Holy cr*p: it's as predictable as buzzards swarming over roadkill. Every time someone asks about using their grinder better, a bunch of folks have to jump in with off topic, evangelical, filing advice.
It's like:
Q:'
How do I cook asparagus?'
A: '
You should not be cooking asparagus, you should be cooking kale . . .'
Or:
Q: '
What's the best way to tune my chainsaw?'
A: '
You should not be using a chainsaw, you should be using a crosscut saw. My grandfather . . . .'
'I love hashbrowns.'
'You should be eating granola.'
There are lots of ways to sharpen, and people should not be offended if other folks do it differently. Each person has to find something that works for them. The OP just stated that using a grinder has raised his awareness of sharpening. If the 2-in-1 works for you, fine. Personally, I think that it is a '
dumbed-down' way to sharpen a mediocre chain, but I know lots of people who like it, and find their chains cut '
good enough', or at least better than they did when sharpened with another method. I have run across people who think that using a file with an actual handle is not '
purist' enough for '
real' chainsaw users.
Think that grinders 'ruin' chains? Give me a new file and a new STIHL chain, and watch me '
ruin' each cutter with just a few strokes, if you want to lose a bet.
Some people don't want to wait years to get sharp chains, and are not looking for a Zen experience. They want, or need, to cut wood. And are satisfied with chains that are sharpened both to cut, and with edges that hold up for their use.
Back to
@czyhorse: there is a learning curve for any sharpening method you choose. Start with some '
scrap' chains and '
experiment 'with all of the grinder settings to see how changes affect the cutters. Take a chain that you like, and try to '
copy' that with the grinder, then go back at look at the settings, rather that being too worried about the other way around: knowing what you want your finished cutters to look like is the most important part of sharpening.
Take lots of small 'taps', and dress your wheels frequently, to constantly expose fresh abrasive. If you overheat / burn cutters, then do this intentionally on your practice chains, and work backwards to find out how to not do that in the future (you can usually grind through any burned cutters to let you file them again, if that does happen).
Then try those chains in the wood that you cut, and decide what works for you. And, if you decide to file instead, there are plenty of people who will line up to buy that grinder off of CraigsList.
Philbert