I've been using this chain sharpener for 15 maybe 20 years now and I can say it's great. Either mounted on the corner of your workbench or mounted to a board that's got a v so that the chain clears. Pull the chain Forward then tug it back sharpen and go forward. When you get used to it it's really fast. Where Chainz linked together there's usually teeth facing the same right after each other that's usually my starting point and finishing point. Gorgeous throw a dab of pain
I bought one of these a couple of days ago. It's great for what it costs and will work as is. I made bushings out of brass shim stock for the chain stop. Next I will do something to the main pivot for the grinder motor. It is easy to put slight pressure to one side or the other and cut too little or too much the way it is now. I used it to sharpen a brand new chain I hit a screw in the first 1/4" of cutting with. It did a good job, but it can be made more precise, but for what it cost it's great. Also on the newer ones they made the base where it mounts to the bench so that it has a step and can not be mounted too far back. Thanks for posting the video!
LOL! I've had mine longer than ten years, did the same thing, put it away first time I went to use it, seemed too complicated to setup! Not now though. 😁 Good video, now I'll use mine!
Derek, excellent video! I have been paying $8.00 a chain to have my chains sharpened after filing them by hand a few times in between, but the place I brought them to went out of business. I bought the Chicago Electric Chainsaw Sharpener about 5 years ago and never even set it up. Now that I have nowhere close to take them, I dug it out and am setting it up to sharpen my own chains, plus save the $8.00 a chain for sharpening. Thank you for this video and explaining how to set this thing up. Much appreciated!!!
Wot up Derek, yup I got me one of these suckers, it works great! I found keeping tension on the chain (against the stop) helps. I don't even use the turn nobs, just pull the chain along to the next tooth, pull it back on the other side against the stop, clamp it down with that bicycle thingie on the handle, zippy zip, on to the next one. Yeh I love this thing, it was cheap, easy to use, and does the job! Also filing down the rakers is a must, glad you mentioned that.
i just got one of these and its awesome. filing takes for ever and the files get dull. After my first sharpening with this my saw went through a good size log in 4 or 5 seconds. Its works great and pretty good price as well. Money well spent!! no shit!!!
I sharpen chains for rental saws and occasionally customer chains st work. As far as I can tell you are taking off about the right amount, I wouldn't call myself an expert though. We use a Stihl sharpener at work, which is more stable and has more adjustment. I really like that locking mechanism with the lever, that would be nice to have.
Does Stihl have a version much like this one? I wonder how much better of a job the Oregon version could do. Seems too expensive to not be a lot better but it looks almost identical. I’d be interested to compare it to some higher quality sharpeners but Obviously those cost some dough.
@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects the Stihl one I use at work has had some issues. A few parts have been replaced, we have an Oregon one we use to grind the rakers. They both seem more sturdy than the harbor freight one, but they definitely cost far more money. If the harbor freight one works decently, then it seems like a smoking deal to me.
So after watching your review and seeing several other videos recommending this sharpener, I bought it 2 days ago. Very simple, easy set up. The first chain I sharpened was nearly as good a brand new one. The old chain had some nicks in it, so I believe that was the difference. Very happy, as the shop that did mine charged $10. Paid for itself the fourth time.
It's a pretty easy thing to setup really. I just used mine for the first time today. It beats the hell out of sharpening them with a file. The one thing you didn't talk about is the depth adjustment on the right hand side. That's to set how deep you go so that you don't start grinding into the chain links...That too, is an easy setup. My chain had previously been sharpened by hand and I noticed that one side of the cutting edges had been sharpened deeper than the other side and that's because we all favor one direction over the other. This little machine makes it simple to keep both sides consistent and even.
I snagged a Vevor pro style sharpener for $80 shipped last year. Looks/works just like an Oregon. Wheels are rubbish, but that's a given at that price point. I've sharpened thousands of chains when I was working.
