Oregon Sharpener Settings for Stihl Chain

[JJinAK]

Last year I bought the Oregon 520-120 sharpener and for the most part, I'm pretty happy with it.  I run Stihl 33RSF full skip or 33RS3 full comp for chain.  On the grinder I also added a CBN wheel.

I use the Oregon recommended settings for 30°/10° and I have the grinder angle currently at about 50°.

The issue I'm having is this doesn't give me a great edge on the chain. It does okay, but not "Wow, this is amazing" sharp.  I can do a much better job by hand.  It feels to me that the grinder doesn't give a good hook under the top plate of the chain.  If I lay the head over further (decreasing the angle) then it seems to just hit deeper into the gullet of the tooth, still not getting the underside of the top plate.  If I go steeper, then it just removes the top plate.

Does anyone have a super secret setting they are using on their grinders?

Thanks,  

JJinAK

[sawguy21]

IIRC I usually set the top plate angle at 60 degrees, it might be worth trying.  Too much hook will make the chain grab slowing the saw down.

[barbender]

I believe my top plate angle is set at 60° as well. 30/10/60. Cuts great. Are you sure you're using the correct 10° mark (not flip flopped)?

[beenthere]

IMO can always do better by hand. 

[barbender]

I'm not claiming I can hand file like guys that can do square ground and such, but I'm as good or better at it than anyone I've come across in my work. My bench grinder ground chains are just as sharp, and consistent. When I'm hand filing I have teeth start to creep to different lengths, and the top plates start getting out of whack. I like the grinder🤷 Another thing I notice is that ground chains tend to hold an edge quite a bit longer on my firewood processor chains. I will touch them up on the machine quite often, but the edge doesn't last as long. 

[JJinAK]

Thanks for the feedback.  I'll verify the 10° angle, but I'm pretty sure I have that correct (however with me you never know).  The more vertical angle 60° vs 50° seems to remove the top plate more, but I'll take another look at it.  

I agree that too much hook isn't as effective, but it seems like there's a bit of a sweet spot in there somewhere.

Thanks again~

JJinAK

[ladylake]

 
I dont mess around with the 10°, just leave it at 0, seems to cut just as good and a lot easier Otherwise 60 and 25.  Steve

[JD Guy]

Stihl chains ASFAIK do not specify the 10* down angle. I use 30-0-60 with RS and they cut well.

[doc henderson]

the numbers may be confusing.  I have the Stihl grinder.  It works great.  these are my settings for all chain.  the grinder head is tilted 30 degrees to the left if you consider straight up and down to be 0°.  or 60° up from the table.  The chain clamp switches 30° left or right depending on the cutter angle.  so you do half the cutters, then switch and do the remaining half.  the base also slides forward or back with each angle change based on cutter angle.  this get the grinder over the cutter properly and is either 15 mm in front or behind a scale with 0 in the middle (travel 30 mm).

[doc henderson]

here is my machine



 

 

here is the 30° at the back of the motor that stays there.



 

here is the part that slides forward and back to center the grinding wheel over the cutter depending on if it is turns R or L at the chain vise.



 

 

 

 

the chain clamp must pivot back and forth for half of each chain.  and the whole also must move front to back as above.

hope that helps

[ButchC]

Stihl chains ASFAIK do not specify the 10* down angle. I use 30-0-60 with RS and they cut well.

Same here, I use that for everything I grind, 3/8 LP, .325 and 3/8 no matter if x,y or z brands. I supposed a stop watch may show some 1/10 seconds to be gained by fooling with the angles but in my hands they cut as fast as the factory grinds.

[JJinAK]

Thanks for the feedback.  I re-set back to 30-0-60 and ran a couple chains through.  I'll set up this weekend and try a couple of cookies and see how it looks.  I swear I read somewhere for 10° on Stihl chain, but I'll be darned if I can find it now.

Again, comments were appreciated.

JJ

[doc henderson]

ripping chain may be 10°.  remember to not hold and grind till the metal is blue, just a series of three little bumps or so.  each tooth.  it should erase any rounding to the tip of the tooth.

[WLzM1A]

I believe my top plate angle is set at 60° as well. 30/10/60. Cuts great. Are you sure you're using the correct 10° mark (not flip flopped)?

Agreed

[GaTrapper]

here is my machine



 

 

here is the 30° at the back of the motor that stays there.



 

here is the part that slides forward and back to center the grinding wheel over the cutter depending on if it is turns R or L at the chain vise.



 

 

 

 

the chain clamp must pivot back and forth for half of each chain.  and the whole also must move front to back as above.

hope that helps

Hey Doc--I'm looking into getting a grinder myself.

Is there a big difference in the Stihl grinder and the Oregon? Would you point someone in the direction of the Stihl or the Oregon? 

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah, I'd be curious on your thoughts on that question also. Plus, I am wondering how long it takes you do do an average loop, say 20" or so?

 I can see this making sense for the long bar guys, but I still am having a hard time selling it to myself for the use I have. First, I think hand sharpening is faster that changing chains. At my age and workload, I am not spending 9 hour days cutting in the field. When I am in the field I always have 2 saws, so if I really rock one, I grab the other saw. After dinner I take the saws out to the shop and put them in a bench vise and take my time doing a proper job, maybe with a beer on the bench.
 I just think it's faster than swapping chains. HOWEVER, when a chain gets really rocked or messed up over time with a lot of odd teeth, a grinder would be just the ticket for evening everything up and getting a fresh start. This does appeal to me. I did look at the Oregon sharpener briefly at the show and thought about it a little more.
 A general question for anyone: When you sharpen with a file there is a down angle you hold the file at (usually 10° or so). My X-cut chains take a 'zero' down angle. How do these grinders handle that angle? Is it the positioning of the wheel in and out over the center line of the chain? That's the only way I can figure it.

[doc henderson]

I only have the Stihl.  I have a cousin and a friend who have the harbor freight.  I would guess the Oregon is much better than HF.  Maybe as good as the Stihl but have no way to know.  I paid 600 bucks about 10 years ago for mine.  so, cost may come into play.

[doc henderson]

prob. 2 minutes for a 20-inch loop.

[doc henderson]

well, by the time they need sharpened, there is usually all kinds of crap in and around the moving parts.  I clean out the groove and make the nose tip spin like a turbo with air to clean it out.  I blow off the mounting plate and oil outlet.  so, it seems to get things ready more than just hitting the cutters with a file.  I could time it sometime, but I do not have the go pro to make a video.

[Old Greenhorn]

Geez, you're pretty quick for an old guy! :D

[doc henderson]

I could be exaggerating too.  us old guys tend to do that.  smiley_old_guy

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah, there are other benefits like cleaning involved. I generally take mine apart after every 8-10 hours of cutting works, scrape and blow it all out.
 This whole side conversation has me re-thinking what I do, why I do it, and how much I do it, as well as how much time that takes. 
 At any rate, that Oregon 520-110 is in the back of my mind now and MAYBE when I find myself overly flush again, I will think hard on it. I always have to consider what the return is on an expense like that or else I am just feeding a hobby. I'd probably take in chains from some local cutters to offset the cost and make me feel better. ;D

[doc henderson]

I would file in the field, but I am never far from home, and I generally take more than one saw, just in case. :

[Big_eddy]

I have the Oregon 520 sharpener, but to be honest I rarely use it. If I'm cutting blocks on the log pile, I typically sharpen every tank and my routine is to clamp the saw in the vise when I get back to refuel, file 3-5 passes a tooth, blow out the air filter then refuel.
It's a very long time since I took a chain off and ran it through the grinder instead. (It's also a long time since I badly rocked a chain)

I also feel I'm better with a file than I am with the grinder.  
Maybe I haven't tried hard enough with the grinder yet, but I am happy with my filing results

[barbender]

 I mostly use my grinder for my firewood processor chains. I save them up and do a batch of 10-12 chains at a time. I try to keep each batch seperate, so all the teeth are the same length. Then I find it to be faster to go through and do just the right side teeth on all the chains, then adjust the angle for the other side and run all the chains through again. 
 
 I do like to run my chainsaw chains through the grinder as well, it keeps them more consistent than I do filing by hand. But, I don't like to remove a chain just to run it through the grinder either. Maybe I need to get batches of chain for my chainsaws, too. I tend to have o e on the saw, and a new spare. I don't use the spare if I don't need to, I just run the chain on the saw until that one is wore out and put on the new chain. I could get 5 chains and try the same method I use with the processor chains🤔