Northern Tool Chain versus Oregon Chain Saw Sharpener

[nebraskasparks]

Anyone know anything about Northern Tool Chain Saw Sharpener? Saw one on Chain Saw Reviews - Electric,Gas, Stihl, Husqvarna, Homelite and Echo Chainsaws for about 90 bucks but the grinding head has no angle on it like the Oregon sharpeners.
Northern Industrial Bench or Wall-Mount Saw Chain Sharpener
Northern Industrial Bench or Wall-Mount Saw Chain Sharpener

Model Number : 193020
Price : $90.26
Products Description : Versatile unit can be mounted on your workbench or wall for best results when sharpening your saw chain. Sharpens chains from 1/4in. to 3/4in. pitch 110V, 60 Hz motor 3600 RPM 230 Watt motor input power Disc guard 15 Watt lamp Chain must be removed from saw before sharpening Some assembly required


I will be sharpening chains for the next couple of months as we prepare winter...I was looking at the Oregon Model 108181 for 200 hundred bucks...
I've seen various posts on chain saw sharpeners but noticed that there wasn't one brand that seemed to be anyone's favorite.

 

[westbrooklawn]

I have the Northern Tool sharpener and I am very pleased with it. I made some modifications (mostly smoothing burrs, etc.) based on recommendations found on arboristsite.com . Go to Arboristsite.com , search Northern Tool sharpener, and you will find a wealth of information.

 

[Skyco]

but the grinding head has no angle on it like the Oregon sharpeners.
.

It sure does- has the exact same adjustments as the Oregon one. I am happy with my NT "copy". Like the above poster I had to clean mine up a little, the bottom hemisperical part was a little balky at first until I de-swarfed it.

 

[czechsonofagun]

I use HF copy. $30 or so on sale. For 4 years now I sharpen my chains with it and it works fine.

 

[jake98]

I average about two or three sharpenings a season, and I heat mostly with wood. At five bucks a shot, why do you guys bother with those contraptions? I guess if you have a tree company it might make sense..

 

[Skyco]

When I'm cutting wood I might run through two or three chains a DAY, and no I'm not in the business
Not to mention the time/cost of taking them somewhere to get sharpened then a return trip to pick them up....
The HF sharpener is nothing like the NT copy of the Oregon, bought one from HF and not real pleased with it...the NT copy is 5 times better for 3 times the price:thumbsup:

 

[jbooth]

I still sharpen with a file. If I count the strokes for each tooth I can keep the teeth even enough to cut well. I sharpen often. Even if the chain don't need much, at 68 I need the rest. If a tooth really gets buggered, I don't try to take all the blemish with a one sharpening.

 

[nebraskasparks]

Thanks gents!

 

[Car Doc]

Yes sir I do the NT that is and like it very much hard to beat for the money! :thumbsup:

I might add Arborist Site has a looong long running thread about it lots of good reading!

Btw mine has all the scales an Oregon has there some other thing it lacks in comparison but thats for another thread like AS.

 

[jake98]

I thought you guys were talking about those dremmel-type things, sorry, I'm way out of date.. those in the link look pro.

 

[Monster5601]

This is what I use:
Granberg Bar-Mount Chain Saw Sharpener, Model# G-106B | Chain Saw Sharpeners, Maintenance + Repair | Northern Tool + Equipment
And as far as I can tell, I get a better edge than my son does with his fancy electric sharpener. I touch up my chainsaw each evening after a full day of use.

 

[pat32rf]

You guys must be cutting cleaner logs than those I drag out. I feel I'm doing good if the blade is still SHARP after two or three tanks of gas. I carry a file on the tractor. At night the saw goes into the vise for a more precise sharpening...
I have two of those fancy $35 rigs and a 12V Dremel type hanging on the wall. Been trying to give them away for a few years now....
A file in an Oregon file holder does it for me. (about 4-5 bush cords /year)

 

[mcd176]

I own an Oregon Sharpener and really am happy with it, I have had it 3 years and couldnt even estimate how many chains I have sharpened!

As far as why some of us sharpen our own chains is because like was stated I can go thru 3-4 chains a DAY as well and cut alot of wood for my outdoor boiler and my parents inside fireplace, at $5 a pop I would be in debt

 

[nebraskasparks]

Yeah..I still keep a file in the carry case, works great and doesn't take that much time.
I drag a lot of timber that has become glued to the earth and carries soil with it. I've had a few guys sharpen stuff and the 20 inch chain sharpen fee just went up to $8.25. I can pay for a sharpener in one season of heating the house at that rate!

 

[jake98]

It must be the dragging part that's killing the chains. Some wood is harder too, mine is all medium density stuff, ash and soft maple mostly. You guys do stop once you get thru the log, right? ;-

 

[Ford tractor]

I run a hand file 5 strokes on each tooth after each tank of gas. Cuts like a hot knife in Maple, about 1/2 that in oak. It would be real inconvenient to have to try and find a plug in to run a sharpener in the woods...

 

[Skyco]

It must be the dragging part that's killing the chains. Some wood is harder too, mine is all medium density stuff, ash and soft maple mostly. You guys do stop once you get thru the log, right? ;-

See that is my problem...I've dropped some really big trees this year, poplars, oaks and gums, some 24"+ diameter. I have to cut them where they lay..at least into pieces that I can move with the tractor for further cutting to firewood length. Getting a chain into dirt is bad enough but where I cut is in the mountains and tons of rocks...as careful as I am I still manage to kiss an unseen rock under the trunk now and then

Which reminds me- I'm sometimes puzzled by "sparks" coming out in the middle of a log that has never been in the dirt, ie 20 ft up a tree just dropped, halfway through the trunk....its almost as if dirt has been sucked up in the trees "circulatory" system somehow

 

[LD1]

This is what I use:
Granberg Bar-Mount Chain Saw Sharpener, Model# G-106B | Chain Saw Sharpeners, Maintenance + Repair | Northern Tool + Equipment
And as far as I can tell, I get a better edge than my son does with his fancy electric sharpener. I touch up my chainsaw each evening after a full day of use.

I use the oregon version of that same sharpner. Probabally what PAT32RF is talking about.

I dont like the electric sharpners. You cant get a "feel" for when a tooth is sharp and in turn, end up taking too much and chains dont last as long.

The bench vice in the shop is mounted on a plate welded to a 2" tube and there is a 2-1/2" reciever welded to the bench. When I go cutting, I take the vice with me and can throw it in the hitch of the truck to sharpen in the woods.

It only takes ~ 5 minutes with one of these sharpners once you get the hang of it. And you don't have to remove the bar/chain. So it is probabally just as quick if not quicker. An IMO gives better results.

 

[Car Doc]

Which reminds me- I'm sometimes puzzled by "sparks" coming out in the middle of a log that has never been in the dirt, ie 20 ft up a tree just dropped, halfway through the trunk....its almost as if dirt has been sucked up in the trees "circulatory" system somehow

I agree its strange to see that, we have sand here everywhere and Elm is the most common hardwood and they are loaded with sand inside and out it grows into the wood as the bark grows is all I can figure.

Chains don't stay sharp very long and that's the reason I bought a grinder it is another tool that pays for itself over and over and over.

 

[jlsmith]

I have the Oregon model 511A and it has been a great sharpener. I sharpen anywhere form 500 to 1000 chains a year and it has held up for the past 3 years with no problems. Orgeon is now sell the PowerSharp which attaches to the bar and sharpens on the spot. One has to buy the bar and new chain for this tho. I put one on my poland and so far seems to be working well.:thumbsup: