Round here you can go from $5 to $20 starting down at the bicycle store and on to the JD lawn and power equipment dealer. Down there in the Load Star State? Everything is bigger in Texas they tell me so I would hit the 'yaller pages" and make some calls. If you can find one, guys that only do sharpening usually give the best service and will do all the proper steps. Depending on location you might have to take whatever's around. In my old neighborhood there was a logger's supply store and he could sharpen chains any way you wanted them, but they are few and far between out of the "woodsy" regions. Local hardware stores usually know at least one feller that's a filer. :)>

In my area, it is $7 off the saw, $12 if left on the saw. I always used to take it off until I finally learned how to sharpen one successfully.

Too many shops with a grinder don't have anyone that knows how to use it properly. You may have to snoop around to find a good one. The rate dmullen mentions is the same as our shop and we use canbucks

Canguy, I thought they were canuckbucks.:)

I sharpen my own, but since I don't let the chain get too bad before I hit it with a file, the time I spend on a chain is 5 minutes or less. I wouldn't mind charging someone 5 bucks for sharpening a chain that needs only a good touchup. If a chain get really bad, where a lot of material needs to be filed off to get back to a good edge, that could take some time. Twenty minutes or so may not be out of line, and a shop would probably charge accordingly.

GG

Here in southeast CT they mostly run from 5-6$
You can get a good job or a bad one for that money.
I charge 5.75 retail, a dollar more to change the angles for ripping.

Chains were pretty cheap here when I was looking right after the hurricanes last year. They're also pretty darn easy to diy sharpen with a just the proper diameter file and guide.

I will have to dig my saw out since I now have a little problem here. I believe I remember new chains costing slightly more at WW than having the old chain resharpened... and were a lot less bother, all things considered. But I didn't use a saw "professionally" at all. I was lucky to always get the (dead) tree to drop just where I wanted it.
I kept a round file with me when I was sawing for quickie tune-ups. I used a clamp-on guide and a variable speed drill for major resharpening to the original spec. I never did any fancy mods to the chain. So you might buy a guide and a round file and CAREFULLY read ALL of the directions....

When my Farmboss was new and I was cutting a lot more wood, I made a big production out of running a chain til it was a dull smoking mess, then changing it out to a chain re-sharpened by a guy across town. Dumb, dangerous, and bad for the saw. 3 chains. Money and time spent just carting them around. I find it a lot more convienent to file the chain myself. Also if I'm away from the house cutting, I pack a file. Ive been doing it for yrs, gradually "honing" my technique. Its not rocket surgery. I started out with one of those file guides, PITA. Now I just adjust the slack out of the chain and set the bar in a vise to steady it. I file 2 or 3 strokes per tooth hitting all the cutters on 1 side. A sharpened tooth is shiny, so when a shiny tooth comes along ,you're done. Flip the bar over and hit the other, side. Loosen the bar a bit when finished. Rakers, I knock down with a flat file when I notice the sawdust getting fine. Follow the established angle and you're fine. I dont concern myself with keeping the cutters even sized. I just keep them sharp.

"rocket surgery"....Kids today with their wa-wa music and new-fangled expressions. =;^) That's funny, sort of a contraction of Rocket Science and Brain Surgery....so "rocket surgery" is something that's really REALLY hard to do?!

Bottom line, get the right diameter file and sharpen your own chains. The guide will help a novice until you get the hang of it.

jarrall

The guy I stole the term from is in his 50s, just like me. Yeah, what you said is what I gather the term to mean. I usually use it in the negative or sarcasticly

Has anyone used one of these $65 Harbor Freight units yet?

CHICAGO ELECTRIC CHAIN SAW SHARPENER

Appears to be a copy of the Nick The Grinder sharpener.

Sager66 i have been looking at those, they appear to be on the same principle (profile) as what the shops around here use?
and when i get a chain back it appears i might get one chain sharpened 3 times? if i'm lucky
bambooo you commented about 'ripping' being a special angle cut, i did that same thing to a chain with a dremal tool and have no idea "how" anyways ...What/why would anyone want that angle (ripping) the application is what i can't figure as it seemed to really bog/load the saw down just making a regular cut on trees ? tia

Ripping chain is used when the log won't fit on your sawmill or when the sawmill IS a chainsaw.
If your chain has abrasion damage from using it as a rototiller instead of keeping it out of the dirt and just cutting wood then you can expect to lose a lot of metal in a proper sharpening. You might even be charged a bit extra as there is a time difference in sharpening a dull chain and one that has been abused.

