are automatic chain sharpeners too hard on a chain?

[jymbee]

Hands down the bench sharpener is by far the fastest, easiest and most accure way to go PERIOD.
You do not " have" to remove too much material or make all the teeth the same length.

I've used an electric grinder for years and agree re. "Fastest, easiest and accurate"-- IF the operator knows what they're doing.

I also cut a lot of wood with various saws and have about a dozen chains for each. Start with all sharpened and when I get down to only a few sharpies left, the next rainy day I just sit down and sharpen everything. I also have several well worn chains that aren't used for normal cutting, but come in handy to cut up that extra muddy log or a trunk where you suspect there may be some kind of foreign material (metal, stone, e.g.) embedded.

I also agreed with Tracter's comment:

the biggest mistake I see is people grinding to much of the length of the tooth and trying to get it right in one go.
The grinding disc should just brush/rub the front of the tooth and you should have 2 goes so that you do not put to much heat into the tooth (wrecks the hardness)

 

[daugen]

grinding to much of the length of the tooth and trying to get it right in one go.
this is one of the reasons I brought this up to begin with. I'm betting that automatic hands off sharpener buzzes down one time per tooth but that's only a guess.
I doubt anyone here owns one, other than a dealer, so maybe next time I go in with my chains I'll take some good protective glasses and stare at the thing to see what it does.
I've definitely had some chains come back before with a discolored (bluish?) color on the teeth, so perhaps that's a good dose of overheating.

 

[jymbee]

I've definitely had some chains come back before with a discolored (bluish?) color on the teeth, so perhaps that's a good dose of overheating.

That is a sign you want to look elsewhere for a sharpening service. If you're too aggressive with an electric grinder, that's what you end up with and you've compromised the hardness of your chain.

If I'm working with a chain that has always been sharpened with my grinder, it usually only takes one or two slow, smooth contacts of the grinder wheel with the chain to sharpen. Depth is also critical as I've some use a grinder and they actually cut into the link. You want to be sure to get all the way into the shoulder with the right angle to sharpen both top & side surfaces.

Trying to restore a chain that has cut solidly into a stone or metal object e.g. usually takes more patience & effort.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I got one of those cheapo harbor freight chain grinders when I went to Or. for a little logging last winter. I loved it, it cleaned up all the old chains on the farm a lot quicker than I could with a file and has depth adjustment as well as angle. On the trip home I stopped by the store in Eugene to pick up another one to have here at camp and got the deluxe one(it has a handbrake that clamps the chain as you push down) and it is even handier. All my wood is drift wood off the beach so I get to sharpen my chain a lot and while a file does a good job this is much faster and easier.

 

[jinman]

Found out years back that lots of professional folk touch up their chains when they refuel. Started using that technique about 7 years ago and chains last much longer and cut better. Technique may not be for everyone but it has reduced my downtime sharpening (seems counter productive but is not)

I did that yesterday with my saw and it was the first day I've always had a sharp chain and ended the day with a big pile of rounds and a smile on my face. That's a great tip!:thumbsup:

 

[Gary Fowler]

I got one of those cheapo harbor freight chain grinders when I went to Or. for a little logging last winter. I loved it, it cleaned up all the old chains on the farm a lot quicker than I could with a file and has depth adjustment as well as angle. On the trip home I stopped by the store in Eugene to pick up another one to have here at camp and got the deluxe one(it has a handbrake that clamps the chain as you push down) and it is even handier. All my wood is drift wood off the beach so I get to sharpen my chain a lot and while a file does a good job this is much faster and easier.

I didnt know that HF had different models of grinder. Mine has the brake (manually operated like the brake on a bike)that holds the chain tight so each link is the same angle to the disc. I could see one without a brake would allow the chain to twist and not keep the correct angle.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I got one of those cheapo harbor freight chain grinders when I went to Or. for a little logging last winter. I loved it, it cleaned up all the old chains on the farm a lot quicker than I could with a file and has depth adjustment as well as angle. On the trip home I stopped by the store in Eugene to pick up another one to have here at camp and got the deluxe one(it has a handbrake that clamps the chain as you push down) and it is even handier. All my wood is drift wood off the beach so I get to sharpen my chain a lot and while a file does a good job this is much faster and easier.

I didnt know that HF had different models of grinder. Mine has the brake (manually operated like the brake on a bike)that holds the chain tight so each link is the same angle to the disc. I could see one without a brake would allow the chain to twist and not keep the correct angle.

 

[daugen]

http://www.powersharp.com/PowerSharp_FAQ.asp

I watched the video on this and it looked downright slick, a remarkable invention.
And then I saw the spec where they expect a chain to last five to fifteen sharpenings.
Catastrophic damage aside, isn't that about one third the life expectancy of traditionally sharpened chains, not including
touchups?

Slick comes at a price. I'm waiting for a A-B comparo for time to cut through some size log with both newly sharpened chains, standard
and powersharp. In other words, if it doesn't last very long, at least is it very sharp? Short life and easy dulling is not an appetizing combo.
Hope that's not the case here.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

A Oregon Rep gave me and the guy I work with each one of these systems to try out and give a critique on. I ran my husky with the 16" bar and my friend ran the 14" bar on his Stihl 200T. They do work as advertised. They will sharpen a normally dull saw. It won't fix metal or severe rock damaged teeth. It saves hand or machine sharpening your chain. It didn't take long to attach the sharpen on and run the saw. If you kept the sharpener in the tool box along with your scrench then things should be fine. The teeth are hardened so they hold a edge a little longer.
The thing I noticed is the chain is almost like skip tooth so it is a bumpier feel to cutting. That might just be me and having lots and lots of hours on a saw.
For the regular homeowner that doesn't know or want to sharpen his chains or have several spares this would be a good alternative.

 

[daugen]

A Oregon Rep gave me and the guy I work with each one of these systems to try out and give a critique on. I ran my husky with the 16" bar and my friend ran the 14" bar on his Stihl 200T. They do work as advertised. They will sharpen a normally dull saw. It won't fix metal or severe rock damaged teeth. It saves hand or machine sharpening your chain. It didn't take long to attach the sharpen on and run the saw. If you kept the sharpener in the tool box along with your scrench then things should be fine. The teeth are hardened so they hold a edge a little longer.
The thing I noticed is the chain is almost like skip tooth so it is a bumpier feel to cutting. That might just be me and having lots and lots of hours on a saw.
For the regular homeowner that doesn't know or want to sharpen his chains or have several spares this would be a good alternative.

I would love to see the two chains side by side, magnified. I think you are on to something here. Could the shape of the cutting surface be different as it relates to how
the blade impacts on the wood? Or just less blades perhaps? You didn't complain about the performance, so I'll take that as same, good work Oregon, even if it felt differently.
I'd be happier with a log cutting comparison though, first cut and maybe 20th cut. Curious to see if it dulls faster.

And a new stone comes with each chain. Transferring cost back to the user on a replaceable part vs. a diamond heavy duty sharpener built in that should last a hundred sharpenings.
With current day amazing tech in ceramics and steel, kinda surprised there's not a better mousetrap here. For not a lot more money. But I'm sure some marketing study said it would fly as fast as a pig
whistled if the cost exceeded 60 bucks or something. Maybe they need to make a "pro" model. I guess the consumer one had better sell better first.