OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Tech Talk Electric Chainsaw Sharpeners

Hi All,
I am considering purchasing a bench mounted chainsaw sharpener.
I have 5 semi chisel chains which need a sharpen at the end of each season.
I see on flea-bay they have units selling for $40-$90 delivered which look similar to the $500+ branded ones.
I know that you only get what you pay for, but to do maybe 5 chains a season and I don't punish these sort of tools, the $500+ is too extreme as well as budget forbidding.
Last season I needed to get all 5 chains sharpen which set me back aprox. $70+, so one of these cheepies look promising.
Has anyone had any experience with these sharpeners or can advise me on these please.
TIA
Cheers,
LS

$70 will buy you a lot of chainsaw files! If you are only sharpening 5 chains once a season, just get a filing guide and a few files. Give the chain a quick touch up each time you refuel (you do let the saw cool down before refueling, I hope).

The added advantage of doing them yourself is that you can adjust the angles to suit the type of timber you are cutting.

That is good advice Igor, once you get used to doing it yourself, with the help of the filing guide, a quick touch up is a breeze...and you can do it in the field...without having to take the saw back to the bench.

I started off using a chainsaw file, but found it way too slow, and it didn't help for "jointing", the process of lowering the depth-of-cut bars in between the teeth. The teeth slope downward, so as you sharpen them back you have to joint the chain regularly or you end up with less and less depth of cut.

I soon switched to using a portable (12 Volt hand-held) sharpener, which was quick and easy to use, and kept my saws in good condition. I did a quick touch-up sharpen each time I used the saw. That wasn't because I'm a perfectionist, it was learned the hard way as the only practical solution. When I didn't keep the chain totally sharp, it needed more pressure to keep cutting, and the extra pressure plus the rounded leading edge on each tooth caused the chrome plating to strip back on the leading edge of each cutting tooth. That meant when I did sharpen it, I had to remove a large amount of each tooth, and joint it as well. (If you don't have chrome right to the edge of each tooth, it cuts about as feebly as a hand saw after just a few seconds' use). If I spent about 5 minutes touching it up after each use (typically one or two tanks of fuel) I almost never had to joint the chain, it was always sharp, and it really stacked up the sawdust around my boots whenever I used it.

The only problem I've ever found with the little 12 Volt sharpener is getting the special grinding wheels for it (tiny wheels of exactly the right diameter to suit each size of blade, that screw into the grinder's output shaft). They used to be available everywhere for under a dollar each, but these days they seem to be rare and priced accordingly.

That could cause a drama grumpy, imagine buying the grinder and finding that the wheels for it have been discontinued or unavailable...It has happened in the past, and is a pain in the neck!!

It is not so much that you can't get them Deejay, but you can no longer get them more or less on the nearest street-corner, and they are now over $3 each instead of under $1. Another problem is that no one seems to sell the larger diameter stones you use for jointing. The sharpeners are sold under various brands at various prices, but they all look much the same:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/chainsaw-cha...ihl-/200554529462?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15

Don't worry the wheels that you are talking about are available on the online store HERE and more will be uploaded by the end of the day. They even have a cordless grinder that uses the stones, so have a look HERE. Note that not every thing is cheap on Flee Bay either.

Do you have the 1/4" ones used for jointing, Bruce? One usually comes with the electric sharpener, but when you need to replace it, you are in trouble.

I must confess my sharpener has run much, much longer being used as a general purpose workshop tool than a chainsaw sharpener.

We just took the tips off the rakers with a flat file. Only had to be done every so often. Had to be a bit careful, though - if you took too much off, the saw would struggle to pull the chain through the timber as the teeth would be taking too big a bite.
For our racing chains we used to take the rakers right off, and make the angle on the cutters to suit the horsepower of the saw. Lots of trial and error, and you would have different chains for ripping or for crosscutting.

The electric sharpeners were good for when we were cutting firewood, particularly if it had been laying on the ground for a while.

Hi grumpy, I have never seen one of these in action. I would like to see a video, if one of our members could post it, of the correct sharpening technique. I think it would be great for the archives.

[quote=grumpy]I started off using a chainsaw file, but found it way too slow, and it didn't help for "jointing", the process of lowering the depth-of-cut bars in between the teeth. The teeth slope downward, so as you sharpen them back you have to joint the chain regularly or you end up with less and less depth of cut. ................................