Andyma, at the risk of starting a flamethrowing session, I diagree on the shape of cutters. In my experience if the cutters on one side get shorter in length, then the saw will try to make a curved cut. Perhaps I misunderstood you.
Mike

Mla,

While it's probably true that if the cutters are filed shorter on one side than the other, it will produce a curved cut. Normal wear and hand filing will mean that the length of the cutters will vary over the life of the chain, with some ending up shorter than others, but always within an average dimension. If you spend extra effort measuring and filing each cutter to a factory tolerance, you are only wasting time and wearing out the chain faster. If I find just a few cutters really dull from hitting grit in a log, I don't bother bringing them to sharpness and then bring the others to that length. I do spend a little more time on the really dull cutters, but I don't worry about those few cutters being shorter. Future sharpening will catch up with those short ones.

GG

Hey, I'm just a shade tree hack. My post described an evolutionary process developed over 25 yrs with the same saw. The more I do something, the better I get at it. I'm just sharing my experiences, trying to save you guys from having to learn stuff the hard way. Some things matter, some dont. The Stihl has served me well. It has its original ignition parts. Its on its 2nd bar because about 20 yrs ago I pinched the original and bent it getting it out. I'm on about chain #6. And my biggest heresy, the clutch and drive sprocket is original. I understand about uneven tooth lengths on 1 side making the saw cut to 1 side. I have had this happen. But, if the chain is kept in decent shape by filing it before its totally wasted, this is less of a problem. Not using the saw as a tiller helps this out too. :D

After you sharpen a few thousand chains doing it is easier than describing it:)

As I said I wasn't trying to create a s--tstorm. I've just talked to people over the years that couldn't figure out why their saw was cutting on a curve. I agree if you have a few cutters that hit rocks, etc., ignore them until the rest catch up. I just wanted to mention it because a lot of beginners have a tendency to file more off one side than the other. It's nice to be able to disagree without getting mad at each other.
Thanks,
Mike

Here's my experience. For years I paid a local saw shop to sharpen my chains. My needs were modest. Many times, I had rocked the chain or hit metal. I would say my chains lasted about like giventake's.

A couple of years ago, we moved onto 55 wooded acres and my chainsaw needs increased drastically. I began sharpening my own chains with a 12v grinder made for that purpose. These days I use a Grandberg model from Bailey's or another similar one. Even though I run into many more rocks here (we live on an iron ore hill), my chains last infinitely longer. I actually enjoy sharpening my chains and seeing them cut like new again.

All the hardcore chainsaw guys say hand filing is much better, but I haven't mastered the craft yet. I'm trying though.

I buy my chains from Bailey's, Madsen's, or Commercial Cutters Direct, whoever has the best price when I'm in need.

Good luck.

Michael

I'm with the sharpen it yourself crowd. I always keep at least one sharp spare around. By the time you go to the shop and usually drop it off and drive back to get it you could have sharpened every saw in the neighborhood. I have also had way too much ground down to the point that if they did that every time I'd be buying new chains about every other time. That's a good suggestion to tighten the chain on the bar prior to sharpening.

I heat my house with wood, no need to say I cut lots of firewood. I have 7 saws and 4 chains for each so I also sharpen lots of chains. I can file a chain if I have to but I prefer my Tecomec 511 grinder, set the depth and angles and go. Side and top plate angles are easy to hold but keeping those angles straight and filing the gullet to 10° at the same time on full chisel chain is kinda tricky. If you've ever found a fence post in a tree like I have you'd be all day trying to file that puppy out. I cut next to guys that file their chains, guess which chains cut faster? The faster she cuts the sooner you can put her down (and have a beer)

There's been some bashing on shop ground chains. You've obviously never seen the condition these things are in by the time people are willing to come off of the jack to get them sharpened. I've seen them burnt blue, half of the cutters missing, used as hand plows, round cutters and on the saw backwards. If you can save it at all you have to grind alot of material off to do so. Also if a chain was improperly filed (butchered) alot of material must be removed to fix it.

