Oregon 520 grinder... Anyone have one??

[Khntr85]

Hey guy I just broke down and ordered the Oregon 520.... was just wondering if any of you guys have one or have used one.....if you do have one, what do you think about it, is it as good or better than the previous 511ax model....I know the guys that sharpen ALOT of chains have had issues with the vise on the 511ax.... I know the 520 has a new design for its vise so I didn't know if they corrected some issues or what...

Last but not least, do you guys like the performance of the new 520.... thanks for any ideas guys!!

 

[Philbert]

Subscribed.

Philbert

 

[Khntr85]

So no one on this site has the new Oregon 520 model yet!?!?!?

 

[Philbert]

I have one. Have not used it much. Subscribed to see what others have learned.

Philbert

 

[sawfun]

I know a guy who grinds chain for money and he had one as well as the 511AX and the 520 is better for him. he can grind 1/2" 9/16 chains with it that he cannot with the 511. I watched him take the rakers on a 1/2" chain of mine. it was fast and easy with a beveled wheel he hasaid just for this.

 

[Khntr85]

Well I got my grinder last night..... I put it together and was just about to start grinding when me lady come to garage and said "get in here and eat that thing will be here tomorrow" LOL....

So as soon as I am off of work I am goin to get some practice in.... won't be hard to find chains to practice on....told my dad I got grinder he said "I dropped off some chains in front of you garage door" lol....good thing was he said if I find any 25" chains I can have them!!!!

 

[trooney]

Thats right! Practice on your old man's chains!!! Lol Congrats. You'll probably love it. I plan on using mine til I get descent at it then probably get another one.

 

[Khntr85]

Thats right! Practice on your old man's chains!!! Lol Congrats. You'll probably love it. I plan on using mine til I get descent at it then probably get another one.

Hey how ya doing!!!

I am glad I seen you, it reminded me to report back with ya...so far I have ground 2-chains, and the 2nd one actually cuts good...

I have found a few thing that I haven't fully figured out yet...

1--- the paper in the 33RM 3/8 stihl chain box says that the angles to use are 30 and 75 degrees with "0" tilt....now I took a brand new RM chain out of box and put it in grinder..... "to me" it looked like 55 degree matched up a lot better to the cutter than 75 degrees (could these angles just vary from brand to brand).... please jump in here and let me know were I am wrong please!!!!

2----I think I am grinding at the right depth but practice/repetition should help this....

3-----I think I am dressing my fairly good, but also please let me know if I should be doing something different....I am including 2-pictures.... the chain in the front is the chain I ground, the chain in the back is brand new RM 3/8 just taken out of the box....

Please critique me, I am tough and have always learned from my mistakes, so you WON'T hurt my feelings lol!!!

 

[Philbert]

. . . the paper in the 33RM 3/8 stihl chain box says that the angles to use are 30 and 75 degrees with "0" tilt....now I took a brand new RM chain out of box and put it in grinder..... "to me" it looked like 55 degree matched up a lot better to the cutter than 75 degrees (could these angles just vary from brand to brand)....

1. STIHL brand grinders measure their angles differently, so be careful of some of their sharpening charts.

2. Chain angles can be confusing in terminology (lots of things sound the same) and measurement (few 90° angles to measure from). An example is the resultant side plate cutting angle, and the head tilt angle you set on your grinder to achieve this (see combined Oregon filing and grinding angle charts below).



Easiest to start with the basic top plate / top plate cutting bevel / 'down angle' settings (e.g. 30°/60°/0°, or 25°/55°/10°, etc.), which correspond to your grinder's vice rotation / head tilt / vise tilt settings , and then to consider the resulting angles later, if that interests you.

Philbert

 

[Khntr85]

1. STIHL brand grinders measure their angles differently, so be careful of some of their sharpening charts.

2. Chain angles can be confusing in terminology (lots of things sound the same) and measurement (few 90° angles to measure from). An example is the resultant side plate cutting angle, and the head tilt angle you set on your grinder to achieve this (see combined Oregon filing and grinding angle charts below).

View attachment 41152

Easiest to start with the basic top plate / top plate cutting bevel / 'down angle' settings (e.g. 30°/60°/0°, or 25°/55°/10°, etc.), which correspond to your grinder's vice rotation / head tilt / vise tilt settings , and then to consider the resulting angles later, if that interests you.

