Chain Service Tools and Sharpening Station

[stihl #1]

Thought I would share my setup for service on saw chains and sharpening and filing. Maybe help someone with an idea and if there are suggestions for improvement I would love to hear them.
This is where I can make up new chains from a reel or repair or shorten a chain if it makes sense to do so.

I have links, presets, and cutters in the bins, and all the tools for the breaker and spinner are on the magnet bars on the shelf.
Here is a view from the end. The link chart is on a board so I can move it if the bench space is needed.

There is a spinning platform for the reel.

 

[stihl #1]

This is the sharpening setup, on casters.
This side has a grinder setup for 0.050 gauge chains and a hand filing jig.

This side has a grinder setup for 0.063 gauge, and an old antique USG setup for grinding the rakers.

The drawers have all the stones, gauges, tools and such, and a selection of filing tools.

 

[Junk Meister]

A "MAGNET STRIP" FOR THE little TOOLS. wHY DIDN'T i THINK OF THAT.

thanks.
Forgot to take the cap lock off but I thought it fit the comment so I left it.

 

[cus_deluxe]

nice bp-1

 

[el33t]

I see that you have a chart of USG settings always at hand. Is it possible to know what version (the last two digits in the upper right corner) of the chart it is?
What value do you usually set on the B scale for normal sharpening?

Since you have two grinders from different periods I would be interested in how the connection between the adjusting base and the motor arm looks like in both cases. I mean something like this:

 

[stihl #1]

el33t, attached is the most current spec chart with color codes that match the labels on the grinding wheels.
You set the B to + or - 15 to match the C scale, which needs to be at + or - at whatever sharpening angle you want. STIHL ships most chain at 30 degrees but you can do what you want, just make sure to match the + and -. The B scale moves the center of the chain just a little past the center of the wheel depending on whether you are doing left hand cutters (-) or right hand cutters (+). Study the chart and see how in column two the cutters are left (1), right (2) and rakers (3), and notice the B and C are at 0 degrees when grinding down the rakers. A is always at 40 degrees for saw chain, but does change if you are using the circle saw or hedge trimmer attachment.
I think the pivot setup is the same but I will look closer and if something is different I will let you know. As you probably know it is adjustable so you can take up any wear that occurs. I do recall taking some slop out on the older USG, which dates into the 1970's.

 

[stihl #1]

Junk Miester, I just set this all up for chain service and I hated in the past looking through little boxes for the right pieces and Allen wrench, and that shelf was Right There! so that gave me the idea. I have the guide which tells me which letter stamped on the punch or spinner set to use for different size chains in the storage bin case so it makes it easy.

 

[el33t]

el33t, attached is the most current spec chart with color codes that match the labels on the grinding wheels.
You set the B to + or - 15 to match the C scale, which needs to be at + or - at whatever sharpening angle you want. STIHL ships most chain at 30 degrees but you can do what you want, just make sure to match the + and -. The B scale moves the center of the chain just a little past the center of the wheel depending on whether you are doing left hand cutters (-) or right hand cutters (+). Study the chart and see how in column two the cutters are left (1), right (2) and rakers (3), and notice the B and C are at 0 degrees when grinding down the rakers. A is always at 40 degrees for saw chain, but does change if you are using the circle saw or hedge trimmer attachment.
I think the pivot setup is the same but I will look closer and if something is different I will let you know. As you probably know it is adjustable so you can take up any wear that occurs. I do recall taking some slop out on the older USG, which dates into the 1970's.

Thank you very much!
Here is the last chart (2025). Yours is from 2016.

https://web-cdnend-techdoc-tsa-r.azureedge.net/techdoc-documents/DVS_STIHL%2FZBA%2FZBB%2F0457-716-0000-A_ZBB_05_01.pdf

Could you have a look at this thread (started by me)?

