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You won't be able to grind square chain with the NT grinder. They make specific grinders for square chain. Silvey makes a popular one.
After a few months of use, I can say the NT grinder is a whole lot better than the Harbor Freight crapola. I wish it had reverse, and that the tolerances were better, but for the price it's worth it (at least for me). Some day I'll upgrade to a higher quality unit (right after I buy a UTV). Maybe.
What I like:
* Price
* Tolerable build quality
* Nice sharp cutters
What I don't like:
* The casting flashings made a nice deep cut on my finger - NT owes me about 2oz of blood
* The chain stop/measuring thingy barely reaches the back of the cutter when sharpening in one direction - it needs to be wider
* I have to keep a veneer caliper handy when changing sides - otherwise the cutter length will differ by a couple of hundredths of an inch
* I really want reverse, and hate the burr created when the wheel is running in the wrong direction
My 2xbit's worth
Does NT still sell this, and if so, does anyone have a link ? Making a trip across the border and thinking about having one sent there. I searched their website but could onlynfind the portable grinder and the Oregon models.
Thanks !
inside with a bit of play 3.140 tight was 3.132 outside needs to be around 3.535
and for thickness. I would say anywhere between 15-30thousandths , basically whatever is handy, cheap or free
I bought one of the Northern Grinders last November when NT had them on sale. I received a $20 off coupon in the mail glued inside of a sale flyer they mailed to me. Total cost was $89.00. When you get the grinder it is unassembled and in a cardboard box.
The directions that come with the unit are worthless, so don't depend on them for anything. Simply schedule a couple of hours time to assemble, to clean up the castings with a grinder and to build a good mount. I took one of the AS members advice and picked up a pack of the aluminum zip ties and used one to shim the pivoting chain guide base. The zip ties are sold at Lowes in the electrical section.
The NT sharpener comes with three different thicknesses of sharpening stones and one almost worthless dressing stone. If you are planning on using the machine to dress your rakes you will need to change the wheel out to the largest wheel after you grind your cutters. This only takes a minute or two. to the thicker Most posters here recommend to simply thrown the included grinder wheels away and replace them with Oregon which are the same size. You can get them from most sponsor vendors on this site or Amazon.
I have a friend who purchased 3 or these units and has them set up side by side. One for left, one for right and one rakes. This eliminates the need to spend the extra few minutes to recalibrate the pawl when switching between right and left cutters. Not to saw anything about changing the grinder wheel to dress the drags.
Check out the links to a couple of pictures on mine. I copied the design of one of the AS members. The oak mount allows me to secure in in a bench vise in my shop, or in a vise I have mounted in my enclosed trailer (I have a generator), or ratchet strapped to a tree or a post while in the field. This may seem odd but I am a disaster responder and many times I am deployed for weeks or months at a time. Chain loops are nearly impossible to get after a storm in an affected area and many times we use these grinders to sharpen 20 or 30 loops each evening.
This is not the best grinder on the market by any stretch, but for less than $100 you can't go wrong.
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On super sale. Look Here! Looks like it might be the Tecomec 136/Oregon 511A unit, in which case $100 is a freakin' steal.
I found 6" snap together hvac pipe was about the right thickness -- it's going to take me awhile to recoup my 135 cost, but the hassle of remembering to take the chain with me or making a special trip helps to offset.
I made my money back on this grinder the first time I ground chains.
Recouping the cost is not just from the $7 or so that you save with each sharpening, it is also from your ability to 'kiss' the cutters, removing as little metal as necessary each time, and getting a lot more life out of the chain, compared to the amount some shops remove. It is also from your ability to turn a chain around in a short time, and save a couple of trips to the hardware store or saw shop.
You gain the ability to scrounge and salvage old chains, custom grind your chains to specific angles if you are picky, and to collect favors from friends who don't have a grinder. After all that, you still have the resale value for it on CraigsList as 'equity'.
Philbert
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