Gooserider said:
Well, as promised a status update....
1. The cheapo HF chain grinder works, but has limitations.
a. I thought I could use it on the rakers, but I can't. I'm hand filing those.
b. The grinder is fixed on the tilt angle, and only spins in one direction, so one side of the chain is sharpened with the grinder spinning the "wrong" direction by the standard instructions on filing a chain towards the "outside" of the cutters. (The only adjustment is the top angle)
c. The positioning stop for the cutters is a bit flimsy, and has enough flex and slop in it that I have to hold it and the chain in place when grinding to get a consistent cut.
d. The stop has to be set in different places to get the same cut on each side of the chain
With all that said, it does seem to do a good job of sharpening the cutters, and is fast to use. I bolted it to a chunk of scrap angle iron so that I can put it in my bench vise while I'm using it. (The grinder is very light, you definitely need to fasten it down somehow to use it! There is an adjustment for how far down the wheel can come, which mostly doesn't need touching other than as the wheel wears (slowly) There is a pivot bolt that sets the top angle for the chain holder, with a crude but useable degree scale, and a rather flimsy stop for positioning the cutters. I find that setting up takes a minute or so, and then it takes about 10 seconds a cutter to position it and make the grinder pass. I tend to run both chains dull, then grind them both, etc. as it is just as easy to do two chains at once and minimizes my setup time.
2. The chains are a bit more of a mixed bag. (As a reminder they are the "Pro-Care" brand sold at Home Despot - much lower cost than I was getting for Oregon chains at the local True Value. Saw is a 2.15 CID Poulan homeowner grade w/ a 16" bar.) When I first started using them I was amazed, they cut FAR better than the Oregon 91VG chain that comes with the saw. I am now of the opinion that this is a function of the "anti-kickback" design of the 91VG series that seems to have sacrificed all cutting performance to get maximum safety. If I purchase Oregon chain in the future, I will try the allegedly more agressive VX chain instead.
The Pro-Care chains seemed to run for a very long time before getting dull, I'd say 4-5 tanks of gas each, when new. Now however I'm finding I need to sharpen them every tank or two and this has been getting worse as the chains have worn. I also had one snap on me the other day, without any obvious provocation. However I am still fairly impressed with these chains and consider them a decent value.
Gooserider
