Oregon PowerSharp

Has anyone used one of these?

It looks super easy and intriguing.

I am just curious to see how well it works.

Does anyone have any idea of the price of this thing?

I'm not familiar with it. Gotta pic or a link ?

I saw an ad for it in a trade magazine for home builders.

Apparently Oregon has a website set up just for it. My firewall at work blocks it. I think it is just powersharp.com

It looks like you just clamp it on to the tip of your bar and run the saw--pulling the blade through it--Voila, sharpened blade. Again, it looks like a great idea and appears to be super easy, but I have never personally seen one.

OK, I'd never heard of it before, so thanks for enlightening me. Here's the link.
powersharp

Looks like it only works with PowerSharp bars and powerSharp chains.

There are no closeup pictures, but the chain looks a little funky. It is only sharpened from the top, and can only be sharpened 5 - 15 times. The sharpening stone must be replaced every time you replace the chain (and if you can only sharpen the chain 15 times, you'll be replacing lots of chains).

It's intended for clueless casual saw users who don't know how to sharpen a chain. It's probably worthwhile for those people. Don't think it will be catching on with serious chainsaw users, though.

Old design, came out on various saws, including Sears, Ropers, etc.
The stone was in the sprocket cover on those, amazed that they are reviving it.

Oregon Engineer!!!!!!

Where are you??????



Everyone, click your heels and say Intenz, Intenz, Intenz................

Ok, cool. So, it is just a easy, convenient consumer grade product for Johnny Suburbia.

Nothing anyone who actually cuts any decent amount of wood is going to want or need.

It's a new system that Oregon just launched. Definitely aimed toward the homeowner-type chainsaw user.

Here's a youtube video for PowerSharp

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Fish said:

Old design, came out on various saws, including Sears, Ropers, etc. The stone was in the sprocket cover on those

Click to expand...

That's what I had on an older Craftsman. There was a stone mounted in a spring-loaded button that you pushed on occasionally, similar to operating a manual oiler. I replaced it with a conventional chain and pulled the stone on the advice of a shop.

This appears to be a totaly re-designed system (thanks gee_dubya75 and mtngun for those links. WOW! Oregon has redesigned their entire website!). Requires a specific PowerSharp chain and guidebar. Looks easy to use, like those electric kitchen knife sharpeners. Could be helpful for an occasional use/homeowner/WildThing owner type who isn't real good with chain maintenance.

Slip the sharpener over the tip of the bar. Run the saw at full throttle. Push the bar forward into the shaped stone. Pretty easy if it works.

The chain is very different and I don't know how it cuts compared to the stuff we are used to. It is filed on the TOP of the top plate. I don't know how the side plate is filed (or if there is no side plate edge). The special chain also has a diamond impregnated dressing link to condition the PowerSharp stone (stone gets replaced with each chain).

Philbert

(EDIT - trying to replace original links and photos that were lost. These should be close if not exactly the same)

http://powersharp.com/default_flash.asp

That's some weird ass shizernit right there.

JohnL said:

That's some weird ass shizernit right there.

Click to expand...

haha you said it

Only drawback I can see is short useful life of the chain due to limited cutter size, meaning fewer shapenings per chain. I can see where the simplicity and speed of it will have professionals taking a hard look at it. Increased component cost might be offset by increased productivity.

I'd give it a try, just to learn about it.


Mr. HE

Man, by the looks of those teeth on the chain, it must chew a hell of a cerf through whatever you're cutting.

Hddnis said:

I'd give it a try, just to learn about it.

Click to expand...

I am sure that everyone on this site would like to hear feedback from an experienced user, compared to 'regular' 3/8" low profile chain. I am sure that you would still be able to use the bar with regular chain if you did not like the chain.

Philbert

bsheldon said:

Has anyone used one of these?

It looks super easy and intriguing.

I am just curious to see how well it works.

Does anyone have any idea of the price of this thing?

Click to expand...

.................................................................

Hi Bsheldon,

The sharpener only works with the PowerSharp® bars and chains.

The PowerSharp® Chain cutting performance and amount of wood it can cut is the same as OREGON® 91 VG, a 3/8 pitch low profile chain.

The stone is designed to last as long and the chain. The actual stone is thicker than shown in the picture.

The PowerSharp sharpening system is directed towards the 3/8 low profile chain users but fast sharpening will entice other users to give a try.

Philbert said:

I am sure that everyone on this site would like to hear feedback from an experienced user, compared to 'regular' 3/8" low profile chain. I am sure that you would still be able to use the bar with regular chain if you did not like the chain.

Philbert

Click to expand...

I'll be sure and share my thoughts on it. Right now I'm still trying for find a place that sells it. So far I've struck out at HD, Lowes, and two local hardware stores.


Mr. HE

I will see if I can get one.

Oregon Engineer, is this your little brother????

Ever wonder why files have been around for so long? I am sure the regular 3/8 lo-pro users will be all over that one

PowerSharp Eng said:

The sharpener only works with the PowerSharp® bars and chains.
The PowerSharp® Chain cutting performance and amount of wood it can cut is the same as OREGON® 91 VG, a 3/8 pitch low profile chain.

Click to expand...

Welcome to A.S.!

So does this chain only have a single (angled top plate) edge as it appears from the photos?

What about that leading tip - how critical is that to smooth cutting if it gets chipped?

Thanks.

Philbert

Fish,
I love your classic humor on the last line of your first post!!!! OE said you would have a witty response when PowerSharp® first hit this forum.

You are correct, the general top sharp concept goes back to the late 1950’s and came to an end in the early 1980’s. Those chains could be sharpened a few times and then the cutting performance decreased because the chain created a poorly shaped groove in the stone. That poorly shaped groove rounded the cutting points, got worse with each sharpening, and was a fatal flaw in the sharpening system. There were all kinds of work arounds to the poor groove shape but nothing really worked through the life of the chain.

Why revive that general chain design??? A sharpened chain in less than ten seconds.

To overcome the poorly shaped groove we added diamond coated dresser links to the chain. Just like you use a diamond dresser to shape your grinding wheel, we use a diamond coated dresser link to dress the stone. Every pass of all the cutters by the stone is followed by a pass from a pair of diamond dresser links to keep the right groove shape.

The product will become available to servicing dealers likely late May or early June.