Electric chainsaw charpening

[Mcluma]

I'm thinking of buying an electic chainsaw charpening tool and saw these fully automatic ones

And i was wondering if anyboy has already used them and has some feedback if they are worth the money

these ones have the automatic feed as well

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-ELECTRIC-CHAI ... 35a6905e80

 

[Froggy]

Hi Mcluma,

I use chainsaws a lot and I've used a couple of these types of sharpener and personally I prefer to sharpen by hand with a file. The machines are a little bit quicker once you get used to them but there's not much in it either in terms of time or sharpness of chain. If you can sharpen by hand stick to it and save some money.

Froggy.

 

[Mcluma]

I have done the hand sharpening a lot myself, but out of lazyness i bought some cheap chains and just changed them when they became blund.

so rather then being lazy i considered using this automatic thing and see if it make is quicker and charper

 

[paulm]

Have seen ones either the same or very similar at my local stihl dealers, so assume they would be pretty good but haven't actually used one though.

Would have to be using your chainsaw(s) an awful lot, or have some very long bars, to make it worthwhile though I would have thought ?

I have several chainsaws of different sizes/types and do a reasonable amount of work with them converting timber for turning/woodworking and firewood etc, and get by just fine with the handfiles and now some grindstones in the dremel if I get a bit impatient or want to do a more substantial job.

Little and often with the handfiles works great for me, but I'm sure the electric ones might be worth a go if you're a pro or regular user.

Pete (BSM) might have a view as I know he's a pro' user as are his team I think.

Cheers, Paul

 

[maltrout512]

I have never used or owned an electric sharpener so can't comment on then. But one draw back that I have is you need a power source which when in a forest you can't just plug it in. Even 12v power needs a battery. I carry enough as it is. I have had one of these (below) for over 20 years and find it compact, and good at what it does. A 20" bar 3/8 takes about 5 mins for both sides and doesn't cost the earth.

 

[RogerS]

Have you got a Dremel? They do a chain-saw sharpener attachment and that's what I use. Works a treat. I got fed up faffing around with a file.

 

[lurker]

I buy dremel stones from Axy (about £3 per2 IIRC) then use a cheapo dremel knock off.

I guess I get 5-6 chain sharpens per stone
Takes as much as 5 minutes & you can do it whilst the chain is still on the bar
I guess I sharpen a chain maybe 10 times (little & often!) before I dump the chain.

I believe Aldi have one in next week for £13 ????

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/2827_13039.htm


edit : http://www.axminster.co.uk/sessionID/IO ... -19827.htm

 

[big soft moose]

Pete (BSM) might have a view as I know he's a pro' user as are his team I think.

sure are - we have a dremel attachment and a rechargeable dremel , but we only use it if the chain needs a lot of work (like on hitting a nail or similar ) and a spare chain isnt available, mostly we just touch up by hand with a file during the day.

my advice would be to stick to the hand sharpening but spend the money you save on decent chains, as cheap ones are a false economy as they dont hold an edge as long and are all more liable to bent links or breaking.

we use stihl chains , but oregon and husquarvarna are also good. - they are expensive but worth it and ive negoitated a discount for buying in bulk.

the other think you might want to look at is buying a chain maker/breaker and making your own chains up - as chain is a lot cheaper when bought by the reel.

 

[dickm]

How easy is breaking/making a chain? I don't use my saw enough to justify it, and was concerned that joints done by hand might not be that reliable, but would be interested to hear others' experience.

 

[wizer]

as chain is a lot cheaper when bought by the reel.

'ow much is a real then?

 

[big soft moose]

How easy is breaking/making a chain? I don't use my saw enough to justify it, and was concerned that joints done by hand might not be that reliable, but would be interested to hear others' experience.

its just a de/rivetting process so actually doing it is easy, the key is making sure you count the right number of links for your bar. - strength wise there is no problem because the actual riveted head doesnt take that much load as when the chain is tensioned the stress is lateral to the rivet.

 

[Mcluma]

I bought one of these

so lets see how that works for me