Best chain grinding angles on Stihl RS ?

[Trx250r180]

whats the advantage of a pink wheel over the normal grey wheels that I get from stihl?

The pink on my oregon needed dressing often ,would plug up with black gunk and turn the chain hot ,the grey did not so bad ,i would think the pink being better price is only bonus if trying to save a buck ,i had 2 in my shopping cart ,thought about it for a second and went with the metal one ,they do not need to be dressed and are suposed to last a long time ,i have never tried to use the forrester wheels in pink so not sure if they plug up the same or not ,just going off the other brand i had

 

[AKDoug]

15 should be a little sharper ,steeper angle ,in softwoods can tell the difference ,not sure on harder wood though ,it will dull faster also ,zero will last the longest ,but not cut as good ,when i mill i run zero ,and a 10 degree top plate ,and 40 on the tilt ,just depends what you are doing i guess ,my chains last all day milling with those angles unless i have a rock stuck in the log ,the shorter angles also give me a nice finish when i mill ,everything is a compromise on chain

Slow day at the shop. I finally sat down and took photos of the difference of 0 and +/-15 on the USG..

In this photo you can see how the 15 setting allows a "taper" towards the inside of the tooth. I'm not sure what kind of advantage it is, but it's there.


In this photo you can see how the 0 setting sets the wheel so that the tooth edge is equal all the way back.

 

[big t double]

that looks like it may affect the inside top plate angle a hair maybe? that's a good picture comparo akdoug...thanks. looks like redbull660 has some more chain angles to test hahahaha.

on a side note...im not a fan of sharpening that clipped heal Oregon chain. I can never get the chain stop to rest in exactly the same spot twice unless I way over tighten the clamp. and I don't like doing that either.

 

[AKDoug]

that looks like it may affect the inside top plate angle a hair maybe? that's a good picture comparo akdoug...thanks. looks like redbull660 has some more chain angles to test hahahaha.

on a side note...im not a fan of sharpening that clipped heal Oregon chain. I can never get the chain stop to rest in exactly the same spot twice unless I way over tighten the clamp. and I don't like doing that either.

It doesn't effect top plate angle. I didn't change it at all between the photos. It does effect that depth setting, though. As for that Oregon chain, it's a junker on my bench. I traded the guy out for a good RS chain after he dropped a couple hundred bucks on fixing an 038. Figured it was the least I could do

 

[Trx250r180]

Slow day at the shop. I finally sat down and took photos of the difference of 0 and +/-15 on the USG..

In this photo you can see how the 15 setting allows a "taper" towards the inside of the tooth. I'm not sure what kind of advantage it is, but it's there.


In this photo you can see how the 0 setting sets the wheel so that the tooth edge is equal all the way back.

is one - 15 ? seems like i get a steeper side plate with minus on the lh cutters and +15 on the rh cutters

 

[big t double]

I gotcha...I guess it just looks like your witness mark on the wheel lines up a little different on the tops in the photos. so at 0 setting the wheel comes down farther into the tooth? I spose that makes sense since your more toward the center of the wheel? im gonna study that photo a little more. heeeeyyyy redbull...sounds like you better get your grinder back out hahahaha

 

[AKDoug]

I gotcha...I guess it just looks like your witness mark on the wheel lines up a little different on the tops in the photos. so at 0 setting the wheel comes down farther into the tooth? I spose that makes sense since your more toward the center of the wheel? im gonna study that photo a little more. heeeeyyyy redbull...sounds like you better get your grinder back out hahahaha

On the USG, the +/- 15 effectively moves the center of the wheel fore and aft by moving the chain clamp fore and aft, so when you adjust that you also have to adjust the vertical stop. Clear as mud, right? Maybe I'll make a video some day.

is one - 15 ? seems like i get a steeper side plate with minus on the lh cutters and +15 on the rh cutters

That's at -30 on the rotation, -15 on the slider, 40deg head tilt.

