Anyone familiar with this gauge and how to use it?

[calamari]

While going through my pile of treasures i came across this sticking out of a big puddle of roofing tar that had leaked out of a can on a shelf. I feel confident that it's a chain sharpening gauge that may have come with my Makita cordless chain sharpener. Any manual is long gone and looking at it I can't see how it's intended to be used.
There are two small pressed ears on the top with flat sides facing each other that I assume is to help locate a flat file for shortening rakers. They are on both sides of the opening that I assume the raker is intended to fit through. There is a bent ear that looks like it's intended to locate behind the raker that can be seen from the side between the letters "A" and "G" in "GAGE"
Now the mystery. There are 4 notches with .025, .030, .035, and .040 stamped next to the notches. The only thing is, measuring the depth of the .025 notch for example I find it measures .100" with each notch getting progressively deeper. There are three round notches that are the same as sharpening file diameters and then an open end wrench tool on the end that fits my Makita.
So, what is it and how do you use the notch gauges and the filing slot? As it is, filing along the top of the gauge would make the raker higher than the tooth. Wrong! There is no attachment for The Makita that would fit this tool.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Whatever it is, it's well made.

 

[calamari]

Yup, that's as far as i got with it too.

 

[homemade]

I’d have to fondle it to let my brain re-engineer it.


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[Bob Hedgecutter]

I’d have to fondle it to let my brain re-engineer it.


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Remind me not to introduce you to my wife.

 

[calamari]

I’d have to fondle it to let my brain re-engineer it.


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I'm glad I didn't show him a picture of my truck's dipstick. Now I don't want to have anything to do with that gauge.
Seriously, what is it and how do you use it?

 

[pdqdl]

That strongly resembles the orange (plastic) tool that I got with my Oregon grinder back in 1987. It was only a flat rectangle, though, and the guard teeth stuck out through holes in the plastic. It was NOT for filing upon, but just to check depth.

The rounded notches are for calibrating the shape of your grind wheel with a dressing stone. There is a notch to match the common thickness sizes of the wheels.

I'll bet your grind wheels were held on with a 10mm bolt head, for which you have a tool.

Straddle the chain with that notch on the top, and see if the various gauge depths don't line up with the proper thickness when the notch is laid on the "depth gauge" tooth and while the tang touches the cutting edge.
That's just a guess, by the way.

 

[calamari]

That strongly resembles the orange (plastic) tool that I got with my Oregon grinder back in 1987. It was only a flat rectangle, though, and the guard teeth stuck out through holes in the plastic. It was NOT for filing upon, but just to check depth.

The rounded notches are for calibrating the shape of your grind wheel with a dressing stone. There is a notch to match the common thickness sizes of the wheels.

I'll bet your grind wheels were held on with a 10mm bolt head, for which you have a tool.

Straddle the chain with that notch on the top, and see if the various gauge depths don't line up with the proper thickness when the notch is laid on the "depth gauge" tooth and while the tang touches the cutting edge.
That's just a guess, by the way.

Excellent guesses based on the small amount of info I was able to provide. My Makita tool is like a large Dremel that you use by putting mounted stones into a collet on the front and that 10mm "wrench" end is used to tighten the nut on the collet clamping the stone in place. I think that's what you described.
I'll try putting that "Thing" on the chain with the bent over "stop" against the tooth's cutting edge and see if any of those notches line up with the top of the bar. It seems to be made as a gauge for cutting with a file but the actual opening for a file is only about 1/2" wide. I bet it'll be one of those really cool head slappers whose use is obvious once it's divined but will fall into the category of space alien technology until then. I bet the spelling of "Gage" is somehow a clue too. Maybe that's how they spell it on Remulak.
Thanks for the reply.

 

[les-or-more]

Excellent guesses based on the small amount of info I was able to provide. My Makita tool is like a large Dremel that you use by putting mounted stones into a collet on the front and that 10mm "wrench" end is used to tighten the nut on the collet clamping the stone in place. I think that's what you described.
I'll try putting that "Thing" on the chain with the bent over "stop" against the tooth's cutting edge and see if any of those notches line up with the top of the bar. It seems to be made as a gauge for cutting with a file but the actual opening for a file is only about 1/2" wide. I bet it'll be one of those really cool head slappers whose use is obvious once it's divined but will fall into the category of space alien technology until then. I bet the spelling of "Gage" is somehow a clue too. Maybe that's how they spell it on Remulak.
Thanks for the reply.

