511AX Vise

[Old_Logger]

And I think you mentioned elsewhere that with the 10 degree tilt on the right hand cutters the vice handle gets in the way of the degree settings on the vice to where you cannot read them.

Some Tecomecs have reversible motors as the single direction on Oregon and some Tecomec grinders deal is a U/L listing thing for the USA.

I was taught to NEVER sharpen a chainsaw from back to front (point). Always sharpen from point to back. Sharpening from back to point will create a burr. Because of this, I did a lot of research on the machine and a procedure for reversing the direction of rotation on the motor.
I discovered (by watching a youtube video by Rosa String Works) that you can run the Oregon 511AX in reverse.
It was hard to believe, but it works like a charm. You can skip to 8:45 in the video () and watch the procedure.
In a nutshell, get the grinder adjusted for the chain tooth and stick a hex bit in your drill, place it in the bolt that holds the grindrock on and spin it backwards. After it gets up to speed, pull the drill out and hit the power switch and the machine will run backwards to eliminate the "burr" on the cutting edge.
You have to spin it fast and switch power on as soon as you remove the drill driver bit.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Many folks here will argue that the burr caused by sharpening the cutter from back to point will disappear rather rapidly as the saw cuts and, therefore, should not be a major worry. I tend to agree with them.

 

[Old_Logger]

Many folks here will argue that the burr caused by sharpening the cutter from back to point will disappear rather rapidly as the saw cuts and, therefore, should not be a major worry. I tend to agree with them.

I don't care how fast it "disappears", I prefer it NEVER "appear". If you are happy with a burr, carry on. I don't know anyone who deliberately puts a burr on their knife blade. Since they are both cutting edges, I would respectfully disagree with anyone who wants them on their chains. In case of point, how many burrs do you see on the chains that the manufacturer provides you? None. Enough said.

 

[Philbert]

Only real way to get identical right and left cutters, is to reverse the chain in the vise while grinding . The Oregon style grinders do not allow this.

If you just reverse the direction that the grinding wheel spins, you are still grinding down onto the right cutters, and grinding up on the left cutters.

With additional grinding head travel, and minor changes to the vise, it would be possible to reverse the chain, without throwing grinding dust at the operator, and potentially exposing them to injury if the wheel explodes.

Philbert

 

[Canyon Angler]

In a nutshell, get the grinder adjusted for the chain tooth and stick a hex bit in your drill, place it in the bolt that holds the grindrock on and spin it backwards. After it gets up to speed, pull the drill out and hit the power switch and the machine will run backwards to eliminate the "burr" on the cutting edge.
You have to spin it fast and switch power on as soon as you remove the drill driver bit.

You get a burr when filing, too. You also get a burr when sharpening a knife or a chisel or anything else, regardless of the quality of the steel, the grit size of the stone, the direction you grind or hone it, or how well you keep the bevel consistent.

It's called a "wire edge" and you can remove it with a leather strop and jeweller's rouge. Or you can just use the tool, and the burr will be knocked off. (Not that chainsaw chains necessarily need to be stropped.)

Doing backflips through hula hoops to get a grinder to run backwards to thereby supposedly avoid a burr that is, metallurgically speaking, unavoidable is – well, a personal decision, and not for everyone.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

The only reason I see to go the extra mile to get a perfect edge on a chain is if you are cutting for money in a competition where tenths of a second can mean cash in hand or going home broke. The firewood in your truck won't care.

edit... I should add "In my opinion"... and we all know how important my opinion is. LOL

 

[Old_Logger]

You get a burr when filing, too. You also get a burr when sharpening a knife or a chisel or anything else, regardless of the quality of the steel, the grit size of the stone, the direction you grind or hone it, or how well you keep the bevel consistent.

It's called a "wire edge" and you can remove it with a leather strop and jeweller's rouge. Or you can just use the tool, and the burr will be knocked off. (Not that chainsaw chains necessarily need to be stropped.)

Doing backflips through hula hoops to get a grinder to run backwards to thereby supposedly avoid a burr that is, metallurgically speaking, unavoidable is – well, a personal decision, and not for everyone.

It really isn't backflips through or not through a hoop, it is very easy and quick, but I agree. A good sharp edge is not for everyone. I re-iterate though, I have never seen a burr on a new chain... That should tell us all something.
I personally have used a file, sometimes with a file, most times without for my entire life until the last couple of months. My hands no longer can hold out to use a file. That being said, when I used a file, I never created a burr on the leading edge of a chainsaw, hatchet, hoe, or axe. The edge angle I put on those prevent a burr, unlike a knife or straight razor which is a totally different situation and was used as an example which was totally missed. Of course, when you sharpen something a fine edge, there is no way to keep the burr from forming which requires the "strop" you referenced. On the other hand, if you WERE to sharpen a chainsaw to a razor sharp edge it would be too thin to last long enough to cut anything but the softest wood and not very big at that.
Enjoy your chainsaw the way you see fit.

 

[Canyon Angler]

when I used a file, I never created a burr on the leading edge of a chainsaw, hatchet, hoe, or axe.

Any time you sharpen something to a beveled edge, you get a burr. It doesn't matter whether it's a straight razor with a 8° bevel or a chisel with a 30° bevel. Why? Because when two planes intersect (in a line which has a thickness of zero), the edge at the intersection eventually gets so thin that the steel, with its granular structure, isn't strong enough to prevent the edge from rolling over, creating a burr. A photomicrograph of any sharp edge will show this. For example, this edge is probably sharp enough to shave with, and certainly sharp enough to cut wood, yet it has a BURR! OMG!

What invariably happens is that the burr breaks off, leaving the edge more of a "U" or "Π" shape than a "V" shape at a microscopic level, yet it's still pretty freaking sharp, even after the burr has been knocked off. There is no way to avoid this. You can make a cutting tool out of carbide or ceramic, and the edge will get much thinner than steel before it rolls over, but there will still always be a burr. The only reason you don't feel burrs on factory chains is because they have been removed either through burnishing or handling or whatever, and if you look at a "factory sharpened" chain through a microscope, you will see that same "U" or "Π" profile. The bottom line is that any burr created by grinding the chain toward the point is going to immediately break off as soon as you use it – leaving that same "U" or "Π" profile mentioned.

All of this is just a long way of saying that it probably isn't worth jacking around with drills and special "grinder startup gymnastics" to make grinders spin backwards, since you end up with the same thing either way as soon as the wire edge touches something and breaks off. But whatever floats yer boat...

 

[Philbert]

I have never seen a burr on a new chain... That should tell us all something.

The edges on new cutters are ground before the chains are assembled, on machines that probably cost more than many of our houses. That said, companies like Oregon and STIHL, that manufacture chain, sell us these grinders that produce a small burr for resharpening.

I have never used the Maxx grinder, but I believe that it lets you grind both R and L cutters 'outside-in'. There are several threads on it here on A.S. if you use the search function.

. . . if you WERE to sharpen a chainsaw to a razor sharp edge it would be too thin to last long enough to cut anything . . .

Yes.

Philbert

 

[wcorey]

And anyway, the only way to get a truly sharp edge on a chain is to remove the chrome plating.
Some of the burr you see is the chrome, which is very brittle and flakes off the edge pretty much as soon as something touches it at a tangent angle.