Harbor Freight Sharpener

[jgregoire687]

I am new to the site and this is my first post.

I just bought a new harbor freight chainsaw sharpener, does anyone have the exact angle to use to sharpen the chain?

Thanks
Jerry

 

[Moparmyway]

I am new to the site and this is my first post.

I just bought a new harbor freight chainsaw sharpener, does anyone have the exact angle to use to sharpen the chain?

Thanks
Jerry

30 / 60

 

[67L36Driver]

All of the saws I have acquired have had (used) chains that are all over the place on the angle. Several have had different angles right vrs. left cutters.

what I do is pick a happy medium, 25-35 deg., that cleans 'em up without removing a ton of tooth. 30 being the target for semi and 25 for chizel.



The H.F. grinder is great compared to my hand filing....................................................................:msp_scared:

 

[jgregoire687]

30 / 60

I guess I am not well versed in this, but what is mean 30/60. I think I understand the 30 degree, but what is the 60?

Sorry and thanks

Jerry

 

[Philbert]

Welcome to A.S. Jerry!

Different chains may have different recommended angles - it can make you nuts. The bottom line is that the exact angles are not as important as getting both edges (top and side) on every cutter sharp, and getting every cutter on a loop the same.

30 degrees is a good starting point for the the 'top plate angle' - the angle you see when you look down on the chain from above. This is controlled by the rotation of the chain holding vise.

The 60 degree angle, Moparmyway refers to, is for the tilt of the grinder head. However, I think that this angle is fixed on the HF unit (probably at 60 degrees?).

As you read through other grinder / sharpening threads, you will see references to other types of adjustments that may be available on different grinders.

Make sure that you use the right size grinding wheel for your chain. Some how-to-use videos on Harbor Freight Chain Saw Sharpener on YouTube might be helpful.

Harbor Freight Chain Saw Sharpener - YouTube

Philbert

 

[Warfarin]

I have one of these and it seems to do a pretty good job for the price you pay. I have used it about 10 times (sharpening and re-sharpening) chains and the all cut much better then they did before I sharpened them. I am but a hobbyist and just cut wood for winter heat (for now) but I have no complaints with this machine, especially since it only cost me $30.00. Not sure what the magical angle is but I use 30 degrees and that seems to work well for me.

 

[7sleeper]

I prefer this video.

[video=youtube;f3m_ErOrzHY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3m_ErOrzHY[/video]

7

edit: and you can see that he has a lot of experience with this grinder just by the amount of grime on it!

 

[ernurse]

Just remember not to overheat the tooth. It is very easy to do and it ruins the temper on the chain. If it turns brown you're making it too hot. If it turns blue it's way too hot and probably ruined. Just be patient and take small amounts off at a time. Especially for chains that are rocked or really "off". It is worth it to learn to file. Keep trying when you are in the woods...then use the grinder to make corrections at home.

 

[Philbert]

Just remember not to overheat the tooth. It is very easy to do and it ruins the temper on the chain. If it turns brown you're making it too hot. If it turns blue it's way too hot and probably ruined.

Chain is rarely completely 'ruined' by poor grinding technique. Discoloration does indicate overheating, and 'air-hardening'/ 'air-quenching' can make them impossible to file.

When this happens it is usually possible to grind past this damaged area, carefully, to restore the cutters to usable (and file-able) condition.

Philbert

 

[Swamp Yankee]

Chain is rarely completely 'ruined' by poor grinding technique. Discoloration does indicate overheating, and 'air-hardening'/ 'air-quenching' can make them impossible to file.

When this happens it is usually possible to grind past this damaged area, carefully, to restore the cutters to usable (and file-able) condition.

Philbert

There's carbon in them there teeth

As stated if you get the tooth too hot during grinding it will harden and a file will not touch it once this process occurs. This happens most often when a chain is really "rocked" and the edge "rolled" over badly. A large part of the tooth needs to be removed to get both the edge and geometry correct again. When dealing with this situation it is best to make two light passes around the chain as opposed to trying to remove all the material in one pass.

