Timberline Chainsaw Sharpener with 7/32" Carbide Cutter (for 3/8″ and .404″ pitch chain)

My search is finally over. I have been cutting firewood to heat my house for 30 years, and have run the gamut of tools to sharpen my chains. I have bought files, electric sharpeners, all kinds of different guides, have used the bench mounted grinders, Dremel tools, watched videos and got instruction from professional tree guys. Nothing would get my chains to the brand new cutting shape that I wanted. Basically just gave up about 10 years ago and was taking my chains to a shop about 20 miles away when they needed sharpening. Not too bad when they charged $4 per chain, but now they are up to $8, plus the gas and time to drive them there, and the results seem to depend on who is running the machine that day. This Timberline tool is unbelievable. I read many review on this before buying, and noticed a lot of old timers claiming that they could do just as well with a file and their eyeballs, to which I say "baloney". The length of the teeth after filing is important, and you just cannot measure this with your eyeballs. The angle is critical too, and hand filing simply is not reproducible enough to maintain a perfect angle every time. The left and right teeth need to be the same, or your saw will not cut straight, clean cuts. The first day I got this tool I took two very dull and beat up chains on two different saws just to practice with it (a Stihl with 18" bar and a Husky with 20" bar) and sharpened them with the Timberline. It is EXTREMELY easy to use, and I immediately realized that I was correcting flaws in chains that were messed up by the grinder guys taking off too much here, not enough there, changing the angle of the teeth, etc. Well, the proof is in the pudding, so I took these saws out back and started on a "leaner" hickory about 14" diameter and a standing maple about 16" diameter. The saws, believe it or not, cut better than they do with brand new chains on them (I think because I did file down the rakers after sharpening the teeth, so the chains are actually a bit more aggressive than a new chain). They literally cut through the hardwood like butter. You can say that $129 is expensive, but if you consider that you are saving your chains from over-sharpening and from destroying their tooth angles and that you are maintaining tooth length consistently, it is a bargain. Plus, the thing is so small that I can throw it on my ATV and have it with me in the woods, and don't need to take the chain off the saw to sharpen. I wish I bought one of these years ago, but I don't think they were available until the past few years. Fantastic product. The only thing I cannot comment on is the useful life of the carbide cutter, but it seems to be hardened steel that does not suffer any from taking metal off the relatively soft chain steel. I am hoping that I will never need to buy a replacement (about $20), but only time will tell.

Ive been around chainsaws my whole life, but i can truly say that if you take your time getting to kmow this tool you will impress yourself and the people around you. Im ecstatic about the function of this sharpener. My advice is this 1. Watch some how-tos on youtube, this answered alot of questions before i even got started. 2. Be patient, this isnt like just using a file. It is very precise and requires some tuning to dial it in. But once you do, you can make short work of your sharpening job. To sum it up, buy this sharpener. You wont regret it if you follow the instructions. I wont use anything else from now on.

As I am writing this, I see that the item is currently unavailable but since I bought one and have used it, I decided to do a review anyway. I was tired of buying new chains or paying someone else to sharpen them. I had 4 chains that were dull and unusable. I read the instruction manual several times and was confused so I turned to trusty old YouTube for more instruction. Having figured out the basics, I got the saw out and set the jig up on the bar. I was pretty clumsy for the first chain and I had to continually adjust the jig so that the cutter was cutting the chain correctly. It took too much time and I lost track of where I started. I then started on the second chain. This time I marked it with a sharpie where I started. After about 1/4 of this chain I decided maybe I should sharpen one side of the chain and then the other. It meant having to rotate the chain around the bar twice but it solved the constant readjusting problem. The third chain took less time putting into practice the previous learning as I learned that tightening the center knob on the jig would prevent play in the chain. On the forth, the time was cut dramatically from even the third. I had a cutting job to do for a friend so I got to try out my newly sharpened chain on a real tree. I was so unsure of how it would go that I purchased a new chain, just in case. Well I'll say this. My saw cut like the wood was butter. I'm going to return that new chain. A word to the wise...know what size cutter you need before ordering. I ended up having to order the correct one from Timberline at about $23. Sharpen one side at a time and tighten the center knob lightly on the chain to prevent play. And don't forget to mark your starting point clearly. I have confidence that I can sharpen my own chains from now on thanks to the Timberline jig. I highly recommend.

This thing is amazing. Well worth the money just for the convenience of not having to drive to get chains sharpened. Not to mention you barely take any of the tooth off to get it cutting like new so I will go through less chains. It will pay for itself in time. After my first try, the saw was throwing huge chips. Make sure when you order it, order it w/ the correct carbide for your chain. Most large saws are 7/32, but if you have a Stihl you probably need a 13/64" so I had to spend another $21 to get the correct carbide.

I thought I'd been sharpening chain saw blades long enough that I was pretty good at it but after using this thing there was absolutely no comparison. Not only is the blade very sharp but the angle of each blade is identical and makes it cut so much better. This one takes a little time initially but once I got the hang of it I sharpened five chains in about twenty minutes. And like I said, there is no comparison to the difference in the quality of the cut.

After reading most all the reviews both here and on Google I purchased this product hoping to save my self some time. BIG MISTAKE!!!! Buyer beware...... I do not know what size chain the folks reviewing this were sharpening, but it does not work on a 28” 3/8 Husqvarna chain. There is no common setting for all teeth on the chain, at least not a new one. The “bit” fractured in multiple places on the very first attempt at sharpening even after reading all instructions. Proceeded to watch a YouTube video and still the same results. Definitely not worth the price, nor the chance on something that from the start seemed too good to be true and was.