Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300

   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #101  
My stumps would be a bit much for a sawzall blade I think. Most are over 36" down at the root flare
Understand, I should have said cutting the main leaders with sawzall when pulling the things out it definitely makes it easier.
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #102  
Understand, I should have said cutting the main leaders with sawzall when pulling the things out it definitely makes it easier.
Now that I think about that, that's makes perfect sense! Dig down to the roots, use a sawzall to cut the roots (not the stump) and try to yank it out of the hole! I do have some nasty tap roots, but I'll try it. Thanks for the advise!
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #104  
Skip tooth square chisel chain is not for weinie saws. Takes some horses to pull it. I have it on my 075 Stihl on a 36" bar.

The 2152 is lower powered than today's pro-level 50 cc saws, so I have to wonder if the problem with needing a bigger saw is more someone trying to run a 3/8" square ground chain on a smaller saw than the fact that they are running square vs round ground.
I am running 3/8 square ground skip link on a 50cc Dolmar PS-5105 without any problems with a 20 inch bar.
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #105  
I am running 3/8 square ground skip link on a 50cc Dolmar PS-5105 without any problems with a 20 inch bar.
The longer the bar, the more power a saw requires, especially with skip tooth 404 square tooth. My 075 is capable of pulling a longer bar. Great saw but heavy, bought it new and will never sell it. When it idles, sounds like an MX bike. Should gave bought an 090G but didn't.

Too bad Stihl succumbed to the noise police. I'd never buy another. I have a gutless MS too. Rarely use it. Usually use my 028WB that is 30 years old.
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #106  
That is called a stump vise. You can buy them separately. Yes, they are handy. I keep one in my ammo box full of chainsaw tools and parts.
I Probably should use a closed container like an ammo box, probably wouldn't lose stuff out of an open canvas bag like I have, I like this little file kit cause it fits anywhere and everything is secure. anyways a bit of sharpening nostalgia humor my grandfather who worked in the woods for a living, once tried to teach me how to sharpen a chain many years ago on his old manual oiler poulan, being young and dumb I believe spent an hour or so watching me attempt you might think I was trying to start a campfire. When I finished I proudly went to cut rounds with him to his humorous disbelief he commented "I can't cut nicer radiuses with a jig saw" lol that was well over 30 yrs ago, discouraged, I haven't made an attempt to file my own chains until recently, and have amassed a collection of dull chains.
 

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   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #107  
The longer the bar, the more power a saw requires, especially with skip tooth 404 square tooth. My 075 is capable of pulling a longer bar. Great saw but heavy, bought it new and will never sell it. When it idles, sounds like an MX bike. Should gave bought an 090G but didn't.

Too bad Stihl succumbed to the noise police. I'd never buy another. I have a gutless MS too. Rarely use it. Usually use my 028WB that is 30 years old.
My backup saw is a Solo 694 which is identical to the Dolmar PS-9010 running a 36 inch bar .404 round ground skip link. And starting it is like cranking a 15 hp outboard engine.
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #108  
To start the 075, you must actuate the compression release or you'll leave your fingers on the recoil. No plastic on it except the top shroud. Every part is light alloy. New saws are mostly plastic today. Same deal with my 028 WB.
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #109  
The longer the bar, the more power a saw requires, especially with skip tooth 404 square tooth. My 075 is capable of pulling a longer bar. Great saw but heavy, bought it new and will never sell it. When it idles, sounds like an MX bike. Should gave bought an 090G but didn't.

Too bad Stihl succumbed to the noise police. I'd never buy another. I have a gutless MS too. Rarely use it. Usually use my 028WB that is 30 years old.
I modified the muffler and adjusted the carb on a Stihl. It was a pretty simple process I found on YouTube.

Kevin
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #111  
I Probably should use a closed container like an ammo box, probably wouldn't lose stuff out of an open canvas bag like I have
The fact that the ammo cans are weather proof is a big plus

If you are thinking of getting an ammo box for chainsaw tool storage/transport, there are lots of sources online.

After trying a few, I really prefer what is known as the "Fat 50 Cal" ammo can (military designation is PA108) for my chainsaw tools.
Outside Dimension: 12-1/2" x 7-1/4" x 8-1/2"
Inside Dimension: 11-3/4" x 6-3/4" x 8-1/4"

I started with the regular 50 Cal ammo can (Military designation M2A1 or the newer M2A2). However it was a bit tight to fit all that I wanted, especially since round files with a handle on them had to be put in diagonally, which wasted a lot of space.
Outside Dimension: 11-3/4" x 6" x 7-1/2"
Inside Dimension: 11" x 5-1/2" x 7"

a bit of sharpening nostalgia humor my grandfather who worked in the woods for a living, once tried to teach me how to sharpen a chain many years ago on his old manual oiler poulan, being young and dumb I believe spent an hour or so watching me attempt you might think I was trying to start a campfire. When I finished I proudly went to cut rounds with him to his humorous disbelief he commented "I can't cut nicer radiuses with a jig saw" lol that was well over 30 yrs ago, discouraged, I haven't made an attempt to file my own chains until recently, and have amassed a collection of dull chains.
That's a great story and a great memory of your time with your grandfather! I hope you are having better luck now. If you are still having some difficulties, I can recommend some good videos on the subject. Learning from YouTube can be hit or miss, since there are a whole lot of people out there who only THINK they know what they are doing. I have a couple of links that are good. The BEST one I've found you have to pay for, but it's reasonably priced.

