Chainsaw Repair
Chain - Grinders - Filing - Wood Milling - Tools - Welding - Machinist - Mowers - Tillers => Chain - Bars - Grinders - Filing => Topic started by: brokenbudget on April 08, 2014, 06:17:05 pm
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anybody have one? not interested in buying one, just curious.
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-power-tool/markham-york-region/timberline-chainsaw-sharpener/581661019?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
http://www.timberlinesharpener.com/
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I never read anything bad about it.
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Some guys really like it. Never tried one myself but would be curious.
A lot of guys were impressed with the sharpness and consistency of their cutters using this. A few noted that the sharpening angles are fixed and cannot be adjusted, like you can with filing or grinding.
Philbert
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Some guys really like it. Never tried one myself but would be curious.
A lot of guys were impressed with the sharpness and consistency of their cutters using this. A few noted that the sharpening angles are fixed and cannot be adjusted, like you can with filing or grinding.
Philbert
But what comes along with the fixed angles is consistency. Consistency is the problem with hand filing. Even with the typical Oregon and Stihl file plate that attaches to the file.
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There are accessory angle guides for it 30° standard 25 & 35° accessory. See here:
http://www.timberlinesharpener.com/shop/accessory-angle-guides
Still fixed angle for consistency like 660 said.
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But what comes along with the fixed angles is consistency. Consistency is the problem with hand filing.
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I'm not arguing against consistency - I mentioned it in my post, and constantly champion it in my sharpening recommendations! I want all the cutters on a loop to be the same length and at (all) the same angles.
But it is a factor that should be considered among others. A Granberg type filing jig, and a good grinder, are other ways to get consistency, along with flexibility for different cutting conditions or user preferences. These aren't important to some guys, but very important to others.
I have heard good things about it and would love to try one sometime, just out of curiosity.
Philbert
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At $125 plus $12 for the accessory guides plus ship, that is some expensive curiosity! Add in a spare cutter for $20 (because that little bugger looks easy to loose) and you are halfway to a good grinder.
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I think that guys need to find something that works for them. I don't care if it is free-hand filing, or some type of guide, or a grinder, or a Dremel tool, or paying someone to sharpen for them, or buying new chains and selling the dull ones on Craig's List, or using PowerSharp chain, etc. I am not offended if people do theirs differently than I do.
So if a guy is willing to pay that and it works for him - great. It is more than a Granberg jig and less than a 511ax. Doesn't make a lot of noise or dust, and and doesn't require a power outlet.
I am satisfied with what I can do with files, some guides, and my grinder, so for me, there is no incentive to spend money buying one. But if someone brought one to a GTG, or if I knew somebody nearby that hand one, I would want to try it out.
If it works for a guy who never got filing down, or who just likes this method, $130 could be a reasonable expense to get sharp, consistent chains. Because I do a variety of chains, I would want the basic unit; plus additional cutters so that I could do 3/8 low profile, .325, and 3/8 chain; plus the angle adaptors = $180 +. That still might be a reasonable price for the right person - but a lot just to check it out.
Philbert
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$130 is getting up into the territory of buying a conventional Northern Tool type grinder. They often have a sale that reduces the price considerably. The NT grinder has much more usefulness than the Timberline. Farther more, the NT grinder will do all the common angles you desire without buying additional options.
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The Timberline product looks to me to be designed for the nich in the market for field sharpening for perhaps those that are 'file challenged'. I mean look at it this way it will probably do a lot better job than a bad file job.
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I have a timberline but yet to use it
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I was thinking about dropping the hammer on one of these. Ive got 2 of the Oregon hand file guides, and one of them "timber tuff" 110v grinders. Im worthless free hand, I need somewhat of a guide, and this timberline tool looks like it will run literal circles around my hand file skills, and I dont give a fiddlers fart what it costs, when I amortize it over my cut time and chain changing time, etc.
I need/want something for in the field, other than my files. The two Oregon file guides absolutely suck, and that's being polite. Im not going to buy a granburg, simply because it appears to be nothing more than another version of what I have now that I hate.
I bought the electric grinder maybe a year ago, and although Ive removed it from the box, its never been used. Its occurred to me, that it will hog out allot steel each sharpening, as well heat up the leading edge of the chisel and straighten out the gullet, and its probably not the way to go. Or at least, I dont see how you use the electric grinder and then go to filing it in the field. Almost all my cutting I do, is not at the farm, but on someone elses.
