Northern Tool grinder bar rails

I was setting up this Northern Tool round grinder for some 95VP oregon chain. This is their narrow kerf chain; .325 pitch, 0.043" gauge.

I noticed that the gap in bar rail chain holder was pretty wide. It looks like at least 1/16th or maybe more, like 0.070". Anyway, there was quite a bit of slop. Has anyone else noticed this and perhaps come up with a way to tighten it up? The cutter tooth that is lined up for grinding moves quite a bit when the cam is tightened.

I was thinking of drilling out one of the bar rails so that the shoulder of the bolts would fit into the bar rail and then I could put different sized washers on the bolts for different gauge chains. If I had a lathe, I'd just remove the shoulder from the bolts and put a thinner (like 0.050") washer on there. I'll try to get a picture of this to show you all what I mean.

Also, the tops of the bar rails aren't very even, so I think I'll file them down to get a smoother surface.

The is an allen screw I use to adjust the gap. It is on the opposite side of the chain vise. Hope this helps.

PA Plumber, the bar rails on your grinder look like they are much closer together than the ones on mine. I need to take a closer look at how mine was assembled to see if it was put together correctly. I've snugged up the allen screw on the backside already, but still noticed that the cutter tips in a bit when the cam is tightened. It might not make any difference in how sharp the cutter gets, but it still concerns me.

Maybe before messing around with it, I'll finish sharpening a loop of this 95VP and put it to some wood. If it cuts fine, then I'll leave the grinder as is.

Thanks for the pictures.

Yep, this bothered me a lil, not a big deal as long as the teeth line up in the same spot everytime.



But I did do more mods than I let on, mostly due to specialized equipment being needed.

Turns out what I thought were shoulders on the allen bolts were nothing more than little washers that spaced the bar rails apart. They are 0.080" thick. All I needed to do was mic a bunch of stuff laying around the shop and I found some sheet metal pipe hangers that were 0.065" thick with drilled holes already there. So, I just cut some spacers from the pipe hanger and replaced the 0.080" spacers with the 0.065" ones.

I also had to grind off one of the tabs stamped into the bar rail so they can get closer together. Now, when I tighten the cam, the cutter tooth lined up for sharpening barely moves at all and has a more upright position under the grinding wheel versus being tipped over a bit as it was before.

I'll get some pics and post when I get home.

Has moving the rails caused the chain to be offcenter from what was originally designed? Would you not need to move the completen rail assembly out by the same amount you move the outside rail in? If this makes any sense. The difference in spacing may not make much difference. I wondered if now one cutter gets cut more than the other side?
Greg Harrison

That's a good point Greg. I'll have to take a close look to see if I screwed something up

However, thinking about it, the cam pushed the cutter against the back bar rail, and it still does this the same way. Now, with the drive link captured a bit more tightly between the bar rails, it just looks like the cutter tips over less when the cam is tightened. I might just be blowing smoke here, but with the cabin fever setting in, I just couldn't help myself. I still have the 0.080" spacers to put back in if I screwed something up with the 0.065" shims.

I just wish I could get this 95VP on my square grinder because I think it would make a great chain if it was square ground, but the height and profile of the cutter just don't work on the Silvey. I tried it!

Greg Harrison said:

Has moving the rails caused the chain to be offcenter from what was originally designed? Would you not need to move the completen rail assembly out by the same amount you move the outside rail in? If this makes any sense. The difference in spacing may not make much difference. I wondered if now one cutter gets cut more than the other side?
Greg Harrison

Click to expand...

Nah, it works out OK.

You arent doing anything in moving it in this manner that the normal wheel wear doesent do anyway.


I ground my washers to .070 from .085, helped a bit. I left them set at .070 so I can gring chain with .068 DL's as well as .050.

Looks like another mod to be done to make the machine a little more user friendly!
Thanks
Greg Harrison