Chainsaw File Kit

If you do any amount of chain sharpening then you have probably tried several methods and products. What I have found throughout the years is that, unless a chain has been seriously damaged, hand filing produces great results. What I have also found throughout the years is that no matter how great of a hand filer you may think you are, you are not a great hand filer. This little jig ensures the correct angles to maintain a sharp cutting tooth. It is the perfect size to bring into the field for a quick touchup but also works well on the bench. Note: Be sure to order the correct jig for the chain size you will be sharpening.

I love this file guide... But I have some gripes... A little bit of a learning curve in the beginning because of the piss poor instructions, but you'll figure it out. Fast and easy to use, I sharpen the chain every time I add gas and oil. I have a Stihl MS460 so after a tank of gas I need time to recover and this is the perfect way to do it. Buy this, learn how to use it, do it yourself... If you're lucky, you can find a local guy that knows how to sharpen chains properly but most of them working part-time at the hardware store will butcher your chain with their grinders, you will lose half the life of your chain getting it re-ground when all it takes is a little clean-up to make it sharp again. My advise for new users is when you become comfortable with how the tool works, pay attention to make sure you sharpen your chain equally on both sides. By that I mean the left teeth and the right teeth need to be sharpened the same amount, consistently. If you don't do that then you will find that you won't be able to make a straight cut, the chainsaw will pull to one side in the cut and if it's a big enough log it will start to bind. First couple times I used this tool I didn't realize that I had been filing heavier on my strong side and the teeth were shorter than the other side. Re-filed and all was fine. I usually run the chain around, find the dullest looking tooth, sharpen it and count how many strokes I took to clean it up and make sure I do the same for the others, left and right. Five strokes is usually more than enough, three if I'm just done for the day and putting it to bed sharp. Two gripes on the kit... Throw the file handle that this kit comes with away or gift it to a neighbor you don't like, it's usable but there are so many better ones out there that it's not worth dealing with. Advice: Make sure you file only in the push direction, I only say this because I watched a neighbor sharpening his lawnmower blade with a file and he was filing away like mad with pressure on both the forward and backstroke. He was a smart guy, he just didn't understand that the file only cuts on the forward stroke and pressure on the backstroke only dulls it. Not impressed with the depth gauge on the file guide, I understand how it's supposed to work but it just doesn't do it very well at all, don't waste your time. Oregon makes a decent one (model 27742). A good file gauge is important for the next step. This step is important... As you sharpen your chain the teeth get shorter, if you don't file down the raker in front of the tooth then you will have a sharp chain that doesn't cut. The rakers control the amount of wood that gets fed into the cutting teeth, if they are not filed down as your teeth wear down through sharpening you will make sawdust instead of chips. If you are making sawdust, there is something wrong... You don't need to do it every time you sharpen but I would recommend at least every other or third time. Depends on what you cut, you'll figure it out.. Also... If you're going to be doing a lot of sawing, here are some suggestions... Buy your round files online in bulk... 12 files for $20, that's like a buck fifty per file (Oregon 70502). You're going to need them anyway and you'll save the hassle of dealing with a dull file. Give those to your wife for her craft projects, she'll love it. Get a stump vise..., it's easy to sharpen a chain in your shop on a table but sharpening a chain in the field is harder unless the bar is held properly. Put it in your chainsaw tool bag or carry it in your back pocket. It doesn't take up any space and will make you happy to have it when you need it. (Oregon 26368A). As a last resort in the woods, find a good stump or log, cut into it about 2-3", kill the saw and use that as a holder for your blade while you sharpen. I just re-read this review and it sounded like I was a sales rep for Oregon. I'm not..., their manual chainsaw sharpener that I was gifted (I smiled and said thank you... ) is the biggest plastic POS I have ever tried. (Oregon 23820) Happiness is a sharp chain, keep it out of the dirt... -

This product blew my mind with how well it works. I’ve tried several file kits and so far this one is the best all around. Extremely easy to use. Made filing four of my long (28”+) chains a snap. Had been putting those off for quite a while and gave them a thorough touch up. There are other good products out there, and possibly some better, but this file system is the best I’ve used so far.

The file handle works very well but you do have to control your filing technique to keep it from detaching from the file. Still, it is much better, my opinion, than standard wood "ram the file in" handles one normally uses. The file guide, again my opinion, is lame. I tried to follow the vague instructions but not able to make it work. It sits too high on my chain to allow the file to correctly engage the cutting hooks of the chain. But I have good success sharpening without a guide (years of practice) so for the moment, at least, that's how I will continue doing it. Update Dec 4, 2013 -- Using a magnifying glass to view the instructional pictures which came with the guide I realized I was, in fact, mounting the guide correctly on my chain. Even so the guide was putting my file dead center on the point of the cutting hook. I accessed the on-line Husgvarna site which reviewed the correct way to sharpen the chain and which warned about getting too aggressive a hook on the chains cutting links. My hand sharpened chain closely matched the recommended degree of the hooks. But I realized that the guide, if fitted properly, would make the correct filing of the cutting hooks an exact and easy process. I was able, with a file, to modify my guide so that it would produce the very modest cutting hooks recommended by Husqvarna. This now makes the guide useful for me and it will make sharpening the chain out in the field a faster and much less difficult process. My only concern is why the guide I was sent did not fit correctly in its original form since it was clearly labeled for use with my particular saw and chain.

Excelente

I buy this set strictly for the use of the raker gauge and files, ive got no use for the tooth sharpening jig but i go through raker gauges every 2-3 months and these seem to hold up better than other competitive brands. I cut wood 10-12 hrs a day

Très efficace et les marqueurs d'angles sont très utiles.

Todo bien

Nice product, but it would be nice to have the Stihl style that files the rakers at the same time. Maybe Husky can make one!?..