Nice demonstration of how to use the electric chainsaw sharpener. I guess I'm old school. I've always used a hand file to sharpen the teeth and a flat file for the rakers. I don't do a lot of chainsaw cutting, so an electric sharpener would do a lot of sitting on the shelf.
@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects I get it set up to start on the smallest tooth and make rest same size. File the rakers with proper depth gage after . Fixes 99% of cutting sideways or pinching the bar.
Great review, I'm new to owing a chainsaw and was terrified at sharping when the time comes. I work at Harbor freight and saw this sharpener. I do own a ton of expensive knives I sharpen with a angle sharpener. This is definitely different. I'm going to buy this for my saw. Thank you for this great review. Just subbed your channel
Good video thanks for sharing. I have two chainsaws one uses 3/8'' p and the other 3.25''. Can the same grinding disc be used for both chains or do I have to buy different discs for each one?
That's the "pitch" of your chains. The teeth are the same regardless, and whatever angle you cut at should be the same for each chain (our host said he was using 30deg.). I do not know how you find this out.
EYE protection? Getting metal shards dug out of your eyes at the local ER is just slightly less than fun. (yes, I was wearing safety glasses and a shard somehow ricocheted and embedded in my eye)
I bought one of these a few years back but never even opened the box till today to use it.... got it all set up and then went to turn on the power and it does not even work out of the box, and power is getting all the way to the motor when turning on switch but nothing wheel does not turn at all
Having declared my dissatisfaction with this sharpener last night th-cam.com/users/postUgkxDcr-y2Pf6xdnrFHrSP7dl9kpKaCozcSQ I thought about the problem some more. It occurred to me that I might be undoing each attempt at achieving a sharp edge by the repeated attempts. So, I tried to clean up the unsatisfactory result by honing with only positions 3 and 4.Miracle!! A really nicely sharpened chef's knife, more than enough to handle my needs. Admittedly, it did not reach professionally sharpened razor-fineness, but it is now significantly sharper than it was. A bout of breaking down carrots convinced me. So, major apologies to the manufacturer, Amazon, and all happy and potential owners! Follow the directions: don't buy it if you have ceramic blades; and don't overwork your knife blade.
Does your handle or top part move side to side left to right? It’s like mine has slack in the pin. It’s almost like it needs a thicker pin. I don’t know if it warped I don’t remember it being like this a year ago. It’s been sitting in my garage hot Florida.
How much different is this from face sharpening the teeth with a round file? This system only sharpens the top edge not the sides. I do have a similar machine and it seems to work but I'm not convinced it is better than face sharpening which sharpens both top and side at the same time.
@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects yeah, you're right I used the wrong word there. Kind of a bummer you still gotta file down the rakers manually, but I guess that's the easier part than manually maintaining a 30 degree angle while sharpening the cutters
I haven’t seen a review yet that answers the question of what size tooth does that wheel cut? I have a couple big saws with 5/32,3/16 and 7/32. Maybe I missed something obvious but which size does this sharpener sharpen? Thank you
The defect of this chain sharpener is that the Moter does not reverse. the stone is turning INTO the cutter instead of OUT on one row of cutters. I lived with chain saws, and this is engineering wrong. After two or three times of sharping you will see the cutters on the wrong side of the rotating stone NOT wear as much as the other side cutters is because the cutters are not "digging in" If you use one of these Moter driven sharpener finish the opposite cutters off by dragging a file to the FRONT of the cutter not BACKWARDS of the cutter.
I don’t know any shop doing this for $4 a chain. Minimum I have heard is $8. Also, as fast as I go through chains, even at $4 a chain, I’d be paying $50 in chain sharpening every time I went out cutting wood.
@@williamwallace9620 The charges they want to charge here just made me buy my own sharpener. Buy it once and never again. Will have my money back in 6 months.
