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
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!!!
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!
Having declared my dissatisfaction with this sharpener last night ua-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.
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!
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 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.
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!!!
@@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.
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.
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
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 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
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)
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.
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?
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.
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
@@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
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.
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.
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.
![How to Sharpen Chainsaw Chain - Ozito Tool Tips [PXCCSSS-018]](/img/n.gif)
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
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!
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!
Having declared my dissatisfaction with this sharpener last night ua-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..... 😉
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.
I was worried that this was going to be too complicated - Derek makes it look easy and not complicated
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 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.
This is a great review and very helpful. Thank you
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.
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'd like to see more detail on filing rakers.
I’ll try to create a video on it soon.
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.
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.
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 did not notice you setting the depth stop.
It gets them as good as new.
Great video, sir. Thank you
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 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
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 like mine wish it would do the rakes.
I algays use a red colour felt tip (Sharpie for our foreign friends)pen o t chains here in the qeer old corrupt UK 🇬🇧
great video. thanks
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
You are a voice double for John C. Reilly.
You nailed it.
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.
Good video but with all the constant adjustments, it's probably faster to do it by hand with a guide. Nice tool though 👍
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.
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
thanks.
"Take a sharpie..." I see what you did there. 🤣
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.
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.
Is this sharpener good for a full chisel chain?
Paint pins are much easier to see then sharpie especially on a dirty chain
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
Did you replace the disc to the thicker size for the 325 chains?
Some people do.
PS: You can only use this for safety chains. You can't change the pitch (angle) on this machine. You can on the really expensive ones.
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
I'll stick with files.
Thanks for letting us know 👍
"...go ahead and...", that's a real tic you've got going on there, bud. Other than that, nice video!
G
Did you get a haircut
Dude, you’re taking way too much off
3yr review and has no clue 😅 wtf man
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.
$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.
Good stuff !