A new chainsaw

[kickstand]

On the subject of chainsaws, does anyone use the premixed fuel? I bought a gallon because my local gas stations quit carrying ethanol free fuel. Damned expensive, and it may be my imagination, but it seems not to have the same power as gasoline. I will buy a gallon or two for emergency use and keep it on the shelf as it has a long shelf life if unopened, but certainly not for regular use after this is gone.

So far, in THIS saw, I have used only the Stihl premix at $30 a gallon. In 1.5 years, I've gone through about 2 gallons. If I used the saw a lot more, I would likely do something different. The next time I need any, I will probably get the other brand of premix at Home Depot for $20 a gallon.
Since I have never used anything other than premix in this saw, I can't say how premix compares to you-mix.
I do wish that I could find a way to set the saw when I'm done with it so that the fuel and chain oil don't leak out. I've set it flat, on each side, and even upside-down. Nothing seems to help. This Stihl is much better than any of my previous saws, but it still happens.

[redman2006]

On the subject of chainsaws, does anyone use the premixed fuel? I bought a gallon because my local gas stations quit carrying ethanol free fuel. Damned expensive, and it may be my imagination, but it seems not to have the same power as gasoline. I will buy a gallon or two for emergency use and keep it on the shelf as it has a long shelf life if unopened, but certainly not for regular use after this is gone.

[redman2006]

I like mine. I like it much better than a dremel because I can sharpen in the wood lot without power. I found it did much better than I do freehand or with other guides.

[olfart]

That's cool. I should've looked at the link before commenting. Thanks, Kick.

[kickstand]

That's one of the beauties about this kit, when used right, it takes the rakers down at the same time as sharpening the blades.

[olfart]

I use a Dremel tool with the appropriate sized stone. Quick and easy. When you find that sharpening the chain no longer helps, you'll need to file down the depth gauges a couple of strokes each. That makes almost as much difference as sharpening. Going too far with the depth gauges will cause the saw to bog down, so be careful.

[0utlaw]

That's the sharpener I use, it makes a tedious task a piece of cake.

[kickstand]

I've owned my Stihl MS180 for about a year and a half now, and figured that it was time for an update.

First and foremost, the chain is still getting oiled as it's supposed to. I've had several saws that after about a year or so, the oil pump would just quit working, making the saw useless.

I REALLY like this saw. Yes, it's still a bit underpowered, but knowing it's limitations and working within them help a lot. I have felled a couple of trees that were pretty much the limit of the 16" bar & chain without coming from the opposite side. I think that on the last one I dropped, the end of the chain wasn't quite long enough to get all the way through the bark on the widest section. With that said, it has done everything that I have asked of it, as long as it has a sharp chain. This is absolutely critical!

As I stated earlier in this thread, I had never attempted to sharpen a chain. In the past, I either bought a new chain, or, more recently, have had my local Stihl dealer sharpen it. I have to say, after getting it sharpened at the dealer this most recent time, I wasn't impressed. Honestly, I think that it was sharper before he worked on it. Almost immediately after getting it back, the saw started making a curved cut, which says that one side of the chain is sharper than the other. Unfortunately, it sat for about a week before I found out, and I didn't want to be "that guy", so I didn't take it back to complain. This convinced me that I had to learn how to sharpen a chain.

Having used my fair share of power tools as an auto mechanic, I know how easy it is to overdo things, and how hard it is to be consistent, so I opted to go for the manual route. I found the correct size for my saw, and ordered this "2 in 1" tool.


20200108_085652.jpg

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00HY90LAE/

I received the kit a couple of days later, but didn't need it quite yet, so I put the kit away. Yesterday, I decided that it was time to sharpen my chain. Do you think that I could find where I had put my new kit?! Nope. Searched high and low, to no avail. After a couple of hours of searching and cussing, I gave up, figuring that I would find it later.

I went out to my car today, and there was my kit, in the back-end. I'm pretty sure that I had looked there yesterday, but may have been too agitated to see it, it wasn't hard to spot. Cool, time to learn!

