Thoughts on Oregon 511A and 520 grinders

[Philbert]

An alternative to the Asian clones. Tecomec, Italian made, parts available, etc. Good seller to deal with.


Philbert

 

[Sidecarflip]

An alternative to the Asian clones. Tecomec, Italian made, parts available, etc. Good seller to deal with.

View attachment 1128725
Philbert

All well and good, I guess but... I just looked on Amazon and the Vevor chain grinder is actually lower in price than what I paid for mine, it's 88 bucks presently. I'm not good with math but, 88 bucks compared to 230 bucks is a a $142 buck difference.... The Vevor is free shipping as well and is in stock at you friendly Amazon warehouse too.

You can buy one of those Chinese clone chainsaws with the difference...lol

In my view, it's a 'no brainer' for me.

Considering how bad Amazon delivery is getting lately, that is the only drawback. 2 weeks ago I ordered some Midwest Tungsten on Amazon and they delivered it to the wrong address (down the road) and stated I signed for the package and I wasn't even home at the time....duh. Glad we have good neighbor's as our neighbor brought it down to me...

I realize hiring competent employees is tough today but, gimme a break.

 

[Bill G]

Why buy used when you can buy new at as you say 'Chinese pricing'.... Last time I checked, pricing always determines resale... Like vehicles, vehicle price today (which is way over the top), sets the pricing for used vehicles as well. Supply chain economics, which is 100% market driven, all the way.

Seems to me there was quite a long dissertation on here about Chinese saws and their pro's and con's and the end game all hinges around what a person deems as a good value for the buck spent.

Myself, I'm not all that fond of Chinese anything but, so long as there is competent oversight, the Chinese can and will produce quality products.

My case in point about just that are cordless tools. Milwaukee and DeWalt cordless tools are all produced in Chinese factories right along side the much less expensive Harbor Freight (and other brands) of cordless tools. Only the exterior coverings change and some of the interior components as well but, make no mistake, the tools come down the assembly line and pass through the same exact hands as every other one ( HF or DeWalt or Milwaukee) does.

It's up to the end user to decide what or what not to purchase and that hinges on what a person is willing to pay as well as their perception of quality versus price. Just because it comes in a red or yellow box has no determining factor on what that box contains.

I believe you said you had a machine shop. Would you choose a Grizzly mill over a Bridgeport?

 

[Sidecarflip]

I believe you said you had a machine shop. Would you choose a Grizzly mill over a Bridgeport?

I do and I would have no issue buying a Grizzly Bridgeport clone over a genuine Bridgeport mill so long as it was built to the same specifications as the original. In fact I own a clone surface grinder. It's a Kent high precision toolroom grinder, made across the pond and capable of holding 0.0001, full axis. Has ABECC high precision bearings and a frictionless hardened ballway table with pressure lubrication and it was thousands less than a used Harig that I would have had to rebuild anyway.

Domestic machine tools made today are a rarity. No builders really exist any more. Precision machine tools are not produced here today, they all come from across the pond. Closest I can come to a domestic made machine tool today is my LeBlond Servo Shift toolroom lathe and LeBlond is outta business as well. I just happened to find the one I have 'sleeping' in a shop that was being liquidated so I grabbed it. Wasn't cheap either, but I didn't have to suffer the ills impacted on it by less than competent operators.

I do believe Bridgeport still offers vertical mills but like everything else today, they aren't made here. May be assembled here from parts sourced 'worldwide'....

Only pure domestic built machine I own is the Atlas (Kalamazoo, Michigan) built floor lathe I bought unused at an estate sale. fully tooled too. It wasn't a cheap date either but I will say it's a nice 'hobby' lathe and I rarely use it except for sizing bottleneck rifle cases and I should really sell it as I have no tangible use for it anyway. Never even replaced the 'lantern' toolpost holder with an Aloris. All original and I have to grind HSS tool blanks for cutters too. No carbide insert tooling on that one.

Love machinery auctions but the issue with them is, the machines at auction will all need a lot of TLC to get back to their original tolerances and use because most all of them are either abused or generally neglected. Kind of like buying a used car. You know there will always be issues and one needs to be prepared for that up front.

None of that applies to the chain grinder as it's new and not used or abused and conversely, why would anyone pay that much for an Oregon or a Tecomec (which is also made offshore but in Italy instead of China) when you can buy a NEW Vevor, unused and in pristine condition for a helluva lot less and in my own experience and use, performs just as well and in some aspects better than the Oregon or Tecomec units.

Finally, I believe and have read elsewhere that all the Oregon chain grinders except the automated commercial units are made by Tecomec and rebranded Oregon and I also read elsewhere that Tecomec is having their grinders built 'across the pond' now as well. Could be fact, could be fiction or it could be just Internet folklore. I really don't know and really don't care.

I do know that 99% of my precision measuring tools are LS Starrett and extremely expensive and I own a set of Webber Croblox gage blocks that happen to be made in Brazil. Webber Gage used to be in Cleveland, Ohio but moved out of the country decades ago. I presume for less expensive labor costs.

Still won't buy a Chinese clone chainsaw, nothing changes in that respect and I won't buy the Hipa chains or parts either. I have to draw a line somewhere, no matter how bad it hurts my wallet. I had a very weak moment and bought a 'Farmtec' Chinese chainsaw and gifted it to a friend after using it one time. Not my cup of tea. Hopefully, it's still running for him as it's not for me.

We drive American built vehicles here, no exceptions. You will never find a rice burner in this driveway, ever. Japanese tractors maybe for sure but no rice burner cars or trucks here. Not to say they aren't any good, just not good for us.

 

[Bill G]

I do and I would have no issue buying a Grizzly Bridgeport clone over a genuine Bridgeport mill so long as it was built to the same specifications as the original. In fact I own a clone surface grinder. It's a Kent high precision toolroom grinder, made across the pond and capable of holding 0.0001, full axis. Has ABECC high precision bearings and a frictionless hardened ballway table with pressure lubrication and it was thousands less than a used Harig that I would have had to rebuild anyway.

Domestic machine tools made today are a rarity. No builders really exist any more. Precision machine tools are not produced here today, they all come from across the pond. Closest I can come to a domestic made machine tool today is my LeBlond Servo Shift toolroom lathe and LeBlond is outta business as well. I just happened to find the one I have 'sleeping' in a shop that was being liquidated so I grabbed it. Wasn't cheap either, but I didn't have to suffer the ills impacted on it by less than competent operators.

I do believe Bridgeport still offers vertical mills but like everything else today, they aren't made here. May be assembled here from parts sourced 'worldwide'....

Only pure domestic built machine I own is the Atlas (Kalamazoo, Michigan) built floor lathe I bought unused at an estate sale. fully tooled too. It wasn't a cheap date either but I will say it's a nice 'hobby' lathe and I rarely use it except for sizing bottleneck rifle cases and I should really sell it as I have no tangible use for it anyway. Never even replaced the 'lantern' toolpost holder with an Aloris. All original and I have to grind HSS tool blanks for cutters too. No carbide insert tooling on that one.

Love machinery auctions but the issue with them is, the machines at auction will all need a lot of TLC to get back to their original tolerances and use because most all of them are either abused or generally neglected. Kind of like buying a used car. You know there will always be issues and one needs to be prepared for that up front.

None of that applies to the chain grinder as it's new and not used or abused and conversely, why would anyone pay that much for an Oregon or a Tecomec (which is also made offshore but in Italy instead of China) when you can buy a NEW Vevor, unused and in pristine condition for a helluva lot less and in my own experience and use, performs just as well and in some aspects better than the Oregon or Tecomec units.

Finally, I believe and have read elsewhere that all the Oregon chain grinders except the automated commercial units are made by Tecomec and rebranded Oregon and I also read elsewhere that Tecomec is having their grinders built 'across the pond' now as well. Could be fact, could be fiction or it could be just Internet folklore. I really don't know and really don't care.

I do know that 99% of my precision measuring tools are LS Starrett and extremely expensive and I own a set of Webber Croblox gage blocks that happen to be made in Brazil. Webber Gage used to be in Cleveland, Ohio but moved out of the country decades ago. I presume for less expensive labor costs.

Still won't buy a Chinese clone chainsaw, nothing changes in that respect and I won't buy the Hipa chains or parts either. I have to draw a line somewhere, no matter how bad it hurts my wallet. I had a very weak moment and bought a 'Farmtec' Chinese chainsaw and gifted it to a friend after using it one time. Not my cup of tea. Hopefully, it's still running for him as it's not for me.

We drive American built vehicles here, no exceptions. You will never find a rice burner in this driveway, ever. Japanese tractors maybe for sure but no rice burner cars or trucks here. Not to say they aren't any good, just not good for us.

This is the type of Bridgeport I was referencing...................not made in China

 

[Sidecarflip]

I have 2 of them plus a VersaTrak. Glorified drill press with power down feed. That one has more paint on it than mine have. Keep in mind that 'Bridgeport' is just a trademarked name and nothing more. Like people refer to an adjustable open end wrench as a 'Crescent Wrench' when it's in reality a wrench made by the Crescent Tool Company in Lorain, Ohio. I refer to them as 'West Virginia Socket sets' myself. Guaranteed to round the flats off any bolt or nut they encounter.

