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

[Canadian farm boy]

Stihl

 

[junkman]

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!!

If doing the 10 degree tilt ,the 25 will give you a stronger outer corner than 30 will .
I use weird angles i found messing around ,i go 40-20-20 ,turns out real sharp ,not sure how would hold up to oak or such though ,i cut softwoods .

 

[Khntr85]

StihlView attachment 41411

Thanks I don't know where I seen it say 25, hell who knows maybe itbwas the beer LOL

 

[Khntr85]

If doing the 10 degree tilt ,the 25 will give you a stronger outer corner than 30 will .
I use weird angles i found messing around ,i go 40-20-20 ,turns out real sharp ,not sure how would hold up to oak or such though ,i cut softwoods .

Hey thanks for the tip.... I would love to see/run that chain, I bet it's hungry as hell!!!

Yes sir, I only cut hardwood, softest would be walnut..... ya I can tell I am goin to love messing with this grinder already..... like you said I can see myself playing with different angles and what not.... obviously I will have to be cognizant of the fact I am cutting hardwood, so can't go to extreme, but can fiddle none the less....

What kind of grinder do you have.....also what wheels do you use, I only have pink ones now...

 

[Khntr85]

Oh and what kind of wheels are you guys using.... also where do you buy them....I know there are probably threads on this, but hell the price changes so much be nice to see where the deal is now.... I need to get and extra 3/16 and 1/8 so if I brake/drop one I ain't out of business....

 

[junkman]

Hey thanks for the tip.... I would love to see/run that chain, I bet it's hungry as hell!!!

Yes sir, I only cut hardwood, softest would be walnut..... ya I can tell I am goin to love messing with this grinder already..... like you said I can see myself playing with different angles and what not.... obviously I will have to be cognizant of the fact I am cutting hardwood, so can't go to extreme, but can fiddle none the less....

What kind of grinder do you have.....also what wheels do you use, I only have pink ones now...

I have a stihl usg grinder ,it has a grey colored wheel ,not sure if my angles will work good on an oregon grinder or not .

 

[Philbert]

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.

You are just making a more complex, compound angle. The engineers swear that it makes a significant difference in test fixtures, under controlled conditions. Whether the difference is noticeable/ significant to you, is a question only you can answer.

Again, if you plan to go back-and-forth between a grinder and a file guide, make sure that settings like this are compatible.

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....

Take a deep breath. The beauty of sharpening your own chains is that you can set them at whatever angles you want, and you can experiment.

Some guys will have loops sharpened at different angles for different species of wood, for green vs seasoned wood, for different times of the year (think 'frozen wood'), or even different saws (HP).

Sometimes different versions of these charts will specify different angles!!!

Focus now on getting each cutter sharp, and making every cutter on a loop the same (even if different than the cutters on other loops).

Oh and what kind of wheels are you guys using....

I buy the Molemab wheels when on sale at Bailey's.

Philbert

 

[Khntr85]

You are just making a more complex, compound angle. The engineers swear that it makes a significant difference in test fixtures, under controlled conditions. Whether the difference is noticeable/ significant to you, is a question only you can answer.

Again, if you plan to go back-and-forth between a grinder and a file guide, make sure that settings like this are compatible.


Take a deep breath. The beauty of sharpening your own chains is that you can set them at whatever angles you want, and you can experiment.

Some guys will have loops sharpened at different angles for different species of wood, for green vs seasoned wood, for different times of the year (think 'frozen wood'), or even different saws (HP).

Sometimes different versions of these charts will specify different angles!!!

Focus now on getting each cutter sharp, and making every cutter on a loop the same (even if different than the cutters on other loops).



I buy the Molemab wheels when on sale at Bailey's.

Philbert

Ooooo hhhhhhaaaaaa oooooohhhhaaaaaa lol, I feel better now philbert lol!!!

I will run that RS I ground at 30/60/0, and see how she acts.... as you stated I will/am just goin to go by "factory" setting now to get the basics down.... once I start getting comfortable with those and I start feeling squirrelly I may play with the angles some....

I will check out baileys her in a while.... do the Molemab wheel have the same grinding characteristics as the Oregon wheels....I like the oregons, if you do like most of you grinding guys tell me(just kiss the cutter), they seem to do pretty good.... I should say they are working for me as of now anyways...

 

[Philbert]

Slight variation in grit size between Molemab and Oregon branded wheels as I recall. Generally similar.

Philbert

 

[Chainsaw Addict]

I found it easier to mount grinder high enough that almost eye level. An additional light and magnifying reader glasses to get good look. I like same set up if hand filing.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

 

[Philbert]

I have mine set up to mount on a step ladder, so that it is portable, and so that I can work outside. It is also height adjustable.

