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

[cowroy]

Went to look at a pistol the other day at a pawn turned gun/pawn shop and after checking out the pistol I decided to cruise through the pawn side and what do I find other than a Tecomec Jolly Star on the shelf. Talk about surprised, I was definitely shocked. So needless to say I own two grinders now. I'll post some pics tomorrow, but it's in great shape just needs a wheel.

 

[Philbert]

I've now joined the club of owning at least 1 grinder, . . . The first chain I sharpened was a .325 on my MS260. It cuts really good! The chips on the right are pine and the left is ash.

Looks really good for a first grind!

Philbert

 

[Khntr85]

Thanks for all the great info in this thread!

I've now joined the club of owning at least 1 grinder, thanks to @Icepick69 selling me an Oregon 511AX.

I spent the day working on a stand made out of an old axle, drum and small plate. I think I'm going to add a plastic bucket attached with a hose clamp to hold the dressing block, Allen wrench and extra wheels.

My little helper learned what welding is today. Always fun teaching him new things. I even let him hold the handle to grind a few teeth.

The first chain I sharpened was a .325 on my MS260. It cuts really good! The chips on the right are pine and the left is ash.

Hey man looks awesome!!!

It's great to have another guy that likes to grind chains here.....

Did youbused to strictly hand file your chains....how does the first chains you ground cut compared to the ones you filed....

I just cut a maple tree down at my dads and I used a RM chain on my 461....wow was I throwing some huge chips....it's a huge change cutting oak, locust, hickory, and hedge, then cutting maple LOL....

 

[penzone]

QUOTE="Philbert, post: 347633, member: 737"]Looks really good for a first grind!

Philbert[/QUOTE]

Thanks Philbert! I'm learning a lot in a short period of time. The biggest thing, as you all have said, is take your time. Just a tiny bit at a time makes a big difference.

Hey man looks awesome!!!

It's great to have another guy that likes to grind chains here.....

Did youbused to strictly hand file your chains....how does the first chains you ground cut compared to the ones you filed....

I just cut a maple tree down at my dads and I used a RM chain on my 461....wow was I throwing some huge chips....it's a huge change cutting oak, locust, hickory, and hedge, then cutting maple LOL....
View attachment 61859

Thank you! I have paid the local dealer to sharpen them, and a friend has a sharpener and he would do them sometimes. I have only filed to keep an edge while cutting. Once it got past the point of a touch up, I would have them ground.

I have about 15 chains for 5 bars that I rotate through across my 4 saws. I would wait until most of them needed sharpening and have it done all at once. Now, since I have the grinder, I'll probably keep up with them. When I pull one chain off, I'll sharpen it within a few days. So I should never run out of sharp chains!

I'm looking forward to playing with the different angles to see which one cuts good and keeps an edge the longest. That's really the balance I'm looking for. I don't need the fastest cutting, but I would like to have the longest lasting. It would be nice if that also was very self-feeding, but I doubt it. I'm looking forward to reading more from you experts.

 

[Icepick69]

@penzone
I'm gonna watch and learn from you. Nice work.

 

[cowroy]

Now I'll have the adjustment options to experiment more. Reversible switch works like it should and nothing is missing. I'm pretty stoked about this find. I misspoke about brand. I said it was a Tecomec and it is an Efco. Pretty much the same as all the Italian grinders I believe.

Only thing broken is the fan shroud but it doesn't hit the fan, so no big deal.

 

[cowroy]

Looks pretty good to me

 

[Khntr85]

Looks pretty good to me

Very very nice!!!!


Did you use reverse yet!!!!

 

[cowroy]

Very very nice!!!!


Did you use reverse yet!!!!

Yes, and it works lovely. It's not difficult to reverse a motor that has a one way switch. All you have to do is spin the motor the direction you want it to go and it should continue that direction when you turn on the power switch.

 

[cowroy]

I'll shoot a short video of how I reversed my old hos tomorrow morning when I get to work.

 

[Khntr85]

Yes, and it works lovely. It's not difficult to reverse a motor that has a one way switch. All you have to do is spin the motor the direction you want it to go and it should continue that direction when you turn on the power switch.

