Chainsaw sharpening machine

[BigE_]

I picked up a Harbor Freight sharpener for $29.99 about a month ago. I have 6 chains. The hardware store wanted $5.00 a piece to sharpen them. 6 x 5 = 30, so I said, what the heck, try it out.

Hey, it works! :laughing:

I sharpened one chain before attempting the rest because of a lot of horror stories in reviews of this sharpener. After taking the advice from the reviewers that had taken the time to get it working correctly and ignoring the rants of those that "ruined their chains" and took it back after 5

Hey, glad you found a good one. I bought 4 dead ones before giving up. At that point I had spent more than $30 in gas and I still didn't have a working machine. One did work for a short while, and it did sharpen. But, if you have ever used the Oregon 511A, you'd never even consider the HF sharpener. I upgraded to a clone from Northern Tools and never looked back. I've got 6 chainsaws, though, and use them often, so maybe it's a different story for me.

Sounds like you did an upgrade, though, so kudos for you!

Regards,
-Steve

 

[Kubota 2350]

I have the Organ 511 AX, it's a great sharper, but it cost more than 30 dollars.

 

[escavader]

HEY GUYS,
Because of another carpitunnel surgury this spring ,ive had a tough time grasping a file.A friend of mine whom i did some welding for[and refused to let him pay me ],went out and bought me one of them hf grinders.Iabsolutely love it,probably never file again.one thing ialways do when sharpening planer knifes and sidehead s at work is use a little spray bottle to keep things cool when grinding.Ido this on my hf grinderalso,works good
Isee advertised on some of the more exspensive grinders,is a template to keep the wheels at the correct shape.any thoughts on this?
ALAN

 

[Pushing_Tin]

I have the HF grinder, just have to find the time to take it out of the box and give it a try.

 

[mountainlake]

HEY GUYS,
Because of another carpitunnel surgury this spring ,ive had a tough time grasping a file.A friend of mine whom i did some welding for[and refused to let him pay me ],went out and bought me one of them hf grinders.Iabsolutely love it,probably never file again.one thing ialways do when sharpening planer knifes and sidehead s at work is use a little spray bottle to keep things cool when grinding.Ido this on my hf grinderalso,works good
Isee advertised on some of the more exspensive grinders,is a template to keep the wheels at the correct shape.any thoughts on this?
ALAN

Just make sure to get the wheel low enough so the side of the wheel hits the face of the tooth, on some low profile chains I have to flatten the bottom of the wheel to get it low enough. You'll have chains that cut. Steve

 

[Car Doc]

is a template to keep the wheels at the correct shape.any thoughts on this?
ALAN

Yup occasionally all you do is use that little rectangular stone they (are supposed to) give you w/the grinder anyway just hold it up to the wheel while its running and shape the wheel until it fits the template. (with the grinder off ) hth

 

[mountainlake]

The bottom of the wheel does nothing when sharpening, it's the side of the wheel that needs to hit the face of the tooth. The only time I do any profiling is to get the wheel low enough on a picco chain. The biggest mistake people make is having a well rounded wheel that is set to high resulting in the face of the tooth getting no hook angle. And too high rakers. Steve

 

[Car Doc]

The biggest mistake people make is having a well rounded wheel that is set to high resulting in the face of the tooth getting no hook angle. And too high rakers. Steve

Dont mean to be contrary but the rounded wheel edge GIVES the tooth the hook from my experience anyway as long as the arm/table/tilt angle is correct for the chain in the machine. Am I missing your point I apologize?

 

[jpm]

i just use a dremal with a chain saw stone with a light touch

 

[mountainlake]

Sure nothing wrong with asking. I've been sharping chains for over 30 years like mentioned above, everyone likes the way they cut. I'd have to ask how does a rounded wheel give the face of the tooth hook, this is a wheel not a file and there's no way a wheel can get in there like a file. My method is close to square fileing which cuts good. Also I use the same 1/8" wheel for everything and very rarely have to shape the wheel except for low profile chains. Steve