efco grinders

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treeman82

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hey there everyone. i do a lot of work for a local lawn mower shop. the father there asked me if i could go and spend a day at his home. just cut down 1 small tree, and move some wood around. he offered to buy me a come along. however the actual payment for this job would be an efco chain grinder. looked like a nice unit. it would come with the books and everything. they sell it on sale for 350. plus tax. so i was just wondering if this is a good unit? he just wants me to take it before i go up there next week. i am thinkin about it. however i only have 5 saws and about 10 chains or so. i have several friends who have tree companies though, small businesses. so what do you guys think of one of these machines for what i am doing? oh and how long does it take to get used to using one of these things?
 
I have never used a bench mounted chain grinder. When I first started out and thought I knew how to sharpen chains, I bought a $35 Stihl 12 volt grinder. I was hot sh-t! Then I spent a year working with a man who knew how to use a hand file. I learned how to sharpen a saw properly with a hand file and never used anything else since. With a sharp file, I can fix a badly dinged chain on my 30" bar in about 15 minutes. touchups on my climbing saw take about 2-3 minutes. Hand files cost just over $1 per, and I can buy more files than I will ever need for the cost of a bench grinder.
If you ever get a chain you need to fix on a bench grinder, use the one at the shop where you work.
 
I would take that deal. It wont take much time to get used to one of those. Use it if the chain is really dull only. You will loose a lot of your chain by sharpening with one of those. Meaning it takes off more than you want most of the time. I think you can sharpen your chain by hand just as fast. Those little 12volts, I never have liked, just me. I agree that you can buy a lot of files for that. More tools are always good.
 
I bought a bench mounted grinder about ten or fifteen years ago. I used it a lot for the first couple of weeks, but soon realized I was going through chains like crazy. Haven't used it since. Luckily, I was taught how to properly sharpen a chain by hand when I first started twenty years ago. I find it much faster and easier to do it with a file, but I haven't seen too many people who can do it right. I'd pass on the grinder. I'd rather have a new power pruner or hedge trimmers.
 
My limited experience with a bigger grinder is as above - eats through chains, but makes a nice job. Good for a saw shop to sharpen the chains for occasional users, then sell them a chain every fifth sharpening.

My father-in-law bought a Stihl 12v handhold grindstone sharpener. He really wanted me to use it, because he bought it with my use in mind when I went to the cottage to wack a bunch of jack pine for him. Well, I used it to make him happy. He didn't notice when I put down the saw that I just sharpened with his thingy, and picked up the 064 that I hand sharpened. It would not make a consistent edge, (and I AM blaming the tool! :D ) What a noisy PITA.

About 4-5 strokes with my 7/32" puts me bak in the ball game pretty quick. The trick is to stop and sharpen prior to the chain getting really dull, stones notwithstanding.
 
I believe I read the post incorrectly. I thought it was a gift for helping out, I guess it is, but you could spend $350 a better way. I agree with these guys that your best bet is to purchase a pair of hedge clippers or something else. Totally agree, sorry if I steered you the wrong way.
 
efco grinders

Hey! Just my $.02 worth, but several of you spoke of learning how to sharpen a chain the right way with a file.
Anybody using a Chainsaw should learn that. There is also 'the right way' to use a grinder, it takes 'multiple feather touches'and you have to decide if having all of the teeth identical is worth removing a lot of tooth from most of the other less damaged teeth...the art of compromise.
OREGON puts out a sharpening book that will help with the technical specs of different chains, you just have to learn the 'right way' to use the Grinder
As to accepting the Grinder, you could always sell it...Ebay units can go for well over $100+
 
I agree with most of the above, a file works best most of the time, but haveing a grinder can save when a toasted chain needs a regrind. Especialy with full chisle.

I hone mine regularly to keep it in top shape, the big thing is to not be chinsey with the file, throw them away when the dont cut good.
 
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