Oregon 520-120 Chainsaw Sharpener

DJ in NH

New User
Hi guys,

Wondering if anyone has any first hand experience sharpening chains with an Oregon 520-120 ? I know the topic of sharpening chains has
been beaten to death six ways from Sunday and feel a little hesitant even asking the question. What I do know is that I am not very
proficient at hand filing chains and would like to purchase the Oregon unit if it does a good job. I have read a lot of reviews on this Oregon
model on other sites and it seems most people like the unit once they get it figured out. I guess the directions are a little weak.

Also one other question. I have tried a couple local chainsaw shops to get my chains sharpened. What usually comes back is a chain that
has blue cutters on the leading edge and a lot of burrs. Has anyone else experienced this ? Thanks in advance for your time and input.
 
It's all in the user.

'Way back in the 1970s I was a McCulloch chain saw dealer for a while. I had a Nielson sharpener about like the Oregon unit and HF's sharpener. I paid about $70 for it at the time, and still have it. Still use it when needed.

That being said, I made good money back then just sharpening chains for a dollar per. And I was always careful not to overheat the chain or take more material off then was absolutely necessary. Even though I also sold new chains, I thought it was more important to please the customers than to wreck someone's chain and try to sell them a new one.

Like you said, the subject of sharpening chains has been beaten to death on this forum, but as far as I'm concerned this is the only way to go. For one thing, it's consistent and keeps all of the chippers the same. Which leads to the chains cutting straight. Which leads to a happy customer who will come back.
 
I have 4 chainsaws and one Stihl pole saw. Probably about 12 chains. Been switching over to Stihl yellow label chains. Very happy with their performance. Just use the saws around my house and a 2 acre apple orchard that hasnt been maintained for about 10 years..
 
I know nobody wants to hear this, but get a pack of new files, clamp the saw in your vice, and practice, practice, practice. Keep the chain snug on the bar. Find chains that have the angle indicator in the top of the tooth. You'll be happy when it cuts really well, and you didn't have to mess with a bunch of gobbly-gook. steve
 
wondering cause if you cant use a hand file which is the easiest , wondering how u can use that complicated machine. i just use a 12 volt operated one with a stone in it and it does a good job. just need a steady hand to keep you 30 degree angle. and with a hand file u only push the file you dont rub it back and forth as i have seen done. i would have to be filing a lot of chains before i would spend that kind of money on a sharper.
 
Stay away from thos shops that burn the chain. They dont know what there doing. They are worse when you take them home than they were when you took them to them. If you watch Buckin Billy Ray's videos on how to sharpen a chain, he makes a lot of sense. There are so many videos he made on sharpening. Here is just one. If they help you, watch more of them. You will have to search a little for more. He is good.
sharpen here
 
I have a similar Northern Tool version (Chinese copy, I am sure.) That I use for grinding the 'drags' on chains and it works well. I have one of the Oregon brand with automatic clamp that I use to grind the teeth.

Go slow: several quick hits are much better and don't heat the chain like one long grind.

Since you would have your own grinder, don't just totally dull the chain before you sharpen it. It is when the chain needs a lot of metal removed that you are most likely to overheat the chain.

The Oregon boxes tell what angles to set the grinder at when sharpening them. I bet other make chains have the data on their boxes as well.

Lots of people think they can file a chain. In the last two weeks I have had to use my grinder to fix three chains that were filed wrong. All three had lost their gullets-They got shallower and shallower the farther back they were filed- by using the wrong file, I guess.
 
Sthil makes a deal to put on your file that has a guide mark for the angle on it and sets on the chain when you file so it keeps you at the correct angle and depth was about 10 dollars a few years ago. I've done it both ways just the file and with the guide. I find the guide helps keep me at the right angle better. Been filing chains for over 40 years now .
 
I own one of these machines. The big problem with them compared to high-end grinders is the motor is not reversible. Consequently they don't cut the left- and right-hand teeth the same, and will leave a huge wire edge on one side. I find that after I sharpen a chain with my Oregon grinder I still need to hand-sharpen the teeth with a file to get good results.
 
You can't sharpen a chain with a dull file. If you file is not taking off metal when you make your stroke you need a new file or you need to rotate your file. Get a file guide that clamps on to the file, helps with depth and angle. Most of all get some new files. It takes some practice to be a professional baseball, football, basketball player also to be a proficient chainsaw sharpener. You can do it with a file by hand, I'm sure you can. gobble
 
I just bought an Oregon electric chainsaw sharpener. It's 12 volt and works great. It's so much better that sharpening by hand. It has the angle gauge so you maintain the correct profile of the chain. I hated trying to sharpen the chain with a file. I even bought a Stihl hand sharpener and It was a bit better. I also bought the replacement bits. A friend of mine had one he let me use, and that sold me. They are not that expensive. I don't know if it's the same one you are looking at, because I could not find a number with my bad eyes.
 

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