Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Chainsaw chain sharpening

For those of you that sharpen your own chains with a grinder.... Which grinder do you use? I know how to sharpen my chains with a file but it gets old and it's slow. I'm done paying someone to do it because they aren't always the same. Sometimes you get the right guy doing it and sometimes it is like it was his first day. I plan to buy a grinder, I'm just looking for suggestions. I have 4 saws that get used occasionally. I don't make a living with a saw everyday but I do some land clearing for my construction business. I have probably 20-25 chains for the 4 saws....

Thanks in advance....

I bought a chain sharpener grinder from Harbor Freight works good, faster than a hand file.

Always used a file

A friend has a 12v grinder.

I think WEN makes a little chop saw looking sharpener with a chain stop that makes quick work out of it.
But I don’t think anything is going to dress up a tooth as well as a round file does.

I've used a worn angle grinder disk.

I use these in a Dremel.

Dremel Bits

Run half skip chains, aquire a raker depth guide, keep new files on hand.

Ain't hard to make it easier.

I have an Oregon 520 bench mounted grinder. Very rarely use it unless a chain is really rocked. Much easier and faster to file on the bar, with the appropriate size file. Rakers are maintained with a gauge. Worth taking the time to touch it up when refueling.

I have burned through 2 Harbor Fright sharpeners. But for the money are worth it. I have 2 more in shop now. Once you learn to do it piece of cake. But a file in the woods will do you good. We do a lot of clearing of fence line before bulldozer comes in so cutting a lot sell it to old veterans around here. Cheap 40 $$ a truck load. Keep me out of the bar. I am retired helps keep me fit. Somewhat LOL

Another thing to consider is the cutter profile. Chisel chain cuts faster but will dull faster in dirty wood or by inexperienced operators. Semi chisel will cut a little slower but will not dull quite as quickly. Lot of guys used it for bucking on the landing

I have been using a Harbor Freight sharpener for a couple decades at least....works good and fast correct angle and will only take off the amount of metal that you set the depth gauge at....
It has payed for it self many times over.... heat both my houses with wood .....

After so many years with a hand file, I like the dremel. Good compromise for me, quicker than a hand file, and with the battery powered dremel, on site sharpening. Especially if I hit a rock or something and it takes a while to hand file out. Honestly I don’t want to make room for a bench top grinder I wouldn’t use that much.

Same here.

Dad gave up on the wood cutting a decade ago and gave me his ancient Oregon bench chain grinder. I only use it to straighten out a really messed up chain, so I bolted a hunk of 2x4 to the bottom of it and clamp that 2x4 in my bench vise when I need to use it. Works great. Most of the time it lives in a box under the bench.

Same here have mine mounted on a 2x6 use c-clamps to mount on table.

Since I only run a chain saw occasionally and only then fir fire wood, I still use the old round (rattail?) file in a guide.
I still find a sense of satisfaction in taking a chain from dull to sharp. Not only that, it also gives me a 20 to 30 minute rest period!
If time was money, I'd probably have some sort of battery operated, transportable outfit.

If you keep your chain out of the dirt you'll need a break by the time the chain is dull so it's nice to stop, drink some water, file the chain, and grab a snack. There's only 33 teeth on a 28" bar so it takes longer to disassemble the saw, remove the chain, clamp it in a chopsaw, sharpen them, and then reassemble the saw than it does to just sharpen them as God intended, on the saw.

Now if you are running commercially, swap the chain out with a sharp one and keep rolling then sharpen all the dull ones when you get home at night. That's a time saver.

As for the rakers, I just touch them with a Milwaukie 4" grinder to knock the tops off and rock on. Nothing scientific about it.

I use an old Foley-Belsaw model 308. Not sure how old it is, I got it around 45 years ago.

I'm not commercial but have extra chains for my saws, swap dull for sharp. When I feel like it sharpen the dull ones.

these seem faster than just a file, don't know why/how that would be, but they do seem faster.

if you just want to go through a pile of chains in the garage on a Sat afternoon, probably HF grinder would get you what you need