Somewhere around here I have one just like it that came with my MAXX grinder, it gauges wheel shape and all the chain parameters.

 

[calamari]

The odd thing is that I never had anything other than a hand sharpener. It's entirely possible that I found it in the street but I doubt it.
How is it used? Can you remember?

 

[les-or-more]

The odd thing is that I never had anything other than a hand sharpener. It's entirely possible that I found it in the street but I doubt it.
How is it used? Can you remember?

The only thing I remember is the notches on the side are used to gauge the shape of the wheel, to get the proper tooth profile.
You are supposed to use the wheel dresser and the gauge frequently, or your cutter geometry will get out of whack. I have a manual around here somewhere that tells you I believe.

 

[Old2stroke]

You are missing a piece. There is a plate that attaches to the end of the grinder with a slot in it that the grinder stone protrudes through. To set it up, the plate is brought to rest on top of the gauge and the various slots are used to adjust how far the grinder protrudes through the plate, this is for doing the depth of the rakers. The grinder plate has degree marks on it to help sharpening the cutter and the plate can be adjusted to give the right depth for cleaning out the gullet and producing the right side profile. It's a PIA to set up as the adjustment of the plate is too coarse and fiddly.

 

[calamari]

You are missing a piece. There is a plate that attaches to the end of the grinder with a slot in it that the grinder stone protrudes through. To set it up, the plate is brought to rest on top of the gauge and the various slots are used to adjust how far the grinder protrudes through the plate, this is for doing the depth of the rakers. The grinder plate has degree marks on it to help sharpening the cutter and the plate can be adjusted to give the right depth for cleaning out the gullet and producing the right side profile. It's a PIA to set up as the adjustment of the plate is too coarse and fiddly.

Maybe i did find it in the street because it's all I have. If it's for setting up a more elaborate machine, I'm going to put it back in the tar because I don't have that machine.

 

[Old2stroke]

Maybe i did find it in the street because it's all I have. If it's for setting up a more elaborate machine, I'm going to put it back in the tar because I don't have that machine.

Not for a more elaborate device, just a simple piece that attaches to the front of these 12v rotary grinder tools. If you still have the Makita, it might still be on it.

 

[calamari]

Not for a more elaborate device, just a simple piece that attaches to the front of these 12v rotary grinder tools. If you still have the Makita, it might still be on it.

I still have and use the Makita to sharpen my chains. If it requires something to be attached to the grinder, I don't have it. Since the Makita takes stones of specific sizes there's really no use for the tool gauges. It makes a lot of sense if it's to be used while dressing a sharpening wheel though as you suggest.

 

[farmer steve]

I still have and use the Makita to sharpen my chains. If it requires something to be attached to the grinder, I don't have it. Since the Makita takes stones of specific sizes there's really no use for the tool gauges. It makes a lot of sense if it's to be used while dressing a sharpening wheel though as you suggest.

I'll say Google the makita grinder for a manual. May show that piece in there. Just a thought.

 

[Philbert]

I still have and use the Makita to sharpen my chains.

I'll say Google the makita grinder for a manual.

My thoughts, especially if you have the grinder with the model number.

Philbert

 

[calamari]

I'll say Google the makita grinder for a manual. May show that piece in there. Just a thought.

Excellent suggestion but every time I Google up anything that has "Makita", "cordless" and "chainsaw sharpener" in it I get a bunch of stuff about their cordless chainsaws. I was being lazy so I went and got the sharpener and put in the model number for Google to search and "BOING!", there it is.
I vaguely recall that guide that they show clamped to the tool so now the search is on to find that because otherwise what I have is useless. Looks like a good mechanism. I've used the tool a long time w/o that guide so who knows how much better my chains would be with it.
Thanks everyone for the replies.

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/98029/Makita-903d.html?page=11#manual

 

[Stihl a grasshopper]

All I know is that if you have a 10mm on there it’s bound to disappear if you don’t put it in a safe place!

 

[calamari]

I fully expect that Nancy will wrap it up and give it to me for my birthday in a couple months and I'll be so happy to get it even though it looks like somebody sold her a very used tool.