I only will be cutting around 6 cords a year. Mostly Doug fir, Madrona, Cherry, Western Maple and Locust. I have a Stihl 260 and 391. I also have a lot of older chains that still have tooth but need to be evened up. The sharpener must be able to do standard and chisel chains. Looking for a solid machine but as inexpensive as possible. $100 to $150 max. Any suggestions are appreciated as well as any background info. Thanks.
I’ve two of the northern tool one... one set up for right and the other set up for left hand... That way I’m not changing them back and forth... and try to to find that right angle... I just have to tweak it a bit to get it...
CHAINSAW SHARPENER GRINDER W/ GRINDING WHEELS W/LAMP&DISC ELECTRIC WHOLESALE 241364323224 | eBay I have one of these. Oregon 511 copy. Works great
I have kind of settled on the Oregon 410-120 sharpener. It has a less powerful motor than the 511 but much the same robust build. Also all the same adjustments. For the amount of sharpening I intend to be doing a little cheapy would probably work but I like the idea of a little more quality. Will probably pull the trigger in the next few days!
In case any one has been considering a chain sharpener I thought I'd post some brief first impressions of the Oregon 410-120 sharpener which I did purchase. I went through a Sears sponsored portal and got it for $152 shipping included. The cheapest I could find the 510-120 next level sharpener was right at $300. It arrived in good shape in 6 days by UPS ground. It was easy to assemble and mount to my work bench. Watching the Oregon YouTube videos will get you further than the included directions in understanding how to sharpen a chain. It is not difficult and I have sharpened several chains but not had a chance to use them. These chains were hand sharpened many times and needed the cutters all ground to uniform length as well as sharpened and the depth gauges ground uniform also. The swing arm assembly seems plenty robust enough for its purpose and there is no play in the pivot. The motor and stones spin up to speed quietly and there is no vibration. The motor has ample power to grind even though it is less powerful than the motor on the 510-120. The depth stop is different than on the 510 but works fine. Changing a grinding wheel is a little more cumbersome than the 510 appears to be because you have to use a long screw driver to reach beside the motor in two places to remove the guard to expose the wheel. I suspect this is one reason the 410 is sold as a home owner rather than a constant use pro machine. Fit and finish are good and so far I am quite pleased with the unit. I'm looking forward to cutting with the refurbished chains in the near future. If I have any problems or insights I will post some more here. Hope this info is useful to someone.
Had occasion today to use one of the chains I had sharpened on my 026 Stihl. Cut great and tracked true. Bucked up about a cord of Cedar Deodora with the chain still very sharp at the end of cutting. I imagine this will be one of those purchases like a log splitter where you wonder why you didn't get one a long time ago!
I don’t know what grinder would fit your needs but I was able to pick up 3 Used Oregon 511s for $100 each. I’ve got one set up for 3/8, .325 and rakers. You can save a lot of money if you find a used grinder in decent shape. Truth is I struggle to get great results with the grinders, but I am pretty sure that is an operator issue. Where they really pay off is getting a damaged chain back into decent shape. I’ve found it is easier for me to touch up the chains with a file if there isn’t any damage. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I looked for a long time around here for a used one, both on Craig's list and Offer up. Very rare, usually Harbor Freight. I agree that once a chain is all evened up, a few licks with the file now and then beats a total re-sharpening. I had 8 or so uneven chains that I thought I could save by evening everything up. If the chain I just used is any example of how the Oregon 410-120 sharpens then I'm very happy! I can see that if you have a large number of chains to sharpen regularly, Several sharpeners, all set for successive tasks, would save a lot of time and aggravation. I have the same idea going on my welding table. Separate grinders each with a different wheel; stringer bead brush, cup brush, grinding wheel, cutting wheel, and two with different grit flap discs. No stopping to put a different wheel on, just hang the one you are using and grab the next one you want! You got great prices on your used chain grinders!
I have a couple of friends that have the Harbor Freight grinder. Like you, they agree it is a cheap tool but it gets the job done! Greatest virtue is it is inexpensive. My beef was that it lacks several adjustments that are useful with some chains.
If anyone in Canada is interested, the Laser knock off of the Oregon grinder similar to what huskihl posted above is on sale for $100 CAD today via online order from TSC. Regular price is $220 CHAINSAW SHARPENER Order to your local store and use the Promo code MOO1A at checkout to reduce the price by $120. If they are in stock at your store you should get a call right away, If not in stock, it may take a few weeks to get it in.
I bought the Harbor Freight grinder, tried it on one of my ikder chains and destroyed it. It was so loose and sloppy that the cutters were all over the place in size. Put it back in the box and returned it
Any play in that main hinge assembly really messes thing up. That was the first think I checked when I got mine. Hope you find an economical sharpener that fits your needs!
It's done well with my older chains, which I screwed up pretty well with my inept hand filing. I just ran two.tanks through my saw with a new chain on it, and touched it up after. We will see how it performs now.
Get your self resinoid wheels and ditch the vitrified. They run much cooler and don't heat up the cutter. Also get a diamond dresser while your at it.
