Oregon 23736A Professional Chain Saw Bar-Mount Filing Guide

Customer Reviews & Comments
(Helpful? Not? Please vote, so I know someone is reading these :^) I realize this isn't for everyone. I cut 5-10 cords of big wood each year. For most people, a hand file and/or just keeping two or three chains will more than suffice. If, however, you cut more than a couple limbs and saplings per year, you're already familiar with the chain sharpening gambit. The saw shops put the grinding wheel edge on your chain, and it cuts very well, and then it dulls. If you then try to touch up the teeth in the field, you realize the round files don't work with the straight gullet the saw shop's machine put on there. Then you start filing ... and filing ... Lots of folks keep 2 or 3 chains sharpened, and just swap chains when one dulls. Usually, after three chains, you're through cutting anyway (although this is often not the case for me). When done, you'd take them all to the shop at the same time, and you're ready for next time. This is neither practical nor thrifty, thus enter the Oregon Professional series filing guide. You can set filing angles on two planes, ensure equal tooth length, equal gullet depth and equal raker height. That's all you need for a heckuva sharp chain. This is a knockoff (and superior to, IMHO) the old Granberg 104A File Guide (Sears also labeled them). Both are fine, the new Oregon has a second clamp that holds the chain in place for you. The Granberg lacks this. It saves your fingertips a lot of abuse. The new Granberg 106B looks like it has the same sort of clamp, but I can't vouch for it yet. The old Granberg I have gives me fits with the slide bushing sometimes, though it usually works *really* well too. No chain clamp makes it less stable though, thus my filing angles are less consistent. I would, since it's free, call into Oregon and get their .PDF (Adobe Acrobat file) of how to properly file your chain. It takes about 15 minutes to absorb the information about "up angle", etc., for your particular chain, that you probably don't already know. It's on their website too. Filing "up" means that you file about 3 to 5 degrees up through the gullet of the tooth. Oregon's little document is a big help in understanding how to set up your file guide for a killer edge. Use the filing guide to set up a "hungry" chain (lower the raker teeth) or a ripping chain (square tooth) or a soft wood chain or a hard wood chain ... whatever you want. I detract for a lack of rigidity. I would ideally like to have a BIG, HEAVY piece of equipment in my shop, and this guide out in the woods. The slide/guide is a little flexible, and will definitely let you know when your file is getting old or tanked up with metal. I use this on the tailgate of my truck fairly well, but I'm better and faster just clamping the whole saw in my vice at home (by the bar). You must file both sides of the chain, thus you will reverse two settings on the guide when you change sides (up-angle and tooth angle). This is another reason why I recommend the free Oregon .PDF or fax they'll send you. All in all, this is for the chainsaw junkie or enthusiast. If you're a 'once-a-year' guy or gal, just buy the file handle with the lines on it for $3, and take your machine to the shop when the teeth get too snaggled and of different lengths. The $40-$50 you spend here is only worth it if you cut a lot. At $6 per sharpening, you can see that most saw owners may take a few years to recoup the cost. A 20" chain takes me around 15 minutes to sharpen (and I may be a little slow). Still, if you don't have the patience to sharpen your own lawn mower blades, you probably don't have the patience for the setup and repetition this operation requires either. The upside is, if you do use this mill, your chain will outperform the old file-handle-with-lines around 2 : 1 ... no joke. If you've never had a well-sharpened chain, it's like tasting chocolate for the first time ... keep the bar tip out of the dirt, and the edge this guide gives you cuts and lasts as well or better than the chain grinders' edges. If you have spent over $40 in one season for chain sharpening, you should own one of these. I'd rather work 15 minutes for a sharp chain, than spend 2 hours at the shop while they get around to it ...