Is the Oregon Sure Sharp a decent tool? I’m trying to figure out what to get and I figured everyone on here is more reliable then YouTube. Looking at $150 or less if that helps with recommendations. I currently just use Oregon round file with guide and wood handle. I would rate my ability as fair to horse crap.
me ive just been using a regular ol round and flat files made by husqvarna maybe about 20 bucks or so it may be more or less b/c when im in a store i kinda sometimes have a knack for not payin attention to the price ....... ive also been thinking of buying a dremmel with chainsaw sharpening tool kit as well
If you have a few minutes to sharpen your saw, then I recommend this. Takes me less than 15 minutes for an 18" saw. It's pretty much foolproof. No setup time involved. These are sold under various brand names, including STIHL, but all made the same. Cost is less than $25. The only downside is that you need one for each size chain. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
I free hand on the bar or take it off and use the vise. Most chains have "witness marks" in each cutter to guide you.
Those things work. I usually grind on my chain grinder , which is an oregon knock off. But I bought a Chinese version for like $14 and did a chain just to see and I was impressed!
I second getting the 2-n-1 style For me, the hardest part isn't getting the cutters sharp, it's filing down the depth gauges evenly. Since I switched to one of these, my cuts in bigger wood have stopped drifting to the left.
Check out the timberline sharpener. Little pricey, but it does a fantastic job. I've even managed to salvage some older chains that I totally hosed up using a file with the timberline sharpener. I can sharpen the chain on my 20" husky 450 in about 10 minutes to a lovely razors edge (assuming I haven't hit rocks 1st), then it takes a little longer.
I have the STIHL version of the 2-in-1. I don't like it at all. Plus I got the wrong size initially so that really sucks. FYI it's made for full comp chains, not skip chains. The guides need to rest on the next set of teeth. That said I am very happy with just using a round file. I have a husqvarna rake tool (flat piece of metal, very simple) that I touch up the rakes every once in a while. It took me a while to get the hang of filing, but I think it's much better to just practice doing it by hand. I'd also highly recommend watching Buckin' Billy Ray Smith on YT. He has a ton of videos on sharpening. My chains are not 10/10 sharp as they can be but I have improved drastically from horse crap to not-too-shabby-indeed. I use a Makita 36v cordless with a 14" bar, low profile chain.....Takes a few minutes to sharpen using a stump vise. My new favorite method is to get a nice round and put it on the tailgate of the truck, whack the stump vise in, and get 'er done. Good height, good lighting, and easy to rotate the stump to do the otherside.
I use the Harbor Freight electric sharpener. Despite HF's reputation for cheap, disposable stuff, I've had great success with it. Takes minutes to sharpen a chain... I do my friends' as well. It does take more material off the chain than your conventional file, so I do it when the chain takes a beating and do a touch-up filing in between. Electric Chain Saw Sharpener
I have one if these for the 3/8" standard chain. It's a Stihl brand, and cost $35.00, I am running full chisel chains. All I can say is I think it is well worth it. I have been cutting some pretty bad and knotty wood, even ripping down the sides of quite a few big knotty rounds, that I couldn't split with a maul or ax. The same one works for my Stihl 362 and the Jonesred 2255. I have recently sharpened my 362 at least 3 times, and the Jonesred 2 or 3 times. I didn't really need to sharpen them that much but, I was making some day trips with a friend and we had a big schedule each day, and I wanted to be good and sharp because we were cutting some big hard logs every day. My saws are still sharp, even though we were cutting some pretty dirty stuff at times. There's only one thing I am still trying to figure out. My saws still cut straight and are sharp. I believe I can take a pretty beat up chain and bring it back, (salvage it) with one of these tools. However, I have noticed that my saws are pretty hungry, but they walk through everything just fine. But I checked the height of the dogs after a fresh sharpening with a gauge I have and it looks like I am sharpening the chain for soft wood not hard wood, but I am cutting hard wood, IMHO, Oaks, Cherry, some Walnut and also Black Locust, and some Hickory. So, I wondering if I am not taking the dogs down a little more then I should for the wood I am cutting. I am contemplating removing the flat file from the guide and not cutting the dogs down every time. I wonder if there are different ones of these available, for hard wood vs soft wood?
I have learned a lot from watching Buckin Billy Ray Smith. He is pretty entertaining to watch, and at first I wondered about him, but after watching a few of his tree falling videos, I can truly say, he's the real deal. He knows what he is doing, and I trust what he says, before about anyone else on those YT channels.
I have one of these and really like it also. Recently it’s been just red oak though and I agree with Lastmohecken it seems like it’s biting just a little deep. I like it for the beech that I’m usually cutting though.
Free hand here also. But, I don't know if I have ever used a vise to hold the saw while sharpening.... Now and then, I'll get a real good job done on it!
Filed free hand. I'd say the chips are looking pretty good. Saw cuts like butter. This was from a mix of spruce, pine, and black locust.
I put the whole chainsaw onto the vise. I don't take the chain off the bar. The little extra wedge there was because everything was cockeyed and on the sloped part of the driveway. Now I do it on the flat parking spot and try to find a level round.
I did find when using the 2 in 1 that the flat file for the rakers is a little aggressive. I sharpen 1-4 times without the raker file in.