In Dallas I've had good luck with Richardson Saw (75 at Spring Valley) and Plano Power Equipment (75 at 15th St.). I don't remember the exact price, except that I thought it was surprisingly cheap.

I'm not a heavy user, but I like to do some hand sharpening - makes a nice break in a heavy day, it's nice to have that bit of control, and a REALLY sharp chain cuts better. I try to take my chains in after every hand touch-up or so, so my incompetence doesn't have time to get them too far out of balance!

Lots of good info in this thread. In my area a 20" loop off the saw is sharpened for 4 bucks+tax. In my opinion they remove much more metal than necessary and shorten the life of the chain. Brand new 20" loops are available from Baileys for 10.95 plus shipping.

Here is a link that might be useful: Baileys Logging Supply

I agree with Torowrench regarding shop sharpening getting a bash. The proper way to sharpen a chain brings all the cutters to the same degree of wear. On a chain that has been hand filed too many times or has been cutting tel steps or laundry pulleys some of the cutters get hit pretty good unevening the chain cutting height.

When the sharpen-meister sets up his bench power machine he sets to the shortest cutter and brings all the other cutters to that height. This can mean that that new chain you just got last month will lose a bunch of metal if you have hit something or keep forgetting where you started hand filing and get the chain uneven.

Today's "chipper/Oregon" style chains are pretty forgiving compared to full chisel and semi-chisel which is a good thing. You have to be good with a file or grinder to sharpen those and the average weekend sawyer doesn't get enough time with a saw too warrant learning tricky filing techniques.

And.... If you want to get really "creative" you can learn different filing angles and techniques that will make your chain cut faster. Faster but not that much longer... You gotta pay the piper as wear is wear.

I used to try to file them by hand on the saw clamped in a bench vise.Not easy to do well. I had a dremel tool so I got the chain saw sharpening bit and I can do one chain in
about 2 minutes and it cuts like new. grinding stones are about $5 for 2. I gave up on oregon chains they are too soft. Now use Stihl chains on my Husky saw they stay sharper longer.

I charge $12 a loop to sharpen a chain.

Fish
Papa John's Pizza Mgr.
Tax consultant
dowser
witch doctor(respiratory problems only)
Chainsaw Expert(went to Stihl school)
School bus driver(afternoon only)

"I charge $12 a loop to sharpen a chain."
Fish

Do you wear a mask too? lol!

Looks like alot of different ways to skin a cat mentioned in this thread, some much better than others.

For the average weekend cutter who doesn't want to master hand filing, a clamp on guide like the one from Oregon or Granberg will do the best job possible, even better than a grinder. Ground chains aren't nearly as sharp as filed chains, plain and simple, and most guys don't know how to properly dress the stone or set up a grinder anyway.

I patently disagree with the notion that a guy has to sharpen all cutters to the length of the shortest one. Unless there are several cutters in a row on one side that are severely fubared, you are wasting your chain. If you do have a row of severely fubared cutters, the chain will tend to cut in a circle, otherwise just sharpen to the average length as someone already mentioned.

The teeth don't all need to be the same length from side to side or even on one side. What does need to be uniform is the depth gauge clearance specific to each tooth. In other words, the drop on type rakers gauges that average the clearance are your worst enemy. Get something like the Carlton File-O-Plate that allows you to lower the gauge to the tooth and watch your cut speed increase. Or if you used the clamp on filing gauge you would have the uniformity of the cutters to allow using the drop on gauge. Grinders are too inaccurate for grinding rakers.

If you insist on using a grinder to sharpen, use several light passes around the chain on one side until it is satisfactory, then readjust and do the other side. With a light touch you CAN remove just as small amount with a grinder as you would with a file. Do it this way and you will never burn a tooth.

Actually I was joking, I charge $4 a loop.

Since I work on saws and such for a living, I definitely
use a grinder, and I agree, most who use grinders do not
know how to use them.