Welcome to Northwestern Ontario.... $18/chain to get it sharpened. For over 35yrs I always use a file to touch-up the chain when fueling to keep it cutting well. If you keep touching it up, you shouldn't have any major sharpening issues unless you end up hitting the dirt while cutting. When/if you dig around a stump 6-8" and cut it below grade, your chain is toast. One of these sharpeners, for the price, is a game changer to get it cutting again. I usually keep a few old chains for stumps as I don't want to destroy the newer ones. There is a learning curve, but well worth it. But, I only use it after mangling them in the dirt. No need for this on a regularly maintained chain.
Sthil... now thats a laugh, no need to sharpen a chain for those things they dont work... if it will start (which is rare) it wont run with enough guts to move a chain through a twig and if you dont then the chainsaw will just die randomly anyway. Much the same with the Mcculloch. Both heaps of rubbish have had a heap of money and time wasted on them, my advice, dont bother with them at all. But good video on the sharpening tool, I have one, tried it the way you show I honestly dont know whether its the cheap chinese chains these days but the sharp (sort of sharp is what I mean) lasts about an hour on a good day. To be honest.... the texas chainsaw massacre was a great piece of fiction, nothing in my shed would manage to chop more than a finger...
If you think Stihl is bad, what on earth could you possibly be running that is better!? Thanks for the compliments on the video though. My chains last typically a solid couple of hours before going dull but that’s on softwood. Shaggy Bark Juniper will dull them all within an hour.
@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects Well if stihl is good then I will go and get myself a handsaw. Mine IF it starts - and thats rare - doesnt run. The mcculloch is if anything worse. BOTH have been serviced, fresh fuel, fresh plugs, contacts replaced and adjusted, spark is present, fuel is flowing... they will both sometimes run for a while, neither of them cuts. So I have to use an electric which is a paiin in the arse with the cable but at least it functions. If your chains last so well I would love to know the manufacturer because one new out of the box yesterday was burning its way through wood after about 45 minutes where it had been nicely cutting at the start.
Once I found the little file guide with two rollers on it that Husqvarna makes I've never looked back. $20, retail, faster than an electric, and totally idiot friendly. You can teach a nine y.o. kid to use it in 30 minutes. UPC #05788 50066 for the 3\8 & UPC #83028 03819 for the .325"
I've been using this chain sharpener for 15 maybe 20 years now and I can say it's great. Either mounted on the corner of your workbench or mounted to a board that's got a v so that the chain clears. Pull the chain Forward then tug it back sharpen and go forward. When you get used to it it's really fast. Where Chainz linked together there's usually teeth facing the same right after each other that's usually my starting point and finishing point. Gorgeous throw a dab of pain
I bought one of these a couple of days ago. It's great for what it costs and will work as is. I made bushings out of brass shim stock for the chain stop. Next I will do something to the main pivot for the grinder motor. It is easy to put slight pressure to one side or the other and cut too little or too much the way it is now. I used it to sharpen a brand new chain I hit a screw in the first 1/4" of cutting with. It did a good job, but it can be made more precise, but for what it cost it's great. Also on the newer ones they made the base where it mounts to the bench so that it has a step and can not be mounted too far back. Thanks for posting the video!
Thanks for the video, I forgot how to use the sharpener after not needing to sharpen any chains for a couple of years. This video brought it all back.
Great video, finally mounted it and put it to work after laying in garage for 10 years., thinking it was too complicated.
LOL! I've had mine longer than ten years, did the same thing, put it away first time I went to use it, seemed too complicated to setup! Not now though. 😁 Good video, now I'll use mine!
Derek, excellent video! I have been paying $8.00 a chain to have my chains sharpened after filing them by hand a few times in between, but the place I brought them to went out of business. I bought the Chicago Electric Chainsaw Sharpener about 5 years ago and never even set it up. Now that I have nowhere close to take them, I dug it out and am setting it up to sharpen my own chains, plus save the $8.00 a chain for sharpening. Thank you for this video and explaining how to set this thing up. Much appreciated!!!
Thanks for watching and for the comment. Hope it works well for you for years to come!
