how to sharpen with Oregon/Tecomec grinder , a video

[heyduke]

Over the years I've seen quite a few questions here about how to sharpen a chain and how to operate a grinder. The last one I saw a few weeks ago made me resolve to make a vid. This is just covers the basics and some of you hombres will likely have suggestions. I hope to start on part B, depth gauges, in a few days. Hope you enjoy...

 

[chipper1]

Great job on the video.
Waiting for part two.

 

[heyduke]

Great job on the video.
Waiting for part two.

Thanks for the feed back. I started part 2 yesterday. I was having problems with the required extreme close-ups, but finally found the old canon that i use for that. my opinion, significant performance gains come easier with proper depth gauge shaping than with muffler mods and porting.

 

[chipper1]

Agreed.
Some saws/ need the guages set different than manufacturer specs to cut most effectively
Do you progressively grind them.
I have a grinder that is dedicated to depth guages. I hand file one and then set up the grinder using that one.
Similar in the car realm as many focus on a hp rating but loose a lot of power on the wat to the tires as well as not being able to hook up or not being able to keep the rpms in a peak torque/hp range(depends on the need). Same with a saw from what I've learned, different saw different wood different settings of the gauges as well as the cutter top plate angle.

 

[heyduke]

Agreed.
Some saws/ need the guages set different than manufacturer specs to cut most effectively
Do you progressively grind them.
I have a grinder that is dedicated to depth guages. I hand file one and then set up the grinder using that one.
Similar in the car realm as many focus on a hp rating but loose a lot of power on the wat to the tires as well as not being able to hook up or not being able to keep the rpms in a peak torque/hp range(depends on the need). Same with a saw from what I've learned, different saw different wood different settings of the gauges as well as the cutter top plate angle.

agreed on the car analogy except i'm not sure that most porting jobs have positive results.

i use a couple of different methods for depth gauges. i have worn out stihl dept gauge tools filing them. now i always use an oregon/tecomec type grinder. i have a tractor supply grinder that is dedicated to rakers. by "progressive," i think you mean file-o-plate style shaping. i mostly use a husqvarna roller guide which has an attached raker gauge that is similar to a file-o-plate and has a choice of soft or hardwood depths. the main thing, for me, is to get that 10 degree slope on the depth gauge. it keeps the depth gauge from levering the cutter up in the wood. sometimes i grind the entire top at 10 degrees. other times i do two passes. the first pass grinds the highest point of the gauge flat to the required height, the second is a 10 degree grind for the rest of the top. both work well. the clip at the end of the vid shows the "corn flakes" produced by a sharp cutter with a good depth gauge.

 

[chipper1]

For sure, and most mods on cars are a waste also as proper tuning and mismatched components do not put more power to the wheels, and that doesn't even get into a properly tuned suspension or a good driveline angle.
I grind the whole thing at 10 degrees or close (I was unaware that was the actual spec, I just liked the look and how it cut lol), I'm not into being that precise on the gauges and I hate doing them with a file, but will if needed. If they are ground to 10 degrees it makes it a lot easier to hand file them in the field if needed, but normally I just grab another saw.
Here's some pictures I just sent a buddy. I also use this stihl griner for cleaning gullets and fixing damaged drive links if a chain gets thrown. I get a lot of chains from the many saws that pass through the door so there is much work to be done to them ti make the "right", but getting the to cut well is a different story. I have a deep cell battery under the bench that is always on a trickle charger to run it.
This chain had obviously been sharpened at a shop before and it looks to have been done at least a few times with a cbn wheel. I did not clean the gullets on this one as speed wasn't needed, just a sharp chain.
What is the wood you were cutting in the video.

