Cheap Chain grinder

[RaisedByWolves]

Wait a minute.......

First you state taking the chain off is a waist of time, then you contradict your self by stating a novices opinion of how this will ruin your chain?

How long does it take you to undo two bar bolts ??

The fact that it cuts so quick is what prevents it from heating the chain vs. something that sharpens over a longer period of time, like, lets say the dremel type grinders.


And the squared edges produced by chain grinders have more material supporting them, therefore they tend stay sharp longer in hard wood, ie oak hickory, locust and rock maple.

I mean, afterall, if this is the wrong way to sharpen then how is it that people make their living with similarly designed machines?

 

[daemon2525]

Fort Wayne

Well , I have used my cheap chain grinder on several chains so far.

Here are the results so far.

1. every chain that I sharpened was sharper than when I started.

2. I noticed that the little wheel was not running true. It was wobbling side
to side a little. I pulled off the pink wheel and made a jig with a VERY sharp
woodworking chisel. I turned the motor on and turned the plastic arbor until it was true. Now it runs true.

3. The little pink wheel (stone, whatever...) also was not round. I used a
regular diamond thingy and trued it up.

4. I am now happier with the results... The chains are as sharp as I can get
from the guy I use to take them to. ( remember he is ill and not going to sharpen anymore)

5. I know that they are not sharp like you pros with a file, but I do not have your expertise.

6. If anyone in the Fort Wayne Indiana Area wants to come over and try it out... PM me. I will let you try the machine and if you screw up your chain it is not my problem. LOL...

thanks
LLA

 

[upandcommer]

I bought one of the harbor freight one's over the weekend and man am i impressed. I did both my stihl chains in like 4 minutes a piece and they are now true to 20degree angles (firewood is dirty stuff). It took me about 20 minutes to bolt her to the bench and set all the adjustments the way i liked them but man she rips. The poulan chains are a breeze and the stihl chains are even easier. I am gonna pick up some .404 for the mac project saw and hope to see if she sharpens the big stuff as good as the small stuff.

 

[Jim Mesthene]

One last question before I order one:
Does it have positive stops to ensure even cutter length and raker settings?

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Ok first of all why would anyone want to take the chain off the saw to sharpen it?

Maybe so they can clean the chain aftger sharpening so that filings and stone dust don't stay on the chain and work themselves into the bearing surfces of the chain? Not to mention the workings of the sprocket assembly and chain brake....


Nah, couldn't be that...

 

[daemon2525]

Jim.

The grinder has an adjustment that uses a metal dog to correctly position each tooth. By turning in and out on this knob, it pushes the tooth forward and backward and that is how you decide how much to grind off . This makes each tooth the same length.

It has another adjustment knob that determines how deep the grinder will cut. (the gullet?)
Too far down and you are into the tie straps. Too Little and you do not sharpen the whole side plate. It is easy to get the correct depth. However, please remember that this grinder is plastic and even when you adjust the stops, you can still push hard enough to flex the machine and make it cut wrong. This is no good reason to push that hard though.

As far as I know, there is no good way to grind the rakers. This machine is fixed at a permanent angle. This does not let you set the thing to 90 degrees up and down to hit the rakers like my sharpening guy does.
This also makes the left and right cutters be sharpened in a different direction.

The last adjustment sets the "angle of the top plate? " ( I don't know what it is called). It will adjust from 0 degrees to 35. I have been using 30 degrees.

 

[cord arrow]

ok...look..........

Would anyone who has any experience, good or bad, please chime in here.

i fashioned a saw chain sharpener on the tool & cutter grinder at my machine shop.

MASSIVE ridigity, this is a big machine.

i was able to use a radiused carbide wheel, stout, with little or no deflection. cleaning after each pass. (you don't dress these......)

still, i was not satisfied with the results. though the results were MUCH better than when i used a bench-mounted grinder.

i can't imagine that any bench machine, especially a cheap one, having the ridigity it takes to keep deflection at bay.

what is deflection? the grinding well bends(deflects), the spindle bearings use all of their tolerance(deflect), the mounting arrangement gives, and the chain moves a little. not exactly a recipe for accurate cutter grinding.

i do use it when i've hit a staple or rock to return the cutters to all the same length. then, i file.

i advocate learning to use a file from some of the experienced fellows on this site.

 

[dingo]

These little grinders are interesting and cheap, I used a Belsaw sharpener for years, but I have found a good file to be the best. Every other time I put gas in I hit the chain a couple , three licks per tooth with a file and good to go. Buy a quality chain and it has a pattern on the tooth to follow on the angle.:monkey:

 

[Jim Mesthene]

And the squared edges produced by chain grinders have more material supporting them, therefore they tend stay sharp longer in hard wood, ie oak hickory, locust and rock maple.

I mean, afterall, if this is the wrong way to sharpen then how is it that people make their living with similarly designed machines?

If this is true, why are all the Pros recommending hand filing?

