Wasted a full weekend and $80 on a bad chainsaw sharpener

I bought one of those cheap electric chainsaw sharpeners off Amazon last month, the kind that clamps onto the bar. Figured it would save me time over filing by hand. First two cuts felt okay but the third chain I touched started throwing sawdust instead of chips. Took me way too long to realize the guide wasn't holding a consistent angle and I was grinding the rakers unevenly. Ended up ruining three chains before I tossed the thing in the scrap bin. That's about $80 down the drain plus a Saturday I could have spent actually cutting. Anyone else had bad luck with those clamp-on sharpeners or did I just get a lemon?

2 comments

2 Comments

parker54311d ago

The clamp on ones are a gamble for sure... I had a similar experience with a different brand where the little plastic guide arm just flexed under pressure so the angle was all over the place. You're better off with a proper benchtop unit or even just a dremel with a grinding wheel if you want to stay electric. The real trick I learned after wasting money is that you have to keep the wheel moving smooth and steady or you'll cook the temper right out of the cutters. Plus those cheap sharpeners never let you adjust for different chain pitches properly, they just assume one size fits all.

abby69811d ago

Wait, you can use a Dremel for sharpening chains? I never thought of that, but it makes sense if you got a steady hand. I messed up a chain the same way with one of those cheap clamp-on things, the angle was all over the place and I think I actually burned the metal on one tooth, it got that blueish color. You're right about the plastic parts just flexing too, mine had this little plastic doohickey that snapped before I even finished one chain. Filing by hand takes longer but at least I know the angle is right.