Wot up Derek, yup I got me one of these suckers, it works great! I found keeping tension on the chain (against the stop) helps. I don't even use the turn nobs, just pull the chain along to the next tooth, pull it back on the other side against the stop, clamp it down with that bicycle thingie on the handle, zippy zip, on to the next one. Yeh I love this thing, it was cheap, easy to use, and does the job! Also filing down the rakers is a must, glad you mentioned that.
Thank you brother for being honest and trying to help folks!
Great video
I was worried that this was going to be too complicated - Derek makes it look easy and not complicated
You’ve just convinced me to use my files. Thanks. P.s . You’re very kind in sharing all this process with us. Thanks again.
i just got one of these and its awesome. filing takes for ever and the files get dull.
After my first sharpening with this my saw went through a good size log in 4 or 5 seconds. Its works great and pretty good price as well. Money well spent!! no shit!!!
I sharpen chains for rental saws and occasionally customer chains st work. As far as I can tell you are taking off about the right amount, I wouldn't call myself an expert though. We use a Stihl sharpener at work, which is more stable and has more adjustment. I really like that locking mechanism with the lever, that would be nice to have.
Does Stihl have a version much like this one? I wonder how much better of a job the Oregon version could do. Seems too expensive to not be a lot better but it looks almost identical. I’d be interested to compare it to some higher quality sharpeners but Obviously those cost some dough.
@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects the Stihl one I use at work has had some issues. A few parts have been replaced, we have an Oregon one we use to grind the rakers. They both seem more sturdy than the harbor freight one, but they definitely cost far more money. If the harbor freight one works decently, then it seems like a smoking deal to me.
So after watching your review and seeing several other videos recommending this sharpener, I bought it 2 days ago. Very simple, easy set up. The first chain I sharpened was nearly as good a brand new one. The old chain had some nicks in it, so I believe that was the difference. Very happy, as the shop that did mine charged $10. Paid for itself the fourth time.
It's a pretty easy thing to setup really. I just used mine for the first time today. It beats the hell out of sharpening them with a file. The one thing you didn't talk about is the depth adjustment on the right hand side. That's to set how deep you go so that you don't start grinding into the chain links...That too, is an easy setup. My chain had previously been sharpened by hand and I noticed that one side of the cutting edges had been sharpened deeper than the other side and that's because we all favor one direction over the other. This little machine makes it simple to keep both sides consistent and even.
This is a great review and very helpful. Thank you
I've had one an now time to use it thanx for the great video and thnx for doing this it does help some of us who didn't know God bless
I'd like to see more detail on filing rakers.
I’ll try to create a video on it soon.
I snagged a Vevor pro style sharpener for $80 shipped last year. Looks/works just like an Oregon. Wheels are rubbish, but that's a given at that price point. I've sharpened thousands of chains when I was working.
Nice demonstration of how to use the electric chainsaw sharpener. I guess I'm old school. I've always used a hand file to sharpen the teeth and a flat file for the rakers. I don't do a lot of chainsaw cutting, so an electric sharpener would do a lot of sitting on the shelf.
I like it because it makes all the teeth same length .Couple of even swipes after with the file makes it even better.
I’ll have to try that sometime.
@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects I get it set up to start on the smallest tooth and make rest same size. File the rakers with proper depth gage after . Fixes 99% of cutting sideways or pinching the bar.
Great review, I'm new to owing a chainsaw and was terrified at sharping when the time comes. I work at Harbor freight and saw this sharpener. I do own a ton of expensive knives I sharpen with a angle sharpener. This is definitely different. I'm going to buy this for my saw. Thank you for this great review. Just subbed your channel
I mounted mine on a 2X4, then when I need it, I clamp the 2X4 in my bench vice.
You are a voice double for John C. Reilly.
You nailed it.
I did not notice you setting the depth stop.
i have one of them chain saw sharpners and i like it
Good video thanks for sharing. I have two chainsaws one uses 3/8'' p and the other 3.25''. Can the same grinding disc be used for both chains or do I have to buy different discs for each one?