 

[dimanager]

The pink on my oregon needed dressing often ,would plug up with black gunk and turn the chain hot ,the grey did not so bad ,i would think the pink being better price is only bonus if trying to save a buck ,i had 2 in my shopping cart ,thought about it for a second and went with the metal one ,they do not need to be dressed and are suposed to last a long time ,i have never tried to use the forrester wheels in pink so not sure if they plug up the same or not ,just going off the other brand i had

Have you tried using a tire marking pencil? Looks kind of like a big crayon. I use one on the wheel about every 5 teeth. It helps keep the wheel cool.

Sam

 

[big t double]

I guess ill have to set up my spare usg in my garage sometime and play around with it. ive always used +/-10. that's how my pops taught me about 12 or so years ago...and that's how he was taught so ive always ran with it. ive played with that angle a little but never really could tell much difference....then again I didn't pay close enough attention. I never adjust the vertical stop...I just stop grinding once I get in the gullet. I probly sharpen chains the way wrong way hahaha. I don't think ill even mention how I grind rakers hahaha

 

[Fire8]

On a 511ax what would the setting be, I got mine at 60/30/0
Does it need to be 60/30/0 +10 -10

 

[Moparmyway]

On a 511ax what would the setting be, I got mine at 60/30/0
Does it need to be 60/30/0 +10 -10

60/30/0 is a good setting on the 511a. 55/30/0 is a little more hook and more agressive

 

[MCW]

Just remember guys that sharpness and durability are completely different. Feeling sharp to the touch does not necessarily mean it will last long in wood. An example is trying to chop a tree down with a scalpel compared to an axe.
"Razor" sharp chains lose the razor part about 1 second after hitting wood.

 

[MCW]

I grind customers chains all the time, if they bring a loop.
If its not rocked and on the bar, I file ........... its faster

I wish I had your customers. Any chains I see are that hammered they're nearly always a bin job I need to send out instructions to specify that the chains I sell are not for cutting bricks and concrete.

 

[cutforfun]

On the 511ax when you adjust +10 or-10 you set the guide past 30° . I would assume with the USG going +- it changes the angle also?

 

[super3]

It's not at the common 60deg... it's at 50 if done on an Oregon grinder, or 40 if done on a USG. I have no issues with life span or sharpness on that chain, at that angle.

The post above in red needs a way of automatically showing up in all threads about " what angle do I (you) use".

I have mentioned this many times,most of the time I get the same reply, "that's an awful lot of hook". No it's not, it just gets me back to factory RS angle.

Don't be afraid to stray from the suggested 60° setting.

 

[Moparmyway]

I wish I had your customers. Any chains I see are that hammered they're nearly always a bin job I need to send out instructions to specify that the chains I sell are not for cutting bricks and concrete.

Oh, I get my share of guys that use chainsaws as ditch-diggers, this guy was bragging about his "recent success" at hand filing, said he uses a tapered rats tail file ....... looks like it too

 

[CR888]

A well filed chain is not just sharp...it self feeds, its smooth with minimal vibration. The kind of wood your cutting plays a big part in how your chain performs.

 

[MustangMike]

Agree 100%, and durability is also a very underrated attribute that is important to most of us. Correct angles (etc) for hardwood vs softwood will not be the same. The best chain for U depends on UR circumstances.

 

[lambs]

The post above in red needs a way of automatically showing up in all threads about " what angle do I (you) use".

I have mentioned this many times,most of the time I get the same reply, "that's an awful lot of hook". No it's not, it just gets me back to factory RS angle.

Don't be afraid to stray from the suggested 60° setting.

I agree with you. I arrived at the settings I use by comparing the hook on a new chain with the hook I was getting on my 511a at 60....and it was not the same. On my grinder at least, 58 looks a lot more like factory.

Since I've also noted the scale markings on my own grinders do not seem accurate, I'd recommend anyone using a grinder to use our suggestions as a starting point and adjust from there based on their own results. For example, I've noticed using the 30 degree markings on the vise table do not result in a grind that parallels the witness marks on the cutters for 30 degrees. So I go about 32 on those. But the scale on another grinder may differ.

 

[Moparmyway]

I used a protractor and indexed my 511a to read accurately