Chainsaw chains ugh

[Sean McGillicuddy]

a quick question about chain sharpening, i understand that after a few sharpeningsi t is necessary to file down the raker or chisel. is this an exact science that requires a depth guage, or can you simply run it across the grinding wheel to take it down a bit?

To repeat myself
This is why you should have one of the Stihl 2in1 sharpener!

Best tool to sharpen your chains ... as .. it sharpens teeth and rakers @ the same time .. like new chains again!

 

[Whitepine2]

When you mount the chain onto the bar, I hope that you loosen the bar nuts slightly before adjusting chain tension. Once the chain is tight, then grunt down the bar nuts.

If your chain is dull (possibly from a split-second contact with the dirt as you zip through a log), it will heat up more than a sharp chain, loosening it, making it prone to being thrown.

The standard CS2240 runs a 0.325" pitch, 0.050 or 0.058" gauge chain. If your current setup uses a narrow kerf, it's probably 0.050". There should be non-safety chains available to fit, keeping the current bar. Bailey's has a nice saw chain selector program on its home page.

Since your saw keeps throwing chains, I hope you're using it with chaps & chainsaw gloves. Even if it wasn't throwing chains, those are cheap insurance.

Good luck![/QUOTE]
TIP to add to above; When adjusting chain tightness hold the tip of bar upward or rest it on some wood then tighten up the nuts when adjusted. When using saw the pressure is upward on bar and if not all the way up will tend to losing the chain in use,hope this helps.

 

[D9H]

I've never used a depth gauge, just a flat file.

On brand new chain I usually make about 2 good passes off each drag, then I'll hit the drags lightly about every other sharpening.

If I'm running skip link chain, I don't file the drags quite as aggressively.

If you file the drags down too far, your saw will bind up a lot, so I wouldn't recommend using a grinding wheel unless it has a depth gauge.

 

[rippinryno]

From what I understand you just don't want them to be higher then your cutting blade right?

 

[computeruser]

That 2240 is likely set up with .325" pitch chain with a narrow kerf bar. In that case, running 20-series Oregon is a good choice - it is a round-file filed chisel chain that cuts a standard kerf. It will run fine on a narrow kerf bar on most any saw so equipped; on some saws, a bit of clearance work on the clutch cover may be required. I find it to be the easiest chain I have used to hand-sharpen freehand with a file. If you know your chain pitch, gauge, and # of drive links, you can order online from any number of sources (treestuff, bailey's, etc.).

The chain throwing could be caused by a number of things. Bar wear, drive sprocket wear, improper tension to the chain, a dull chain that is heating up like mad and stretching, these are all possibilities. The only time I find that chains want to jump for me is when cutting springy stuff, like .5" saplings and such, with a grabby chain, so maybe the jumping behavior has something to do with what you were cutting? A sharp chain, cutting proper size wood, with a suitably tensioned chain, should not be jumping under normal circumstances.

As for the thrown chains, you can almost always find the bent/buggered drive links and file/hammer the burrs off, and put them back into service just fine. I would not s-can them unless they were really trashed.

 

[D9H]

From what I understand you just don't want them to be higher then your cutting blade right?

Pretty much so. The more you file them down the more aggressive your saw will cut, there is a fine line there.

If you shave too much off, your saw will buck and bind up. And, increase kickback potential

 

[rippinryno]

i usually just touch them to the wheel so they flatten out a bit. I could start hand filing but most of the time i do this while i'm shapening since i do have the HF sharpener.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

Thanks CentralVA but my local dealer won't sell me anything but low kickback. He says full chisel is for pros only. I guess he's old school.

I sure like what you said about ribbons of wood instead of chips.

To be fair too, those pro chains are extremely dangerous in the hands of someone who has not received the proper instruction on how to use them. All saws and saw chains are dangerous but those low kick-back ones, while cutting slower, are much safer.

In addition, it's all in the maintenance as well. Those chains just come super sharp, at a steep angle, without low kick-back depth rakers. Once you dull them, you have to be just as accurate in sharpening as the factory to maintain that function.

Sticking with low-kickback, non-pro chains is not a bad thing at all, especially if this is for firewood cutting and not career logging.

 

[Wood Wules]

Thanks rippin. The HF sharpener is worth its weight in gold. I am going to try it on the rakers based on your say so. It sounds like you have had good luck with it. Using the electric sharpener you can have a professional job in 5 min. Anyone who still does it manually must be a fetishist.

As comp says I would like to save my buggered chains but the safety catch shears off the bottom tip of some links. I guess it causes that section to make the upper thicker part sit deeper in the groove so it won't move.

Thanks for your concern central VA but what's the fun of doing everything safely. We all hear of the terrible scourge of kickback but have you ever heard of anyone who actually went down that way.

