Should I buy an Oregon 511 or something similar?

[memory]

Every year about this time, I start thinking about what to buy that is firewood related. I have thought about spending the money on a quality grinder like the Oregon 511 but I don't know if it is worth it. We do cut quite a bit of wood although I couldn't give you a number on how many cords we burn. We do burn year round and have two water heaters hooked up to it and heat a two story farm house with a basement. I would say we go through more than the average person. We just cut wood for ourselves mainly but we do sell a couple of rick to our neighbor.

I have been looking at the Oregon 511 but don't know if I want to spend $300+ when I can hand file somewhat decent. While looking on ebay, I found a grinder similar to Oregon but at half the price. It doesn't say what brand it is which kind of worries me. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Commercial-...712?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4615f7fe28

When I first seen that one, I thought it was an Oregon. Are these grinders that are half the cost just as good as the Oregon for non commercial use? Even at $150, that will go along way on our place.

I know someone that has the Oregon 511A and he says that is all that he uses to sharpen his chains. He does not use a hand file at all. For those of you that use grinders, do you also touch the chains up with a file after you grind them? Is it really necessary? Can you tell a difference? How many of you just use a grinder and nothing else?

 

[CTYank]

Got a clone of that grinder from Northern Tool recently, on special for $100. I use it for restoring rocked chains, mainly from co-workers who don't like to roll logs on the ground. Also use it for clearing out gullets of new chains. Can be made to work well.
If at all possible, I file with Granberg guide. Definitely preferable to grinding IMHO. Just gotta have the chain on the bar.

 

[lambs]

The 511a is no longer made by Oregon. But there are several knock offs available. Do some searches on this site and you'll find lots of posts, including some of my own on how to set them up and clean up any issues. I have a 511a and the Northern Tool (NT) knock off. There are usually a few differences in the quality of the castings, and the motor on the NT is definitely not as strong. But if you set up the NT right it will do fine. The NT was my only grinder until I came across a 511a at a price I could not pass up. Now I use the 511a for cutters, and have the NT set up for depth gauges.

Look carefully and you can find the NT version as low as $79 at certain times of the year. Get on their mailing list and they'll send you coupons too. At that price it is definitely worth it.

Either one comes with vitreous grinding wheels, which need to be dressed. One of the upgrades you can make for the NT grinder is to buy Oregon wheels for it and get a dressing brick from Bailey's.

Like hand filing, using a grinder well takes a bit of practice. Plenty of people hand file and use the grinder every so often to get the cutters evened up, or when they rock a chain. I use the grinder almost all the time on cutters, and use it as well on depth gauges, which I finish off by hand filing.

 

[machinisttx]

I just ordered an Oregon clone from Northern Tool a week or so ago. Won't get to play with it until after Christmas though. I have been using a granberg guide and while I like it, it is really slow on chains that have hit nails/wire/other junk or been improperly sharpened previously. I will almost certainly continue using the granberg even after I get the grinder.

Also, for what it's worth, I highly recommend buying a Norbide dressing stick rather than the much cheaper black silicon carbide sticks. The Norbide will last literally forever and hold it's shape. When I worked in a toolroom, we used the norbide sticks for rough dressing a radius on a wheel rather than wearing out our diamond dressers. Some of the old timers had norbide sticks they'd been using for 10+ years and barely showed any wear. I just checked and it looks like the norbide sticks have doubled in price since the last time I paid any attention.

 

[memory]

After alot of thinking and tinkering around with trying to hand sharpen chains, I think I am going to buy a Oregon 511ax. Maybe alot of people have this problem but I just can't keep all the teeth and rakers the same for the life of me. I can't keep the left and right cutters the same at all. By the time the chain is getting towards the end of its life, there is a real noticeable difference in the length of the teeth. I guess I don't realize I am putting much more pressure on one side although it doesn't seem like it. And when that happens, it makes it difficult to keep the rakers in check. Don't get me wrong, the saw will cut through the wood pretty fast after I sharpen it but it just doesn't seem to throw big chips like it should for full chisel. Maybe certain types of woods does not produce chips no matter how sharp the chain is, I don't know. I think part of our problem is we let the chains go to long before we sharpen them and it takes alot of time to get them back into shape. Maybe I just need to have more patience and practice more. I know some of my problem is patience, in our lifestyle, we do everything in a hurry, the quicker the better. I usually try to take my time when sharpening but I also feel like I am in a hurry.

Now I know even using the best grinder made, there is still a bit of learning with it. I know you can still ruin a chain but I would like things to be more consistent.

I think I am going to bite the bullet and buy the Oregon grinder. I have thought about the Northern Tool grinder but I here the Oregon is much better quality. I know somebody that has an Oregon and I may take some chains over there and play around with it and see if I like it.

