Another way to dress a bar

[SawTroll]

All chain manufacturers "grind" their cutters.

Except those that don't (yes, I have got New chain where some cutters weren't ground at all (Windsor)).

Anyway, factory grinding hopefully happens at speeds that don't harm the metal temper - but you never know with other grinding, so it is best to avoid it.

 

[fearofpavement]

Troll, you're dressing your bars, just doing it with a file instead of a grinder. A file can dress a bar no matter how bad it is, just as a rocked chain can be hand filed too. Powered equipment is just more expedient sometimes.

Today I dressed a bar on a disc and belt sander and filed the chain by hand instead of grinding it. I have done lots of filing on bars and it is effective, just not as fast. (and having the right equipment plays a factor too)

 

[machinisttx]

th

that is very true ,but I personally have only seen
catastrophic failure on cutting discs when subjected to side load and 2 crank grinding wheels that wernt checked for ring before start up ,I would say a small wheel like the one pictured and only light grinding of a bar wouldn't present an issue,maybe an end wheel would be a better wheel for the job

I have seen grinding wheels fail when side loaded. I've also seen the results on a human when a wheel fails. I strongly suggest that folks use grinding wheels only in the manner that the manufacturer recommends. If you want to grind using the side of a wheel, buy a cup wheel. Here's an example. http://www.grainger.com/product/NORTON-Straight-Cup-Wheel-1CUL9?s_pp=false

 

[machinisttx]

Except those that don't (yes, I have got New chain where some cutters weren't ground at all (Windsor)).

Anyway, factory grinding hopefully happens at speeds that don't harm the metal temper - but you never know with other grinding, so it is best to avoid it.

Actually, it's pretty easy to know with "other grinding". If the metal gets hot enough that you can't touch it or if it changes color, you've affected the hardness/temper.

Edit: Speed generally has nothing to do with affecting the temper during grinding. It has more to do with the hardness of the wheel, how it's dressed, grit, etc..

 

[Philbert]

I like the OP's jig for saving/restoring older or used bars - what I thought when I saw it.

Sometimes the hardened rails resist a file, and a grinder is a nice option.

It is also why I asked about wheel speed. My drill press has a range of speeds, based on belt/pulley combinations, so you can control heating more than with a bench grinder.

Philbert

 

[SawTroll]

Troll, you're dressing your bars, just doing it with a file instead of a grinder. A file can dress a bar no matter how bad it is, just as a rocked chain can be hand filed too. Powered equipment is just more expedient sometimes.

Today I dressed a bar on a disc and belt sander and filed the chain by hand instead of grinding it. I have done lots of filing on bars and it is effective, just not as fast. (and having the right equipment plays a factor too)

Dressing with a file is for the one that does it regularly, before any real issues appear. If the issue is already there, the story changes.

Often, and a little, always is better than seldom and a lot - when it comes to bar and chain maintenanse.

 

[fearofpavement]

I agree.

 

[splitpost]

Yes, if you use them to dig ditches - but not with normal cutting.

Thats BS,a comment like that tells me you have never been out cutting in hard dry wood for long periods,its easy to say that when you only cut soft wood but come on

 

[RedFir Down]

I like the OP's jig for saving/restoring older or used bars - what I thought when I saw it.

Sometimes the hardened rails resist a file, and a grinder is a nice option.

It is also why I asked about wheel speed. My drill press has a range of speeds, based on belt/pulley combinations, so you can control heating more than with a bench grinder.

Philbert

To kind of explain the results a little better the last bar I did was a 18" .325 bar.
The highest rail was roughly .030 to .035" higher than the opposite rail.
It took about 3 seconds to run the bar past the wheel (from nose to heel).
It took 8-10 passes to achieve PERFECTLY even rails and I felt the rails right after I got done grinding it and there was VERY little heat. (I would say less than 100*)
Hope this helps and explains it a little better.

 

[Philbert]

I have been thinking about this. If you tilted the table slightly, or slanted the board, could you use the entire edge of the grinding wheel, and have it wear uniformly, instead of having to raise/lower/dress it?

Philbert

 

[Arrowhead]

I like it. Thanks for sharing.

 

[griffonks]

I like it too. I'm gonna give it a whirl. Thanks

 

[RedFir Down]

I have been thinking about this. If you tilted the table slightly, or slanted the board, could you use the entire edge of the grinding wheel, and have it wear uniformly, instead of having to raise/lower/dress it?

Philbert

Thanks for that Idea Philbert... I will be giving that a try, I dont see why that wouldn't work!! The deck on my drill tilts so I dont see that being a problem to say put it on a 20 degree angle or so.

The last 2 bars I dressed put a very minimal groove in the stone. Plus I have a very fast, accurate way of dress the stone as well. But your idea will probably make it so I VERY seldom have to dress the stone at all!

 

[RedFir Down]

Im glad you guys are liking the idea... I hope it helps and saves you time!!

 

[Philbert]

My drill press table tilts, but it is not convenient. A strip of wood under one side of your board may do the trick.

Philbert

 

[RedFir Down]

My drill press table tilts, but it is not convenient. A strip of wood under one side of your board may do the trick.

Philbert

Mine takes a little bit to tilt as well. The strip of wood should work just fine as long as the stone stays at a 90 degrees to the bar. (If the strip was warped or not evenly places on the drill press)

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

Deserves a bump.

Thanks for link in your thread @Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Bump!

Just because it is a good idea that some folks may have missed.

Also, a link to another bar dressing page with some good info:
https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/bar-dressing.315936/

Philbert

 

[edisto]

Bump!

Just because it is a good idea that some folks may have missed.

Also, a link to another bar dressing page with some good info:
https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/bar-dressing.315936/

Philbert

It's a nice setup.

One possible issue (but I don't think that the forces generated will be enough in this case) is that drill presses are not set up to deal with lateral pressure. I did some reading hoping that I could do some minor milling with a drill press, and it appears that for most drill presses the shaft is a conical fit, which works just fine with vertical pressure, but can loosen with horizontal pressure.

 

[Philbert]

. . . drill presses are not set up to deal with lateral pressure.

Correct. Light pressure (and the right grinding wheel), are probably key to making this work. Just one of several options for dressing a bar.
I recently picked up a cheap drill press at a garage sale to try this (eventually), so that I can do it outside (keep sparks away from my woodworking stuff). If I had found a cheap disk sander first, I might have been tempted to try that!

@RedFir Down : any updates on how this has worked?

Thanks.