Philbert

Your the man philbert!!!!

I knew something was off, seeing in on paper confermed what I was thinking....

I can see why some people get grinders and don't like them... if you are not FULLY into learning the machine, you will not bring out its full potential... I fully intend on figure it out!!!!!

Thanks a lot philbert

 

[Dustin4185]

Just purchased a 520 myself. Hopefully I will get it out and playing with it Monday when we get back in town. I was pretty much told the same thing, "Quit messing with that thing and pack the car!" I guess it can wait, but trying to figure some things out while I'm gone. That's why I smuggled the book with me.

 

[Khntr85]

That's funny!!

Ya I tell ya read up on it, and just jump in!!!


Once you start actually usin it, it all comes together.... I am REALLY happy with the edge it puts on a chain for sure.... you will love it... ... as they say just take little bumps off at a time!!!

 

[Dustin4185]

I got a pretty good deal on it from a shop going out of business. $250 new still in box. Looking forward to using it Monday.

 

[Black Dog Chainsaw]

That's funny!!

Ya I tell ya read up on it, and just jump in!!!


Once you start actually usin it, it all comes together.... I am REALLY happy with the edge it puts on a chain for sure.... you will love it... ... as they say just take little bumps off at a time!!!

Taking off little bits at a time is a function of your grinding wheel. If you get a COARSE grinding wheel you don't have to worry as much. People get all to concerned with how the finish of the cutter looks and lots of people love the Molemab grinding wheels for this reason. I think they are horrible myself... They are about 80grit and leave a nice finish but are slow to cut, easy to get build up (black ring of death), and thus heat your cutter quicker. Oregon's are usually around a 60grit and cut quicker and stay cooler. I'm not sure if there is a coarser grit that that for Oregon grinders but if there is... Buy the coarse one! Stihl USG grinding wheels have to be at least a 45-55 grit from comparing them side to side with oregon 60grit wheels and I eat a big chunk off 404 chain in a single swipe and then double tap it to clean it up. I wouldnt go any more than 45-55 grit but 80 grit is just too fine and builds up with all the oil from used chain.

keep your wheel well dressed.

As for the 520 Oregon Grinder... its basically an updated version of the old 511a. A few more features and a triangular hold on the chain vise now instead of a 2 point pinch system. Dave sent me one a while back and I set it up and it works well. Better than the old 511a and better than the Oregon knock offs but still not my favorite.

1.) Check your angles to make sure you are getting the same top plate angle from side to side. Seems like Dave's was off by 4-6*. Not a big problem but if you are being picky you can mark your vice to be more accurate.
2.) Also check the top plate length when you are grinding from side to side because I'm pretty sure Dave's 520 was off by 0.010-0.015. Again not a huge deal but keeping the chain symetrical from side to side will help keep cuts strait.
3.) Use OEM chain charts to set your angles. Chain manufactures know more than us on why the OEM angles are what they are. Chain is designed and manufactured to use certain angles so setting up your machine to grind the same way it came from factory is a good idea. Oregon chain angles can be found in their 2017 Catalog start at about page 110-111 for chain info and specs.
http://content.yudu.com/web/y5b2/0A...h/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=#noRedirect

Stihl chain charts will not give you the right angles for your Oregon grinder. If you are grinding Stihl chain their angles are set in reverse of the Oregon grinders so keep that in mind.

 

[Khntr85]

Taking off little bits at a time is a function of your grinding wheel. If you get a COARSE grinding wheel you don't have to worry as much. People get all to concerned with how the finish of the cutter looks and lots of people love the Molemab grinding wheels for this reason. I think they are horrible myself... They are about 80grit and leave a nice finish but are slow to cut, easy to get build up (black ring of death), and thus heat your cutter quicker. Oregon's are usually around a 60grit and cut quicker and stay cooler. I'm not sure if there is a coarser grit that that for Oregon grinders but if there is... Buy the coarse one! Stihl USG grinding wheels have to be at least a 45-55 grit from comparing them side to side with oregon 60grit wheels and I eat a big chunk off 404 chain in a single swipe and then double tap it to clean it up. I wouldnt go any more than 45-55 grit but 80 grit is just too fine and builds up with all the oil from used chain.

keep your wheel well dressed.

