Oregon 520-120 sharpener question

[Will the wood chopper]

Hello everyone. I was wondering if there is information available stating which grinding wheel to use for a specific chain. I use stihl, oregon and carlton chain. when I go to manufacturer's web sites all they give is info on what file to use.
Thank you and Have a Happy New Year!!!!!

 

[singinwoodwackr]

3/16" for 3/8 and .404
1/8" for .325, 3/8LP, 1/4"

 

[Philbert]

Should be in your grinder’s owner’s manual.



Note that the grinding wheel recommendation is generally based on chain pitch: regardless of brand / manufacturer.

Some preference too: some people will use 3/16” wheel on new .325” pitch chain, then drop down to 1/8” wheel when cutters are half gone. Just like they might change file size.

The other thing is that standard grinding wheels can be profiled to different shapes, if you are trying to match a file diameter, other than 1/8” or 3/16”, using the brick and template supplied with the grinder.



Philbert

 

[leaf]

Or, some of us think, better than the "brick" for shaping the outside edge of the wheel is a diamond mounted on a steel. (Wear safety glasses, hold it in your hand, "brace" you hand on grinder -- you can get a very clean and very well shaped wheel edge.)

 

[Will the wood chopper]

3/16" for 3/8 and .404
1/8" for .325, 3/8LP, 1/4"

Thank you! Happy New Year!

 

[Will the wood chopper]

I Thank you all for any advice I can get. I have been running saws for years but am new to sharpening chains.
Thanks again and Happy New Year!

 

[Will the wood chopper]

Should be in your grinder’s owner’s manual.

View attachment 1140373

Note that the grinding wheel recommendation is generally based on chain pitch: regardless of brand / manufacturer.

Some preference too: some people will use 3/16” wheel on new .325” pitch chain, then drop down to 1/8” wheel when cutters are half gone. Just like they might change file size.

The other thing is that standard grinding wheels can be profiled to different shapes, if you are trying to match a file diameter, other than 1/8” or 3/16”, using the brick and template supplied with the grinder.

View attachment 1140375

Philbert

I have the manual for the oregon sharpener and that s why I am confused, it says for .325 use 3/16 but some info I found today from carlton it says to use a 1/8 wheel on .325. I need more experience I guess. Thank you and have a great new year!

Should be in your grinder’s owner’s manual.

View attachment 1140373

Note that the grinding wheel recommendation is generally based on chain pitch: regardless of brand / manufacturer.

Some preference too: some people will use 3/16” wheel on new .325” pitch chain, then drop down to 1/8” wheel when cutters are half gone. Just like they might change file size.

The other thing is that standard grinding wheels can be profiled to different shapes, if you are trying to match a file diameter, other than 1/8” or 3/16”, using the brick and template supplied with the grinder.

View attachment 1140375

Philbert

 

[singinwoodwackr]

I have the manual for the oregon sharpener and that s why I am confused, it says for .325 use 3/16 but some info I found today from carlton it says to use a 1/8 wheel on .325. I need more experience I guess. Thank you and have a great new year!

Correct. The Carlton .325 has smaller cutters than Ore and, especially Stihl 23rs.
I've always used 5/32 files on .325 chain, any brand. 1/8 wheel is usually used for 5/32"

 

[Philbert]

I have been running saws for years but am new to sharpening chains.

Yeah, when I started sharpening a lot of chains, I was obsessed with finding and following the exact specifications, angles, etc., for each chain type / size / brand / etc.

Then I talked to some technical reps, and discovered that these are more like ‘starting points’ for ‘general use’.

Not bad, but, with experience, many people will use different angles, and sometimes different file or grinding wheel sizes / shapes, for different types of wood (hard vs. soft), different saws (power level), types of cutting (limbing vs. bucking or ripping), personal preferences (speed vs. longevity), etc.

Good to start with the basics. But don’t be afraid to experiment a little, and see what works for you.

Philbert

 

[Will the wood chopper]

Yeah, when I started sharpening a lot of chains, I was obsessed with finding and following the exact specifications, angles, etc., for each chain type / size / brand / etc.

Then I talked to some technical reps, and discovered that these are more like ‘starting points’ for ‘general use’.

Not bad, but, with experience, many people will use different angles, and sometimes different file or grinding wheel sizes / shapes, for different types of wood (hard vs. soft), different saws (power level), types of cutting (limbing vs. bucking or ripping), personal preferences (speed vs. longevity), etc.

Good to start with the basics. But don’t be afraid to experiment a little, and see what works for you.

Philbert

I also am trying to find a chart to identify cutter types from stihl but not having any luck.

 

[Philbert]

Again, very basic, by chain pitch.

Each box of Stihl chain has a folded piece of paper, with lots of angles and filing information.

Problem with STIHL is they reference their USG grinder, which has different angle scales than your Oregon.



Philbert