Fish

shucks Fish, I was considering a career change. Maybe turning pro isnt such a bad idea. The guy down the street retired and the Stihl/ Ariens guys across town went under.

Went under what?

Do as I do...When your chain is dull....go out and buy a new chain. I keep many new spares....beats the heck out of worrying about sharpening.

"Do as I do...When your chain is dull....go out and buy a new chain. I keep many new spares....beats the heck out of worrying about sharpening"

I'll pay shipping if you want to send all those old dull chains to me, you know, to get them out of your way.

Fish :there 1 day gone the next, middle of summer? Alien abduction?

Robar, I was gonna reply with something really tacky like what do you do with the saw when it runs out of gas? But actually, thankyou. Guys like you have been supplying me with free stuff for years. Latest Dumpfind was a working Craftsman 18volt 1/2" drill. Batteries and charger included. Both batteries took a full charge.

Instead of opening my own thread, I thought I could hijack this one and interject my own question.

Tried sharpening my own chain this weekend for the first time with just a new file. The file was the correct size for the chain but I wasn't sure in exactly which direction to apply the most pressure. Is it more up and to the side or just to the side? Thanks for any help.

20% of the file diameter sticks up past the top of the tooth, match the existing angle, file towards the point.
Use magic marker to see how you are doing.

I go down the middle of the road, buy new chains two in a package for, hum don't remember, about $12 each. When using I start by taking a flat file and just touching off the tops, then after a few more logs do the tops again and a few strokes with the correct size rat-tail file (the one made for chain saws). Then as I lose it, the chain needs some professional attention, I toss it an put on a new one.

What's the average number of times a chain can be sharpened before it becomes unusable? I seem to have gotten the hang of it quickly, but we'll see how it cuts the first time I use it.

Jerry in NJ, my ratio of filing rakers vs teeth is just opposite of yours :) I sharpen teeth about 3 times with a rat tail before I hit the rakers with a flat file. What ever works though

John in CT How far is up? I never bothered to count. I sharpen them until there arent any teeth left to file. About the same time the roller pins holding the chain together wear out and the chain tensioner no longer can adjust out the slack.

Hey Folks! I am in need of a user manual for the Nick the Grinder chainsaw sharpening tool. So far I have not been able to find a source or who manufactured it. It was my son's who passed away ayear ago and I have no idea where he got it or where the manual is. I have three chainsaws whoes blades always need touched up.
Can anyone help me locate a source I can purchase a manual or even better down load a .pdf file?
Thanks
Jakester

Hi Jakester,

Sorry to hear about the loss of your son.

You don`t really need a manual for your Nick. As I recall the only adjustments on your Nick are for the topplate angle, wheel depth, and tooth length.

Adjust the topplate angle to something between 25 and 30 degrees, this angle isn`t crucial but maintain symmetry on both sides.

Then set the depth so that the radius on the wheel edge goes into the sideplate but the inside of the topplate is just contacted by the straight side of the wheel. From the outside of a perfectly ground tooth it will be imperceptible but from the inside the junction between the top and side plates, which is known as the "working corner", will be bisected by the straight line formed by the side of the wheel. If you don`t set the wheel deep enough it will form a topplate that is very sharp but fragile on the leading edge but blunt just beyond. Set the wheel too deep and you will get too much hook which makes the chain grabby and power hungry.

Start grinding on your most damaged or shortest tooth. Take a very light cut on each tooth on that side, reset the length stop, and grind each tooth on that side again. Repeat this process until all damage or dullness is ground from each tooth then start the process on the other side.

To check that the teeth or even length from side to side simply fold a chain in your hand and place the backs of a couple of teeth together. It is completely unnecessary to first grind one side, pivot the vise and grind the other side in a mostly futile attempt to grind both sides to an even length. Only the best grinders like a Silvey 510 will reliably grind evenly from side to side. Just accept the limitations of the Nick and work accordingly.

Don`t forget to dress the wheel to maintain the shape and expose sharp crystals as you grind. You will probably be able to do a complete side on a chain before dressing if you take a light cut. If the teeth turn blue while grinding you are either using a dull wheel or trying to take too much off the tooth in one pass.

Also remember to lower your depth gauges periodically.