 

[2wheels]

Clearance hit the nail on the head. No need for a power tool here.
You will remove less material resulting in longer chain life and have a sharper chain more of the time if you file. I touch them up at least every day of use. There is no reason to make my saw work harder than they have to.

 

[havvey]

chain grinder

what you semi pros are missing is when the chain hits a forigen object and is nearly destroyed the chain grinder will quickly fix it!:jawdrop:

 

[RaisedByWolves]

If this is true, why are all the Pros recommending hand filing?

Maby its because its kinda hard to drag a bench grinder out into the woods?

I dont concern myself with what others do or dont do, I just look at all the different angles (pun intended) and do what works best for me.

I guess you wouldsay Im not really much of a follower.

i fashioned a saw chain sharpener on the tool & cutter grinder at my machine shop.

MASSIVE ridigity, this is a big machine.

Ive also tossed this idea around as Im a tool & die maker and I have a complete shop in my garage.

What specificaly didnt you like about the way this setup worked?

Any chance you would have been better off with a standard 100 wheel? I have them 3/16 thick and thought about trying this setup basically to avoid having to dress the wheel too often.



Do the bench mount grinder wheels have a number/letter code on them? If so would someone be willing to post it for me?

If they have this it is usually on a paper ring around the mounting hole and it will tell me the composition of the wheel for reference.

 

[daemon2525]

I was trying to stay out of this as much as possible and see where this thread went. However, I feel compelled to express my opinion.

Yes, hand filing is the best!!!!! It gives you the ability to sharpen the chain at any angle and grit (read sharpness). Your hand filed chain WILL be sharper than mine.

Learning to hand file takes time and dedication. TIME IS MONEY. I have no money and even less time.

For 49.99 and 20 minutes setup, I am done!!!!!! I no longer have to take my chains to the local chain sharpening guy. And trust me, they are not Racing sharp, but I believe that they are sharp.

And I do not have to learn how to sharpen with a file. Knowing what I know now, I would give twice the price.

 

[Big Woody]

Or you could give 4 times the price and buy a real chain grinder.

 

[Patrick62]

More like 6 times the price

Or you could give 4 times the price and buy a real chain grinder.

I was happy with my little "Nick the plastic grinder" until I observed that a poorly done hand sharpening was out cutting me. That meant the PlasNick wasn't holding the angles very well. With careful adjustment and a delicate hand the little grinder can produce a workable edge.

My upgrade to the 511A was like night and day. Very sturdy machine. Larger diameter wheel means straighter edge. More adjustments that once set will allow me to create a very sharp tooth and duplicate it all the way around. The other neet thing is that the left and right cutters are the same!!! That is something that the PlasNick had trouble doing.

-Pat

 

[Big Woody]

You can buy a new tecomec fl 136 on ebay for 209 plus 22 shipping. I bought a used 136 that is reversible for 200 plus shipping off ebay.

I'd much rather have the reversible 136 for 200 than the plastic one for 50.

 

[hamradio]

I might just have to buy one. I've got probably 10 18" chains, for my 039 (got them for free, since they cut crooked on the 038, not my saw). I don't want to pay $40 to go have them all re sharpened, to cut straight at the local STIHL dealership. How much does one of these take off the cutters? The local STIHL dealer takes so much off chains when you bring them in, you could probably get 2 or 3 sharpenings on a brand new chain, if it was brought to them everytime it was dull. That's why I file my chains, until the angle gets really bad. Does the STIHL dealer take a bunch off on purpose, to get you to buy new chains, or does the grinder just take that much off, so fast?

 

[Big Woody]

You can take off as little as needed to make it sharp. You can get way more than three sharpenings unless the teeth are severely damaged so you then need to take a lot off.

 

[upandcommer]

i usually if i am just touching the cutters up from a normal duling take off as little as possible and i go slow with mine to not overheat the cutters. I have actually once just shinned the cutters up with my grinder. Worked ok but dulled faster so now i take off just enough to make the wheel hit every surface of the face of the cutter works for me and the guys at work i have been sharpening for.

 

[geofore]

sharpening

I was trying to stay out of this as much as possible and see where this thread went. However, I feel compelled to express my opinion.

Yes, hand filing is the best!!!!! It gives you the ability to sharpen the chain at any angle and grit (read sharpness). Your hand filed chain WILL be sharper than mine.

Learning to hand file takes time and dedication. TIME IS MONEY. I have no money and even less time.

For 49.99 and 20 minutes setup, I am done!!!!!! I no longer have to take my chains to the local chain sharpening guy. And trust me, they are not Racing sharp, but I believe that they are sharp.

And I do not have to learn how to sharpen with a file. Knowing what I know now, I would give twice the price.

It's not the full sharpening that is always needed. You need too learn to sharpen/touch up by hand because it important to touch up the cutters during the days cutting to keep the chain sharp. A quick touch up works wonders. If you're not touching up the chain by lunchtime you're cutting with a dull chain. It only takes a few light strokes on each cutter to touch up the chain during the day unless you hit something like a nail.