As for the 520 Oregon Grinder... its basically an updated version of the old 511a. A few more features and a triangular hold on the chain vise now instead of a 2 point pinch system. Dave sent me one a while back and I set it up and it works well. Better than the old 511a and better than the Oregon knock offs but still not my favorite.

1.) Check your angles to make sure you are getting the same top plate angle from side to side. Seems like Dave's was off by 4-6*. Not a big problem but if you are being picky you can mark your vice to be more accurate.
2.) Also check the top plate length when you are grinding from side to side because I'm pretty sure Dave's 520 was off by 0.010-0.015. Again not a huge deal but keeping the chain symetrical from side to side will help keep cuts strait.
3.) Use OEM chain charts to set your angles. Chain manufactures know more than us on why the OEM angles are what they are. Chain is designed and manufactured to use certain angles so setting up your machine to grind the same way it came from factory is a good idea. Oregon chain angles can be found in their 2017 Catalog start at about page 110-111 for chain info and specs.
http://content.yudu.com/web/y5b2/0A...h/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=#noRedirect

Stihl chain charts will not give you the right angles for your Oregon grinder. If you are grinding Stihl chain their angles are set in reverse of the Oregon grinders so keep that in mind.

Listen to him, he has helped me a lot!!!!!

 

[Dustin4185]

Has anyone converted the Stihl angles to the Oregon grinder? Or is it pretty much the same as Oregon chain. For Stihl RS chain, what angles would work best?

 

[Khntr85]

Has anyone converted the Stihl angles to the Oregon grinder? Or is it pretty much the same as Oregon chain. For Stihl RS chain, what angles would work best?

I have been looking into this too.... I know I set my Oregon up to stihls recommended angles on RM chain and I could visually see that they were not the same....

 

[weedkilla]

I have been looking into this too.... I know I set my Oregon up to stihls recommended angles on RM chain and I could visually see that they were not the same....

There are converted numbers available, but it's easy enough to do what you did and just line up the grinder till it's a neat fit on new/first sharpen chain.
The second point is that after a while you have your own set of angles (for firewood/softwood/hardwood/milling) that work for you and you tend to grind everything like that.
For instance - my longer chains just get ground and they are all 60/30/0. Short full chisel chain gets 60/30/5 as that's closest to how I hand file and these chains get three or four hand sharpens between grinds.

 

[Black Dog Chainsaw]

Has anyone converted the Stihl angles to the Oregon grinder? Or is it pretty much the same as Oregon chain. For Stihl RS chain, what angles would work best?

I think there is a conversion calculation to flip the angles from stihl to Oregon and vise versa. People tell me they are flipped and you realize it when looking at the tables but I haven't converted the tables yet or found a cross chart.

Keep in mind it's not only the set angles but adjusting for wheel wear and dressing the stone correctly as well.

I think the idea is that you are working with a 90* tilt from vertical to horizontal. Stihl marks 40* tilt downward from 90* verticle. Oregon instead measures of 60* tilt up from horizontal (maybe I have that backwards?). You get the idea though that one measures the angle from top tilting down instead of bottom tilting up. Realize 40+60=100* and not 90*. The OEM grind angles are not the same so there is 10* separation/difference.

For example, say a Stihl chain is 40* down on a USG... that would convert to 50* up on a oregon. I think...

Someone more informed than myself can probably correct or clean up that information to make it understandable... I'm sure that was clear as mud the way I explained it.

 

[Black Dog Chainsaw]

The 15* +\- slide on a USG is to change the position of the cutter in reference to where the cutting wheel comes down for a more symmetrical grind and also changes the grind angle a hair. The oregons 10* tilt is not the same. That deck tilt is for chisel chain to get a sharper underbite for a steeper top plate grind and sharper chisel corner. Symmetry on an Oregon grinder is controlled by the table and advancing and retarding the chain a little to keep top plate length the same.


Keep in mind as your wheel wears down the radius of the wheel is changing and that changes the position of where the grinding wheel meets the chain and thus will need to be compensated for. The Oregons from my memory... work based on symmetrical grind by centering the chain to the wheel. So compensation for wheel wear is less of a concern since you aren't grinding to the rear or forward of the wheels centerline.


Someone correct all that garbage above please!


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