I use wood to heat my home. LOTS of wood!  I bought a very efficient outdoor wood burning furnace that provides lots of heat provide I feed it lots of wood.  To feed it wood, I first need the wood (duh!).  I also need good, dependable chainsaws with sharp chains.  A sharp chain will make firewood cutting relatively easy.  Dull blades makes the job drag along, they wear down other internal chainsaw parts, pollute the air, and they are unsafe to use.

I constantly weigh the value of sharpening a chainsaw chain.  Of course it can be done, but to sharpen a chainsaw chain properly is an art, and not one easily learned.  I have tried sharpening chainsaw chains in the past using files, Dremel tools designed for sharpening chainsaw chains, and special drill bits designed for sharpening the chains.  All and all the effort is hit or miss.  Sometimes I got terrific results, other times the saw ended up as dull as before I started.

I also brought my chainsaw chains to "professionals" to have them sharpened.  Once again, the effort was hit or miss.  One fellow took my chains and held them for an entire summer before getting around to them.  Afterward, he told me only one of the chains was worth sharpening and charged me $15 to sharpen it.  "Huh?" A new chainsaw chain costs about $16.  Other "professionals" charged less (one guy only charged me $4/chain) but as the old saying goes: You get what you pay for... BTW - what makes a fella a "professional" at sharpening a chainsaw chain?  Most of them will point to their big, expensive European chainsaw chain sharpening tool.

While visiting some chainsaw forums on the internet, the topic came up about what is the best way to sharpen a chainsaw chain?  It is pretty obvious by just reading the posts who has knowlegde about chainsaws.  Most of the regular posters are in the know.  Most of them all have expensive chainsaw chain sharpening tools that they swear by.  Others say they get great results by just giving the chain a brief touch up with a special chainsaw chain file every day.  They simply follow the chainsaw chain angle and free-hand sharpen the chain.  Yet a few swear by these in-expensive electric chainsaw sharpeners that you find all over the place.  I figured I would give one a try.

If you care to take a look at the "details" section for this product, you will notice the absence of any name brand and lame details.  That is because these sharpeners are all made overseas in Asia.  They are sold by a variety of internet stores including HarborFreight.com, NorthernTools.com, Homeir.com, Ebay.com, and Amazon.com.  I bought mine at Harbor Freight.  At the time, they had the best price plus free shipping!  I paid about $35 for mine.  I have since seen them sell for less.

The device is pretty intuitive to use.  You need to remove the chain from the chainsaw and place it on the electric chainsaw sharpener (ECS) and clamp it down.  The ECS should be mounted on a bench or table to keep it from moving.  You set the cutting angle of the saw based on the angle stated on the chainsaw chain package.  You then clamp the chain down on a fixed bar to align the first tooth for sharpening, power the ECS on, pull the wheel down, and two seconds later the tooth is as sharp as new.  You then move to the next tooth and do the same thing, and repeat the process for all of the other teeth on the chain.  Then you flip the chain over to the other side to get all the teeth on the other side.  It takes me about a half hour to sharpen a chain.  The results are often pretty good - but not as good as a brand new blade.  I have gotten pretty good at using it, and I move along pretty quickly.

Is it worth the effort?  That all depends on the individual sharpening the chainsaw chain.  As I mentioned before, I can get a brand new, super sharp chainsaw chain for $16 at many stores (or on sale for much less!)  So, If your time is worth more than $32/hour, you would be better off buying a new chain!

I often do buy new chains.  I often do not have the time to sharpen the chains.  I take pretty good care of my chainsaw chains, so they stay sharp for a long time.  However, every now and then I will sit down at the machine and sharpen up a few chains, just for fun, or because I need a sharp chain and I do not have time to truck out to a store for a new one.

The ECS is actually a pretty decent machine.  It is mostly made of plastic (which I hate), but the blade does stay in line pretty well, and it hits the blade at the correct angle.  The cutting wheel lasts a long time without wearing out (I have not replaced mine yet after having sharpened about 3 dozen chains).  The electric cord is pretty heavy duty and appropriately long enough to stretch across a work bench.  The power switch is a durable button covered with a soft membrane to reduce wear and keep out metal residue.  It looks like it will withstand a lot of use. It also does not require any maintenance, other than cleaning up the work area.

The machine is not a quite machine to operate - it sounds like a little chop saw, and gets a lot louder when the wheel comes in contact with the chain.  You should wear hearing protection when using the saw.  You should certainly wear protective eye goggles, because bits of metal spit out all over the place.  You should also not operate the saw near gasoline or other flammable chemicals.

The sharpener is certainly not the best one on the market.  It does take a little getting used to it to operate it.  You certainly should not plan on operating a business sharpening chainsaw chains with it.

If you do use a chainsaw, it is important to always use a sharp chain for those reasons given above, whether you buy a new chain or sharpen your old one.  Chains do not last forever and they are a replaceable item.  You should not expect to use a chain after sharpening it more than four times.  A chainsaw chain is dull when you cut - any wood - and the chainsaw does not produce large flakes of wood.  If all you get is fine saw dust from cutting wood, it is time to get a sharp chain on your saw. 

To preserve your chainsaw chain, NEVER let the chain come in contact with the earth (dirt, soil, sand, stone, etc.)  Do not allow you chain to twist or bind in wood.  Make sure the oiler mechanism on your chainsaw is working and the chain gets adequate oil.  Never operate a chainsaw with either a too loose or too tight chain - do some research to learn how to adjust the tension on a chainsaw chain.  Always wipe down your chainsaw after using it, oil the chain, and store your chainsaw in a dry location.  

I would recommend this electric chainsaw sharpener to someone who wishes to save a few bucks.  You will not be over-joyed with it, but it is a good tool to have on hand, should you need to sharpen a chain in a pinch.  Thanks for reading my review and best wishes for a nice day!

Mike   

Recommended: Yes