Maxx Chain grinder

[93_ChargedCobra]

Hey guys, I tried searching but there was a ton of info it was like an overload I think.

My buddy just bought a Maxx chain grinder the "de-structions" arent very informative. Basically the burning question is can all chains be ground the same?

If so what are decent angles to be using.

 

[West Texas]

The answer is "NO" - but you obviously can experiment if you wish. But, go to Madsen's web site for article on Chains, it should answer some of your questions and give you pictures as well, with numbers for angles, etc..

 

[TimberPig]

Depending upon which chain you run, Stihl, Oregon and Carlton all have good materials on suggested angles. That is a good place to start, particularly if you aren't experienced with how changing the angles will affect cutting. Stock angles will normally give good performance, with decent stay sharp capabilities. I wouldn't suggest trying to run the same grind on every chain, as cutter type, cutter profile, type of wood, and season, all affect how you would choose to sharpen the tooth.

 

[Zodiac45]

Maxx Chain Grinder:Head angles

Cobra,

I have an Efco jumbo, same as the Oregon midrange grinder. I use a 3/16" wheel at 60 degrees (head angle) and 30 degrees L&R on the anvil, for 3/8th and regular .325 chain. Rakers at 90 degrees head angle and zero anvil. Use a nice light touch and take the bare minimum of material and these settings will give you a nice sharp all around chain that's very durable.

Zee

 

[McCartman]

Cobra,

I have an Efco jumbo, same as the Oregon midrange grinder. I use a 3/16" wheel at 60 degrees (head angle) and 30 degrees L&R on the anvil, for 3/8th and regular .325 chain. Rakers at 90 degrees head angle and zero anvil. Use a nice light touch and take the bare minimum of material and these settings will give you a nice sharp all around chain that's very durable.

Zee

That's how I sharpen mine too. Haven't had anyone complain yet. In fact, I get a lot of compliments on my sharpening compared to the stihl dealer who does most of the sharpening in the area and likes to take a LOT off and burns the cutters in the process. I realize that sometimes you have to take a lot off due to severe damage, but they would butcher a chain when all it needed was a LITTLE taken off. :angry2:

 

[93_ChargedCobra]

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[hydro2]

Cobra,

I have an Efco jumbo, same as the Oregon midrange grinder. I use a 3/16" wheel at 60 degrees (head angle) and 30 degrees L&R on the anvil, for 3/8th and regular .325 chain. Rakers at 90 degrees head angle and zero anvil. Use a nice light touch and take the bare minimum of material and these settings will give you a nice sharp all around chain that's very durable.

Zee

That's how I do mine also with and Efco grinder. I was wondering about the the abilty of the vice to slide 10 degrees forward and back. What is that used for.

 

[Lakeside53]

That's how I sharpen mine too. Haven't had anyone complain yet. In fact, I get a lot of compliments on my sharpening compared to the stihl dealer who does most of the sharpening in the area and likes to take a LOT off and burns the cutters in the process. I realize that sometimes you have to take a lot off due to severe damage, but they would butcher a chain when all it needed was a LITTLE taken off. :angry2:

Refuse to pay for a bad job.... Even if you have to take a lot off, it's no excuse for burning the chain. I just charge double to sharpen a really bad chain, and do it in two passes. BTW, the original reason I bought my own grinder was because my local dealer always blued my chains and left big burrs... and I didn't pay for some of them, but still ended up with junk chains...

 

[McCartman]

Refuse to pay for a bad job.... Even if you have to take a lot off, it's no excuse for burning the chain. I just charge double to sharpen a really bad chain, and do it in two passes. BTW, the original reason I bought my own grinder was because my local dealer always blued my chains and left big burrs... and I didn't pay for some of them, but still ended up with junk chains...

You're right, there is no excuse for the job some people do. I tend to think that the local Stihl place gets in too big of a hurry as they are about the only ones around that sharpen - other than part-timers like myself. I think they get so many to do each day that they can't or won't take the time to do a good job.

I put an ad in the paper after buying my grinder - just wanted to do a few chains to make the thing pay for itself and have it for my own use. I charge a flat rate of $3 off the saw. I'm sure you guys who sharpen know that some guys know when to quit, while some just keep plowing away with dull/damaged chains to the point of nearly no return.

I've been thinking about changing my rates to reflect the job needing to be done. Perhaps $2 for a simple "put an edge back on it" job base rate (no cutter damage), adding another dollar or two for damaged chains (depended on how damaged they are), and $1 for grinding rakers. Even a badly damaged chain that needs rakers taken down would be $5, where the Stihl dealer charges $4.95 off the saw. The only problem I foresee with this is someone wanting to argue about how much damage there is on a chain in order to get a cheaper rate.