Same
That's the "pitch" of your chains. The teeth are the same regardless, and whatever angle you cut at should be the same for each chain (our host said he was using 30deg.). I do not know how you find this out.
@@notmyname3883 thank you
EYE protection? Getting metal shards dug out of your eyes at the local ER is just slightly less than fun. (yes, I was wearing safety glasses and a shard somehow ricocheted and embedded in my eye)
I use a yellow loggers crayon to mark the first link. It shows up real good. Do you have to change wheels for different size/pitch chain?
Harbor Freight only sells one wheel, so my guess is no. And the way it works, this thickness of the wheel shouldn’t matter, nor the diameter.
I bought one too. I only sharpened twice
I noticed that they are not equally sharp when you change the teeth from the left to the right
I bought one of these a few years back but never even opened the box till today to use it.... got it all set up and then went to turn on the power and it does not even work out of the box, and power is getting all the way to the motor when turning on switch but nothing wheel does not turn at all
Bad windings probably
Having declared my dissatisfaction with this sharpener last night th-cam.com/users/postUgkxDcr-y2Pf6xdnrFHrSP7dl9kpKaCozcSQ I thought about the problem some more. It occurred to me that I might be undoing each attempt at achieving a sharp edge by the repeated attempts. So, I tried to clean up the unsatisfactory result by honing with only positions 3 and 4.Miracle!! A really nicely sharpened chef's knife, more than enough to handle my needs. Admittedly, it did not reach professionally sharpened razor-fineness, but it is now significantly sharper than it was. A bout of breaking down carrots convinced me. So, major apologies to the manufacturer, Amazon, and all happy and potential owners! Follow the directions: don't buy it if you have ceramic blades; and don't overwork your knife blade.
Interesting, but I think you replied on the wrong video..... 😉
It gets them as good as new.
"Take a sharpie..." I see what you did there. 🤣
Good video there are a lot of good videos out there hand filing also but there's nothing worse than cutting with a dull chain
Does your handle or top part move side to side left to right? It’s like mine has slack in the pin. It’s almost like it needs a thicker pin. I don’t know if it warped I don’t remember it being like this a year ago. It’s been sitting in my garage hot Florida.
How much different is this from face sharpening the teeth with a round file? This system only sharpens the top edge not the sides. I do have a similar machine and it seems to work but I'm not convinced it is better than face sharpening which sharpens both top and side at the same time.
I like mine wish it would do the rakes.
Great video, sir. Thank you
man I don't know still seems buying new chains is still a better way to spend my time.
Grab the titanium coated chain from TSC.
@Jengoboys603 why?
@@joeskis they last a lot longer before it even needs a sharpen.
great video. thanks
So if I understand this correctly, this does not sharpen the rakers in any way? That still needs to be done manually, correct?
Yes, and you aren’t really sharpening rakers, you are filing them down.
@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects yeah, you're right I used the wrong word there. Kind of a bummer you still gotta file down the rakers manually, but I guess that's the easier part than manually maintaining a 30 degree angle while sharpening the cutters
Is this sharpener good for a full chisel chain?
what angle do you set the top arm that houses the grinder wheel?
As far as I know, there is no adjustment. It comes set from the factory.
Good video but with all the constant adjustments, it's probably faster to do it by hand with a guide. Nice tool though 👍
Paint pins are much easier to see then sharpie especially on a dirty chain
I haven’t seen a review yet that answers the question of what size tooth does that wheel cut? I have a couple big saws with 5/32,3/16 and 7/32. Maybe I missed something obvious but which size does this sharpener sharpen?
Thank you
As far as I know, it’s universal.
I algays use a red colour felt tip (Sharpie for our foreign friends)pen o t chains here in the qeer old corrupt UK 🇬🇧
thanks.
I’m behind also can’t do things like I used to and behind
Always remember! If they can mass produce it in China, we can utilize it to sharpen chains for chain saws here in the United States.
