"Made It Myself" Chainsaw Sharpener

"Made It Myself" Chainsaw Sharpener WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Chain Saws 33-1-19 Sharpening chainsaws is an easy job for Ken Voigt, who used an electric motor and a right angle grinder to make his own sharpener. "I built it because I don't like fighting with a file while the chain is still on the bar. If the chain is too loose it'll tip sideways on the bar. But if you tighten the chain so it's solid on the bar, you can't turn it. My chainsaw sharpener keeps the chain nice and tight so it won't move." He started with a new chainsaw bar which he bolted to a wooden frame. He puts the chain to be sharpened on the bar and uses a knob at one end - connected to a pulley with a slot cut into it - to advance the chain. An electric motor that's bolted to the frame is used to shaft-drive the angle grinder, which trims the rakers between the chain's teeth. Another knob, located below the motor and connected to a fine-threaded bolt, is used to raise or lower the grinder in order to adjust the depth of the cut. "I made the slot in the pulley .050-in. wide because that's the size of the drive links on the chains that I use. It's important to position the grinder at a right angle to the chain so you can grind the rakers evenly at the top." He uses a Dremel tool equipped with a 5/32-in. dia. stone to sharpen the chain's teeth. A vise grip with two hooks welded onto it, one hook per jaw, is used to keep the chain tight. One hook connects to a strong spring hooked to the pulley knob, and the other to an I-bolt on the table. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ken Voigt, 9208 Pasture Lane, Wausau, Wis. 54403 (ph 715 842-8471; KV57@aol.com).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.