 

[heyduke]

For sure, and most mods on cars are a waste also as proper tuning and mismatched components do not put more power to the wheels, and that doesn't even get into a properly tuned suspension or a good driveline angle.
I grind the whole thing at 10 degrees or close (I was unaware that was the actual spec, I just liked the look and how it cut lol), I'm not into being that precise on the gauges and I hate doing them with a file, but will if needed. If they are ground to 10 degrees it makes it a lot easier to hand file them in the field if needed, but normally I just grab another saw.
Here's some pictures I just sent a buddy.View attachment 535349View attachment 535350 I also use this stihl griner for cleaning gullets and fixing damaged drive links if a chain gets thrown. I get a lot of chains from the many saws that pass through the door so there is much work to be done to them ti make the "right", but getting the to cut well is a different story. I have a deep cell battery under the bench that is always on a trickle charger to run it.
This chain had obviously been sharpened at a shop before and it looks to have been done at least a few times with a cbn wheel. I did not clean the gullets on this one as speed wasn't needed, just a sharp chain.
View attachment 535351What is the wood you were cutting in the video.

typically, i get a chain that has never been sharpened but is totally trashed. guys will run them in the dirt and then keep using them even when they're smoking. usually i have to grind back half the top plate to get to good steel. Or i get a chain that has been sharpened many times with a file and is pretty messed up. in both cases a lot of metal has to come off the rakers. it would take way too long with a file so the grinder is the method of choice. i can do a 72dl chain in a couple of minutes. these come from hombres who are cutting wood to heat their homes and at 6000ft altitude it takes a few cords to do that.

the wood in the vid is ponderosa pine, cut around 8000ft. it's second growth. old growth was mostly clear cut in the 50's and 60's, post war housing boom. we also burn a lot of juniper, which is really hard on chains due to silicates, pinon, which smells great and a few other species. last month we lucked into a load of blue spruce.

 

[chipper1]

That's how many are that I get as well, that and rocked, and sometimes with damage to the drivers hence the little grinder setup.
Seems like a few minutes is a relatively short time for chains that are tore up. Most the time it takes me at least 10 min to get one that has been abused back into good condition. I do not grind to the worse cutter, but to the best majority and then I hand file the worse ones to save the cutters. I see many shops set them up to one or two bad cutters and use a large portion of the life of the chain.
We have mainly hardwood around here so it always amazes me how quick I can cut softwoods after cutting so much hardwood.

 

[heyduke]

That's how many are that I get as well, that and rocked, and sometimes with damage to the drivers hence the little grinder setup.
Seems like a few minutes is a relatively short time for chains that are tore up. Most the time it takes me at least 10 min to get one that has been abused back into good condition. I do not grind to the worse cutter, but to the best majority and then I hand file the worse ones to save the cutters. I see many shops set them up to one or two bad cutters and use a large portion of the life of the chain.
We have mainly hardwood around here so it always amazes me how quick I can cut softwoods after cutting so much hardwood.

clarification... i said, "a couple of minutes." that's just for rakers. i get some that would take an hour to file. cutters, that's another thing entirely. i try to cut no more that .3mm at a time, maybe .5mm for the firs few passes on a trashed chain. with a badly damaged chain it can take a while to get past the bad stuff. occasionally i just tell the guy that he'll need a new chain and make one off my roll. the only time i get chains with a wide variance in top plate length is when someone has been trying to sharpen with a file or dremel. i even them all out. my own personal chains get sharpened with a timberline.

 

[chipper1]

Lol that makes sense, especially after seeing your technique.
Do you only use the standard grinding wheels.

 

[heyduke]

Lol that makes sense, especially after seeing your technique.
Do you only use the standard grinding wheels.

i've been using resin based wheels for .404, 3/8" and lo pro chain and oregon vitrified wheel for rakers. although the resin wheels do stay cooler, i'm not totally happy with them. they don't hold their shape for long and have to be dressed much more frequently. the sharpened cutter tends to be pretty rough. i'm considering dynasaw wheels. they claim you don't have to dress them at all. it would be worth a lot to me to always be able to have an accurate radius for my final pass on each side.