Sharpening Chains with a Dremel??

[Tom Hamilton]

Mike Cruz's recent post (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=147275) about rip chains got me to wondering about sharpening.

My local Stihl dealer charges $6.00 to sharpen a chain. I can do it with my Dremel in less than 10 minutes. I seem to be getting a satisfactory edge with the Dremel.

So the question: Any reason not so use a Dremel to sharpen chains?

I await your wisdom.

Tom, in Douglasville, with Dremel in hand.

[Matt Ranum]

My Dad and I used a dremel for years. Worked great, the only thing is its easy to not hold the proper angle or slip with it. Later we picked up a chain sharpener from Harbor freight for $30. Money very well spent with consistent results time after time.

[Jason Mikits]

Sharpening with a dremel, the small stone will clog quickly, and have a tendency to burn your cutters causing surface burning or case hardening as it is called. If you are going to sharpen manually you're much better off just using a sharp file cutting in the forward stroke with no back dragging (with a guide if your skills don't quite measure up). Most places that sharpen chains have some inexperienced person on the grinder as well that take off too much steel and burn the cutter as indicated by a bluish tint. Very few keep the wheel dressed or use a CBN wheel which is better yet. It takes a little time to learn how to sharpen a chain just like it took a while to learn how to properly sharpen your gouge. Good luck. Take Care.

[Gerold Griffin]

Tom, personnally know a guy who uses a Dremel tool to sharpen all his chains and he swears by it. I have always used a file and jig of sorts made by Oregan just so I can sharpen in the woods when needed. That being the onlly advantage. He can probably get a sharper edge with the Dremel but since I am set up for the file i will stick with it.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I've use the dremel with the correct size stone for the chain. I buy the bits (mine are 5/32" diameter) from my saw dealer. A bit usually lasts a couple light sharpenings then fills with metal and I toss them. Besides, as you use them the diameter decreases. I don't have a jig to hold the correct angle so I check myself occasionally with the hand file jig I have. I'm not sure it is a whole lot faster than a good file but I feel like I do a better job with it.
fmr

[Tom Hamilton]

Thanks, sounds like a professional sharpening every so often would be good but that the Dremel will be my "go-to" method.

Tom

[Roger Chandler]

Tom,

I used to sharpen with a dremel, but now I use this, and get professional results. It will pay for itself with the first few sharpenings, and it really works great. This is similar to the Oregon 511A professional sharpener that sells for over $450.00 [not as good a motor etc, but for a turner it is a great deal and really good way to get excellent results]

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/370x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_2632.jpg

I forgot to mention........this chainsaw sharpener can be had for about $30.00 when on sale, and if you do get it, buy a couple extra grinding wheels to have on hand. I have sharpened probably 35 chains with this, and it is terrific, and a real time saver. I liked the thing so well, I bought an extra just to have in case one ever broke, and my friend who used to log timber for a living bought one also, and loves it!

[Allen Neighbors]

Tom, I've used a Dremel for years. I tried a file, and never could get used to it.
I buy Stihl's stones, which, I think work better than those you buy specifically made by Dremel. Stihl's stones are harder, rougher grit, and don't cause the heat that Dremel's fine stones cause. I use a fresh stone for each sharpening, because the diameter of the stone wears down.
My chains last a lot longer, now that I don't take them to an amateur.

[Mike Davis NC]

I buy two new files with each chain. I sharpen regularly and every third sharpening I use a micrometer to find the shortest tooth, lock the mic at that setting and file all of the teeth to that length. I also use the Oregon file gauge to make sure all teeth are filed to the same depth and angle.

Consistant length, angle and depth of the teeth make a huge difference in the cutting efficiency of a chain saw.

Using a file takes a small learning curve similar to learning to sharpen a chisel by hand. But the ability to touch up a chain in the woods away from any power source far more than makes up for the time needed to learn.

[Allen Neighbors]

But the ability to touch up a chain in the woods away from any power source far more than makes up for the time needed to learn.
I can understand that alright, Mike; how you might want to be able to sharpen when you're away from electricity. But I'm now at the age where it seldom applies to me -- I run out of gas about the same time my chainsaw does. So I have to come home and take a nap. :o:rolleyes::p

[Bob Bergstrom]

After sharpening with a file for years, I decided to take my two chains into my Stihl dealer. They took close to an 1/8" off the cutting edge. The chains were in good shape and I feel the guy who sharpened them either was not knowledgeable or trying to entice me to buy a new chain soon. I bought the new chain shortly after, but will not take another in for sharpening again. I could not tell any improvement by having them professionally sharpened. Learn to sharpen in the field with a file and you'll never quit because you hit a nail.

