Chain Sharpening as a business?

[gdh]

It's an interesting idea and with 10 chains running on a firewood processor plus saws I would be tempted to get someone to sharpen them but I think the honest problem is you wouldn't be cheap enough.

 

An 84 link (24inch) chain takes me 10 minutes to hand sharpen back to new condition (well, close 😉) and only costs £11 new. By the time I'd taken them off and packaged them to send I couldn't justify more than £2-3 for a perfectly sharpened chain. I'm not a fan of the edge the machines leave either 

 

The only market I can see is people who can't sharpen or users with damaged chains if you want to go down that route.

[doobin]

45 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

As said few pros will want to pay for sharpening but there are a lot of saws used by non pros tree workers who may well be happy to pay. Farmers and hobby users would be your market IMO

 

If you do give it a go a grinder with a hydraulic clamp would be a must IMO.

 

I recently bought one that requires clamping for each tooth and this makes it ridiculously slow. Fortunately its not what I got the grinder for as I got it for sharpening bandsaw blades and on that note this might be an option for you.

 

I was quoted £12 per blade and I can do them myself in about 7 mins! Seems lots of people send away  for bandsaw blade sharpening if threads on here are anything to go by. Not easy items to post mind you 

Which model grinder please? The CBN wheel will be too wide for my Oregon 😞

[doobin]

1 hour ago, josharb87 said:

No chance, and certainly not by a machine as crude as that - got one simmilar, it’s ok for “resetting” a knackered big chain but no way near as good as hand sharpened, plus then there’s the depth gauges……

 

invest more or don’t bother IMO 

You’re doing it wrong then. CBN is must, and that’s an extra cost, but the machine itself is very very accurate and has sufficient adjustment to get every bit as much ‘hook’ as you would with a file if you wanted. 
 

It’s certainly not ‘crude’

Edited April 13, 2022 by doobin

[Stubby]

3 minutes ago, doobin said:

You’re doing it wrong then. CBN is must, and that’s an extra cost, but the machine itself is very very accurate and has sufficient adjustment to get every bit as much ‘hook’ as you would with a file if you wanted. 

I get what you are saying doobs but files are sooo  much cheaper . The more you do with a file the quicker and more efficient you become .

[doobin]

13 minutes ago, Stubby said:

I get what you are saying doobs but files are sooo  much cheaper . The more you do with a file the quicker and more efficient you become .

I have way better things to do than file a chain, although I can hand file with the best of them. A file is only any good when it is fresh, and they really aren’t that cheap these days. Grinder and CBN cost was maybe £500, it’ll last years. £500 is small beers these days in Arb anyhow. 

[Woodworks]

38 minutes ago, doobin said:

Which model grinder please? The CBN wheel will be too wide for my Oregon 😞

I have this one. Had to file a fraction off the inside of the housing and I dont use the cover. It's made in China when I though it was Italian. I have seen an identical looking one for Chinese money which I wish I had got. Could you not put a small collet over the shaft to give you room for the CBN wheel? 

Tecomec - JOLLYEvo

WWW.TECOMEC.COM

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Tecomec S.r.l. rappresenta una delle realtà più affermate e specializzate, a livello mondiale, nel settore della...

 

I think this is the one Hudson use for their one which I put a video up for in the other thread 

Amazon.co.uk

WWW.AMAZON.CO.UK

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by Woodworks

[doobin]

6 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

I have this one. Had to file a fraction off the inside of the housing and I dont use the cover. It's made in China when I though it was Italian. I have seen an identical looking one for Chinese money which I wish I had got. Could you not put a small collet over the shaft to give you room for the CBN wheel? 

Tecomec - JOLLYEvo

WWW.TECOMEC.COM

---

Tecomec S.r.l. rappresenta una delle realtà più affermate e specializzate, a livello mondiale, nel settore della...

 

I think this is the one Hudson use for their one which I put a video up for in the other thread 

Amazon.co.uk

WWW.AMAZON.CO.UK

 

Thanks. The guard on the Oregon is a continuous shroud, and the motor bolts to it. It’s simply not possible to mod it. 
 

could you post a link to the Chinese one? Or where to buy the ‘Italian’ one in the uk?

Edited April 13, 2022 by doobin

[drinksloe]

I see the lad doing harvester chains is charging £3.90 a chain to check and sharpen, and most of them will be 60-70cm bars, but that is with 3 automatic sharpeners going and he has vans covering the whole of scotland and N eng.

 

Not a lot of money in it at that, but if ur doing them quick enough.

 

But the difference with harvesters or firewood processors is u already take the chain of to sharpen it anyway to save on downtime throu day, so not as big an issue having heaps of spare chains

[trigger_andy]

Thanks. The guard on the Oregon is a continuous shroud, and the motor bolts to it. It’s simply not possible to mod it. 
 
could you post a link to the Chinese one? Or where to buy the ‘Italian’ one in the uk?

I’m sure the Oregon sharpeners are just re-branded Italian Tecomec’s. Mine certainly is.

[doobin]

14 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

 

I’m sure the Oregon sharpeners are just re-branded Italian Tecomec’s. Mine certainly is.

 

Looking at the photos I think you’re right!