chainsaw or drill bit sharpening - pics

In another discussion I said my husband sharpens his chainsaw blades and his drill bits on a sanding disk on his bench grinder. Someone asked for photos. So here are some pics of the setup he uses. He does it free hand and it works real well for him.

He started out sharpening drill bits on a portable grinder (I think he said a D - 8 model) at work on a padded disk like this. He liked it, so bought a padded disk and modified to fit on his bench grinder. Then he decided to try sharpening his chainsaw blades and it worked well too (you have to remove the blade from the chainsaw to sharpen it on this disk). Now he always sharpens all of his own blades and bits.

The disks themselves are velcro so you just peel one off and put a new one on when needed.

I can't figure out how you could do a chain saw chain on this.

I like the idea and it would work great for lots of things, just now sure of the chain saw though.

Gene

GeneMO,

Sorry, forgot to say that he takes the chain off the saw... then holds each "tooth" up to the disk and sharpens them individually.

And maybe it won't work for others, but it works well for him on both chainsaw blades and drill bits. I know several of the guys he works with would ask him to sharpen their drill bits at work, because they seemed sharper and lasted longer than the ones the company was sending out for sharpening (they drill a lot of hardened steel - it is actually stamped into the steel "do not drill").

I'm just curious, don't mind me LOL, but how in heck does he maintain the correct angle on the cutter of the saw chain, and how does he control how much material it takes off, meaning like when you file, you count the strokes to insure each cutter gets the same amount taken off and each cutter is even in size ? I have not used a saw chain sharpener machine, just a clamp on bar file guide, Stihl mind you, great for most jobs until you need the machine to true up the cutters, take it to the saw shop for that, towards the end of the life of the chain I usually end up uneven, won't cut straight in large diameter logs.

Just whats shown in the photo looks like you freehand whats to be sharpened, he must have a guide or jig or something. Any of those grinding/spinning wheels can be extremely dangerous if they were to come apart, you have to be careful on RPMS and make sure whatever is spinning is held together but good, especially if you are modifying things, that guard is well short of the wheel, it comes apart there is nothing between you and it. I have an old motor fit up for the purpose of grinding, still attached to the bench in was on in our old ford tractor dealership, in the shop. It has no guard on it at all, not sure of the HP but its overkill, you can't stop it by hand, lots of torque, the motor has oil tubes to lube it like the old Bell & Gosset circulators on hot water heat boiler systems, if a wheel ever shattered off it, be like a grenade going off, needless to say I don't use it anymore and won't until I fabricate an appropriate shield for it.

Most likely he's well aware, and maybe you have more shots of guides, jigs or shields, but if not, the most important aspect of my comments is safety, even if redundant or out of place LOL, see below:


A bit GRAPHIC, even if photo-shopped, and I don't recall where I saved this from, but it still gets the point across about flying pieces and flesh!
When I held safety meetings for my crews, photos like these drive the point home, a lot more than words LOL !

I'm no safety nut but I've got to agree with the others this just doesn't look like a setup to be doing chainsaw chains on. For the drill bits I can see it working just fine (Even though there is no kind of guard or rest...But who uses a rest when sharpening small bits?), but saw chains are pushing it a bit. With the soft backing all it would take is for one tooth to bit through the abrasive and grab the spinning wheel and I think it would become a nightmare situation in a big hurry. I've had a sharp saw chain slice right through a heavy leather glove when it got caught up on something in my bucket and I yanked it and it didn't move. I can only imagine what it would be almost as bad as being on the saw if yanked and slung around by the spinning grinder wheel, and then it would probably be alot closer to your face and body as well. Not to mention, as others have said also, if you can't keep the amount taken off of each tooth uniform then the chain will never cut right/straight like it should.

That said, for right at $130 you can get a chain sharpener from Northern Tool that does a really good job on any size chain. I actually caught mine on sale, and with a coupon, got it for under $100 a few years back. The first one on the page is nearly identical to the $300 Oregon branded one and, for the difference in price, if it only lasted half as long, would still be a heck of a deal, as they both do exactly the same thing.

Like I said I'm no safety nut and don't typically push safety issues on people. However when I see something that will certainly hurt someone if not now then definately in the future, then I will speak up because I'd rather tell them to stop now than tell them I'm sorry they got hurt later...........
Northern Tool

That doesn't sound too safe either, if the steel is stamped -Do Not Drill- there must be a reason they don't want holes drilled in it. Sounds like it might be truck frame rails.

Sounds like your husband is asking for trouble, sharpening a chainsaw like that! Buy him a HF electric shainsaw sharpener, they only cost about $30.00! Nothing in the Emergency room costs that little, anymore!

I'd sure like to see a picture of him sharpening a chainsaw chain on that wheel. I just can't get it in my head how he would hold that chain and not be a terrible safety risk.

There is a grinding wheel made for grinding on the side that I use to grind drill bits. I got mine from sears quite a while ago.

DiyDave,

Thanks, maybe will do that. Maybe make it an early, early Christmas present.

BillyNY,
Point taken! And maybe that is not photo-shopped. Saw pics once of a pitchfork HANDLE that went into a guys abdomen. So...stuff DOES happen.

Sweetfeet, I gotta jump in here too. I have to agree with the others. Although your husband is able to sharpen saw chains satisfactorily with this setup, it does look a little risky. As someone said, if that thing ever grabs a chain, you got instant problems. NCWayne has some good suggestions, and the Granberg G-106B, clamp on the bar sharpener works great also. I have used one of those for years. Fact is, most everyone on these forums is concerned about other people using machinery properly and no one wants to hear that someone we "know" on this site got hurt.

A saw chain should be clamped in a vise when being ground,A grinding wheel can grab a chain and pull it thru your hand,Anyone who has done grinding or polishing knows how items can be snatched from from your hands.Your husband will lose some fingers if he keeps playing with this rig.No nice way to say it,This is DUMB>>>

I use a dremel tool with a sharpening rock in it. Chain is left on saw while being sharpened. Nothing to get caught. I am doing it freehand.

KEH

ShadetreeRet,

Thanks! And yes, I completely get what everyone is saying.

And no...I don't want to be Mrs. SweetFeet and Mr. FunnyHands.

36 Coupe,

Thanks. Yeppers, got it. Not a great method.

And yeah, when I think about it... my uncle cut his fingers off drilling a hole in a metal gasket while holding it with his hand in a leather glove rather than clamping it to the drill table with a visegrip.

DaveSherburn NY,

Thanks. As I said to the other Dave who replied, maybe that will be an early, early Christmas gift.

Clamp chainsaw bar in vice, usa Dremmeltool like KEH above. Either leave on saw, or separate bar if chain is already off the saw.