[Matt Ranum]

Yup thats the one I have. It takes so little time to get it set to just "kiss" the tooth. Definitely one of HF's gems. The extra wheels came from Baileys as did the extra chains.



Tom,

I used to sharpen with a dremel, but now I use this, and get professional results. It will pay for itself with the first few sharpenings, and it really works great. This is similar to the Oregon 511A professional sharpener that sells for over $450.00 [not as good a motor etc, but for a turner it is a great deal and really good way to get excellent results]

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/370x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_2632.jpg

I forgot to mention........this chainsaw sharpener can be had for about $30.00 when on sale, and if you do get it, buy a couple extra grinding wheels to have on hand. I have sharpened probably 35 chains with this, and it is terrific, and a real time saver. I liked the thing so well, I bought an extra just to have in case one ever broke, and my friend who used to log timber for a living bought one also, and loves it!

[Scott Hackler]

I was redo-ing my chains with the Dremel and it was OK. Better and faster than the hand file.. but then I spent a whopping $30 at Harbor Freight on an electric chain saw sharpener. WOW. It takes a little patience, at first, to get used to the fine tuning and all... but its like getting a brand new blade. I swear by this little machine and its one of the best $30 I have spent in a very long time.

Now my chain slices through the RIPPING process like butter!

[Hilel Salomon]

The problem with the exclusive use of electric tools to sharpen chainsaw chains, is that the depth gauges (rakers) remain the same height and that will cause a problem in cutting. I have dremels, chainsaw sharpeners (the expensive Italian and the HF one) and I still use a hand held tool made by pferd about 75% of the time. The pferd (Husqvarna carries it under its own name) is a device which uses a flat file and round file simultaneously , therefore assuring you that the depth gauge (raker) is at the proper height. It takes me about 7-10 minutes to sharpen a chain while it is on the chainsaw which is another handy thing about the jig... you can field sharpen the chain. You can get this for about 15-20 dollars.
Regards, Hilel

[Fred Perreault]

I have owned and used dozens and dozens of chain saws. We cleared land for homesites, roads, tennis courst, septic systems, sports fields, animal pastures, etc. Having a dull, or otherwise poorly performing chainsaw was never an option. Now that my saw(s) are largely used around my property and for shaping turning wood, I am still anal about saw condition. I have used hand files carefully with great satisfaction, and have gone through a few electric Oregon or Oregon look-alike bench sharpeners. They are fantastic at ease of use, and consistent results. Never used a Dremel on my chain, but the few times I sent out the chains to a sharpening service they did take a lot of meat off of the chain, usually because the hand file sharpening had produced irregular length cutter links. The only solution then is to try to rebalance the cutter links by taking them down to the shortest one. This could be done over over a few sharpenings, or it could be avoided by paying sharper attention to the hand filing process. or using the bench mounted devices properly.
There are only a few reasons why a chain does not act sharp. One can do a perfect sharpening job on the cutter links, but it will only make dust if the raker link is not brought down as the cutters are worn.. The chain could frequently snag in the cut if the rakers are taken down too much. The saw will cut around a corner if the cutters are sharper or longer on one side than the other. Mostly, I believe that the less use a saw gets, the poorer the sharpening job it recieves. I have 6 chains for each saw. On days when I am bored from turning, I will sit down to my bench mounted sharpene,r tune the radio to classical music, pop a Diet Pepsi and get all the chains sharpened and tuned. After sharpening, I dip them in light oil for a while, and then hang'em on the "Sharpened" hanger for the next time. Using a saw with a less then sharp chain is much more tiring.
There are chains made for certain uses, but then there are numerous ways to sharpen those chains for specific applications and personalization.

[Reed Gray]

I learned to hand file them. It takes maybe 5 minutes on my 24 inch bar Huskey. I do make sure to take the same number of strokes, with about the same amount of pressure, on each tooth, and to check the rakers. I tap the file on wood or whatever is handy every few strokes to knock the filings off. I haven't taken a chain to be sharpened for years, and the guys who really know how to hand sharpen the chains no longer laugh at me. Having some one who knows how to sharpen the chains show you how, a couple of times really helps.

robo hippy