Oregon bench grinder

[trooney]

I just bought an Oregon 108118 bench grinder made by Tecomec. This is my first grinder, hand filing is alright and takes me a little while, but I'm getting tired of paying money to get the really bad ones sharpened. I thought I'd enter the age of the grinder . I plan on sharpening mostly 3/8ths, followed by 404 and then 325. Do I have to buy another wheel for the 404? They have templates for the wheel and the 3/8, 404 is wider than the 3/8, 325. Can't I sharpen all of themwith one wheel? It really makes no sense.

 

[Homelite410]

Good deal!

 

[CR888]

Its possible in a pinch to do them with the same wheel. It also depends on how you grind whether you use the radius of the wheel or side to grind. I often use my 3/8-404 wheel for .325 as well but Picco and 1/4" I use the thinner wheel. Grinding is similar to filing in the sense practice, trial & error and patience is required to master it. Changing wheels is pretty fast, whatever size wheel you use touch it up with dressing stone and keep radius profile correct. The easiest mistake with a grinder is cooking cutters heating them up trying to take too much off at once.

 

[Canadian farm boy]

You'll need a 1/8" wheel for the .325 and smaller chain
You'll need a 3/16 wheel for the 3/8 and .404 chain.

If you decide to do your raker with grinder you'll probably want to invest in a 1/4" wheel.

Now on fairly new to brand new .325 chain I have used my 3/16 wheel. The results were pretty decent. Once the .325 gets sharpened a few times you'll have to switch to the 1/8 wheel to keep the correct profile.

 

[Homelite410]

You'll need a 1/8" wheel for the .325 and smaller chain
You'll need a 3/16 wheel for the 3/8 and .404 chain.

If you decide to do your raker with grinder you'll probably want to invest in a 1/4" wheel.

Now on fairly new to brand new .325 chain I have used my 3/16 wheel. The results were pretty decent. Once the .325 gets sharpened a few times you'll have to switch to the 1/8 wheel to keep the correct profile.

Yes indeed, well said.

 

[trooney]

So I should just buy a 1/8" wheel and just sharpen the 3/8, 404 with the 3/16? I don't use 325 all that much but I like to be proactive.

 

[Philbert]

Get it (the 1/8" wheel). It's good to have, and you can try the different wheels side-by-side.

Start with the filed cutter profile you like, and 'play around' with the grinder settings until you can match it. Then you can switch back-and-forth with the file.

Then play around to see how changing the vise angle, head tilt, depth of cut, and wheel thickness affect the profile. Maybe try cutting with those modified profiles - might find something you like better!

Play around (see a pattern here?) with some scrap chain, before hitting the good stuff so that you don't get frustrated.

Dress the stone at least per loop to expose fresh abrasive, and to reduce burning.

Philbert

 

[trooney]

Thanks alot. I've got the perfect chain for messing with. It was rocked so hard its missing two cutter teeth. The rest of the teeth don't look that bad. I can't wait to dive in!

 

[Khntr85]

Thanks alot. I've got the perfect chain for messing with. It was rocked so hard its missing two cutter teeth. The rest of the teeth don't look that bad. I can't wait to dive in!

Hey let us know your results.... I have been thinking about getting a grinder for a long time.... I can hand sharpen and can do a great job, it would just be nice to save so much time by sharpening all your chains at once....

I always worried if I would be able to get the chain sharp enough for "my taste" with a grinder, and a lot of the experts here have assured me that you can get the chain good and sharp once you get the hang of it!!!!

Good luck look forward to your results!!

 

[Philbert]

I always worried if I would be able to get the chain sharp enough for "my taste" with a grinder, . .

Like anything else, it does take some skill, practice, and experience to get 'good' with a grinder. I keep learning new tips!

Some guys will shape/profile the cutter with a grinder, then finish it off with a file for a final edge. This works as long as you 'grind as you file, and file as you grind'!



Philbert

 

[Khntr85]

I just bought an Oregon 108118 bench grinder made by Tecomec. This is my first grinder, hand filing is alright and takes me a little while, but I'm getting tired of paying money to get the really bad ones sharpened. I thought I'd enter the age of the grinder . I plan on sharpening mostly 3/8ths, followed by 404 and then 325. Do I have to buy another wheel for the 404? They have templates for the wheel and the 3/8, 404 is wider than the 3/8, 325. Can't I sharpen all of themwith one wheel? It really makes no sense.

Well how do you like the grinder.... been wanting to buy one myself... are you getting the chains as sharp as you would like???

 

[trooney]

As sharp as I like? Not yet, but they are getting there. Definately better than hand filing, so to answer your question, yeah I definately like it!!