Chainsaw sharpening machine

[MossRoad]

I just sent mine to auction. I sharpen with a file and gauge. I cut about a tank or two of gas, and depending on how the blade is acting i sharpen then. It gives me a chance to catch my breath. In my opinon i have found that using the sharpening machines over heats the blade if done too long and the blade is then worthless. Plus i keep the blade sharper, when i was taking it to a place to get them sharpened i would make sure they were dulllllll, but now with a sharp blade i get much more done.

I used a hand file and a Oregon jig that clamped to the bar to sharpen for the last 2 years. If I put 5-6 strokes on each tooth it probably took me 10-15 minutes to sharpen a chain on the saw.

I also used a file in a small, flat jig that you just used by hand. With that one I could do a chain in about 5 minutes.

However, since I got the electric sharpener, I can see quite a variation in the teeth that were hand sharpened by me. The nice thing about the electric sharpener is they are all exactly the same angle each time.

 

[MossRoad]

One question I do have is this...

With a hand file in the Oregon jig, I could push the file from the rear of the tooth to the front of the tooth. When I flipped and rotated the jig, I could then do the same to the opposite teeth.

With the electric sharpener, you cannot flip the grinder. You can only rotate it. So, the disk cuts the blade from the back to the front on half the teeth, but from the front to the back on the other half. I know it has to make some sort of difference, but I don't know it matters on a chainsaw.

Any thoughts on that? Do any of the higher end sharpeners let you flip AND rotate the disk or are they all the same as the lower end machines?

 

[Car Doc]

I found also that once my chains have been thru my grinder the first time they are the same from that point on even though the left and right cutters may vary a little angle wise like moss said they work good that's what we want.

I also have the same 3/8 chain on all my saws and that really makes the sharpening and chain replacement chores go easily. I have marks on my scales for easy repeatability from left to right up/down etc. I have never once saw any reason to mess with the rakers but that's me maybe I dont know much?

I barely touch the cutters it rarely takes much once you are in the groove of things, my chains last about 15 times as long as having them sharpened at the local small engine shop and that was the whole idea besides not having to depend on someone else for something and I am lazy a file is too much work for me.

 

[Redgoatea]

Don't know about the HF one but I bought the Northern one for $140? I think. I have nine chains to sharpen for all the different saws. I love it. 7

 

[Pushing_Tin]

I am pretty rough on my chains. Just today I had to cut a very old fir stump out of hole I had dug to plant a tree, needless to say it hit a lot of clay and dirt and now it's dull. I usually use a file and sharpen my chain 2-3 times before it gets screwed up enough to take into the local shop where they do it for $5 each.

I am going to buy a HF and see how it works.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Mossroad the Maxx grinder and Silveys will flip so that both left and right teeth are ground the same direction. That is the nice thing about them. Silveys can reverse the motor. The Maxx 750 the whole motor flips over to do the opposite cuts.
Pushingtin the thing you want to be careful about is grinding so much in one pass that you heat up the tooth. That has been mentioned before. If you have to take off a lot of tooth just tap the grinding wheel to the tooth and let it cool for a few seconds between taps. I wouldn't try cooling it with oil or anything because that will fling stuff all over and goober up the wheel.

 

[forgeblast]

The hf grinders while nice, are plastic. the amount of play involved in them is considerable. I was just not able to get a better grind then using my little jig. It holds both the flat and round files at the same time and i get good results with it. I found with the hf you had to flip the guide to grind the other side(if i remember right).

 

[newbury]

Don't know about the HF one but I bought the Northern one for $140? I think. I have nine chains to sharpen for all the different saws. I love it. 7

For those considering the NT clone it's OFTEN on sale for $90, sometimes w/ free shipping. However it's best to pick it up at the store, seems that many wheels get broken in shipment.

Also sometimes you score at NT. I stopped in to get the on-sale grinder, walked out w/that plus bought an Efco 35CC saw w/ 16" bar and 2 chains - normal price $220, marked down to $99, managers sale down to $50, and I needed a couple of 16" chains for my Stihl anyways.

 

[WH401]

I've used one of the clamp-on-the-bar model sharpeners that holds the file at the required angle. So far it's worked great for me and it puts a nice sharp edge on the chain.

 

[arrow]

Mossroad the Maxx grinder and Silveys will flip so that both left and right teeth are ground the same direction. That is the nice thing about them. Silveys can reverse the motor. The Maxx 750 the whole motor flips over to do the opposite cuts.
Pushingtin the thing you want to be careful about is grinding so much in one pass that you heat up the tooth. That has been mentioned before. If you have to take off a lot of tooth just tap the grinding wheel to the tooth and let it cool for a few seconds between taps. I wouldn't try cooling it with oil or anything because that will fling stuff all over and goober up the wheel.

What I've used in the past is a "Kool Stik" Its like a wax you put on the wheel while its moving and its meant to lubricate the wheel but allow for a cooler cutting action. It works.

 

[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