Chain sharpener

[stumpy]

I'm looking for opinions on power chain sharpeners.  What brand do you use and do you sharpen only on the machine or do you dress them up in the woods.  Also, does the sharpener file the raker?

[Gary_C]

I have the Oregon standard model and sharpen mostly .404 harvester chain and some 3/8 pitch chain. I also have the extra vice to sharpen 3/4 pitch harvester chain. I never sharpen by hand any more but others hace said it is difficult to use a file after sharpening on a sharpener which I believe is true.

The new versions of the Oregon model have a new feature to center the chain under the wheel for both left and right hand cutters which I wish I had. Without that new feature, you get two different lengths of cutters when you switch from left to right.

I can also set it up to lower the rakers, but it is kind of a pain. You need to have a separate dedicated wide cutting wheel for the rakers and sometimes I put the chain on backwards so the stop works better. But it is time consuming.

I would prefer to have a Silvey, but they have increased significantly in price lately and are now close to a thousand dollars each.     Baileys may still sell them, but I think you have to ask for them as they are not listed. They are faster, but I am not familiar with the other features.

[SwingOak]

My brother has an Oregon 115. The pink wheels that Oregon sells for it tend to heat the tooth too much, so he uses these softer white wheels. I can't remember where he said he gets them though.

[Dan_Shade]

I had an oregon model, I didn't like it.  I gave it to an arborist friend of mine.

I stick mutually to the file method.  I touch up the teeth at every fuel up.  I'd probably go back to a grinder if I was running a harvester.

[LorenB]

Stumpy,

First let me complement you on your great User ID. 

Now, on to your issue: I have an Oregon 511A.  It has been superceded by a newer model that is essentially the same, with a few minor improvements. 

I have owned my bench sharpener for ten years or so and would be lost without it.  I own at least half a dozen chains for each bar for each of my saws.  This allows me to keep sharp ones on hand.  When I hit a rock or metal in the tree with a chain, I just swap it with a sharp one and keep on sawing.  That's faster than filing a chain, at least if I'm the guy doing the filing. 

My sharpener is the old style that Gary_C refers to but it isn't difficult to make the adjustment to keep the cutters the same length on both sides of the chain.  I measure mine with a caliper and try to keep them even.  So far I haven't had any problems with that. 

You do have to adjust the settings every time you sharpen a new chain or change sides on the chain, but it's not hard and goes fast once you've done one or two. 

The things I like about a bench sharpener are:
1) Once adjusted, sharpening is very fast. 
2) Each tooth is exactly the same length as every other tooth on that side of the chain.  It's possible to do a poor job of setup and get the teeth on the other side a different length, but even if you are not the perfectionist that I am they won't be too far off. 
3) Every angle is exactly the same on every tooth. 

There are probably a couple of more things I like, but it's late and I can't think of them right now. 

To file the depth gauge, you remove the rounded profile wheel used for sharpening the teeth and install the wheel with an angled face.  The sharpener's depth stop is adjusted to the desired depth and each depth gauge is ground to that point.  You still have to round the leading edge of each depth gauge by hand with a file. 

Also, the 91 (low-profile) chain used on my small saw requires a different wheel from the one I use on the 72LG chain for my larger Husky.  The sharpener came with all three grinding wheels. 

Regarding heating the tooth while sharpening, that is controlled by how aggressive you are with your grinding.  If you drop the wheel into the tooth and never let up until it stops sparking, you'll take off a lot of steel and heat it up in the process.  I bring the wheel down lightly and make about three passes on each tooth.  When it stops taking off metal, I advance to the next tooth.  With the cooling for a mere two or three seconds between passes, I've never had a problem with overheating. 

As I said, I'm a perfectionist.  I can't achieve perfection with my bench sharpener, but I get A LOT closer than I do with a file. 

Loren

[mike_van]

I've had an Efco grinder for over 10 years, does a great job.

[ladylake]

I have a Oregon 511 also, I just eyeball the tooth lenght which works good for me. Never has a chain cut crooked after sharpening. Keep a eye on the rakers, if too high it won't cut.   Steve

[bandmiller2]

Stumpy,buy the best grinder you can afford then get the next best model.Thirty something years ago I bought a stihl 031 and the forerunner to the origon sharpener made in Italy I still have boath and they work fine.If your a carefull grinder what works well is to grind then touch up with a file in the woods,end of day regrind the chain.Several years ago I bought a Silvey square grinder,figure on the price of a good saw.The Silvey is commercial grade and a joy to use will last the average guy a lifetime.A really sharp chain will extend the life of your saw and repay you in the long haul.Frank C.

[Tim L]

I have a speed sharp automatic that grips and releases the chain as you raise and lower the head . So far I like it . I bought it at Baileys and have used it 4-5 times .My neighbor has the same model for several years and I liked his so much I bought the same . I tend to go with what I know . I bought a Polaris 4 wheeler because we worked the neighbors hard on his farm and it stood up .