I don't know if anybody else has this problem but to me, I have trouble filing the rakers down. It seems no matter what file I use, I can't seem to file the rakers down. Are the rakers made out of harder material. Maybe the files I am using are wore out but I have tried several.

 

[lambs]

Make sure you have a good file and file the depth gauges from the inside out. Every stroke or two, I tap the file on the top of my bench vise to shake off the filings. That helps.

 

[Philbert]

I have the Oregon 511A and like it. You can still buy the Oregon 510, which is, similar, but doesn't have the vice tilt for the 10° down angle. Or you can buy the Speed Sharp grinders from Bailey's which are similar to the 511AX Except for the wheel where feature.

I normally grind my chains but will touch up with a file in the field.

I normally set the depth gauges with a file, and a depth gauge tool, because I haven't been able to do them on the grinder (!?).

The cutters and depth gauges are hardened at the same time and chrome plated at the same time so they should be the same hardness. Always file the depth gauges from the inside out and round them over slightly afterwards.

Philbert

 

[Husqavarna Guy]

I have the Oregon 511A and like it. You can still buy the Oregon 510, which is, similar, but doesn't have the vice tilt for the 10° down angle. Or you can buy the Speed Sharp grinders from Bailey's which are similar to the 511AX Except for the wheel where feature.

I normally grind my chains but will touch up with a file in the field.

I normally set the depth gauges with a file, and a depth gauge tool, because I haven't been able to do them on the grinder (!?).

The cutters and depth gauges are hardened at the same time and chrome plated at the same time so they should be the same hardness. Always file the depth gauges from the inside out and round them over slightly afterwards.

Philbert

 

[Husqavarna Guy]

May I ask why you take down the depth gauge from the inside out? I have never done this.

 

[Philbert]

Less chatter when you file.



The outside of the cutter is chromed and harder.

(That said, some versions of Oregon instructions will say to file the depth gauges on square ground chain from the outside in, just like the cutters (?). And some illustrations in STIHL manuals will also show filing depth gauges from the outside in).

Anyway, inside out is smoother and works for me.

Philbert

 

[lambs]

Less chatter when you file.

View attachment 331892

The outside of the cutter is chromed and harder.

(That said, some versions of Oregon instructions will say to file the depth gauges on square ground chain from the outside in, just like the cutters (?). And some illustrations in STIHL manuals will also show filing depth gauges from the outside in).

Anyway, inside out is smoother and works for me.

Philbert

Agreed. It just seems to work better.

I've filed cutters in the field to touch them up, but never depth gauges. I either grind them if there's a lot of adjustment needed, or I mount the bar in my bench vise and file them down there after grinding the cutters. With the bar in a vise, you can reverse the direction of the chain to make it easier to file the depth gauges.

Helpful hint; go to your local dealer and ask them for a short worn out bar in whatever gauge you need. They will give you one to use in your shop vise. Dress it properly and you'll have a nice bar to use for filing in the shop.

 

[Philbert]

I have a .050 bar and a .063 bar I use for this. I drove the nose sprockets out so that they work with any pitch chain.

They can also be used with a Granberg type jig for filing cutters.

Philbert

 

[lambs]

I have a .050 bar and a .063 bar I use for this. I drove the nose sprockets out so that they work with any pitch chain.

Philbert

Now there's a great idea!

 

[alderman]

Why buy new? I have found good used Oregon grinders for around $100 on Craigslist and eBay. Some look like they've hardly been used.

 

[memory]

I never knew that about the depth gauges. I don't understand why it would make a difference which way you file the rakers.

I have looked for used ones and I just haven't seen any. I would imagine this is one of those items that people hang on to or the asking price will be close to new price. I would like to get something right away.

 

[CR888]

lf you don't file from inside out on depth gauges you will hear a brain piercing sreech like finger nails scraping a black board.

 

[nstueve]

Seems like I just saw a actual Oregon (Italian Made) 511a on the trader/for sale ads on here or on (saw H A WG Z.com). Remove the spaces from the previous site, for whatever reason the mods are being tools and blocking my ability to reference that chainsaw site.

 

[memory]

Are the new Oregon's not made in Italy anymore?

I have looked on here and the other site and could not find any for sale.

 

[nstueve]

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/oregon-511a-200.251735/
doesn't say it's sold yet

 

[memory]

I guess I didn't see that one unless it just showed up.

I may buy one from the bay, I can get a new Oregon 511ax for $320 with all the accessories included. I seen one listing on the bay that says it comes with a 5/16 wheel where as the others do not. What would the 5/16 wheel be used for?

Question about grinding vs. hand filing, how much does grinding change the profile of the tooth? I know some people on here sharpen with a grinder then finish off with a few strokes with a file. I figured the grinder would change the profile of the tooth too much to finish off with a file.

Who makes the new Oregon's and where are they made?