Philbert

 

[Chainsaw Addict]

I keep my chains in ziploc bags and label with painter's tap and sharpie. Label pitch ga and dl using Stihl shorthand. Label new, good, 1/2, rock for stumps and Philbert. I shoot a little WD in each bag. I mark label dull after use.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

 

[Khntr85]

Well guys I know this is a separate grinder "part", but what about these CBN wheels....I mean they are salty, but if you can grind as many chains as everyone says you can it seems a guy would be money ahead to buy a CBN wheel right from the get go....the pink vetrified wheels are $15-$30 a pieces...

So to all you guys that have the CBN wheels please chime in...

Thanks a lot for any info guys!!!

 

[Khntr85]

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

I know this is a whole other subject in it's self, but do you clean your chains before you grind them.... I have read were some guys clean them before grinding with the CBM wheels and some don't....

 

[Canadian farm boy]

I know this is a whole other subject in it's self, but do you clean your chains before you grind them.... I have read were some guys clean them before grinding with the CBM wheels and some don't....

Personally I don't clean the chains before grinding.

 

[Khntr85]

Well sadly I haven't been able to use my grinder as much as I want to....was fixing some things around the house yesterday, and 2-tasks turned into 10 REAL fast(damn near had a meltdown lol)....

But after attacking the never ending house chore list, I did grind quite a few chains.... I had time to make a few test cuts with an RS chain and it did very well.....

I was talking to a local guy yesterday and I told him that I really like the edge you can get with a grinder, and I really can't find a problem with it.... yes their are better ones, but with just a little common sense and a plan of attack, you can get good chains from a grinder....

I included a pic of some ash chips from the RS chain...

 

[Khntr85]

Hey I just thought I would throw this out there.... ok so I ground some more RM chain at 30/60/0.... I personally do not like the way it looks.... to me the top plate face does not look right.... I did not have time to cut with it... it may surprise me and cut fine, but just didn't like the looks of it...I will obviously cut with the chain before I draw my final judgement....

To me when I grind the RS at 30/60/0 it looks right, and cuts damn good....


What angles are you guys grinding the RM chain at?????

 

[Philbert]

. . . I ground some more RM chain at 30/60/0.... I personally do not like the way it looks.... when I grind the RS at 30/60/0 it looks right, and cuts damn good....

First off, the chips in your photo a few posts above look pretty good (but don't let any of the hand filers know that)!

As far as RS (full-chisel) vs RM (semi-chisel) they will always look different, because semi-chisel does not have that pointy point leading edge that 'looks' sharp (whether filed or ground). Sharpen your semi-chisel chains and see if they cut damn good as well.

30° / 60° / 0° is the classic 'default' setting that most shops will use if you bring them a chain to sharpen. In recent years, Oregon has been recommending 30° / 55° / 10° for more of their chains. I don't like the extras steps of fussing with the 'down angle' setting, so I have been grinding most at 30° / 55° / 0° . It also makes a slightly deeper hook, which 'looks' sharper. But I do this on all chains.

Philbert

 

[Khntr85]

First off, the chips in your photo a few posts above look pretty good (but don't let any of the hand filers know that)!

As far as RS (full-chisel) vs RM (semi-chisel) they will always look different, because semi-chisel does not have that pointy point leading edge that 'looks' sharp (whether filed or ground). Sharpen your semi-chisel chains and see if they cut damn good as well.

30° / 60° / 0° is the classic 'default' setting that most shops will use if you bring them a chain to sharpen. In recent years, Oregon has been recommending 30° / 55° / 10° for more of their chains. I don't like the extras steps of fussing with the 'down angle' setting, so I have been grinding most at 30° / 55° / 0° . It also makes a slightly deeper hook, which 'looks' sharper. But I do this on all chains.

Philbert

Thank you philbert....I will be honest with ya philbert, I was shocked at how long the chips were and how well the chain self-fed and cut in general.....I am extremely happy with the grinder(as I know you can already tell lol)....

I should add that I do understand the full-chisel cutter profile compared to the semi-chisel....the top plate face just looked to "flat" if that makes sense at all...... however as you stated, I will cut with it to see how it cuts...if it cuts anything at all like the RS(as far as the chips looking the same), I will be plenty happy!!!!

It's funny but as I have gotten further into sharpening chains, I have learned a lot and quickly.... I now understand why guys have said, "the sharpest edge on a cutter doesn't necessarily mean the best cutting chain".....

There are a lot of variables that come into play when grinding/filing, like the best angles for a particular wood...

 

[Khntr85]

So what do you guys think about these CBN wheels.....to me it seems like it would be a good idea to get one since they stay the same shape and don't burn cutters as bad...

Please let me know what you guys think about these CBN wheels good or bad!!!

It seems to me a guy like me just starting out grinding, would be money ahead to just buy a CBN wheel right off the bat...

Any opinions appreciated!!!!