In the process of upgrading my grinder I'm looking at a lot of them and some have a feature for tilting the vise up to 10 deg, supposedly for doing chisel chains. Is this a worthwhile feature? My existing one seems to do a good job without it.
Can you share what grinder has that feature? Thanks!In the process of upgrading my grinder I'm looking at a lot of them and some have a feature for tilting the vise up to 10 deg, supposedly for doing chisel chains. Is this a worthwhile feature? My existing one seems to do a good job without it.
My 79 dollar ebay Tecomec clone has itCan you share what grinder has that feature? Thanks!
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Which eBay clone do you have? Do you like it?My 79 dollar ebay Tecomec clone has it
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Basically this...Which eBay clone do you have? Do you like it?
Oh, I see what you mean. I have the Tecomec one (I think its in Carlton brand) and never use that feature. Maybe I should.Basically this...
It works well. Great frame and motor, 2 years now regular use in My shop, easily 5 or 600 chains and no issues
https://www.ebay.com/itm/124218306190
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That’s the one I was thinking it was thanks!Basically this...
It works well. Great frame and motor, 2 years now regular use in My shop, easily 5 or 600 chains and no issues
https://www.ebay.com/itm/124218306190
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Semi chisel chains can benefit from adding a 10 degree down angle like the chisel chains also. Not all chains respond, but some respond well. More and more chains are being produced with a steeper head angle also (50 instead of standard 60). If the manufacturers grinding instructions say 50-60 you can bet that it was ground at 50. Semi chisel chains cut well at 50.In the process of upgrading my grinder I'm looking at a lot of them and some have a feature for tilting the vise up to 10 deg, supposedly for doing chisel chains. Is this a worthwhile feature? My existing one seems to do a good job without it.
This feature doesn't appear to be there to add to, or change the head angle, the head angle can be set from 50 deg to 90 deg on the head adjustment. The feature tilts the vise at an angle that is 90 deg to vise rails, not in the same direction of the rails. In other words, it appears to tilt the chain sideways, not in the direction that would change the head angle.Semi chisel chains can benefit from adding a 10 degree down angle like the chisel chains also. Not all chains respond, but some respond well. More and more chains are being produced with a steeper head angle also (50 instead of standard 60). If the manufacturers grinding instructions say 50-60 you can bet that it was ground at 50. Semi chisel chains cut well at 50.
Yes, the head angle adjustment adjusts the angle at which the wheel grinds the cutter. Standard adjustment is 60 but a lot of chains like the Oregon 91VXL are ground at 50. The down angle is adjusted by slanting the vise rails as you said. I have ground some semi chisel chains at 10, and saw minimal improvement, but others saw no improvement.This feature doesn't appear to be there to add to, or change the head angle, the head angle can be set from 50 deg to 90 deg on the head adjustment. The feature tilts the vise at an angle that is 90 deg to vise rails, not in the same direction of the rails. In other words, it appears to tilt the chain sideways, not in the direction that would change the head angle.
Thank you, that clears things up nicely.The 10° tilt is usually referred to as a 'down angle', since you drop the handle of the file down (even though you are filing UP !) to obtain it. It creates more of a compound bevel on the top plate cutting edge. It is illustrated as 'B' in the filing chart below.
View attachment 874767
Oregon used to recommend it only on some of their full-chisel chains, and later, on many of their semi-chisel chains too. Some Oregon engineers I have spoken with say that it absolutely makes a difference in cutting speed/performance under controlled testing. STIHL does not recommend it; they state that the file should be held at a 0° down angle, (or at 90° to the chain, depending on your perspective).
Taking this to grinders, several of the Oregon, Tecomec, and clone grinders (but not all) achieve this effect by tilting the vise (see photos). Some achieve this by sliding the vise forward or back (so that the chain it touched by a different part of the grinding wheel rim circumference).
View attachment 874768
My full sized grinders allow this feature, but I do not use it unless I am sharpening for someone who specifically asks for it.
- First, because it requires a few extra steps to tilt the vise, forward, then back again, for each loop.
- Second, because I don't personally notice a significant difference in cutting performance for the types of cutting that I do.
- Third, I am usually grinding chains that will be hand filed in the field. Many conventional file guides, as well as the STIHL/Pferd '2-In-1' guide, are only supposed to be used at a 0° down angle. So if I grind at a tilt, and they file at 90°, it will take them a lot of file strokes, and waste a lot of metal, just to get the files to 'nest' properly against the cutters again.
So, if you think that you want to be able to do this, even just to experiment or occasionally, choose a grinder that allows it. If not, lacking this feature should not be a deal breaker.
Philbert
That’s a place to start. 30 / 60 / 0 is usually the ‘standard’ setting. My ‘standard’ is 30 / 55 / 0.@Philbert finally got the grinder from you set up. So if I have my head set at 60 and cutter angle at 25, I should be good to go?
Will a “smaller” head angle cause a more pronounced hook in the cutter?That’s a place to start. 30 / 60 / 0 is usually the ‘standard’ setting. My ‘standard’ is 30 / 55 / 0.
Philbert
Take some 'scrap' chains and experiment. Make small changes in the grinder settings and see how each changes the cutter profile. Take a filed chain that you really like, mount it in the grinder (switch 'OFF') and try to 'copy' those settings, and compare those to the 'standard' settings.Will a “smaller” head angle cause a more pronounced hook in the cutter?
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