oregon grinder - setting depth gauges - a video

[heyduke]

a few weeks ago i posted a vid on sharpening with the oregon grinder. this is part 2, lowering depth gauges. you can save a lot of time using a grinder, especially if the chain was damaged so a lot of metal has to come off the depth gauges. also you can grind the tops of the rakers to the precise angle that works best for you, important for a fast cutting chain. be sure to click on the little square in the right bottom corner of the youtube vid, for full screen (esc to return to normal). some of the detail is hard to see in a small window. comments and suggestions are welcome.

 

[Khntr85]

Thanks for posting these videos!!!

 

[heyduke]

Thanks for posting these videos!!!

as philbert frequently points out, everyone has his own way of sharpening. this is mine.

 

[Philbert]

Nice clear video. Nice clean shop.

That's pretty much how I do it, although, I had some trouble at first overheating the depth gauges (see first link below). What I learned:

- the depth gauges have less metal than the main body of the cutters - while they are easier to grind, they are also easier to overheat. So stick with the light taps;

- dress the grinding wheel frequently, just as when grinding the cutters;

- low kickback bumpers, especially the older, tie strap bumpers, make things harder. The tie strap bumpers have more metal than the depth gauge, so again, light taps are required. The newer, drive link bumper style reduced kickback chain is not as bad;

- doing the Left depth gauges separately from the Right depth gauges is important - even if you think that the wheel is centered, the depth gauge heights will be different, because they are not centered on the chain. the Left side may 'chatter' a bit more.

- I grind the depth gauges uniformly flat, then round them over separately. It requires an extra step and takes longer. Some guys try to dress a concave profile in the wheel to do this, but again, it does not work as well with low-kickback chain. Worth trying otherwise.

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/depth-gauges-on-a-grinder.200410/

http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...nding-and-drive-link-deburring-wheels.284866/

Philbert

 

[heyduke]

Nice clear video. Nice clean shop.

That's pretty much how I do it, although, I had some trouble at first overheating the depth gauges (see first link below). What I learned:

- the depth gauges have less metal than the main body of the cutters - while they are easier to grind, they are also easier to overheat. So stick with the light taps;

- dress the grinding wheel frequently, just as when grinding the cutters;

- low kickback bumpers, especially the older, tie strap bumpers, make things harder. The tie strap bumpers have more metal than the depth gauge, so again, light taps are required. The newer, drive link bumper style reduced kickback chain is not as bad;

- doing the Left depth gauges separately from the Right depth gauges is important - even if you think that the wheel is centered, the depth gauge heights will be different, because they are not centered on the chain. the Left side may 'chatter' a bit more.

- I grind the depth gauges uniformly flat, then round them over separately. It requires an extra step and takes longer. Some guys try to dress a concave profile in the wheel to do this, but again, it does not work as well with low-kickback chain. Worth trying otherwise.

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/depth-gauges-on-a-grinder.200410/

http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...nding-and-drive-link-deburring-wheels.284866/

Philbert

thanks for the feed back.

i have never had problems with over heating but i keep up with the depth gauges and take care of them almost every time i sharpen. i have a separate grinder dedicated to rakers so it's easy and quick. since the rakers don't actually cut, overheating may not damage them. any chain with bumps or fins goes into my concrete reinforcement bucket. i don't sharpen them. frequent dressing is important, cutters or rakers.

agreed, do the left and right side separately. if you're in a big hurry you can skip adjusting the second side but it's not a good idea. do it right the first time.

i grind my rakers "progressive" or at an angle. i use the husqvarna roller guide to check the angle but honestly if you use 10 degrees you can't go wrong. occasionally i will grind the tip of the raker flat, about 1 mm wide and angle the rest of the raker to 10 degrees. its a two step process, doesn't seem to make the chain cut faster but may be easier if you're using an oregon or stihl chain tool and it is more accurate. the angle of the top of the raker will have a significant effect on how fast the chain cuts.

remember this vid is about basic concepts and employs the KISS principle. this technique is accurate and effective and efficient but improvements are certain. in fact if i were to remake it five years from now it might be quite different. i didn't include an example of the chain cutting because i did that in part one and wanted to save bandwidth.

regarding deburring, wood does a good job of that the first time you put the saw to work. years ago i used to hit the tops and sides with a little arkansas stone but it didn't make them cut better or last longer. one should be able to minimize burring by modifying the grinder to reverse rotation but i've never bothered with that.

 

[heyduke]

Thanks for posting these videos!!!

de nada.

 

[Khntr85]

Well my Oregon 520 should be here Friday if guy ships it.... thanks for all your tips.... I will kpnin touch and let you know how it works out!!!

 

[Deleted member 135597]

this is worth the investment if your serious about using a grinder. never ever have to profile the ****** pink wheel, theres virtually no dust left from the grinding and it will probably outlast you and your kids sharpening lifetime. http://www.diamondwheelinc.com/chain-saw-wheels.html

 

[Deleted member 135597]

http://www.diamondwheelinc.com/chainsaw-information.html some info and videos on the wheels

 

[heyduke]

this is worth the investment if your serious about using a grinder. never ever have to profile the ****** pink wheel, theres virtually no dust left from the grinding and it will probably outlast you and your kids sharpening lifetime. http://www.diamondwheelinc.com/chain-saw-wheels.html

i'm certainly interested in different wheels. at present i'm using resin type wheels on cutters. they run much cooler but they lose their shape quickly and have to be dressed often. the vitrified wheels keep their radius longer but you have to be careful not to overheat the metal. i haven't been able to find any positive comments about the cbn wheels like the ones in your link. i think you may be over estimating their durability. i've read that they tend to clog up and quit cutting. another type of metal wheel with a coating of abrasive is the dinasaw wheel, made in australia and sold by baileys.

http://www.baileysonline.com/Chains...Dinasaw-5-3-4-ABN-Cyclone-Grinding-Wheels.axd

they are expensive but if you live in australia you can get them re-coated after they reach their end of service life. apparently they don't have the same problem of accumulating schmutz and clogging. it would be great if someone with experience with these two types of grinder wheels would add comments.