To the OP: sorry for the topic drift...
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #112  
The fact that the ammo cans are weather proof is a big plus

If you are thinking of getting an ammo box for chainsaw tool storage/transport, there are lots of sources online.

After trying a few, I really prefer what is known as the "Fat 50 Cal" ammo can (military designation is PA108) for my chainsaw tools.
Outside Dimension: 12-1/2" x 7-1/4" x 8-1/2"
Inside Dimension: 11-3/4" x 6-3/4" x 8-1/4"

I started with the regular 50 Cal ammo can (Military designation M2A1 or the newer M2A2). However it was a bit tight to fit all that I wanted, especially since round files with a handle on them had to be put in diagonally, which wasted a lot of space.
Outside Dimension: 11-3/4" x 6" x 7-1/2"
Inside Dimension: 11" x 5-1/2" x 7"


That's a great story and a great memory of your time with your grandfather! I hope you are having better luck now. If you are still having some difficulties, I can recommend some good videos on the subject. Learning from YouTube can be hit or miss, since there are a whole lot of people out there who only THINK they know what they are doing. I have a couple of links that are good. The BEST one I've found you have to pay for, but it's reasonably priced.

To the OP: sorry for the topic drift...
Thanks for your experience and insight I'm getting pretty proficient at it and understand what I do wrong when it's not cutting good, I also apologize for "topic drift" however I've learned more from drifted topic experiences, knowledge shared by folks than the original topic usually.
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #113  
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #114  
Looking to sharpen 5-6 chains at a time off the saw.

What would you recommend?
My local hardware store has a $10,000 automatic sharpener and charges $5.00 to bring my chains back to factory sharpness. I have 5 chains, so along with their 1 day turnaround, I see no need to do it myself.
Jack
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #115  
My local hardware store has a $10,000 automatic sharpener and charges $5.00 to bring my chains back to factory sharpness. I have 5 chains, so along with their 1 day turnaround, I see no need to do it myself.
Jack
For years I'd bring chains in to sharpen for me anyway if and when I do invest in my own electric sharpener I figured I should get the basics down manually using files first.
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #116  
For years I'd bring chains in to sharpen for me anyway if and when I do invest in my own electric sharpener I figured I should get the basics down manually using files first.
It's not hard to get to the point where you can do a better job sharpening by hand than you can with a grinder. There are several jigs and guides that make it simple and shorten the learning curve a lot. It's also possible to do a better-than-factory job free-hand filing with just a bare round file, but that takes more time (and better eyesight than I have these days).
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #117  
Looking to sharpen 5-6 chains at a time off the saw.

What would you recommend?
I have 35 acres in Colorado and cut 8 cords of wood per year to heat my home, I hot tired of hand filing my chains and took a chance at buying a cheap electric sharpener from Harbor freight. After sharpening many chains it actually works quite nicely. It doesn't have the nicest finish and is a bit flimsy but is you take it easy with her she gets the job done. There are some good reviews you can watch on YouTube. Good luck
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #118  
I love my HF sharpener. It does a better job than I've ever been able to do with a file. I don't believe it takes an excessive amount from the tooth, it takes very little with each motion. As far as I'm concerned, the chains I sharpen cut very close to as well as a new chain. I am somewhat surprised as to how many people have called it junk.
Totally agree.

I don't cut wood professionally - I just have a big old farmhouse with a hungry furnace in my cellar and several acres of woods to feed it. I hand-filed for years, hated every minute of it, never really got any more than passable at it, but it was a necessary evil. I saw those ads for the HF sharpener, and always thought something that cheap couldn't possibly work very well.

Then I finally bought one. Yes, it was a bit sloppy at holding the chain in place, but in looking it over I saw where a strategically-placed washer would eliminate a good share of that. Like anything else there was a bit of a learning curve before becoming proficient with it, but once I navigated that I could sharpen a chain in about 25% of the time it took me to hand-file one, and it was doing a FAR better job. I found I was removing less metal, so I didn't need to do the rakers as much. The chains cut better and last longer than they did before.

I'll never go back to hand-filing. (As long as I have power available, of course...)
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #119  
For years I'd bring chains in to sharpen for me anyway if and when I do invest in my own electric sharpener I figured I should get the basics down manually using files first.
This right here - my Stihl dealer is 2 miles from me has a Stihl sharpener charges me $6 per chain 1 day turnaround.
 
   / Best Chainsaw Sharpener under $300 #120  
This right here - my Stihl dealer is 2 miles from me has a Stihl sharpener charges me $6 per chain 1 day turnaround.
Yep used to bring chains in when I remembered and could, not a few miles or one day turnaround though, From my several weeks of learning and reading about sharpening chains I've experienced it's much easier with better results if you file often instead of waiting til it's dull. I've also gotten much better results with my new set of properly sized files. Not a chain sharpening thread with old school files though and not trying to start one.
 

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