I watched a video or two on how to use it, but that's kind of like trying to learn how to swim by watching a video. I then mounted my small vice to the bed of my pickup bed, secured the saw into it, and gave it a go. I gave each tooth three strokes of the file. It probably took 10 minutes from start to finish, and that's only because I was figuring out what I was doing as I went. I would expect that it will go faster next time.

I then tried cutting a 12 to 14 inch log. Almost like butter! Nice big chips again. I'll admit, it's not quite as sharp as a new chain, but not bad for my first attempt. Definitely better than the last time the dealer sharpened it. Now that I have used this tool and understand the process, I think that I might be able to do a touch-up using just a file. I'll let you know if I decide to try.

[Zef_66]

I've sharpened my chains a bunch of different ways. When I first started cutting, I would sharpen by hand. That is how my dad always did it. Just a round file for the teeth and a flat file for the rakers. And it kinda sorta worked for me. So every now and then I would have to take the chains to the dealer and have them sharpen 'em for $5 each. They cut awesome when I would get them back, but then over time I would mess them up again.

So I eventually got one of the harbor freight electric sharpeners. https://www.harborfreight.com/electr...ner-68221.html That worked better, but I felt I was taking off way too much. And it is hard to get an even cut on all teeth no matter how careful you are. It just isn't rigid enough. And the more you grind, the more out of profile the stone gets. So you need to replace the stones, which can get costly. And you still need to cut the rakers by hand.

So just about a year ago, I splurged and bought the all in one files for each of my chain sizes (I use 3 different). Obviously, I tried just one first. But like it well enough to get all 3. They are similar to what redman posted above. But I got the offbrand Pferd that works just as well: https://amzn.to/2A66NDP If you watch them on Amazon they will occasionally drop below $30. They work great. I'm not a professional, so this is the perfect solution for me. I can sharpen in the field correctly. The rakers are always at the correct height. They are easy to use and change files. And I still have my electric if I for some reason try to cut a foot thick stone in half.

My dad has the Timberline, which he says works great. And I'm sure it does. But again, it only does the teeth. And they are quite expensive. And the replacement reamers are expensive. For him that runs one pitch, it's not a big deal. But for me with 3 different pitches, it would get costly.

I've looked at some of the automated machines. I think I may end up doing that some day and running it as a side business. But I don't have the time to do the stuff I want right now. So maybe in a couple years. I think you could more than pay for it in a couple years.

[redman2006]

Which one?

I used one that was a cheap dremil with a built in guard. In theory, it should have worked like thebdremel. The reality was a burned up motor and loose and broken parts very quickly.

A friend has the timber line or timberland. He swear by it one day, and at it the next day. It is a clamp on hand grinder gizzer. I thought it was way too pricey. I could buy a dremil and the guide and several replacement stones for what he paid

[kickstand]

Has anyone used those $30 electric chain sharpeners? Are they any good? A total pile of Pelosi?

[redman2006]

I do the same now with a dremel, but stihl makes a gizmo i hear a lot of folks swear by. it has two files and a depth guage on it. https://www.ebay.com/i/192596525852?chn=ps


I have yet to try one, and you have to have one for the right pitch, but I hear good things from guys I trust

[kickstand]

Ya know, it's funny. I can put an edge on a knife, axe, adz, shovel, hoe, etc. I've read up on chainsaw chain sharpening , and it just doesn't compute. I don't know why, but I just can't seem to get the angle of the dangle, so for now, it looks like I will just buy a couple of extra chains, and have my Stihl guy sharpen them.

[olfart]

I use the Dremel chainsaw sharpening guide with appropriate diameter stone for my chain. The guide attached to the Dremel tool gives you the proper angle. Then all you have to do is grind each tooth just far enough to restore the cutting edge. Be careful, though, it's very easy to go too far. Then occasionally you'll need to file (or grind) down the depth gauges (bump in front of each tooth). Again be careful not to take off too much.

[Boston_Joe]

Zef. Any good on line guides or videos on how to hand sharpen a blade? I've done it but think that I have done more damage than good. I had a place 10 minutes from here that would sharpen them for $6.00 so I would rotate the 3 blades I had. 1 on the saw and 2 getting worked on. But now that place has closed and I'm more or less on my own.