Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300

[shooterdon]

Looking to sharpen 5-6 chains at a time off the saw.

What would you recommend?

 

[RalphVa]

Dremel and Oregon stones.

 

[xyz123]

Good files $16 a dozen if that is all your doing. Unless super long chains.


Yes I own grinder too. Stihl USG. But because I do chains for locals that was wearing me out with their crap chains.

Dad has a Tecomec grinder good priced well built grinder.

Guy north of me has a mail order business for just doing chains. He has 5 Frazen machines.
His website if you get to that point. HOME | razzorsharp

 

[5030]

Off the saw means a stand alone chain grinder. Many available, from a cheaop HF grinder to an expensive Stihl grinder and everything in between.

Myself, I sharpen my chains on the saw using a Timberline sharpener with a Tungsten Carbide cutter or hand file them (and cut the rakers) using the Stihl guide tool. Only exception to that is the skip tooth square cutter chain on my 075 Stihl. That has to be hand filed all the time.

All depends on the depth of your wallet and what you want to achieve.

 

[RandyT]

Off the saw means a stand alone chain grinder. Many available, from a cheaop HF grinder to an expensive Stihl grinder and everything in between.

Myself, I sharpen my chains on the saw using a Timberline sharpener with a Tungsten Carbide cutter or hand file them (and cut the rakers) using the Stihl guide tool. Only exception to that is the skip tooth square cutter chain on my 075 Stihl. That has to be hand filed all the time.

All depends on the depth of your wallet and what you want to achieve.

That skip link square ground chain is fun to play with. And I am not too bad at hand filing it either. definitely not for everybody. people that can't hand file with a round file shouldn't even touch this stuff. And unless you are doing large volume of cutting not worth the $1900 for the electric sharpener.

 

[newbury]

Back in the day when I was dulling chains frequently doing Chainsaw Milling (CSM) on hardwoods I'd got through chains fairly quickly.
I developed the habit of hand filing (basically touching it up holding a file in my glove)) a chain 3 times. It would then go for filing it with a Granberg File-N-Joint Precision Filing Guide . repeat.
Once it got through 3 sets of hand-filing/granberg I'd take it to my $100 Northern tools bench grinder, a knock-off of an Oregon grinder.
But over the years my touch ups got better and I've stopped using the Granberg.

What would you recommend?

So I'd recommend investing in a good hand filing system (PFERD, Stihl) and then an oregon bench mount grinder.

 

[caver]

Pferd handheld is my go-to but I bought a Timber Tuff grinder years ago.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I sharpen with an Oregon grinder; it does a great job; I kicked my POS HF grinder under my bench long ago! If needed I'd buy the Oregon grinder again.

Did I mention that the HF grinder is a POS?

DSR

 

[ArlyA]

Silly question. How many of you guys have a grinder chain sharpener tool and still do them by hand??

 

[IndyIan]

Have you tried sharpening on the saw? Round file with a clip on the file guide. I just do that on my 20" bar, probably is a bit slower than swapping chains but I'm a 1 or 2 tanks and done cutter anyways...(372xp) A flat file and a depth gauge guide for the rakers may every 4-5 cutter sharpenings? Even for minor rock strikes a round file gets it cutting decent again. I do usually bring another bar and chain if I get seriously pinched or rocked. I find the cutters don't have to be identical to cut well, just sharp!