After all these years I finally got a grinder

[old guy]

Last week on C L was an Oregon 511a with a nice heavy duty adjustable stand made out of about 3" heavy tubing and about a 24" base, it also has a 1/2" hard rubber insulator under the grinder.
He said he bought it 5 years ago and used it the first year to cut his firewood and then moved to a new house and no longer cut wood.
He did lose the 1/4" & 1/8" wheels and the manual while moving.
This grinder is like new, there is no wear on the bottom of the chain stop.
I got it home and proceded to clean up some of my 3/8 chain which needed help then I went on line and read the manual and read some of the threads here.
This thing showed me my hand fileing wasn't to bad but not near perfect.
I paid his asking price $150

John

 

[watsonr]

Good price on a used grinder. It will bring hours of joy.... you suck award.

 

[rd35]

I bought a similar generic brand grinder a few years ago. As a result of that purchase, I have now become a chainsaw enthusiast and a chain sharpening fanatic. Cutting firewood is fun now. I have heated my home for the past 16 years with an outdoor wood furnace. Cutting wood was always a bit of a hassle because I was constantly fighting my saw chains. I could never get my saws to cut like I wanted them to. After getting my grinder (and doing some study on cutters and proper sharpening techniques) I quickly learned how to make my stock saw cut like a champ. It was cool to feel big wood chips hitting my legs as my saw literally fell through a 16 in. dia. red oak log. That little sharpener has made ALL the difference in my overall enjoyment of firewood cutting!!! I have also started sharpening chains for hire....I have almost paid for the grinder at this point!
Congrats! Enjoy your grinder old guy!

 

[cedarshark]

Don't tell any family,friends or strangers from the coffee shop. Dull, rocked & worn out chains will start showing up in the same envelope as your Christmas cards.

 

[cityboy172]

After buying a grinder, I now know why the guy I used to use was never excited to see me. I'm definitely a lot nicer to my equiptment now.

 

[rd35]

After buying a grinder, I now know why the guy I used to use was never excited to see me. I'm definitely a lot nicer to my equiptment now.

Yep! Right there with you! I can cut twice the wood on a sharp chain now because I am so careful with it!

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Good price on a used grinder. It will bring hours of joy.... you suck award.

I guess I suck also. My neighbor brought one over a few weeks ago and gave it to me along with a handful of discs. I think he'll want me to sharpen his chains though...

 

[watsonr]

He brought you a grinder and the disks with some chains... that's pretty cool. He didn't call you any names by chance, Sweet-hart, snookums, honey-bunch or anything related to Santa when he's happy?

You need to nip this in the bud ASAP! Grind a crappy chain and bring it to him, make sure its junk! When he brings the chain back to complain, show him the grinder and the angles that are set to grind the chain... take your time and be convincing. Then when he's starting to see your point... and with a straight face, tell him he should have bought a better grinder. He won't ask again, problem solved and I'll bet you even get a "YOU SUCK" from him!

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I wore out 2 wheels just this week sharpening chains. I did about a 5 gal pail worth. I have 4 more pails to go.

Don't tell any family,friends or strangers from the coffee shop. Dull, rocked & worn out chains will start showing up in the same envelope as your Christmas cards.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I really haven't had enough experience with these grinders to do a decent job sharpening good chains. I've been practicing on worn out ones for now..

 

[old guy]

Just read everything you can find on these forums and you'll figure it out in no time, the most important thing is to take very lite quick cuts, just a tap and move on to the next one, if you linger on a cutter it will over heat and turn blue and this hardens it and thats really hard on files if you try to file them later.
I've been filing for nearly 50 years and have run into chains that were hardened on a grinder and they will destroy a file. I told a saw dealer I had bought a grinder and he said well your fileing days are over cus once you grind em there too hard to file, nooo I said that don't sound right so I went home and dragged the 361 to the bench and put the 13/64 file to it and it and it cut it easy peasy, so I guess I won't have him grind any chain.
Just set your settings, take lite cuts and practice, I told you it was easy, I've had my grinder a week and already I'me an expert.

(an ex is a has been and a spert is just a drip under pressure)

John

 

[heyduke]

Just read everything you can find on these forums and you'll figure it out in no time, the most important thing is to take very lite quick cuts, just a tap and move on to the next one, if you linger on a cutter it will over heat and turn blue and this hardens it and thats really hard on files if you try to file them later.
I've been filing for nearly 50 years and have run into chains that were hardened on a grinder and they will destroy a file. I told a saw dealer I had bought a grinder and he said well your fileing days are over cus once you grind em there too hard to file, nooo I said that don't sound right so I went home and dragged the 361 to the bench and put the 13/64 file to it and it and it cut it easy peasy, so I guess I won't have him grind any chain.
Just set your settings, take lite cuts and practice, I told you it was easy, I've had my grinder a week and already I'me an expert.

(an ex is a has been and a spert is just a drip under pressure)

John

i use the same technique, quick, light cuts and multiple passes, and a caliper to keep cutter lengths within my tolerance. but, there's something you may want to try, a resonoid wheel. you can take much bigger cuts without over heating. they do need to be dressed more often, but it's worth it. they're available from baileys now. also, a good, strong pair of reading glasses can be a big help, even if your vision is perfect.

 

[fatboycowen]

I bought a knock off Oregon grinder from tractor supply and I'm blown away. I previously used the granberg file n joint. This is so much easier! All u need is a reasonable amount of mechanical ability, and an understanding of the angles. Also watch the Oregon video that explains how to use it.
I bought a borazon wheel but haven't tried it yet.

 

[Overclock]

(an ex is a has been and a spert is just a drip under pressure)

John

True that brotha man. Outstanding results have been obtained when a drip was under pressure.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I'm trying to figure out the best angles for grinding a chain. Most of mine are 3/8 050 like big Macs and Homelite saws.

 

[old guy]

Most folks just go with 60 30 o till they find some reason not too, works for me with that chain.

John

 

[w8ye]

I bought a used Oregon 511A a couple years ago. I put a Borazon wheel on it and the chains get sharpened.

 

[super3]

Most folks just go with 60 30 o till they find some reason not too, works for me with that chain.

John

Dropping lower on the 60° will get you closer to a hand filed cutter.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Yeah 60 30 0 for saws and 60 35 0 for harvester chain is what I do.

 

[old guy]

With full chizzle chain I am getting a lot of hook at the corner with 60, I don't think I want more, going below 60 may work for semi chiz. but I don't use much of that.

John