I'm with you on this one Grumpy,
I do use a file and guide but find it doesn't quite "cut" it.
The timber on the property I cut for firewood is mostly redgum and after a while even with regular dressing a chain change is needed.
I see you use the 12v hand held sharpener...hmmm interesting, may be the answer. Would this eliminate any need at all for a bench top sharpener?
Wonder how the cordless one would preform? Could budget for one of these.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
I too would like to see a video of one of these in action as suggested by Deejay as I learn a lot better from visuals (and hands on).
Cheers,
LS

LS, chains last a lot longer if you look after them. There are two elements to this. First, use a proper chain bar oil, not engine oil. It has an additive that makes it stick to the bar, so the chain ends up actually oiled, not just spraying oil around but having its pivots almost dry. It is wear between the pivots and pins of the chain that cause it to go out of pitch, and ruin the sprockets.

Second, keep the chain sharp - which means never letting the chrome peel back from the edge. Just touch it up the moment you feel it cutting a tiny bit slower than when you'd just sharpened it. You can do this wherever you are, provided a car battery is nearby (preferably still installed in the car). Each time you sharpen the chain, you move a bit further down the slope of the chrome-plated teeth, and that means the depth of cut is reduced (depth of cut is the vertical distance between the cutting edges of the teeth, and the depth-bars (which Igor calls rakers). When this distance decreases the rate of flow of woodchips decreases, so you need to joint the chain (grind down the depth-bars) when you have ground back the teeth perhaps a fifth of their original width. That means you will joint the chain about four times before it has run completely out of teeth and you throw it away.

Whether you need to do bench work on the chain, or just field-sharpen it over and over, depends on how accurately you field-sharpen. I prefer not to joint chains in the field, though I do it in a farm shed, so I suppose there isn't much difference. I did once joint a chain in the field, because it was on someone else's saw and he didn't seem to know about either sharpening or jointing. It took nearly as long to get his chain into shape before we started, as it did to fill his horse-trailer with firewood. Probably most people would prefer to do a slow, careful job in the shed and a rather quick one in the field, and you have to clean the chain, inspect it, adjust the tension if your bar oil has let you down, etc. These things are best done in the shed. So, I always used the 12 Volt hand-sharpener whether in the field or the shed, but I did a shed-job whenever I needed to joint it, and in between if the chain had loosened at all. Remember, a loose chain is a sign of oil failure or dirt on the chain: either way you need to improve your procedure to make it a rare event. Essentially you just watch the chain teeth getting narrower, while biting your lip and thinking that eventually you'll run out of tooth and have to buy a chain. Buying consumables like chains is an irritating experience.

I have doubts about the cordless sharpener, simply because I've found the 12 Volt sharpener draws half an amp or more, and while the battery charge would probably last through a touch-up sharpen, I doubt it would last through a jointing job: that one really makes the grinding-dust fly. Igor's solution of using a file probably works, I just hate to use a file on chain, because the chain is hard and the file suffers rather quickly.

Deejay, I agree a video is needed but I can't help. I no longer even own a chainsaw: gave both of my last ones away when I sold the hobby farm about 7 years ago now. It's amazing how much stuff you give away when you ditch the farm - star-post extractors, fence wire tensioners, backpack sprays, you name it. At least I sold the tractor.

Hi Grumpy,
Thanks for the reply and info. I haven't had a lot of experience with chainsaws yet. I do use a proper chain bar oil. Will probably get a 12v sharpener and plug it into the ciggy lighter, have a ute which the tray makes a handy work bench. The saw I have is a Stihl Farmboss 310.
Your info is much appreciated.
Cheers,
LS

Check out the video
This vid is made by Vallorbe (file manufacturers from Europe)

The kit they talk about can be found in the Outdoorking online store - click here

Select the right kit for your chain size and Bob's yer aunty!

Thanks igor for posting that interesting info, I notice also that stump vices are included on page 5 in that section in the On-line Store. One of those would come in handy whilst sharpening in the field.

You're welcome

Stump vices are real handy! When we were based in the one spot for a while, we'd make our own bar clamp with a stump and a wedge - been a while since I've done that!

I am sorry to rehash this topic,

but after starting to resharpening my saws in the bush using file with hand guide, file with roller guide, clamp on metal oregon file guide and finally a 12volt handheld stihl stone sharpener, I still can't cut a straight cut after a few resharpens, it is very clear i'm a heavy handed right hander.

I see the oregon bench sharpener that sells for $400 about but is there a h/duty 12volt version of those, so I don't have to even think about the rubbish $35 versions.

cheers

Hi Uncle Grumpy, and welcome to the forum, I have some info for you ; just click HERE
and scroll down to see all the sharpeners....
Hoping this helps,

That link has the oregon bench grinder I am thinking about but I am sure they used to make a portable 12volt version.

But i guess i could have a dozen chains for each size and grind them at home.

cheers

Hi again, I am trying to help you, but unfortunately we don't have a chainsaw guru that maybe able to give you the advice you require, on this forum at present, other than our administrator Bruce...
To send him a PM, click HERE
Bruce should be able to give you some advice.
Sorry that I could not be of more help.