Chainsaw grinder questions, tips, tricks, and pics!!!!

[Khntr85]

Well as some of you may know I just got a Oregons 520 grinder.... I think I will be very happy with it, seems like a tough machine....

Anyway, I know there are grinder threads discussing many difderent topics.....I figured we could just have one thread were people that are new to grinding (like me), can ask questions and post pics so you guys that have been grinding for years can jump in and help if you would like....

Maybe you have been grinding for years and just happened to find a trick or a perfect angle for a certain chain and you want to share it with everyone else!!!!

I for one would like to thank all of you guys that have helped me personally and helped others....it sure does give a guy a great head start when he gets good help!!!!

 

[Khntr85]

I will start by posting pics of my first "decent cutting" ground chain....the chain in the back a brand new out of the box RM 3/8 chain...the chain in the front is the chain I ground....

The angles I used were 30 top plate, and 55 side plate and "0" tilt.....

I found it very odd that the angles that stihl "recommends" is 30 top plate and 75 side plate....I put the brand new RM chain up to the grinding wheel and it looked like to me that 55 degree side plate was a lot closer to the factory chain than 75.... any thoughts on this... do different brand grinders use different angle settings????

 

[Brush Ape]

When you're grinding Oregon chain on that 520, set the proper, "down angle". On the Oregon chains that require it, it gives the bits a 10 degree pitch into the wood. The down angle is what makes Oregon chain self-feed the best. It's what you're calling tilt. Also check a tooth once in awhile to make sure your wheel is formed right. And remember the wheel will degrade and need set gradually deeper to maintain the consistent depth of cut into each incisor.

I wouldn't bother with doing depth gauges on that thing. Just do them with a file one side at a time from the opposite side, (across the chain) afterward.

 

[Khntr85]

When you're grinding Oregon chain on that 520, set the proper, "down angle". On the Oregon chains that require it, it gives the bits a 10 degree pitch into the wood. The down angle is what makes Oregon chain self-feed the best. It's what you're calling tilt. Also check a tooth once in awhile to make sure your wheel is formed right. and remember the wheel will degrade and need set gradually deeper to maintain the consistent depth of cut into each incisor.

I wouldn't bother with doing depth gauges on that thing. Just do them with a file all at once afterward.

Yes sir, I had a feeling it may just better to hand file the rakers....

I will remember that about the 10-down angle on Oregon chain.... I actually am stocked up on stihl chain now, but plan on getting some Oregon next time I order some!!!!

Do you think that I should use the 75 degree angle on the side plate as stihl states in the instructions....or are those numbers just for people who use the stihl grinders???

Thanks a lot for your reply brush ape!!!!!

 

[Brush Ape]

Do you think that I should use the 75 degree angle on the side plate as stihl states....

Yep Boss. That's what it is on semi-chisel. 60 degrees is for Rapid Super. You can modify it though and experiment, but you'll have more effect modifying the top plate angle. With a very blunt top plate angle, (5-10 degrees) on that Rapid Micro, you can make ripping chain.

 

[Khntr85]

Yep Boss. That's what it is on semi-chisel. 60 degrees is for Rapid Super. You can modify it though and experiment, but you'll have more effect modifying the top plate angle. With a very blunt top plate angle, (5-10 degrees) on that Rapid Micro, you can make ripping chain.

Hey thanks for that tip.....let me ask you this, have you ever taken a regular RM chain and converted it into a ripping chain.....if so did it "waste" a whole lot of the cutter....

 

[Khntr85]

well here is my 3rd chain.... 3/8 RS.... please let me know what you think!!

 

[Brush Ape]

Sweet. I sure have converted RM to milling. It does waste some tooth, but I used old chain as I was experimenting in the first place.

 

[Canadian farm boy]

well here is my 3rd chain.... 3/8 RS.... please let me know what you think!!View attachment 41304

That looks pretty good. What angles did you use?

 

[huskihl]

I've never played with the vise tilt on mine. Keith and Mike, when you do RH cutters, which way are you tilting the vise, towards you or away?

I could never see the vise tilt making a difference. A file is round. When you drop your file handle 10°, you're effectively giving the near side of the tooth a sharper, but more fragile, angle.

But a wheel spins on a plane. In my mind it's just different. Thoughts?

 

[Brush Ape]

Visualize a couple things my brotha orangatang. It's hard to describe it the vise tilt, but you got the right idea; one, do what would happen if you dropped your elbow going into the tooth, The second is just picture a screw going thru the wood; that's the effect the Oregon down angle has pitching the thread/tooth into the wood. Isn't the mechanical advantage of the screw considered to be the aspect of the inclined plane? It is very effective and you will begin to notice its subtle absence if you neglect that down angle. Guys, one properly mastered technique will surpass three shots in the dark. Sometimes I tend to do what the engineers recommend, if they go far enough to prescribe it to a chart. The rest is voodoo haha.

 

[junkman]

Zero on the tilt will slow the chain down milling for a nicer finish in my trial and error .10 works better ,on my usg 20 is a good tilt angle for wicked sharpness.for regular cutting

 

[Khntr85]

That looks pretty good. What angles did you use?

Thank you sir..... the angles I used were 30 top plate and 60 grinder head swivel and 0 tilt.... I wanted to see how it looked/cuts going by "stihls" numbers...... I had to go over both sides atleast 3-times taking tiny bits off each pass....I don't have any Oregon chain so I don't know when I will start playing with the "tilt" yet....here is another pic same chain....

 

[Khntr85]

Sweet. I sure have converted RM to milling. It does waste some tooth, but I used old chain as I was experimenting in the first place.

I think I will do this on a RM safety chain.... thanks again for the help brushape!!!

 

[Khntr85]

That looks pretty good. What angles did you use?

Do you have a grinder to, if so what kind ya got????

 

[Canadian farm boy]

Do you have a grinder to, if so what kind ya got????

I've got 2 grinders. I've got an Oregon knock off and a timber tuff. My Oregon knock off is almost worn out. I've got it set up for doing rakers. It wears a 1/4" pink wheel that I have profiled to be slightly concave. I keep the head tilt at 10*
My timber tuff grinder I use for the cutters. I use CBN wheels on it and really like to finished cutters they produce.

 

[Khntr85]

That's a nice set-up.... ya eventually I may get a CBN wheel... has you used you CBN a lot yet.... I know they say they last a long time!!!!

 

[Khntr85]

Oh and guys I just realized something....I sharpened that RS chain at 30 top plate and I just seen a chart and it said 25 top plate....

Can you guys tell me if the RS is a 30 top plate or 25... thanks a lot!!

 

[Canadian farm boy]

That's a nice set-up.... ya eventually I may get a CBN wheel... has you used you CBN a lot yet.... I know they say they last a long time!!!!

I have used the same 2 CBN wheels for over a year now. (1/8" and 3/16") Other then cleaning the wheels periodically they require zero maintenance. I've sharpened hundreds and hundreds of chains with then and they still work like they did when they were new

 

[Canadian farm boy]

Oregon