 

[Jon1270]

We all hear of the terrible scourge of kickback but have you ever heard of anyone who actually went down that way.

28,000+ chainsaw injuries in the U.S. annually, with kickback being the most common sort.

 

[maple1]

As comp says I would like to save my buggered chains but the safety catch shears off the bottom tip of some links. I guess it causes that section to make the upper thicker part sit deeper in the groove so it won't move.

I'm having a hard time picturing this. Can you take & post a picture of what you're talking about?

I've thrown a few chains but never had any get ruined in doing so. Needing touched up, yes.

 

[Wood Wules]

Thanks Jon for appending that article. It astounds me that three million new chainsaws are sold each year. It is vague as to how many of the injuries are due to kickback. It does say that there was only one fatality using a modern chainsaw. It also says, wait for it, that operator was using a low kickback chain.

 

[Jon1270]

Thanks Jon for appending that article... It does say that there was only one fatality using a modern chainsaw.

That's not what it says at all. The linked abstract is just a brief description of a paper that examines two particular fatal accidents, one of which occurred while using a modern saw equipped with low-kickback chain but used in an unsafe manner.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Thanks CentralVA but my local dealer won't sell me anything but low kickback. He says full chisel is for pros only. I guess he's old school.

I would dump him so fast he wouldn't know what hit him. It's not his business to decide what chain you get to use.

Don't be afraid of the pro chains. Once you see how much better they cut, you probably won't want to go back. I keep a low-kickback chain around for my younger son to use, but once I tried my first pro chain, I was kicking myself for not making the switch sooner.

 

[D8Chumley]

Pretty much so. The more you file them down the more aggressive your saw will cut, there is a fine line there.

If you shave too much off, your saw will buck and bind up. And, increase kickback potential

Off topic, you a dozer operator? I assume so with your screen name

 

[D9H]

Off topic, you a dozer operator? I assume so with your screen name

Yeah, D9H is just about my favorite dozer. The new ones are nice with the radios and ac. But there's just something about the balance to those H's.
Something tells me you are too...

 

[DougA]

I haven't seen anything in this thread about how the OP is operating the saw that might be the cause of the problem. Are the chains coming off when bucking, limbing, etc.?? I used to have problems with chains when I was limbing and it all came down to bad technique. Even with a chain that was reasonably tight, if you catch the edge the wrong way when limbing, I was getting chains that came off too readily. Just a thought.

For sure, the nuts need to be real tight and as mentioned, that's going to cause problems 100% of the time.

 

[Wood Wules]

A few comments said they fixed their thrown chains. I tried to do that but got nowhere. How is it done? I am tired of buying new chains.

 

[Jon1270]

A few comments said they fixed their thrown chains. I tried to do that but got nowhere. How is it done? I am tired of buying new chains.

I've never thrown one, but I imagine the most likely damage is a bent drive link that would have to be either straightened or replaced.

 

[BrotherBart]

I have thrown more than I cared to over the years. Usually the damage was to the tooth that caught on the chain catcher and I was able to hand file it back into shape. I never messed with trying to make the rest of them match it. A couple dinged the drive link on the underside and it was a pain in the backside filing those down. One I gave up on and chucked the chain.

 

[heavy hammer]

Need to figure out why you keep throwing chains. Does it throw just the same chain or has it been three different chains. Pro chain needs to be ran just like low kick back chain. With all the safety gear and with the operator knowing that the chain on the bar now has more of a tendency for kick back. Low kick back chain can and is just as dangerous as pro chain.

 

[Wood Wules]

Thanks for your replies. I had a better day yesterday. I fixed one of the thrown chains using my grinder. I went thru a tank of gas with the chain still on the bar.

I think my 3 year old Jred 2240 has a design flaw. It has only one nut holding the bar on. It is easier for it to come loose and throw the chain. The new 2240 has 2 nuts making it more stable.

 

[Longstreet]

Thanks for your concern central VA but what's the fun of doing everything safely. We all hear of the terrible scourge of kickback but have you ever heard of anyone who actually went down that way.

Yes, my uncle. Very long, very deep scar down his face to his neck. EXTREMELY lucky to be alive.

 

[Wood Wules]

I feel very bad for your uncle. Do you know what kind of chain he was using? It seems most people use low kickback chains. Very few use pro full chisel chains.

 

[ErikR]

Wood Wules, It sounds like your Jonsered 2240 is built like my Husqvarna 450. My bar is also attached with only one nut, but I've never had it toss a chain. Keep the chain properly adjusted and check it often. Remember to keep upward pressure on the tip of the bar while tightening the bar nut.

I'd probably stop by a good saw shop with it and ask them to take a quick look at it and see if they notice anything not right...

Good luck.