Chain Saw Sharpener

[klm]

Thinking about buying a bench type chainsaw chain grinder for a friend to help get him started in business (and to help me out) Would like input on what to look for, what is good and what is not so good. Anybody got the Harbor Freight model?

 

[johnk]

This board is a wealth of info. Give it a try......

http://www.forestryforum.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?board=chainsaws;action=display;num=1104069724

 

[PineRidge]

Ken we don't have any experience with the Harbor Freight sharpener but we have used one made by Oregon for about 7 years. It will make most any blade that's not already destroyed from trying to saw concrete cut like new again.

We were clearing our lot with the use of two chainsaws and having our chains sharpened at a local hardware store at considerable expense so we justified the sharpener purchase. The Oregon sharpener is quick and easy to use. Oregon click here

 

[Lazy]

Hi I have used this one web page for about 3 years and it works very good. Its on sale now I paid 79$ when I bought mine. I wouldn't be without one. only takes about 10 minutes to make a chain like new.

Charlie

 

[Lazy]

Hi
the sale price is 59 $ good to Jan 5 I believer at harbor frieght

Charlie

 

[johndeere2210]

I have had a HF sharpener for a couple of years. It has worked well and does a decent job. Beats hand filing. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[sendero]

I don't know anything about those sharpeners, but I've found that a Dremel with the appropriate bit does great.

A few months ago I posted here asking about why I could never make a chain work as well as a "new" one. I got some good answers (having to do with heat causing a change in the "temper" of the teeth), but I do a lot of cutting and hate buying new chains all the time.

I tried taking a couple chains to my local farm/ranch store for a sharpen (at a reasonable $4 each) but was not too surprised that they cut only a little bit better than chains I'd worked over with a rat-tail file.

A couple weeks ago - feeling I had nothing to lose, I bought a $5 bit made for chain-saw sharpening for my Dremel. I took a chain that was of low value ( had let it jump off the bar at speed - bad I know) and I decided to experiment with it. I got out the Dremel and I really ground hard on each tooth.

I don't find it at all hard to get the angle correct, you are guided by the angle of the cutting edge of the tooth in one plane, and the bar in the other. I ground the heck out of each tooth, letting the sparks fly. It takes me about 7 minutes to do the work.

That chain cut better than any other (except new) I've ever had. Now I realize that I cannot do this 50 times - but I've done it 3 times on this chain and each time get quite a bit of use out of it before it starts needing to be pushed through the wood again.

Now I'm glad I have 4-5 old chains laying around, I couldn't bring myself to throw them away /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Just my tangential $.02 /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[sassafraspete]

I don't use electric grinders. I use a bar mount chain saw sharpener that was designed by guy named Granberg some 35 yrs ago. I suspect mine is probably about that old. You can pick the File-N-Joint up for about 27 bucks. If you are not familiar with these, they clamp on the bar and hold your file at correct angle you chose (2 planes). I think the electric grinders take too much steel off, and your chain life is probably less too. Of course, they may be the cat's meow if you have serious damage and need to grind off a lot of metal. I can sharpen a chain pretty quickly with this simple, but accurate mill. When my brothers and I are out sawing , they are always duping me into sharpening their chains. All it takes is dipping your saw into some dirt and you are dull...so it is best to be efficient at sharpening the chain in the field. For some reason my brothers never quite got good at using this mill, but for me...I seem to do pretty good with it. Just keep good , clean files on hand. I guess if you are going into the sharpening biz, then an electric grinder is more impressive. What counts is the end result and satisfied customer.

 

[Bird]

Billy, it's amazing what a difference the "correct" sharpening makes. And of course there are different types of chains. I had a couple of chains sharpened by one dealer and they were better than when I took them in, but not as good as new. Then I tried another dealer the next time and found they were no better at all than when I took them in to be sharpened. And then I found a guy who was not a dealer for any of the saws; just a third generation in the sharpening business; knives, scissors, mower blades, chain saw chains, and just about anything that needed sharpening. And he did it RIGHT!. And besides doing it right and cheaper than the dealers, he also showed me how to do it and what the other guy had done wrong. I've seen those adapters for the Dremel; just wish they had one for lawnmower blades.

 

[bgott]

That's because the dealers hire some $7.00 help that's never even seen a chainsaw before and stick them on the saw sharpener. Their training consists of about a two tooth demonstration from some guy who would rather take a butt whoopin' than sharpen chainsaw chain. That guy lets the trainee know in no uncertain terms that sharpening chain is the lowest form of menial labor in the whole wide world and that if the customer wasn't so cheap he would buy a new chain. I haven't sharpened chain in a shop but I have been the low guy on the totem pole stuck with doing lots of other shop operations and the routine is the same for all of them. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif