Oregon 520-120 Grinder arrived!

[JD Guy]

American Forestry was quick with my order. Ordered on Saturday and it delivered on Thursday, well packaged and unscathed . I have the basic settings done and now to mount on a bench. Would appreciate any suggestions for shortening the learning curve from those of you who have the experience as I am hoping not to completely screw up my first attempt. I will be using an old chain to start with though . Thanks!

 

[mountainlake]

Get the wheel low enough so you have some hook on the side of the cutter and make sure the rakers aren't too high. Your chain will cut good. Steve

 

[heimannm]

Assuming you are using the pink vitrified wheel(s) supplied with the grinder, dress the wheel often and just tap - tap - tap the wheel against the cutter to avoid overheating.

Mark

 

[Backstage]

Lucky dog! I have the HF version, and it’s a hateful POS. I hear getting the cbn wheels is worthwhile.

 

[heimannm]

I am a big fan of the CBN wheels, others may have a different opinion.

The wheels from Diamond Wheel are very smooth and leave an extremely fine finish.

https://diamondwheelinc.com/chain-s...OL9ilL29bIfWtaQQIqv2Ucl7mbl0OgxxoCn5wQAvD_BwE
The Foley Belsaw wheels (I got mine from Sharpening Supplies) are coarser and work very well if you have a badly worn/rocked chain that needs a lot of material removed. They do leave a rougher finish in the tooth but for the people that bring chains to me for sharpening, the only thing they notice is how much better it cuts when they get it back.

https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/...R1Vj-zdeSCumwqcBvN_z5TiNIKObrpFhoCT1wQAvD_BwE
The wheels are a fairly big investment at $100 + each but if you are grinding a lot of chains I think the are the best way to go.

Mark

 

[JD Guy]

Wanted to update on my progress:
Setup was easy and straightforward, I used the suggestions from another on the forum(I apologize but I cannot name them to give proper acknowledgement) and built a wooden base that I could clamp into my bench vise so that the grinder , when bolted to it could be easily removed and stored in a tote to clear the bench. When I want to grind chains I then only have to bring it to the vise, clamp it in and good to go!
Started on some older shorter .325 chains and by going slowly with the "tap,tap" method I believe I got a very good result. I haven't cut with them yet but it's got to be an improvement with returning the cutters to factory angle and correcting the slightly rocked cutters.
I am using as a benchmark for angle settings 0-30-60 as most chains are Stihl RS or RM. Only putting them into wood will tell if I've been successful .
I want to sincerely thank all here on AS that I researched and those that answered my questions for getting me started down the right path.
Thanks, Ed

 

[mountainlake]

So long as your rakers aren't to high it will cut good. Steve

 

[JD Guy]

Thanks! Right you are! I like to hit the cutters with a file about every 3 tanks of fuel and check rakers. Also check chain depth gauges after coming off the grinder

 

[Wood Doctor]

Wanted to update on my progress:
Setup was easy and straightforward, I used the suggestions from another on the forum(I apologize but I cannot name them to give proper acknowledgement) and built a wooden base that I could clamp into my bench vise so that the grinder , when bolted to it could be easily removed and stored in a tote to clear the bench. When I want to grind chains I then only have to bring it to the vise, clamp it in and good to go!
Started on some older shorter .325 chains and by going slowly with the "tap,tap" method I believe I got a very good result. I haven't cut with them yet but it's got to be an improvement with returning the cutters to factory angle and correcting the slightly rocked cutters.
I am using as a benchmark for angle settings 0-30-60 as most chains are Stihl RS or RM. Only putting them into wood will tell if I've been successful .
I want to sincerely thank all here on AS that I researched and those that answered my questions for getting me started down the right path.
Thanks, Ed

I like this grinder base that I made:



Mounts in my bench vise and really hard to beat. Made of oak, I've been using it for years.

 

[JD Guy]

I like this grinder base that I made:
View attachment 1010865
View attachment 1010866

Mounts in my bench vise and really hard to beat. Made of oak, I've been using it for years.

Yours may very well be the one that gave me the impetus to build something similar . Mine is not quite as elaborate or with a finish yet and is made from some S4S cherry 3/4" material that I had in my wood stash!

Edit: My work bench sure isn't as neat as yours at the moment

 

[Wood Doctor]

My bench is not that neat anymore either. I need a good maid to help me clean things up a bit.

Thanks for the compliment.

 

[Philbert]

Just about everything in the thread, below, will apply. The 520 is a later version of the 511 grinder, with the addition of a wheel wear compensation feature.

https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/511a-grinder-improvements-tweaks.197073/
Philbert