TSC Chainsaw Sharpener

[oldballs]

If you don't have a dedicated shop, here's my set-up solution. Over the years I've made saw horses cut to the length of my short stature that are good for painting or attaching certain tool used occasionally. Thus with a piece of 3/4 plywood nailed down, I can attach a chain sharpener, tool grinder, miter saw. These tools are bolted to the table. So by moving the truck out of the attached garage, I get a solid work bench to do these chores. It seems that my regular heavy work bench with its machinist vise and wood working vise is always covered with stuff and a bit high for sit down jobs, although it also has pre-drilled holes for mounting such tools in a standing position. When finished, the tool is cleaned up and put on a shelf ready for the next time. Cheers, Mike

 

[DarkBlack]

Okay, I got it mounted to the small desk and it seems to be at a good working height when sitting in a chair.

According to the information sheet that came with my chain I need a set up like 60* 25*. I am thankful I always keep the package my chains come in and when switching out I put the old chain back in the package and hang it on the wall.

The instructions with the sharpener does not give much information on the angles needed. So after looking at several different ways of setting it up I decide to look at the actual chain package and the information sheet inside tells exactly what set up you need for the chain number you bought/use.

I was going to sharpen one last night but the wife says "no grinding smell in the basement". So I hope to try one chain in the next day or two and see how it cuts Saturday before sharpening the rest of them.

See pictures below.

David

Make sure you set and change the cradle angle for R/L cutters. In the picture I see it's set neutral. You won't like the results if you leave it like that.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Since the lower end ones like our HF (still in the box) do not have indexed angles I am going to consider finding both 30 degree angles and drill a hole at both points and use a round pin so the angle is the same each time I grind the chains so they do not run 1-2 +/- degrees. I will still lock it down but not have to read the degrees off of the grinder scale.

Anyone tried that?

 

[avillahdw]

You might want to consider a hole for the 25 degree setting as well. Most chain manufacturers recommend chisel cutters be sharpened at 25 degrees and chipper cutters at 30 degrees. The two grinders at my hardware store are set at 35 degrees off perpendicular for the motor / pivot arm with left/right adjustment made depending on cutter type.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

In our case 30 degrees works for us. I see the Timberline crank chain sharpener offers the option for 35 and 25 degrees and 30 seems to be the default.

 

[pacerron]

Don't assume that when you pivot the chain holder from the left degree setting to the right degree setting that the stop that controls the
tooth length will be correct.
It may be, but mine usually needs a little tweak. You want the left teeth and the right teeth to be the same length since as they get shorter
in length they also become shorter in height and are not doing their share of cutting.

I also mentioned the reverse wheel direction. If yours only goes one direction you may find when it is cutting from the center out on the one side that the chain tooth tries to raise up from the bar slot. Holding a little pressure on the chain beyond the tooth will keep it down. I have this problem if I have a brain fart and flip the switch the wrong way on the motor.

You just have to get the darn thing out of the box and use it...

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I guess I should take off Friday.

We have a 32"x60" steel table we need to move into the old garage that is under a big oak tree current. Then we need to mount the 6" vice which means drilling holes in the steel plate table, etc. After that we need to mount the sharpener to a base that I can clamp in the vice. Then there is lighting but we can improvise.

That kind of stuff can be done in colder weather but Friday it is to be 63F so I would like to tear down both of the Polaris 325 Magnums top end and see if we can remove the connecting rod cap and replace the bearing inserts w/o cracking the lower end case.

We do plan to leave two of the four chain on forks on the backhoe FEL to help us move the table close to its final resting place to save our backs some. Some how I find time to start more projects than I have time to finish. We do have some serious sawing to do but that can happen on cold days in Jan-Mar. Falling flat on my back mid Sep messed up my project schedule in a serious way.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

I check last night and I do not have a reverse on this grinder.

DarkBlack, I'm not sure I follow what you are saying about the cradle angle being in the neutral position in the picture. I have it at 25*; is there something I am missing?

 

[eddie48]

I haven't read every entry on this thread, but find it very interesting in what I have read to see the different opinions Man vs. Machine. I sold saws and chains for many years and have sharpened by both methods a lot. I now have an oregon grinder set-up that works well for me. It is important to set the angles correctly when you are sharpening with a machine or by hand. I saw several notes that you were using 30 degrees as the sharpening angle. That is correct for chisel chain. For chipper chain, you should be at 35 degrees.

On my sharpener, I have steel grinding wheels plated with CBN. Because they hold their shape perfectly, I never have to dress them. Cost about $90 each, but worth it, if you are doing lots of sharpening. In addition, I have set up an air line to blow on the tooth as I am sharpening it. That helps to keep the tooth cool (and also the CBN on the wheel) and helps to avoid overheating the tooth and turning it blue. I would recommend cooling to anyone with a grinder, whatever type of wheel you use.

One other thing. There is a tool - a guage that you can lay on top of the chain and see if the rakers are too high. I recommend getting one, if you don't have it. If the rakers are too high, the saw won't dig into the wood far enough to cut well. If they are too low, you increase the risk of kick-back and that is very dangerous.

Cut safely my friends.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Thanks Eddie. I have some machine shop experience from years ago with a lot of grinding but when I get our HF sharpener set up that will be my first go with powered system. I like the air idea. In business did you wash each chain with soap and water before the grind or just wipe off, etc?