The defect of this chain sharpener is that the Moter does not reverse. the stone is turning INTO the cutter instead of OUT on one row of cutters. I lived with chain saws, and this is engineering wrong. After two or three times of sharping you will see the cutters on the wrong side of the rotating stone NOT wear as much as the other side cutters is because the cutters are not "digging in" If you use one of these Moter driven sharpener finish the opposite cutters off by dragging a file to the FRONT of the cutter not BACKWARDS of the cutter.
All the electric sharpeners do not reverse the motor, so are all the manufacturers building a sub par product ??
180 the chain in the guide instead of flipping the grinding angle. Same rotation on both sets of teeth
@@cliffpalermo Great solution
@@johnhurtme Great solution for cutting the back of the tooth istead of the cutting face :)
Swap the wires you can make the motor run in reverse
"...go ahead and...", that's a real tic you've got going on there, bud. Other than that, nice video!
Did you get a haircut
I'll stick with files.
Thanks for letting us know 👍
G
Dude, you’re taking way too much off
3yr review and has no clue 😅 wtf man
$4 a chain let small engine shop do this tedious job
I don’t know any shop doing this for $4 a chain. Minimum I have heard is $8. Also, as fast as I go through chains, even at $4 a chain, I’d be paying $50 in chain sharpening every time I went out cutting wood.
All saw shops I have been to charge 8 per chain and a 6 dollar raker fee if needed.
@@williamwallace9620 The charges they want to charge here just made me buy my own sharpener. Buy it once and never again. Will have my money back in 6 months.
Welcome to Northwestern Ontario.... $18/chain to get it sharpened. For over 35yrs I always use a file to touch-up the chain when fueling to keep it cutting well. If you keep touching it up, you shouldn't have any major sharpening issues unless you end up hitting the dirt while cutting. When/if you dig around a stump 6-8" and cut it below grade, your chain is toast. One of these sharpeners, for the price, is a game changer to get it cutting again. I usually keep a few old chains for stumps as I don't want to destroy the newer ones. There is a learning curve, but well worth it. But, I only use it after mangling them in the dirt. No need for this on a regularly maintained chain.
Sthil... now thats a laugh, no need to sharpen a chain for those things they dont work... if it will start (which is rare) it wont run with enough guts to move a chain through a twig and if you dont then the chainsaw will just die randomly anyway. Much the same with the Mcculloch. Both heaps of rubbish have had a heap of money and time wasted on them, my advice, dont bother with them at all. But good video on the sharpening tool, I have one, tried it the way you show I honestly dont know whether its the cheap chinese chains these days but the sharp (sort of sharp is what I mean) lasts about an hour on a good day. To be honest.... the texas chainsaw massacre was a great piece of fiction, nothing in my shed would manage to chop more than a finger...
If you think Stihl is bad, what on earth could you possibly be running that is better!? Thanks for the compliments on the video though. My chains last typically a solid couple of hours before going dull but that’s on softwood. Shaggy Bark Juniper will dull them all within an hour.
@@DereksWorkshopAndProjects Well if stihl is good then I will go and get myself a handsaw. Mine IF it starts - and thats rare - doesnt run. The mcculloch is if anything worse. BOTH have been serviced, fresh fuel, fresh plugs, contacts replaced and adjusted, spark is present, fuel is flowing... they will both sometimes run for a while, neither of them cuts. So I have to use an electric which is a paiin in the arse with the cable but at least it functions.
If your chains last so well I would love to know the manufacturer because one new out of the box yesterday was burning its way through wood after about 45 minutes where it had been nicely cutting at the start.
@davehitchman5171 ah, I wasn’t even thinking electric. Those will start every time! Makes sense.
Have a Snickers bar dude…chainsaws aren’t for you.
Good stuff !
Once I found the little file guide with two rollers on it that Husqvarna makes I've never looked back. $20, retail, faster than an electric, and totally idiot friendly. You can teach a nine y.o. kid to use it in 30 minutes.
UPC #05788 50066 for the 3\8 &
UPC #83028 03819 for the .325"