Making a ripping chain

[woodshop]

Dunno yet. My saw should be back this week. Do you have a dremmel tool? I'm sure one of those fine cutoff wheels would work for removing the top plates.

My limited experience with Dremel tools for cutting steel is that those small diamond or abrasive wheels wear out pretty quick, and even bought by the dozen, are not exactly cheap. Havn't tried it, but based on a little cutting with one I did last year, I bet you would go through a whole mess of wheels to slice off enough top plates for a big chain. Just guessing...

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

My limited experience with Dremel tools for cutting steel is that those small diamond or abrasive wheels wear out pretty quick, and even bought by the dozen, are not exactly cheap. Havn't tried it, but based on a little cutting with one I did last year, I bet you would go through a whole mess of wheels to slice off enough top plates for a big chain. Just guessing...

I personally think it would still be better than doing it by hand. The abrasive wheels are cheap but usually break before they wear out and the diamond wheels last longer but are pretty expensive. I use mine quite often and while they aren't the greatest tools in the world, they'll do lot of little odd jobs well enough. However, this is coming from a guy who bought a chain grinder instead.

 

[woodshop]

I personally think it would still be better than doing it by hand. The abrasive wheels are cheap but usually break before they wear out and the diamond wheels last longer but are pretty expensive. I use mine quite often and while they aren't the greatest tools in the world, they'll do lot of little odd jobs well enough. However, this is coming from a guy who bought a chain grinder instead.

...don't get me wrong, I use my little dremel tool for lots of little odd jobs in my shop where a bigger drill/grinder either won't fit or is too powerful. I love my dremel tool. I just pictured me sitting in front of my vice with a 125 link chain cutting off top plate after top plate... just don't think I would want to spend the time doing that unless I was getting a huge return. But then, when you give us your results, maybe it turns out it might be worth it right? As I said before, guys like me appreciate guys like you taking the time to experiment and let us in on your results.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

...dI just pictured me sitting in front of my vice with a 125 link chain cutting off top plate after top plate...

If this works and I do it to one of the 72" loops it will be 220 links. Only 73 cutters to modify. Beer will definitely be involved.:biggrinbounce2:

 

[stingray bay]

If this works and I do it to one of the 72" loops it will be 220 links. Only 73 cutters to modify. Beer will definitely be involved.:biggrinbounce2:

hey aggie, wheres the update with pics of your chain testing?

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Wow, it's hard to believe it's been a month since I did this. Still no saw. I'm hoping this week.

 

[smithie55]

Aggie,
A while back we were discussing the difference between make a milling chain from full comp, and semi skip. I realized that after milling with full comp and falling and bucking with skip chain, that you wouldn't get a smooth cut with skip chain, it takes the full comp to get a nice cut.
Your post got me all motivated. I talked to my local saw shop and he will sell me a 25' spool of full comp semi-chisel square/round ground for .15 per DL, so I'm going to go that route, as well as I bought a small pnuematic cutoff saw and some 3" cut off blades. I tryed a couple teeth and it is going to work real good. And I need to get a spinner and chain breaker and I'm set for making my own milling chain. This will allow me to have several chains at the milling site.
Thanks again for your great post.
Happy Millin'

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Aggie,
A while back we were discussing the difference between make a milling chain from full comp, and semi skip. I realized that after milling with full comp and falling and bucking with skip chain, that you wouldn't get a smooth cut with skip chain, it takes the full comp to get a nice cut.
Your post got me all motivated. I talked to my local saw shop and he will sell me a 25' spool of full comp semi-chisel square/round ground for .15 per DL, so I'm going to go that route, as well as I bought a small pnuematic cutoff saw and some 3" cut off blades. I tryed a couple teeth and it is going to work real good. And I need to get a spinner and chain breaker and I'm set for making my own milling chain. This will allow me to have several chains at the milling site.
Thanks again for your great post.
Happy Millin'

Cool! Glad to help.

 

[Rail-O-Matic]

ripping chain

The chain picture is exactly the way I have done them in the past, one thing I did notice is, the pink grinding wheel pictured has a square edge to it, if you profile the wheel, using another rougher stone, so it is the same shape as a file, you get a better cutting action,
it has more of a slicing effect rather than a riving effect when the tooth gullett is more rounded, also if you make the side cutters, or what they become once you have taken off the top chisel, try to leave them so they are slightly wider at the front cutting edge, a wedge shape if viewed from above, and they will stay sharper for longer and give a better clearing cut.

 

[woodshop]

OK aggie, smithie, rail... you're all getting me REAL curious now... I just HAVE to try this. Busy till next weekend, but after that I'm gonna take some of the Bialieys ripping chain I just bought, pull out my dremel etc and try this.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

The chain picture is exactly the way I have done them in the past, one thing I did notice is, the pink grinding wheel pictured has a square edge to it, if you profile the wheel, using another rougher stone, so it is the same shape as a file, you get a better cutting action,
it has more of a slicing effect rather than a riving effect when the tooth gullett is more rounded, also if you make the side cutters, or what they become once you have taken off the top chisel, try to leave them so they are slightly wider at the front cutting edge, a wedge shape if viewed from above, and they will stay sharper for longer and give a better clearing cut.

The square wheel was only used on the rakers.

Thanks for the tip on the scoring teeth.