Right, I just have never really got a bad burr, so I haven't tried it yet.... I will try it sometime.... did you notice a big difference????

 

[Khntr85]

I'll shoot a short video of how I reversed my old hos tomorrow morning when I get to work.

Did you like the hos...and what all grinders do you have now

 

[cowroy]

Right, I just have never really got a bad burr, so I haven't tried it yet.... I will try it sometime.... did you notice a big difference????

The main difference I noticed in this machine compared to the Stihl is the vise. Stihl tends to build things beefier and it holds true here. The Stihl vise locks it in quite a bit tighter than the Efco does. The Efco allows the tooth to rock ever so slightly which is a good thing. It corrects the hook that I wasn't fond of that the Stihl grinder made. I will post comparison pics in the morning.

 

[cowroy]

Did you like the hos...and what all grinders do you have now

I do like the hos, and I just have it and this Efco now. I have an FG2 filing guide which is an awesome tool also. The only reason I really need a grinder is to correct rocked chains. I try to tell people when they bring chains to me to take them off when they don't self feed any longer so that I can file them and their chain will last much longer. I only have one guy that actually takes my advise. The rest of them come back shot and I'm not wasting my time filing a rocked chain. Instead of pics I'll do a short video comparison of the differences in the two grinders and some of the chain I encounter.

 

[Khntr85]

I do like the hos, and I just have it and this Efco now. I have an FG2 filing guide which is an awesome tool also. The only reason I really need a grinder is to correct rocked chains. I try to tell people when they bring chains to me to take them off when they don't self feed any longer so that I can file them and their chain will last much longer. I only have one guy that actually takes my advise. The rest of them come back shot and I'm not wasting my time filing a rocked chain. Instead of pics I'll do a short video comparison of the differences in the two grinders and some of the chain I encounter.

Yep I hear you on the bad chains, a guy would go broke hand-filing them lol....

 

[Khntr85]

I do like the hos, and I just have it and this Efco now. I have an FG2 filing guide which is an awesome tool also. The only reason I really need a grinder is to correct rocked chains. I try to tell people when they bring chains to me to take them off when they don't self feed any longer so that I can file them and their chain will last much longer. I only have one guy that actually takes my advise. The rest of them come back shot and I'm not wasting my time filing a rocked chain. Instead of pics I'll do a short video comparison of the differences in the two grinders and some of the chain I encounter.

Oh and if you grind chains like the one you pictured, you will never have a complaint....I honesty believe that the average guy that pays to get his chain sharpened, just needs a durable work chain(and semi-chisel prefereably).....these guys run these chains till they are burning threw the wood....I know I like to have a good, quick, and self-feeding chain...I always grind a good fast chain for my customers, but I make sure it also has a durable edge...I know the chains will come back looking the same way each time LOL...

 

[cowroy]

Here is a little comparison of the two grinders.

The middle tooth isn't bad, but look at the other two in the pick.

 

[penzone]

I finally got to go out and cut last week with my newly ground chains. They cut great! I haven't had a chain, new or used, cut this well before. It was amazing how much less I have to work the saw...

Next round of sharpening, I'm going to add some tilt and see how it cuts. I'm mostly cutting dead ash right now.

I plan on dropping 1 or 2 trees this week and cutting them up for firewood. I'm curious to see how long these chains last as well. Since I've not had a sharpener in the past, I know I've worn chains longer than I should. Now I hope I don't feel the need to do that and can swap chains when I notice a difference in the effort to make a cut.

 

[Icepick69]

Here is a little comparison of the two grinders.

The middle tooth isn't bad, but look at the other two in the pick.

That looks like chains I get in to sharpen, quit taking my customers. Lol

 

[Philbert]

Here is a little comparison of the two grinders.

Nice video - thanks.

I think that the best way to compare the hook angles would be to grind one chain on each machine, set it in the other grinder, then try to 'match' that angle, and read the settings off of the scales. You will probably come up with some type of calibration chart (e.g. 'X° on Tecomec = Y° on HOS').

Once you have that, you are set.

Philbert