Take Care

 

[tallfarmboy]

My $.02 is that you shouldn't even use the angle guide that comes on the HF unit... Just set the angle to match the angle on your chain. You should be able to accurately set the angle just by using the chain as a guide... That's what I do anyway. The chain angle guide isn't real accurate (at all) and I don't recommend using it.
TFB

 

[67L36Driver]

I prefer this video.

[video=youtube;f3m_ErOrzHY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3m_ErOrzHY[/video]

7

edit: and you can see that he has a lot of experience with this grinder just by the amount of grime on it!

I wash mine in the laundry tub when it gets like that. (keep the motor high and dry!):msp_biggrin:

 

[w8ye]

It takes a lot of common sense and patience to use a Harbor Freight chain grinder and get good results. The HF grinder is a very flexible device (It bends or distorts easily).

So everything you do, - use the same speed and pressure with everything you do.

I would check my work with a cheap angle finder for personal feed back on how I was doing. Left and right may not be the same angle?

A very patient and skillful person can turn out some decent chains with one of these.

A clumsy neophyte will ruin the chain.

 

[tpope]

It takes a lot of common sense and patience to use a Harbor Freight chain grinder and get good results. The HF grinder is a very flexible device (It bends or distorts easily).

So everything you do, - use the same speed and pressure with everything you do.

I would check my work with a cheap angle finder for personal feed back on how I was doing. Left and right may not be the same angle?

A very patient and skillful person can turn out some decent chains with one of these.

A clumsy neophyte will ruin the chain.

Hell's bells... I know folks that can ruin a chain with just a round file... Varying angles and such...

 

[Philbert]

I would check my work with a cheap angle finder for personal feed back on how I was doing.

Funny thing: I bought a cheap, digital caliper thinking that could use it for stuff like this (cutter length, measuring chain gauge, etc. Polymer frame had so much flex in it that I could make a drive link read .050, .058, .063, etc, depending upon how hard I squeezed! Same thing with cutter length!

The important thing is to get the edges sharp and all of the cutters the same. If someone can do it with this tool, well, then it works for them.

How's it been working for you Jerry?

Philbert

 

[Homelite410]

One of the best things you can do on HF Grinder Is to have a brand new piece of chain To set the grinder up with. Maybe you can go to your local saw shop and get a short piece of what you run to set up with.

Just my .02

 

[7sleeper]

There are obviously many comments here from people who have never before used one of these el cheapo models.

First off I believe that it is not powerful enough to overheat the chain. It only has a 80 watt motor. You will never get that high speed and pressure to get a chain red hot! So if you believe you need more speed then this is the wrong machine for you!

Second since the 60° angel is already set there is further very little you can mess up. Why is it 60° because about all chains these day sold by Oregon or Stihl have a 60° grind. So if you believe you need a special grind then this is the wrong machine for you!

Third the reason why I presented this video is because you can see the tool used perfectly within it's limitations.

Fourth the flexibility can actually be used to your advantage. If you have one cutter slightly shorter I don't grind all cutters shorter, although the book tells you so, but I flex the head slightly towards the shorter one to still get it sharp. Might not be perfect for the boys here but they still are nice and sharp! At the next sharpening session it's going to be back in line again.

That is the good thing with this elcheapo, chances are high you won't do to many stupid things with it. You won't be the fastest by far, you won't be able to talk cool about other angle setups a lot, but actually who cares if you are not a racer?! I would guess that 90% of all chains are ground 60/30° anyway.

Good luck!

7

 

[BDM53ENT]

Was looking at the Outdoor Concepts for $189 that is similar to the Oregon 511. Grabbed one of the HFs to get some chains done until I get a better set up. It worked rather well IMO. Im just a weekend warrior so it may last longer than I expect, we will see how it goes.

 

[fearofpavement]

A HF grinder is the only one I have and my opinion is that if you know how to hand file, it is a very useful tool for the money. Certainly not top of the line but it will sharpen a chain. I'm satisfied with mine and it has met my rather low expectations.

 

[wise wood]

I have a H F grinder bought bout 4 yr ago. If you don't hurry to much it does
a decent job, but had to change the wheel on mine cause it didn't cut worth
a darn. Its not as good as a file cause it don't fit in my pocket to good.
Wise Wood