Northern Tool Chain Sharpener

[roncoinc]

I'm probably going to get one even if I have to pay more for it. I know that some of guys don't care for these but from the searches that I've done most people like them after fixing some casting fitment problems

i just finished up doing the mods shown in another thread on this grinder and a couple other little things i came up with on my own ...i am SUPER impressed with this unit now !!
this thing has NO slop anyplace now and it was all VERY easy to do..
in fact it's now tighter than a froggs butt and THATS watertight !!

 

[jus2fat]

The diameter of the grinding wheel gets smaller as it wears. This changes the grinding angle ever so slightly. The 511AX lets you move the chain vise closer to the wheel to compensate for wheel wear. The Jolly Star and Speed Sharp seem to lack this adjustment, but otherwise appear identical to the 511AX and are made by the same company (Tecomec).

Most of us non-pro sharpeners will not be wearing wheels out that quickly, and replacement wheels don't cost that much, so I doubt if I would ever utilize the wheel wear adjustment if I had a 511AX. Still, it's a nice feature for the perfectionist.

Thanks for very good explanation...I understand it now.
I think the "wheel dressing bars" let's one bring them back to correct angle if you know what you're doing...I'd just buy new wheel...rep sent
J2F

 

[Philbert]

In stores only and not on line. Just my luck. I don't have a NT near me.

You can check the NT website on Black Friday and see - they might also have sales. I don't know.

Other stores also sell knock off grinders, so you might check around closer to home. I know that Mills Fleet Farm (northern chain, similar to Tractor Supply Company, Farm and Fleet, etc.) were selling a version for about $100.

In store purchase also lets you return it easier if it is defective, as noted above.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

The diameter of the grinding wheel gets smaller as it wears. This changes the grinding angle ever so slightly. The 511AX lets you move the chain vise closer to the wheel to compensate for wheel wear. The Jolly Star and Speed Sharp seem to lack this adjustment, but otherwise appear identical to the 511AX and are made by the same company (Tecomec).

Most of us non-pro sharpeners will not be wearing wheels out that quickly, and replacement wheels don't cost that much, so I doubt if I would ever utilize the wheel wear adjustment if I had a 511AX. Still, it's a nice feature for the perfectionist.

I noticed that about the 511AX versus all of the other models and share your comments. It might be more noticable if you grind the wheels down to the nubs (er, hubs).

That said, as long as you grind the entire chain with the same wheel, and all the cutters are the same, the small difference is probably more theoretical than practical.

Philbert

 

[TooBizzy]

Instead of sending my second one back, I decided to "True" up the motor shaft. It was really easy to take apart. The bearings stayed on each end of the shaft....Put it in my lathe and had it fixed in about 15 minutes. Runs within less than a .001" now....I've started on a new aluminum wheel backup plate, buts going to take a bit to wittle out...

I wouldn't recomend this to anyone that doesn't have access to a lathe. But seriously check yours out when you get it....First thing to do is put a wheel on it and start it up, before putting the rest of it together. If the wheel wobbles or runs out, send it back.

When I get my wheel backup plate made, I'll post some pics of it...I guess you can consider it a mod?

 

[danrclem]

Instead of sending my second one back, I decided to "True" up the motor shaft. It was really easy to take apart. The bearings stayed on each end of the shaft....Put it in my lathe and had it fixed in about 15 minutes. Runs within less than a .001" now....I've started on a new aluminum wheel backup plate, buts going to take a bit to wittle out...

I wouldn't recomend this to anyone that doesn't have access to a lathe. But seriously check yours out when you get it....First thing to do is put a wheel on it and start it up, before putting the rest of it together. If the wheel wobbles or runs out, send it back.

When I get my wheel backup plate made, I'll post some pics of it...I guess you can consider it a mod?

This is the Harbor Freight grinder and not the Northern Tool grinder that you're talking about isn't it?

 

[TooBizzy]

No, its the Northern Tool one........Read post 6.....

I'm sure this isn't the norm....Luck of the draw....But I sent 1 back for missing parts and the second one had very bad machining...I wanted to post this so everyone that got one would put a wheel on it and test it before assembling the rest of the grinder. Might save you some time if you need to send it back.