Thread 'Picco Hexa, USG chart'

Nov 13, 2024

So I've recently written several times in different places that in the chart for the Stihl USG grinder, the vise offset is probably in the opposite direction than needed for the LH and RH cutters.
Although it was pretty obvious I couldn't quite believe it, because such information was also in the oldest versions of the chart I could find. And this can probably be counted in decades by now.

Every now and then I would check for a newer version, where maybe something had changed, although I didn't really believe that someone would finally figure it out in 2024 instead of e.g. 2014 and make a...

• el33t
• Replies: 37
• Forum: Just Chains

• 

 

[stihl #1]

cus_delexe, I have 2 BP1 saws, one is complete with the bar and the sharpen on the saw chain and runs, the other is rough. I am still in the middle of remodeling this building and getting things organized so I can display all the saws so eventually I will post more pics as I get there. I built the sharpening station a couple of years ago so I could at least keep stuff cutting. A little more gets done each day.
This is the wall where the chain service tools are located. I built it 10' high, but I decided to put all my reference books and manuals up top since saws wouldn't be as easy to see and I don't need to get to the paper stuff very often anyway.

 

[el33t]

I think the pivot setup is the same but I will look closer and if something is different I will let you know. As you probably know it is adjustable so you can take up any wear that occurs. I do recall taking some slop out on the older USG, which dates into the 1970's.

Do you think it is possible to correct such a tilt, which is visible in that photo I posted?

It causes the zero on the A scale to be inaccurate, as well as an asymmetry on the C scale, for example, when sharpening circular saws.

 

[stihl #1]

el33t, you are right, they are labeled different, and I went back to an even older chart to compare more.


The top pic is A03 with the right cutter plus, the middle is D16, the one I posted, with the cutter images reversed but still saying a right hand cutter is plus, and then your newer chart which is wrong, with a right hand cutter at minus. Hard to believe a mistake like this happened, but I worked at STIHL Inc. for over 18 years, retired in 2021, and I can tell you that I did see things like this mainly due to all the experienced folks in Germany retiring and younger, less experienced folks just not checking things carefully. I see it in other companies as well.

 

[el33t]

el33t, you are right, they are labeled different, and I went back to an even older chart to compare more.

View attachment 462501
The top pic is A03 with the right cutter plus, the middle is D16, the one I posted, with the cutter images reversed but still saying a right hand cutter is plus, and then your newer chart which is wrong, with a right hand cutter at minus. Hard to believe a mistake like this happened, but I worked at STIHL Inc. for over 18 years, retired in 2021, and I can tell you that I did see things like this mainly due to all the experienced folks in Germany retiring and younger, less experienced folks just not checking things carefully. I see it in other companies as well.

Thank you very much for your reply. I really appreciate it.
IMHO the last 2 charts (10/2024 & 03/2025) make more sense in terms of the B scale.
Take a look at the B scale settings in the oldest version, of which I have a poor photo (It still contains Topic chains).
For the (full) chisel chains they recommend +10 for the LH cutters, -10 for the RH cutters, that is, the direction of vise travel is the same as in the latest versions.

 

[stihl #1]

el33t, here is a pic of both of my USGs and it looks the same to me as yours does. Can't say as I have ever had a problem.

 

[stihl #1]

I have used the 15 degree setting for the last 25 years and never had a complaint, even had more than one occasion where I was told the chain cut better than when anyone else sharpened it. Not trying to brag, I just made sure I had all the settings right. STIHL has made changes to the cutters since the days of Topic saw chain and I suppose the current charts reflect that in the specs they give. I spent time in Germany with some of the engineers and they can be very anal about getting every little thing just so, which is not meant to criticize, just how they are. The USG has settings and adjustments I never encountered on other brands, which is a reflection of what I am talking about.

 

[el33t]

el33t, here is a pic of both of my USGs and it looks the same to me as yours does. Can't say as I have ever had a problem.
View attachment 462503

Have you ever checked that if you set 0 on the A scale the grinding wheel is exactly perpendicular to the vise?