My question is this, most my saws are running 72LPX oregon chain, IIRC, that is 25 degrees and 10 degrees. If I understand this timberline sharpener, I need to buy the 25 degree bushing, but then what happens to the 10 degrees ? Is is set at zero and if it is, what is going to be the end result effect to the chain cutting it zero ? Im of the impression, it will screw it up ? Im hoping someone knows. I know I can email timberline, but I find most sales people cant find their ass with both hands, so Id rather ask the group that does it, than sells it, Im sure most can identify with this.
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Each type of file guide or sharpener has its advantages and disadvantages. If you understand these, they all work. Matter of preference.
The basic, Oregon, flat file guide only hold the correct sized file at the proper depth. It is up to the user to maintain the desired top plate angle. They are sized for specific files, and should not be used with a 'down angle'.
The Granberg style file guides allow the user to dial in top plate angle, file height, and down angle. They work with any size file and chain, but take a little time to get used to.
The Husqvarna roller guides work with many, but not all chains. They are chain specific, and set the file height and down angle. The user must maintain the top plate angle.
The Pferd combination guides set the file depth and depth gauge ('raker'). The user still has to control the top plate angle and down angle. Need one for each file size. I'm told these do not work on skip tooth chains.
Better grinders allow the user to set all three angles at whatever they want. Cheaper grinders fix some of these (e.g. only grind 30°/60°/0°). Better grinders also allow the use of different thickness wheels for different pitch chains. When you profile the right wheel to a round edge, and take it down only as far as a file, you can go back and forth between the two.
The Timberline fixes each of the angles, so cutters are consistent, but you have little choice if you want to change or customize your cutters.
Philbert
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I posted my question on Sunday, without any answer to my question, I emailed timberline. Within about an hour, I had a response, to my 10 degree question vs zero degrees on the 72LPX chain.
Anyhow, after I got my response, I went to their website, and ordered one up (around 2pm CST). I got it today, so it took 4 days from "zero" in Idaho, to my door in Illinois. Customer service appears to be in their vocabulary, even if its a one horse company, which anymore I cant say about many "big boys" even Amazon Prime has been dropping the ball on me back to back.
I promptly sharpened my first chain, may have taken 10 minutes, I dont know. The tool is not perfect, but runs circles around how I have been doing it at the speed of light.
Having a machine back ground, and being a mechanic first and foremost, my whole life, intuitively, this thing looked like a winner. Now that I have used it and cut with it, WOW. I could not believe the difference in a cut, between the timberline sharpen, and my hand file jobs. My saw just ripped through the logs, motor didnt even slow down. Keep in mind, Im not a house wife, but a mechanic/fabricator, that is to say, I understand how things work, I know what the file is supposed to do, I know what the edge is supposed to look like, and so on. Im not clueless, I may not be a logger, but I have a good handle on the fundamentals here.
Having said all that, I was not compensated in anyway for my impromptu review, just thought I would share. If you think or know you suck with a file, and the either Oregon file guide or granburg file guide is a joke, its because it is, and this tool, clearly illustrates that.
If I lose it, break, wear it out annually, I would not even care, Id buy another. If they go out of business, I will start making them !
So there you have it, even if you didnt want it. +1 on this thing. Its not perfect, I could re-design it to make it a little more user friendly, but its light years ahead of its completion (bar mounted hand sharpeners) or at least as far as I know whats out there. In no way am I comparing this to bench grinders, just the old file.
Hope this helps anyone on the fence with this thing.
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Are you going to share the answer on the 10 degree question with us?
Philbert
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Sure, the tool makes no accommodations for the 10 degrees down cut, what ends up happening is one the edge of the chisel has more metal than the other side after sharpening.
Now what this means in the real world, I will find out over time. But the way the saw cut today, I was floored (even compared to a new full chisel oregon chain), even if the chisel now has a funky cut on it, it still cuts like mad.
Saw cuts straight, chip flow was awesome, so that's all I can offer at this point.
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It has long been said that most people cannot tell (in the cut) if the chisel chain has a 10 degree grind or not?
I can assure you that if you take your chisel chain up to Joe Blow's discount chainsaw shop to get the chain sharpened that he is going to let little Sissie grind it 30-60 with no 10 degree even though her grinder is very capable. Sissie is not going to know what you mean by 10 degrees or 30-60 either for that matter?
I do my own chains with either a Oregon clamp-on file guide rack or Oregon 511A. I put the 10 degrees in and always have since I owned chisel chains.