Oregon 410-120 saw chain grinder

[SUKI]

I just got in the Oregon 410-120 grinder to replace a piece of junk HFT grinder. Personally I would not recommend the HFT grinder to anyone except a competitor shop.

Oh it help on those severely rocked chains but I definitely had to follow up with hand sharping.

I main reason I got the Oregon unit is because of the blisters I got filing 8 extra hard chains using 5 new files.

I will review the Oregon grinder after a few months use as to break in the unit but first impressions just taking it out the box are good as it mostly metal compared to the HFT plastic unit.

[SUKI]

So far after the initial setup learning I found a few nitpicking problems.

1. Chain vise wasnt locking good. Required a little grease added to contact points.
2. Head tilt is off by about a degree. So I setting at 1 degree less than the 55 degree setting.
3. Cutter angle also off a degree. Instead of aligning the point center on 30 or 25 degrees, I need to it just shy of either setting which is also about 1 degree less.
4. The 10 degree down tilt seems to spot on.
5. It also leaves burrs on the left hand cutters so a very light touch is needed to reduce this burring.

Once I figured this out chains are now matching the hand sharpening and the witness marks on the Oregon chains. Now all I need to get a second unit dedicated to the depth gauges so I dont have to change out the stones as often. Kinda wish the side cover was using a snap fit retainers instead of screws. I see these screws wearing the plastic cover rather quickly.

[RoyM]

#5 is because the wheel is rotating away from the operator, a light touch with a file takes care of that. Some machines have a reversing switch but sparks in the face are a little unnerving.

[bgsengine]

I'd never grind depth gauges - I just check a few at random while they sit on the grinder (use a raker filing guide gauge) and if they need to be filed, I use a hand file - just a couple touches with a good (I.E. Pferd or your favorite high quality rake file brand) flat file, and they're done, without removing the chain from the vise (assuming your grinder's vise has enough length)

[SUKI]

I'd never grind depth gauges - I just check a few at random while they sit on the grinder (use a raker filing guide gauge) and if they need to be filed, I use a hand file - just a couple touches with a good (I.E. Pferd or your favorite high quality rake file brand) flat file, and they're done, without removing the chain from the vise (assuming your grinder's vise has enough length)

Might change your mind if you run some the chains that I have run into lately. I did eight chains earlier this month that took 5 Pferd files to sharpen (very hard cutters) and I ended up with blisters hand filing them. Even had a hard filing the depth gauges with a Pferd flat file. It trashed now too. It didn't help that the user cut a piece of rebar in two with one of the chains.

I have one those Oregon depth gauge tools here somewhere but I found it not to set the gauges at the right height, it was always was too shallow according depth gauge height checking tools. Plus it doesn't fit over a lot of the double rakers/depth setups even on the 3/8LP chains. I simply gave up on it four years ago. Grinding the depth gauges is fairly fast and accurate with the grinder. It just that I need to change out to a 1/4 stone that has a 80 degree profile. Since I normally only do one or two chains at a time normally I just got to get use to making the change outs.

I thinking about taking the HF grinder out back and shooting it to put it out of its and my misery but I don't it even worth the lead.

[bgsengine]

ahh those good ol' "Hard Chains" .. actually they been basically heat treated from being abused (you ever "smoked" a saw chain trying to cut hard wood on a dull chain? - That... ) , without getting tempered (eases the brittleness which allows it to be filed.. brittle stuff won't file easy) , is what usually happens.. sooner or later they catch something and one or more cutters break off.. typically I would advise the owner that A) I won't sharpen the chain because it's been trashed, and B) they'd be better off getting a new chain instead.. about 25% of the time, they get the new chain, 70% of the time they took the chain home to try and sharpen themselves (and about a third came back in a week for a new chain) , and the other 5% got totally PO'ed , said I was fulla sh**, trying to rip them off, and never came back again... (they never bought anything else either anyway - they came to me because I was the cheapest chain sharpening and cheapest chain loops in the area.. so I didn't miss them one little bit... )

[SUKI]

Considering I have worked wood for over 50 yrs. Back then it was one person using a two man crosscut saw. The guy on the other end was just a ball cap. Learn to sharpen and set the teeth on them. Also that a sharp saw was a lot less work. But no I never smoked a chain maybe because I know when it dull just not keep trying to make it work. Now I have ruined one new chain about 15 yrs ago by cutting a railroad spike in two. Strange it make it all the way through before it stop cutting.

I do know Oregon sales heat treated chains but the ones I came into lately are Chinese chains. Just don't know the brand but even though they had the same logo as the Timber Ridge chain I sell. The only thing that really did cutters was that HF grinder though I had finish hand filing as the grinder was all over the place. The last time I ran into a chain harder than these was about ten years ago., hand files would not even make a mark on that chain. Ended up replacing that chain.

So far I never had a chain to come back after sharpening; unless, it was dulled again. And yes I have replaced cutters over the years that where they are broken at the customers request. Usually I just make them into scratchers or into dummy links. What is fun is those rip chains not file guides for those out there.

Really been lucky not to see any those 3/4 pitch chains so I don't see a reason to buy a stone for that size until I do.

[bgsengine]

Really been lucky not to see any those 3/4 pitch chains so I don't see a reason to buy a stone for that size until I do.

And, you probably won't - they (as well as .404 pitch) are typically used on those huge timber harvesters and those guys with deep pockets typically have an in-house grinder to sharpen them... if you do vintage antique saws, you might see a .404 pitch a time or two...

[KE4AVB]

Well since 2009 I haven't seen of the oddball stuff. But I have a seen a few 1/4 chains lately on pole saws. The oddest request was 3/8LP skip chains. It took a while to find them and special order.

[SUKI]

Well I getting use to using this grinder and finding a lot faster once I got use to making settings. I only problem was finding .030 gauge tool but AVB ordered the minimum from Oregon which was 10 of of them. They are a lot easier to use instead that little plastic gauge Oregon provided with the grinder. Sure makes doing chains a lot easier when you got the right tools. I did find it strange that even the local Stihl dealer didn't have a 0.030 tool.

The thing that is a little bit of a pain is having change out the grinding wheels. I might get a couple more units just so I don't have to change discs but that is a lot further down the road.