Decades ago, Lagun purchased a Bridgeport vertical mill and took it back to Taiwan and copied it part for part and actually improved on it in many respects and today, a Lagun vertical mill is in high demand. Same sort of applies to Wells Index, they copied the Bridgeport as well but didn't improve on anything, whereas Lagun did. Nice thing is, both the Lagun and the Wells Index internal parts and accessories direct interchange with Bridgeport stuff. Have a 12" riser block on one of mine that came from Lagun

 

[Bill G]

I will stick with original vintage American made equipment when possible. I have owned Grizzly..............I sold it.

 

[Philbert]

I had a disappointing experience with their chain grinder:

https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/grizzly-t28959-chain-grinder.348089/
Philbert

 

[Pjohnson]

Anyone recommend a good cbn wheel and where to purchase

 

[Sidecarflip]

Anyone recommend a good cbn wheel and where to purchase

I get all mine from Diamond Abrasives, not that I buy a lot because I don't. The Diamond CBN wheels go a LONG time without changing them. Just sharpen clean (free of pitch and debris loops) and 'clean' the wheels with the supplied with soft cleaning stone. Currently, I have well in the excess of 100 sharpened loops (20" average) on this one with no sign of it degrading what so ever. They have aluminum rims and are very balanced and have no runout at all.

Because I have 2 grinders, one grinder runs a 30 degree wide CBN wheel for depth gages and the other runs the radiused wheel for sharpening cutters.

Additionally, the Diamond Abrasives CBN wheels are a much finer grit than the stone wheels and produce a much finer finish to the sharpened tooth and unlike the stone wheels, they won't overheat a cutter and cause it to loose it's temper.

All I use and I have a pretty good 'pile' of stone wheels on the shelf, if anyone wants them let me know and I'll send them to you, all you have to do is pay the postage.

One good thing about CBN wheels is, you don't have to install the clunky guard that comes with grinders because the CBN wheels will never 'explode'. The grit is deposited on the solid aluminum rim and is in perfect balance, so no chance of the wheels coming apart. I really don't care for the wheel guards anyway, hard to remove and hard to install.

Diamond Abrasives sell on Amazon online but they also have a very informative website, look it up on your favorite search engine... They ship right away too and take all credit cards and personal checks as well.

They manufacture CBN wheels for almost every make of chain grinders.

Be apprised, they aren't cheap but considering the useful life of the wheels (Diamond claims at least 400 average 20" loops), the cost is really less than stone wheels and you never have to dress them or be concerned with a compromised stone wheel that can explode in your face.

I won't use anything else.

I run the radius CBN wheel on the cheap Vevor grinder I purchased because the depth stop on the Vevor is much better and way more repeatable than the Oregon and the depth gage wheel in the Oregon, plus the Vevor has a much better (tighter clamping chain vise).

I'll never go back to stone wheels.

 

[Lightning Performance]

Anyone recommend a good cbn wheel and where to purchase

 

[Lightning Performance]

I get all mine from Diamond Abrasives, not that I buy a lot because I don't. The Diamond CBN wheels go a LONG time without changing them. Just sharpen clean (free of pitch and debris loops) and 'clean' the wheels with the supplied with soft cleaning stone. Currently, I have well in the excess of 100 sharpened loops (20" average) on this one with no sign of it degrading what so ever. They have aluminum rims and are very balanced and have no runout at all.

Because I have 2 grinders, one grinder runs a 30 degree wide CBN wheel for depth gages and the other runs the radiused wheel for sharpening cutters.

Additionally, the Diamond Abrasives CBN wheels are a much finer grit than the stone wheels and produce a much finer finish to the sharpened tooth and unlike the stone wheels, they won't overheat a cutter and cause it to loose it's temper.

All I use and I have a pretty good 'pile' of stone wheels on the shelf, if anyone wants them let me know and I'll send them to you, all you have to do is pay the postage.

One good thing about CBN wheels is, you don't have to install the clunky guard that comes with grinders because the CBN wheels will never 'explode'. The grit is deposited on the solid aluminum rim and is in perfect balance, so no chance of the wheels coming apart. I really don't care for the wheel guards anyway, hard to remove and hard to install.

Diamond Abrasives sell on Amazon online but they also have a very informative website, look it up on your favorite search engine... They ship right away too and take all credit cards and personal checks as well.

They manufacture CBN wheels for almost every make of chain grinders.

Be apprised, they aren't cheap but considering the useful life of the wheels (Diamond claims at least 400 average 20" loops), the cost is really less than stone wheels and you never have to dress them or be concerned with a compromised stone wheel that can explode in your face.

I won't use anything else.

I run the radius CBN wheel on the cheap Vevor grinder I purchased because the depth stop on the Vevor is much better and way more repeatable than the Oregon and the depth gage wheel in the Oregon, plus the Vevor has a much better (tighter clamping chain vise).

I'll never go back to stone wheels.

Diamond sells the poorest quality imho.
They also mostly push #150 grit. They also sell a lot of people diamond matrix instead of cbn. They are a poor service to ask for help. They sell is about all.

 

[Lightning Performance]

 

[Lightning Performance]

About as good as it gets

 

[Lightning Performance]

Grinders.
I went with many and settled on the Jolly Star autograb.

 

[Patrick62]

I have a tecomec version. Have used the 511 before, for many years.
Good basic grinders. as mentioned, there are several things to consider in using the things.
#1 being keep the wheel CLEAN. dirty wheel creates heat, wrecks the metal of the cutter.
I like the centering of the tecomec vice... but currently I have only been using it on rakers.

I have a stihl usg, and have a Foley 308... these do most of the sharpening for me.
I am learning how to use the simmington 451... (learning)

Ok... now the "reverse" motor rant.
I love my foley belsaw, it was designed to reverse the wheel for the other side of the cutters.
My Oregon I installed a switch to reverse the motor, and that worked a charm.
The tecomec can be done same way.

reverse the wheel on the right side cutters, keeps the chrome edge clean!
Yes, it throws the sparks at you. sit a little off to the side, no problem.
as long as the wheel is tightened securely it is fine, won't "unscrew" itself.

if this is desired, I can explain the "how" to do it, not difficult. requires a DPDT toggle switch.

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

Just from reselling stand point on ROUND grinders.

Only used grinders to hold any value are Silvey and Stihl USG

My dad bought a used tecomec for 50. They are nice.

I couldnt find a round silvey when I was looking so ended up with usg. In pic in background.

 

[Sidecarflip]

Diamond sells the poorest quality imho.
They also mostly push #150 grit. They also sell a lot of people diamond matrix instead of cbn. They are a poor service to ask for help. They sell is about all.

Normally I don't disagree but in this case I will. I've never had issue one with them and I find their CBN wheels to be a quality product. In fact they have designed and will be offering a sharpening jig and wheel for sharpening Green Teeth Wearsharp carbide inserts for stump grinders in the near future.

Never had them sell me anything but CBN wheels and they state that very plainly on their website as to what a diamond matrix versus a CBN wheel is for, they even go into what the diamond matrix wheels sharpen.... ie: Carbide tipped chains.

Far as the 'Baltic' wheels are concerned, they sure sound like they are made offshore and personally, I much prefer domestically produced products myself if at all possible.

Your opinion and mine differ and I'll leave it at that but to demean anyone including Diamond Abrasives is in my view, much less that a mature comment.

What forums like this are really all about, opinions.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

I have the Lithuania made Baltic brand. I recently got their diamond wheel for carbide chains but haven't used it yet.
Any wheel can blue a cutter

 

[Lightning Performance]

Normally I don't disagree but in this case I will. I've never had issue one with them and I find their CBN wheels to be a quality product. In fact they have designed and will be offering a sharpening jig and wheel for sharpening Green Teeth Wearsharp carbide inserts for stump grinders in the near future.

Never had them sell me anything but CBN wheels and they state that very plainly on their website as to what a diamond matrix versus a CBN wheel is for, they even go into what the diamond matrix wheels sharpen.... ie: Carbide tipped chains.

Far as the 'Baltic' wheels are concerned, they sure sound like they are made offshore and personally, I much prefer domestically produced products myself if at all possible.

Your opinion and mine differ and I'll leave it at that but to demean anyone including Diamond Abrasives is in my view, much less that a mature comment.

What forums like this are really all about, opinions.

You have an opinion but is it based in facts?

They were recommended to be avoid by several old timers I spoke with. Their word far exceeds any online banter imo.

The quality of what they were selling should have improved if they wished to stay in the market. I ran one of those wheels and it wasn't very good. The guy let me test his who sold all his Diamond made wheels and moved on.

Your thoughts on what is domestic made can usually be traced straight back to China 95% of the time. The Balkins is known for making quality abrasive for decades now. You might need to dive a bit deeper into who makes what and how.

I'm not ignorant and your implications are just that about me. Yes, I take it personally now you have targeted me. Your kind is everywhere now days.

You can leave it anyway you want. Passive aggressive statements don't fret me none.

How many years and it what industries have you used abrasive in or on to quality your statement about a company who makes or buys wheels to grind with? Let us not get hangup on just CBN grinding wheels for chainsaw loops.