 

[TimberPig]

The biggest reason they grind half the tooth away and burn the cutter is because they don't take the care to set it and grind it correctly, and because it is good buiness to wear the customer's chains out sooner. By destroying the chains, and reducing their useful life, they get to sell more chain. In the mean time, they've charged you $10 for the 2 sharpenings you get out of the chain with their grinding technique.

 

[hydro2]

My main concern with using a grinder was that you only got a couple shapenings out of each chain. I usually hand sharpened five or six times and then had the chain ground. After purchasing one, I am suprised at all the more you have to take off to get the chain sharp. Wow they must really just hack the chain up. You can just take a slight sliver off of each cutter and still make it sharp providing no MAJOR damage done on a rock. When I would take a chain to get sharpened, it would come back with half of the cutter ground away.

 

[Zodiac45]

The biggest reason they grind half the tooth away and burn the cutter is because they don't take the care to set it and grind it correctly, and because it is good buiness to wear the customer's chains out sooner. By destroying the chains, and reducing their useful life, they get to sell more chain. In the mean time, they've charged you $10 for the 2 sharpenings you get out of the chain with their grinding technique.

Agreed TP,

That's sort of why I bought the grinder in the first place. If you take your time and set the machine up correctly, to just take a nip and still touch the whole cutter face, your in bizz. On occasion, I do chains for my neighbor, who's an oldtime forrester that tends to file the angle on the sharpside, I'll take two passes (to get it correct again). Like anything else precision, it's all about touch and finess ;-)



Zee

 

[Zodiac45]

That's how I do mine also with and Efco grinder. I was wondering about the the abilty of the vice to slide 10 degrees forward and back. What is that used for.

That's a good question Hydro,

I wish i could answer it but I've always used mine at zero (dead center). Not really sure? Anybody?

Zee

 

[Grande Dog]

By sliding the vise in and out you can put a sharper point on the tooth. This will make it cut faster but, on the down side it will dull easier. Sometimes these grinders don't sharpen the teeth from left hand to right hand the same length when set at zero, so it's also a good way to fudge on the length of the tooth during grinding.

 

[West Texas]

Adjusting the vice in and out is similar to changing the horizontal angle of your file, which is usually recommended at 10 degrees. To see the effects of this particular adjustment, look at the wheels point of contact on the chain tooth, as you move the vice in and out, it changes the angle of the wheels contact with the tooth. To really see how this works, take a new chain, put it in the slot and adjust the grinder until the wheel makes perfect contact with the tooth. On a .325 chain you will end up with settings of 60 degrees, 35 degrees and 10 degrees and and depth adjustment that does not go down into the straps.

After you have perfectly aligned the grinder settings to a 'new' chain, then you are at the point of departure for sharpening an 'old' chain. At least that's how I got started in the absence 'destructions.'

 

[Crofter]

West Texas, I like your method of setting up the grinder angles. To add to this, I use black marker over the inside of the tooth and turn the wheel by hand to see just where it is touching or not. Especially good when you are trying to match angles on an existing square ground tooth that you want to remove as little as possible from and still get complete sharpening.

 

[West Texas]

That's a great idea Frank. Thanks for sharing it. I'm a believer in hand filing; and, do a touch up on the chain at the end of each day. However, once that chain kisses a rock or makes a groove in this hard rocky ground, the grinder is more consistent than my hand in restoring uniformity to the chain. Tom

 

[hydro2]

By sliding the vise in and out you can put a sharper point on the tooth. This will make it cut faster but, on the down side it will dull easier. Sometimes these grinders don't sharpen the teeth from left hand to right hand the same length when set at zero, so it's also a good way to fudge on the length of the tooth during grinding.

Dog,
Thanks so much for jumping in. That is one of the reasons I bought my grinder at Bailey's. You guys are also so helpful.

 

[hydro2]

Adjusting the vice in and out is similar to changing the horizontal angle of your file, which is usually recommended at 10 degrees. To see the effects of this particular adjustment, look at the wheels point of contact on the chain tooth, as you move the vice in and out, it changes the angle of the wheels contact with the tooth. To really see how this works, take a new chain, put it in the slot and adjust the grinder until the wheel makes perfect contact with the tooth. On a .325 chain you will end up with settings of 60 degrees, 35 degrees and 10 degrees and and depth adjustment that does not go down into the straps.

After you have perfectly aligned the grinder settings to a 'new' chain, then you are at the point of departure for sharpening an 'old' chain. At least that's how I got started in the absence 'destructions.'

Thanks for jumping in. I will try that!:greenchainsaw: