Saw chain grinder

Russ from MN · Oct 6, 2013

Does any one dress the stone on a chain grinder? I have been using the same wheel for a quite a while and have squared it off a couple of times. Is that a good thing to do? I have also turned it around.

Dean · Oct 6, 2013

Chain saw grinder wheels are not supposed to be "squared ... off."

The wheel should be rounded to match the coutour of the tooth on a new chain.

Dean

tiresntracks · Oct 6, 2013

It depends on the type of chain you're grinding. Chisel chain grinders are supposed to be square.

Russ from MN · Oct 6, 2013

Thank you! I have a chisel chain.

LaVern Skarzenski · Oct 6, 2013

I'm not trying to be a know-it-all or start a fight. A chisel chain has a square top and side, plus it also has a concave side profile. Every grinder I've seen still needs to be dressed with the appropriate radius on the wheel to give the curved profile shape to the side of the cutter. If you have a picture maybe it would be more clear to me, or maybe a link to show what type of chisel chains you are talking about. I have an Elko(sp?) grinder I bought around 1980. It has an adjustable wheel head, it tilts from 0 to about 45 degrees right. It has an inclinable vise which swivels left and right and reclines frontwards or backwards. I still have to dress the wheel. I am curious, maybe there is another style chisel chain that I don't know about. I would appreciate any information you all might have. Thanks.
LaVern

Bret4207 · Oct 7, 2013

For questions like this, the best place to go in The Arborist Site .com http://www.arboristsite.com and ask in the chainsaw forum. Those guys know their stuff.

FWIW, the only chain I know of that has squared "corners", true squared corners, is square cut chain and you can't do that on the average home saw grinder. Regular chisel, semi chisel and chipper type chain all has a good radius to the inside "corners". There's a proper name for those corners but I forget it.

JOB · Oct 7, 2013

Is the chain you are using now square at the corners? If so you can probably continue to use the wheel as is. As others have said if your cutter is rounded and your saw chain grinder wheel is not, you need to dress the wheel so it is rounded. It is not hard to do. There is a stone for that, that most likely can be bought where you buy the grinder wheels.

Jiles · Oct 7, 2013

(quoted from post at 12:17:25 10/07/13) For questions like this, the best place to go in The Arborist Site .com http://www.arboristsite.com and ask in the chainsaw forum. Those guys know their stuff.

FWIW, the only chain I know of that has squared "corners", true squared corners, is square cut chain and you can't do that on the average home saw grinder. Regular chisel, semi chisel and chipper type chain all has a good radius to the inside "corners". There's a proper name for those corners but I forget it.

The site you mentioned above is a very good web site. However, the site has been compromised--or hacked--and it is still having problems.
Very sad that this has happened.
I have an Oregon 511A grinder and have sharpened many chains. My best advise about sharpening a chain, is to CLEAN the chain before sharpening! I soak the chain in solvent and blow clean with compressed air. I then clamp the chain and further clean the cutters with a wire brush.
Yes the grinding stone should be dressed to the correct profile. This also cleans the stone.

Bryan inIowa · Oct 7, 2013

I just bought a 511ax last week . Amazing grinder ! Starting pick up lot of saw work and thinking hard about being a Dolmar dealer .

Dean · Oct 7, 2013

Bingo.

I have and sharpen both chisel and semi chisel chains.

The wheel must be contoured to the radius of the tooth.

Dean

LaVern Skarzenski · Oct 7, 2013

As my subject line says, You learn something new every day. While doing some research on the current subject we are talking about I came across this page.

http://www.madsens1.com/bnc_teeth_types.htm

It say that yes there is such a thing as a square grind chisel chain.

It shows drawings of them and yes you do use a square grind on the wheel

. I don't know if you will be able to click on this or if you will need to copy and paste, but it is worth looking at especially for a skeptic like me. I take back everything I said earlier and thank everybody for the opportunity to learn my lesson for the day

LaVern

Bret4207 · Oct 8, 2013

WOW! I guess Aborist site did get hacked big time! What possesses these idiots? Anyway, the forestry forum is another good site with info on pretty much everything associated with chainsaws.

Glad you found the Masdens site LaVern. I wouldn't lie to you.

LaVern Skarzenski · Oct 8, 2013

Now my question is; How many folks out there are using the square ground chisel chain, and how long has this chain been around?

LaVern

Bret4207 · Oct 8, 2013

It's been around a relatively long time. A good 30 years or more. (Consider the modern saw chain as we know it didn't come along until the mid 50's IIRC!) Square ground is used out west a lot more than in the east and it's a special order chain in most places. I've only ever seen it personally once and never used it myself, but I understand it's better cutting than the standard chain, especially in the big soft woods they have out west. It pays to have a sharper, better cutting chain when you're cutting huge wood. But the catch is it takes a lot of skill to sharpen right, even with a grinder. It takes a special file and you file into the cutter rather than away as we do with standard chisel chain. I believe the rakers (depth gauges) are also sent quite a bit different. It's usually confined to the larger saws too, it's just not needed for Joe Sixpack cutting 2 foot firewood.

LaVern Skarzenski · Oct 8, 2013

Thanks for the information. You just taught me something new again.
LaVern

Saw chain grinder

Russ from MN

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Dean

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tiresntracks

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Russ from MN

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LaVern Skarzenski

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Bryan inIowa

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