this manner, there will be very little twisting or warping, virtually none. Of course the logs are held securely in place at the corners with the dovetail notches, and the angle iron holds them well at the windows and doors. Then, 8 foot high you build a loft coming out about half way, that locks the whole thing together 8 feet up. Then the rafters lock it all in place on the top log.

I actually build giant trusses, the ones on my house are made of 4x10 white pine timbers, 22 feet long, with 3x6 inch collar ties. These are spiked into the top log with 12 inch steel spikes. That holds the top round of logs securely in place.



My house.

Sometimes I grease my bar tip, sometimes I don't. When I was logging a couple guys did a test, one guy greased his tip, the other didn't, and the guy who didn't grease his tip had it last longer.

I use a saw everyday and will wear out a bar before I wear out a tip.
I put about a teaspoon of chain oil over my tip every fill up, also clean your bar groove out every couple days and flip your bar so it wears even. I have worked with guys who would dip their bar tip in a small tin of chain oil kept handy while bucking on a landing, works for some guys.

What is really hard on a tip is getting your bar pinched, especially near the tip, a sure way to destroy a tip.
As mentioned also grease the clutch bearing every time you flip your bar. I have never worn out a clutch bearing in 40 years of sawing greasing it in this way.

Good quality chain oil is a must for long life, I use the cheap chain oil and add some STP to thicken it up in the summer time, its still cheaper...and I turn my oiler up too so it gets lots of oil.