Ozito Electric Chainsaw Sharpener
This is one of those power tools that I have been thinking about buying for a few years now, but I never got around to it until now. It just seemed easier to pay $10 – $15 each time and just have someone else sharpen my chainsaw chains for me.
However, the problem I found with having someone do your chainsaw sharpening (professionally?) for you was that very little care seemed to be taken when it came to grinding off only the minimal amount required to sharpen each individual tooth.
After only a couple of “professional chainsaw sharpens”, the teeth on my chains were already quite short, meaning that it wouldn’t be long before the chain needed replacing.
How to Sharpen a Chainsaw
Setting the Sharpener
- Adjust the angle of the grinding wheel
- Adjust the chain-tooth stop
- Adjust the depth of the grinding cut
The beauty of sharpening your own chainsaw is that you have total control over how much you grind off each tooth in order to get it nice and sharp. You don’t need to set the sharpener and then just do each tooth at that setting. It’s easy to do minor adjustments as you go to keep as much metal as possible on each tooth.
Adjusting the Angle and Depth of the grinder are 2 very simple things to do. Both you just loosed the adjustment knobs and set each as you require.
The trick is in setting and adjusting the chain-tooth stop as you go along. Don’t be afraid to take your time and keep adjusting if it looks like the grinder is about to take too much off. You only need to just touch the surface to remove the dull edge off the tooth to get it sharp. Don’t be tempted to take a lot off thinking that it will make the tooth sharper.
By showing a bit of patience, your chain will last you quite a long time.
Why did I choose the Ozito Electric Chainsaw Sharpener
There are a few reasons for my decision to buy an Ozito Power Tool from Bunnings Hardware. The 2 biggest reasons being it’s affordability and it’s warranty.
As I mentioned in my previous Ozito Power Tool review, at around $50, the price was perfect for a tool that would be very handy to have around, but I wouldn’t use all that much.
The Ozito 3 Year Replacement Warranty
Also, the other main factor was the warranty that comes with Ozito products. A 3 Year Replacement Warranty. As long as you keep the receipt, the product is covered for the full 36 months. As long as you only use it for DIY, and not professional use. The actual wording on the warranty is:
Your product is guaranteed for a period of 36 months from the original date of purchase and is intended for DIY (Do It Yourself) use only.
Also:
The following actions will result in the warranty being void.
– Professional, industrial or high frequency use.
So as it’s going to be sitting around most of the time, I’m happy to know that this power tool is fully covered for a 3 full years.
What comes in the Ozito Box
The Electric Chainsaw Sharpener box comes with just the basics.
- The Electric Sharpener, with the Sharpening Disc already assembled.
- Table & Lock Knob
- Instruction Manual
And that’s all you need to get started sharpening your own chainsaw!
Bench Mountable – My Set-up
The product is described as bench mountable, but that doesn’t mean that it comes with any sort of clamping system so you can set it on your bench temporarily, and then pack it up when you’re finished. No, all it means is that the base has 2 holes near the back so you can bolt it to a bench to hold it stable while sharpening your chain.
Now I don’t have that much available bench space to allow for a tool that I will only use use a few times a year, so I wasn’t going to bolt it anywhere permanently.
What I ended up doing was bolting the Sharpener to a block of timber, which then allows me to clamp the complete unit to my bench as I need it. And also makes it really easy to pack away when I’m finished sharpening my chainsaw.
Final Verdict
I’ve used my Electric Chainsaw Sharpener twice now, and I must admit that once set-up it was pretty easy to go through and grind each chain tooth and get it nice and sharp, in both directions.
If you are regularly paying a professional to sharpen your chainsaw, I would very highly recommend getting your self one of these power tools.
For the price of 3 – 5 professional sharpens, you can set up your own system that should last for years.
Not only will you be able to sharpen your own chainsaw, but your chains will last last you a whole lot longer this way.
Product Specifications / Features
- Model #: OZCCS85WA
- Power: 85 Watt
- Material: Aluminium / Plastic
- 0 – 35 Degree Angle Adjustment
- Bench Mountable
- 100 Grit Sharpening Wheel
- Disc Size: 108 x 3.2mm
- Disc Arbour: 23mm
- Weight: 2.4KG
- 3 Year Replacement Warranty
The original chain has a curve at the base of the teeth and the manual tooth sharpening file is round. Will the grinding disc result in a ‘square cut’ at the base of the tooth which may weaken it or is the grinding disc edge sufficiently rounded to maintain the curve at the base of the tooth?.
No need to go that deep, that part never touched the wood being cut .
I notice in an Oregon instruction video that their sharpener comes with a disc to grind the depth gauge. Can I get that for the Ozito?
Hi Steve,
Thank you very much indeed for this review. I am definitely keen to get one now.
For my last chainsaw, I had a manual file kit, and it took forever to file each tooth. Then they seemed to stay sharp for minutes only and were blunt almost immediately. I’d burn the wood rather than cut it. I’m sure i wasn’t doing it very well.
Thanks again.
Dave
The instruction sheet is too long, and yet still imprecise.
The guide clamp lever, on my sharpener was extremely loose. I had to use a screw driver, to firstly see how it worked, and then to adjust properly.
If a person is like me, then it a requirement that everything is ready to set up exactly!
I could find no youtube instructions which were specifically for this model.
And, finally, the diagram which has all components listed, needs to explain what each component does, e.g. chain (tooth) stop, means what? It took me several minutes to understand it. Chain stop adjusting knob lock nut, now try and explain that to someone in plain English. This item needed to be explained fully, by way of what it does, as well as a shorter clearer title description. How this helps. I have two saws to sharpen, so I hope this device works.
Should i be able to grind both right hand and lefthand cutters on the same setting. I am having trouble with this and saw cuts around corners. Thank you.