 

[heyduke]

Well my Oregon 520 should be here Friday if guy ships it.... thanks for all your tips.... I will kpnin touch and let you know how it works out!!!

good luck with the new grinder. i think you're going to like it.

 

[Deleted member 135597]

I haven't had a problem with the wheel clogging, but I don't grind chains that are full of pitch either. I clean my chains before I grind them. I feel most of the clogging issues is not from the steel, but from the pitch from the wood. the life estimate of the wheel was obviously not meant for someone who grinds chains for a living

 

[trboxman]

Why dress the wheel at an angle when you can tilt the grinder by the the same angle amount without dressing the wheel?

 

[earlthegoat2]

Why dress the wheel at an angle when you can tilt the grinder by the the same angle amount without dressing the wheel?

Ideally, you dress the stone at such an angle so as not to have to change the angle on the grinder at all. That would so the way the Stihl USG comes from the factory. Less changeover time. In the real world, your question makes a lot of sense and it will s the method I used when I primarily used an Oregon grinder. In the video, the OP mentions to dress at an angle so the surface area of the grinder is larger. I find this to be unnessary though and is an extra step especially if you have to adjust the angle on the grinder anyway as the OP does in the video.

 

[Philbert]

this is worth the investment if your serious about using a grinder. never ever have to profile the ****** pink wheel, . . .

I have sharpened lots of cutters with those '****** pink wheels' - they last me a long time too. There are quality differences between the cheap wheels that come on the $100 clone grinders, and the better quality wheels offered by Oregon, Tecomec, Molemab, Total, etc. BIG difference when you try these wheels side-by-side. If you make the connection that the grit in the grinding wheel is analogous to the cutters on a saw, you can understand why a quality abrasive wheel makes a difference.

I don't grind chains that are full of pitch either. I clean my chains before I grind them.

Me too. Guys make fun of me for that, but I like a clean chain.

i'm certainly interested in different wheels. . . .
another type of metal wheel with a coating of abrasive is the dinasaw wheel, made in australia and sold by baileys.

Other users have commented on the quality differences between the $260 DynaSaw wheels and the $100 CBN wheels. They are a big investment though - I still remember trying to justify the $300 for a grinder, let alone for 3 wheels (each)! The good pink wheels work good enough for me now. Although, I have long been interested in trying some of the other wheels offered in Europe for our grinders. The colors are artificial, but they distinguish between wheels of different grit sizes or abrasive types. Vary among speed of cut, life of wheel, and smoothness of final finish. Users of the Silvey grinders have had those options for a long time.



http://www.tecomec.com/subcategory/chain_saw_accessories_accessories_for_chain_grinders/index.htm

Why dress the wheel at an angle when you can tilt the grinder by the the same angle amount without dressing the wheel?

You are correct that you could grind many depth gauges with the square edge of an undressed wheel. However, by dressing a 1/4 inch or 5/16 inch thick wheel at an angle, you end up with a larger surface contact area, which grinds / shapes more of the depth gauge, which makes a difference in many cases. Dressing one at 60° adds about 15% to the width (hypotenuse of the triangle being longer, blah, blah, blah). I try to buy the 5/16" wheels if available for the same reason.

Philbert

 

[super3]

i think you may be over estimating their durability. i've read that they tend to clog up and quit cutting.

I have had a CBN for many years now and have sharpened 100's of chains. While they do clog from filthy chains, a quick sot of brake parts cleaner and they are like new again.

CBN can be stripped and re plated also at a lesser cost of a new wheel, although US Diamond isn't the place to have it done.

I wanted a wheel more to the profile of the raker so I made a blank and sent it to be plated. You also get to choose the grit you prefer.
Blurry pic but you get the jist.

 

[Khntr85]

I have had a CBN for many years now and have sharpened 100's of chains. While they do clog from filthy chains, a quick sot of brake parts cleaner and they are like new again.

CBN can be stripped and re plated also at a lesser cost of a new wheel, although US Diamond isn't the place to have it done.

I wanted a wheel more to the profile of the raker so I made a blank and sent it to be plated. You also get to choose the grit you prefer.
Blurry pic but you get the jist.


View attachment 537045

Hello there.... I just happened to see you are from Indiana, I live around Muncie....that pretty nice that you have then make a custom whee for you.....

Looks as if you have a Oregon 520 there, if so how do you like it so far???

 

[heyduke]

Why dress the wheel at an angle when you can tilt the grinder by the the same angle amount without dressing the wheel?

dress the wheel at an angle to get a wider cutting surface. not importandt when the chain is fairly new but with a chain that is near the end of service life the length of the rake ground is greater.

 

[heyduke]

Ideally, you dress the stone at such an angle so as not to have to change the angle on the grinder at all. That would so the way the Stihl USG comes from the factory. Less changeover time. In the real world, your question makes a lot of sense and it will s the method I used when I primarily used an Oregon grinder. In the video, the OP mentions to dress at an angle so the surface area of the grinder is larger. I find this to be unnessary though and is an extra step especially if you have to adjust the angle on the grinder anyway as the OP does in the video.

you could just dress the wheel so that you have the desired raker top angle with the grinder set to 55 degrees.

 

[Khntr85]

To all of you guys that use the CBN wheels how much use are you getting out of them.... some say they last forever, and I am hearing some people say they aren't...

And lastly do they really help with cutting heat down a lot... and is the finished edge better than you would get with the pink wheels????