square grind for ripping?

[*ryan]

so i picked up a non working square razursharp grinder
a $75 motor later and some time of my own and its working good

i like square grind for cutting and bucking
has anyone used it for ripping?
as i have a grinder for it i feel it would be beneficial to me to use it on my ripping chain too as its easier and quicker to sharpen then round filing by hand (no round grinder for me)

anyone try it?

 

[mdavlee]

I have. It works fine. It left a better finish than semi chisel did with a 15° top plate.

 

[*ryan]

did you alter the grind on the stone prior? or just the same grind you use normally?

 

[mdavlee]

Same grind best I can remember. I filed several also with good results.

 

[BobL]

The first 30 or so logs I milled with the BIL mill were done with square ground. The problem with it for me with the Aussie hardwood trees was that it went blunt too quickly. Most of the cutting is down with the point of the cutter and once that goes off it slowed down pretty quickly.

In terms of finish I've found semi-chisel more forgiving. Because it cuts with a triangular cross section, square grind leaves a scratchier finish than the slight scalloped finish produced by semi chisel which uses a curved side plate to top plate transition.
I've found that removing the scratches takes a bit more effort than removing the scallops but if its going through a thicknesser anyway it doesn't really matter.