I have read in more than one place here where different people who bought this grinder had the same problem....Send it back if it does, IF you don't want to fix it...Just letting everyone know it can be fixed, just takes a little machining to get er' done....

Will post pics when I get my aluminum plate made...

 

[danrclem]

I went to Nashville today and there is a NT just north of downtown. I wish I could have gone this Friday for the big sale but that wasn't in the cards. It's about 3 miles off of I-65 so I thought I'd stop in and take a look. The store didn't have the grinder on sale but they let me have it at on line price. I thought it would save me some shipping costs but after they added a 9.25% sales tax (WOW!) I didn't save very much but at least I now have a grinder.

I ran it and if it isn't running true I can't tell. I'll probably check it with a dial indicator tomorrow.

Now I've gotta figure out how to set the dang thing up.

 

[TooBizzy]

If the shaft and hub are out, you'll know it! Put a disc on it and start it up. You can see it. Mine vibrated and wobbled. Very noticeable. Let us know how yours is. I'm sure mine was an iscolated issue. You'll have that with anything machined. Although, if there was any QC at all, they should have caught this....Hope yours is OK!

 

[danrclem]

I checked mine just awhile ago and the shaft was showing a total movement of a tad less than .001" and no vibration with the grinding wheel attached. The part of the back up plate that rests against the grinding wheel was showing a little more than that. I think mine's gonna be ok and that's good because I don't have access to a lathe.

 

[TooBizzy]

Thats great! I'm hoping the one I got was an iscolated case....I finished the aluminum back plate this evening. Now to put it all together....

Here's a few pics of the finished backplate. Everything runs true now to less than a thou....

 

[iowa]

Nice work there. So the shaft run out was fine. The backplate was not cut correctly and ran out? Was the fitment between the shaft and bore in the plate loose? Or just not square? I thought about buying one of these. I guess if mine is the same way I can machine one out on the lathe. I have tons of aluminum at work and I'm a tool maker.

Good job...

 

[TooBizzy]

The main part of the shaft ran within .001 at the bearings...The smaller dia. on the end of the shaft was what ran out. About .006 on the diameter. The aluminum hub face ran out .008 and the wheel pilot dia ran out .008. When I put a wheel on it it wobbled pretty bad...The fit was tight, no problem there.

If the end of the shaft runs out to where it needs recut, you'll need to make a new backplate...Whether its good or not. You'll need to make one that has the same I.D hole in it as the altered shaft.....

See post 6 for a pic of the shaft without the backplate....

 

[TooBizzy]

Another bit of information...I was able to steady rest off the bearing closest to the end of the shaft. This let the shaft run with less than a thou runout. This made it very easy to recut the end of the shaft and get it to run with the main shaft to within less than a .001....I have a little 9" Southbend Lathe I use to tinker with. Could have done this project a lot faster at work...But being able to do this sort of stuff at home is enjoyable too!

 

[Philbert]

Nice little lathe.

Philbert

 

[TooBizzy]

Thanks! Its amazing what you can do with a small Lathe, Mill, and a Drill Press! Some people think I'm crazy for taking the grinder apart and fixing it instead of sending it back. I know when I buy something less than the best, I might have to tweak it to bring it up to snuff. Its what I enjoy doing....

 

[Philbert]

So, just to think outside the box, could you make a jig to sharpen chains on your mill? How about square ground?

(Might make a fortune making specialized race chains!)

Philbert

 

[TooBizzy]

Never really thought of using the mill to sharpen chains. But I did recently try to use it to mill the drags down instead of grinding them. Kind of a pain trying to feed the chain under the table. Too much in the way....So I abandoned that Idea!

About 25 years ago, maybe longer, I made my own chain grinder. Used it for about 20 years until I got a "Nick" grinder. Now all I use it for is to take down the drags. To look back on it now, I must have had a very vivid imagination back then! Plus, it sorta shows how far I'll go to make something work!

 

[Philbert]

Not bad for homemade - maybe add a guard on the wheel !?

Happy Thanksgiving.

Philbert

 

[BIG BEAM]

That looks like a US Stove in the backround.
DON