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My old saw guy in Fresno sharpened by hand and I switched to a grinder in 2019
For 20 odd years I dressed my blades with a hand file at the bench, slow but I could feel every tooth. Around 2019 I picked up a cheap belt grinder and now a 16 inch blade takes me maybe 4 minutes, though I still touch up the tips by hand. The older guys at the shop in Fresno swore the wheel burns the temper, but I have not seen it on my own knives. Anyone here still filing by hand, or did you all move to a grinder too?
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hugoj121mo ago
That hand file work is no joke and I get why the old timers hung onto it. Twenty years of feeling every tooth puts something in your hands that a machine just can't copy. I still keep a file on the bench for touch ups and for the gullet work, mostly because I trust my hands more than a jig when a chain gets chewed up. The burn worry is real but it comes down to how heavy you lean on the belt and how long you sit on one spot, and if your teeth aren't turning blue or losing their edge in a day you're doing it right. Four minutes a blade is solid and the tips by hand is smart. Do what gets the cut done and don't let anyone shake you off it.
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