 

[smithie55]

Thanks Aggiewood the fruits of AS

Just wanted to say thanks to Aggie for putting up a post about making your own ripping chain.
Since this post first came up I bought a dye grinder and my local Stihl dealer will sell me full comp chisel 3/8 .50 for 15 cents a link.
So I am now making my own milling chain.
I was going to post some pics but my camera is piece o @@$%^&*!!!
Merry Christmas

 

[Alaska Livin]

Ripping Chain Clarification

I purchased a Sthil 075 with a AK Mill II and the saw came with a modified ripping chain as desrtibed in this writeup as well as a regular chain. The Baileys ripping chain is not a skip tooth chain but is ground at 10*. The question I have is what's the purpose of making the chain a skip tooth. I would think that more cutting surface would work better and faster. I have not run the mill yet but plan on it the end of the month and I want two ripping chains. Can I have the regular chain ground at the 10* without grinding the tops off? I am new to milling and want to be as efficent as possiable.

 

[CaseyForrest]

I purchased a Sthil 075 with a AK Mill II and the saw came with a modified ripping chain as desrtibed in this writeup as well as a regular chain. The Baileys ripping chain is not a skip tooth chain but is ground at 10*. The question I have is what's the purpose of making the chain a skip tooth. I would think that more cutting surface would work better and faster. I have not run the mill yet but plan on it the end of the month and I want two ripping chains. Can I have the regular chain ground at the 10* without grinding the tops off? I am new to milling and want to be as efficent as possiable.

Yes you can do that. Its also a bit cheaper to by a semi-chisel chain and sharpen at 10 or 5 with subsequent sharpenings.

 

[oldsaw]

I purchased a Sthil 075 with a AK Mill II and the saw came with a modified ripping chain as desrtibed in this writeup as well as a regular chain. The Baileys ripping chain is not a skip tooth chain but is ground at 10*. The question I have is what's the purpose of making the chain a skip tooth. I would think that more cutting surface would work better and faster. I have not run the mill yet but plan on it the end of the month and I want two ripping chains. Can I have the regular chain ground at the 10* without grinding the tops off? I am new to milling and want to be as efficent as possiable.

Yep, that's what I often do, although Bailey's "Woodsman Pro" rip chain is a good value at 20 cents a link. Been very happy with it.

Mark

 

[BobL]

Wow, it's hard to believe it's been a month since I did this. Still no saw. I'm hoping this week.

AggieWB, what was your final verdict on your home made ripping chain? Did you ever stack it up against any other chain, and if so what was your conclusion?

Thanks and Cheers

 

[BlueRider]

rakers should all be the same

Kind of hard to tell from the pics on the Grandberg web site but the height of all the depth rakers should be the same distance as measured from the bar. the defferent heights of slicers and chippers is acomplished by the length of the tooth. The easiest way to understand this is to think of it in extremes. if every other pair of rakers was .125 higher and to simplify things suppose all the teeth are set at .030 above their respective rakers. it is easy to see that the teeth with the shorter rakers will not touch the bottom of the kerf nor will they even take a shaving.

the purpose of the slicers is to cut deeper than the chippers but to do this you have to think in terms of distance from the bar with the rakers all at the same height. then grind the chippers so they are shorter than the slicers.

for what its worth I have two grandberg ripping chains and several oregon ripping chains and i don't think it is worth the extra sharpening time to run the grandberg chain. of cource if I had a nice grinder like AW I might see things differently.

 

[BobL]

the purpose of the slicers is to cut deeper than the chippers but to do this you have to think in terms of distance from the bar with the rakers all at the same height. then grind the chippers so they are shorter than the slicers.

Distance from the bar is not the only factor. Because the depth gauge on the slicing cutter is set at 40"', my guess is when the slicing tooth contacts the timber the whole tooth rotates slightly up off the bar by 10"' allowing it to cut deeper. If this is true then maybe these links should show a bit more wear on the ties just under the slicing tooth?

for what its worth I have two grandberg ripping chains and several oregon ripping chains and i don't think it is worth the extra sharpening time to run the grandberg chain. of cource if I had a nice grinder like AW I might see things differently.

I presume the extra sharpening time required is for the slicers? They don't look like they would take a lot of time?

Cheers

 

[BlueRider]

The extra time in sharpening is due to me only having a hand file jig and the grandberg chain requires 4 different set ups rather than the standard 2. also requires you to check the tooth with dial calipers and getting the tooth length that coresponds with the appropriate difference in raker height is tedious, this is only done once then i use the dial calipers.

Thats about as clear as mud. the first step in had sharpening the chain is guessing at the correct amount to take off of the slicers. then establish how much to remove from all the rakers and then take them down. go back and sharpen half the slicers, switch the angle and do the other half of the slicers. Change the angle for the chippers and take a couple passes and check the height, remebering that it is different from that of the slicers. take a few more passes and check again, a couple more, a couple more...now check the length of the tooth with dial calipers and sharpen the rest of the chippers using this measurement. don't forget to change the angle for the other half of the chippers.

I used to have a shop that did a damn fine job on the grandberg chain but since I moved I have yet to find a decent shop. I like to do my own (non grandberg) as I think I am more acurate but I also like to have a shop available when I get too backed up.

 

[BobL]

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Thats about as clear as mud.
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OK - I get it. Thanks for the reply.