Sharpening with a grinder question?

[alderman]

I tried out the 511A on an old chain this evening and I didn't end up with a good result. When using a grinder what part of the grinding wheel is used to grind the top plate? Is it the side of the wheel or some part of the radius?
I ended up with the top plate squared off.

 

[omegajim]

risking the stupid

You say a 511a on a chain, some people are asking the following

1) The manufacturer of the sharpener in question
2) The thickness of the sharpening stone (I'm guessing not more than 1/4 inch, maybe 5/16 from my limited experience)
3) Have you checked the rakers? They should be in the 0.025" range, and if you're me, 0.025 - 0.030 range with a small gauge available at a good saw shop. You can sharpen the snot out of the chain, but if you don't have the rakers at least 0.015" below the cutters, you're not going anywhere. Even at 0.015" it will cut SLOW. Search for RAKERS and should find enough to fill a book, not a thick book, but a book nonetheless.

 

[Uwharrie]

Here's the guide: http://www.oregonchain.com/pdf/accessories/511AManual_3Lang.pdf I would look at the top plate angle and see if's it is on 60 degrees

 

[Fish]

The blade is sharpened on the side of the wheel, so the wheel you are using sounds like it is too thick. The wheel needs to be dressed and cleaned
to keep a nice semi-circular shape with a dressing brick/stone.
I set my angles at 60 degrees, or 30, depending how you look at it.

I also use the "tilt" feature on full chisel chains.

 

[alderman]

Specs on this

I was sharpening .375 chain with 3/16 wheel. I was set at 60/30 with 10 degrees tilt. I'm thinking I may have to go a bit deeper with this to get the grind on the side of the wheel.

 

[alderman]

Tried the smaller wheel

I put 1/8" wheel on and got a better result. This chain was quite worn so perhaps it was too small a tooth for the 3/16" to work affectively. Thanks for the advise.

 

[ciscoguy01]

Grinders

How many people on this site actually own a grinder and use it? Just contemplating buying one. I've always filed by hand and was told a grinder would dramatically reduce the life of the chains, specially since I hit a lot of dirty wood and sometimes stones on the walls, damn things...

 

[Justsaws]

How many people on this site actually own a grinder and use it? Just contemplating buying one. I've always filed by hand and was told a grinder would dramatically reduce the life of the chains, specially since I hit a lot of dirty wood and sometimes stones on the walls, damn things...

I own an old Foley sharpener and it gets used a couple times a week. It is the fastest way to reshape a worn chain. I would not use it exclusively but it can be a real time saver. File sharpening can/will make chains last longer but I would not want to go back to not having a grinder.

 

[sawinredneck]

How many people on this site actually own a grinder and use it? Just contemplating buying one. I've always filed by hand and was told a grinder would dramatically reduce the life of the chains, specially since I hit a lot of dirty wood and sometimes stones on the walls, damn things...

Certain people on this site could break an avil in a sandbox (me) given the chance. I have a H/F special grinder that I use on rocked out chains and if I am in a hurry. I try ad handfile as much as I can. Even as badly as I suck at handfiling, I can tell a huge difference between my grinding and fileing. I really really really want a bench mount file guide like what Casey has, but WILL NOT pay the $160ish my dealer wants for one, so life goes on!
Andy

 

[314epw]

Maxx

I have purchased a Maxx and love it!It's great on full round chisel when you roll the tip over.The adjustments are super fine,so in my opinion you don't eat up the chain.I get a much better chain then hand filing.But I have to admit I'm not good at it.(Bad Hands)You should change wheels to do the depth gages,and when you do you have a near perfect chain.
Ed

 

[Rleonard]

I filed, then got an old grinder for repairing something for a friend. I had it for a few years but the origional owner just had to have it back. I bought a Oregon 511A with the hydraulic clamp. It is great. As an earlier poster said, you can set to take off just enough to restore an edge (like filing) or go way back if the chain is really damaged. Much more consistant than filing and better to set the rakers all alike too. Easier on the hands.

Bob