Sharpening chainsaw chains

j-bird

j-bird

Well-Known Member
For those of you who sharpen your own saw chains - which bench top tool works best?

I use a round file in the woods, but sometimes you just need to bite the bullet and truly sharpen the chain. I'm looking for a means to do this without going broke in the process. I'm figuring a bench top electric unit in the $100 to $200 should do just fine, but I don;t want to be replacing this every year either. I only need something to do maybe a dozen chains all winter at most. I just hate having to pay someone to do it and then they heat the teeth up too much and ruin them in the process! Anybody have experience with these sort or have any suggestions?
 
j-bird said:
For those of you who sharpen your own saw chains - which bench top tool works best?

I use a round file in the woods, but sometimes you just need to bite the bullet and truly sharpen the chain. I'm looking for a means to do this without going broke in the process. I'm figuring a bench top electric unit in the $100 to $200 should do just fine, but I don;t want to be replacing this every year either. I only need something to do maybe a dozen chains all winter at most. I just hate having to pay someone to do it and then they heat the teeth up too much and ruin them in the process! Anybody have experience with these sort or have any suggestions?
Click to expand...
I am right there with you on this deal. I have gotten into the habit of just buying new chains instead of having the yahoos at the local small engine shop ruin them for me... Luckily since all I am doing is hinge cutting right now the chain never gets close to the dirt and the sharp new chain will last a VERY long time like this...new chain costs me about $20...
 
I round file mine IF I HAVE TOO. Otherwise I just keep two chains per saw; one in the shop getting sharpened and the other on the saw. I have a great saw guy though and he puts a good edge on them.
 
I have several chains - and using a round file is fine for touch ups, but after a while that just doesn't cut it any more......literally! When they get bad enough that I can;t cut a straight line there is a problem!!!
 
A Oregon 511A bench grinder is the tool used here. I have lots of chains. They are all sharpened in the winter or when it is raining out so on good working days I don't have to mess around sharpening chains. The 511A goes for twice what you want to spend these days but I see that Oregon does make less expensive ones. I'd call these guys and ask them about them. They have always been fair with me and everyone I know.
http://www.gksales.net/grinders/

The negative about using grinders--no matter how careful I am it makes the steel harder and thus more difficult to sharpen by hand. So as far as I'm concerned, its one way or the other.
 
Last edited:
j-bird said:
I have several chains - and using a round file is fine for touch ups, but after a while that just doesn't cut it any more......literally! When they get bad enough that I can;t cut a straight line there is a problem!!!
Click to expand...

Are you filing your rakers with a flat file?
 
I use a roller/ depth gauge combo. Round file for the cutters, flat for rakers and a sharpie to mark where you start. Takes about 10 min.
 
My son bought me this Timberline sharpener for Christmas a couple years ago. It took a little getting used to, but now I wouldn't use anything else. I like that you can almost micro-adjust it. I always have 4 or 6 chains to sharpen at the same time and this makes it so easy to just lightly touch up the chains without wearing them down to a nub really quickly. I got tired of only getting two or three sharpenings at the dealer then having to buy a new chain.


 
Weezy said:
I use a roller/ depth gauge combo. Round file for the cutters, flat for rakers and a sharpie to mark where you start. Takes about 10 min.
Click to expand...
Round file only on the cutting teeth. I can see each one I do because of the "new metal" - I will also take the edge or something (pocket knife normally) and knock off any hardened sap that builds up on the "depth dogs" as we call them, but I don't file them. Works fine for touching up between tanks of fuel and the like.
 
Jack Terpack said:
My son bought me this Timberline sharpener for Christmas a couple years ago. It took a little getting used to, but now I wouldn't use anything else. I like that you can almost micro-adjust it. I always have 4 or 6 chains to sharpen at the same time and this makes it so easy to just lightly touch up the chains without wearing them down to a nub really quickly. I got tired of only getting two or three sharpenings at the dealer then having to buy a new chain.


Click to expand...
Interesting way to do it. I may take a look at this......
 
Weezy said:
Are you filing your rakers with a flat file?
Click to expand...
I seldom need to file;grind the rakers. I grind the absolute minimum off of my blades when sharpening. When I dull a blade it goes on the dull blade ring, When a sharp blade throws not good chips it goes on the depth gauge ring (seldom gets that far but it can). When a chain gets bent it goes on the to be repaired ring. The to be repaired ring is getting very large as it is just so easy to buy new chains at a quantity price that the bent ones may not be worth messing with. Buckthorn bends a lot of chains before their time.

On filing rakers, only the first one needs filing; after that the stop can be set using that tooth as a guide so the rest of the chain can be done using the grinder. It's been a while since I have had to do that though because I don't sharpen blades very often;rather they are all done at once. And I let the extra effort ones pile up before getting to them so they are all done at once. It makes it easier for me.
 
Round file in the field. Keep a good sharp spare chain with me. I don't do much sharpening as they only charge me 7$ at the Deere shop where I bought the Stihls, so no way am I wrestling for that amount of money. I do find they cut better if you don't put the chain on backwards, not that I have ever done that in a rush.:(
 
Chainsaw said:
A Oregon 511A bench grinder is the tool used here. I have lots of chains. They are all sharpened in the winter or when it is raining out so on good working days I don't have to mess around sharpening chains. The 511A goes for twice what you want to spend these days but I see that Oregon does make less expensive ones. I'd call these guys and ask them about them. They have always been fair with me and everyone I know.
http://www.gksales.net/grinders/

The negative about using grinders--no matter how careful I am it makes the steel harder and thus more difficult to sharpen by hand. So as far as I'm concerned, its one way or the other.
Click to expand...

This. I got tired of having to drive 15 miles one way to have chains sharpened. Just happened to talk to my Stihl dealer at exactly the right time when he was selling one of his Oregon 511 machines - with a diamond wheel! Got it for a song and have never looked back since.

I have four chainsaws but only use two of them for the most part and by far the MS-362CM. So that's the chain tat gets sharpened the most. Having the machine on hand 24/7 means I can sharpen when it's convenient and not when it's needed. I do the vast majority of my cutting in the fall and winter; too hot and humid around here after March or so.
 
Weezy said:
You have a good system going Chainsaw, I wish I was that organized.
Click to expand...

Thanks Weezy, I'm really not at all organized. We have two months at least where we simply can not accomplish work safely outside. Thus we learn to try to save inside jobs for that period.

Take today for example, the weather thirty degrees --not bad. However twenty to thirty-five miles an hour wind puts a damper on doing a lot outside. The rain itself would have been nothing but the wind on top of the two feet of snow to walk thru was a deal breaker. So we do inside jobs that we have put off all summer and fall for these kind of days. It is just plain necessity, not really organized.
And most days in January and February have similar issues.
 
Dremmel makes sharpening stones and a guide to keep things on the correct angle. I used that for years until I bought a chain sharpener from Harbor Freight. It's kinda cheaply made but it really does a nice job sharpening my chains. I can't remember what I paid, but it's from Harbor Freight so it could not have been much.
 
I only use round file with guide, after taking my chains in for years and having to wait and getting them back with 1/4 the tooth ground off I learned how to do my own. I hate grinders they eat to much metal and I can have mine sharpened before some one can setup a grinder!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
0aaab7404bbbcb0dfd55eb96ecc04454.jpg


I use this baby marketed by Stihl. Does the cutters and rakers in one pass. Keeps the process very simple, and works great for me!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have both the Stihl and the Timberline. I seem to do better with theStihl. Never have tried an electric one though.
 
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