Oregon 511A Grinder

[slabberman]

G'day Guys,

Can you tell me if the Oregon 511A Grinder is a reversible direction grinder or not? Any user testimonials would be a huge help too!
Thanks.
Cheers
Charlie.

 

[Walkerized]

no it is not reversable. we use one for doing harvester chain 11BC and use a borzon wheel and it does a great.

John W

 

[Walt Galer]

Howdy,

The Oregon 511 grinder is not reversable. The grinder is basically the EFCO machine which is reversable, but Oregon did away with the reversing switch claiming it was to improve safety. (Always throws the grit away from you, at least that part that isn't bouncing around anyway!)

You might try having your dealer look for the basic EFCO machine from another distributor and compare price, etc.

These machines are great for destroying chain. If you get the cutter too hot to lay your finger on top of it immediately after grinding, you have gotten it too hot. This is long before discoloration of the material. (The chrome plate looses it's hardness at any temperature above 350 F. When the chrome is drawn back off it's hardness, the cutter will never again stay sharp until it is back to undisturbed, unaltered chrome!) Grinders are great for restoring a badly rocked and damaged chain, but should not be used for routine wood-dull sharpening. You can be faster with a file anyway, and do a much better job. Getting the good and proper cutting and filing angles with the grinder takes some knowledge and some effort. It's not all it cracked up to be. (And the instructions that come with the grinder sure do not do it!)

Regards,
Walt Galer

 

[Dennis]

I agree with Walt, the Efco is the machine..I use it everyday for harvester chains..18H 16H 27...not much 11BC where I am at....and the reversible is the way t0 go, but like Walt said..you have to be very careful, with heat and angles...if you are inexperienced with the grinding, never put a chain on there you intend to handfile again..chances are you wont be able to touch many of the teeth with a regular file...

 

[slabberman]

G'day Guys,

Thanks for the replies so far.
SO... if you were going to get a grinder for the rocked out chains, would a reversible wheel be high on the list of wants, ie, is it worth it??
Cheers
Charlie.

 

[slabberman]

G'day Guys,

Thinking about it, it probably would not be to hard to put a reversing switch in it if you wanted, and didnt mind voiding the warranty I guess!!
Cheers
Charlie.

 

[jokers]

Hi Slabberman, you`re on the right track now, putting a different switch in the 511. BTW, if you can find an older 511, which doesn`t have the built in light, it should be reversable from the factory. On another forum, a guy posted how you would go about replacing the single throw switch on the 511A with a double throw and he said it worked well. Had something to do with swapping the capacitor from the L1 to L2 lead and putting in the double throw switch. I don`t remember the details exactly. I do have an Efco reversable which from what I understand is no longer available, and I have a newer 511A, just haven`t had the time to look into the differences in the wiring. If I can anytime soon, I will post instructions on the swap. Reversable has advantages, but you can learn to do a good job without it. The most important features I`ve found are lowest possible wheel speed, tilting chain vise, ie:tilts 10 degrees, and a head that will tilt to at least 50 degrees. Russ

 

[rupedoggy]

Anybody need some grinding wheels? Mike