It doesn't matter so much with chipper/chisel chains, but such an error is troublesome when sharpening scratcher chains (for which USG was originally conceived) and, for example, as I mentioned earlier circular saw blades.

 

[el33t]

I have used the 15 degree setting for the last 25 years and never had a complaint

Just for the record the B scale is not in degrees. It is without units. But in fact, one unit on the scale B means an offset of one millimeter.

On Tecomec/Oregon grinders that are equipped with a sliding vise, the scale corresponding to the B scale in USG is in degrees and 15 degrees corresponds to 18 millimeters of offset IIRC.

, even had more than one occasion where I was told the chain cut better than when anyone else sharpened it. Not trying to brag, I just made sure I had all the settings right. STIHL has made changes to the cutters since the days of Topic saw chain and I suppose the current charts reflect that in the specs they give. I spent time in Germany with some of the engineers and they can be very anal about getting every little thing just so, which is not meant to criticize, just how they are. The USG has settings and adjustments I never encountered on other brands, which is a reflection of what I am talking about.

I don't see USG as having any more settings than other comparable grinders. Some of them have more settings because they have a tilting vise in addition to those settings found on USG. Examples include Oregon 511AX and 520.

 

[sundance]

What's the hand filing jig? Looks interesting.

 

[stihl #1]

el33t, I will check and see if my USG is square at zero. I have never had to sharpen a scratcher tooth chain. Not used here in USA as far as I know. I assume that style is popular in Poland?
Sundance, the FG2 is for off the saw filing. So it does have to be mounted on an edge to let the chain hang off. The FG3 is similar but clamps to the bar.
Here is a better pic and just page 1 of the instructions for adjusting it. Very tedious to setup but very accurate. gets every cutter the same with stops. I don't think it is available in the US anymore but I might be wrong.it was pricey, like over $100.

 

[Philbert]

I have never had to sharpen a scratcher tooth chain. Not used here in USA as far as I know.

Old school chain. Still used in some industrial applications. Might see it on some antique or collectors’ saws.

Philbert

 

[el33t]

el33t, I will check and see if my USG is square at zero. I have never had to sharpen a scratcher tooth chain. Not used here in USA as far as I know. I assume that style is popular in Poland?

No, this was so off the top of my head one of the examples where such a head angle error is a nuisance to the operator.
As I wrote, when the USG was introduced in 1972, it came standard with a vise for such chains.
Stihl's standard grinder for chipper chains was HOS (HObelzahn Schärfgerät).
Today, the scratcher chain attachment is available for purchase as an accessory (5203 750 1405).

Some people using USG commercially have also complained about this error when sharpening hedge trimmer blades. But in this case they are acting contrary to the instructions, which say to physically rotate the blade 180 degrees, not to use negative and positive values on the A scale. Of course, the absolute error of the sharpening angle remains in this case as well, if the user does not take into account the correction for the A scale error.

A scratcher chain is a chain whose teeth resemble those used in (hand) cross-cut saws.
Currently, under the Stihl brand, it is rather available only in a version with a pitch of 15 mm (type 3428 & 3331) and used, for example, in timber packages cutting machines.


An example of the "most manual" such machine:

Kappstar: | HOLTEC

www.holtec.de

Sundance, the FG2 is for off the saw filing. So it does have to be mounted on an edge to let the chain hang off. The FG3 is similar but clamps to the bar.
Here is a better pic and just page 1 of the instructions for adjusting it. Very tedious to setup but very accurate. gets every cutter the same with stops. I don't think it is available in the US anymore but I might be wrong.it was pricey, like over $100.View attachment 462516View attachment 462515

You're rather right about availability in the US. On the other hand, it is normally available in Europe (and probably elsewhere). German list price is 169,00 € (with 19% sales tax).
As you probably know in the FG 2 manual long ago they removed references to the possibility of adjusting the angle of tilt of the file...