Sharpening with diamond stone on bench grinder

[Thomas Pedemont]

Hi all ,best thing you can do is buy a diamond sharpening disc for a bench grinder to sharpen chainsaw chains ,spot on ,have to buy a decent grinder so the spec's are spot on , sharpened a full chisel 3/8 chain at 20° top plate by 53° side plate angle on grinder and it lasted for ages in Australia yellow box wood,loved the dirt and wasn't any slower than 25°-30°,will let you know of any changes ,seams like the manufacturer wants people to sharpen away and away the steal

 

[Cuttingranger]

Great job! Using a diamond disc on a solid grinder really transforms the process. That 20°/53° setup seems perfect for yellow box.

Just a quick question, are you angling the grinder down at all, or keeping it level? And how do you adjust your depth gauges after sharpening? I'm interested to hear if you've seen any changes with that.

 

[SmoothOperator1]

Hi all ,best thing you can do is buy a diamond sharpening disc for a bench grinder to sharpen chainsaw chains ,spot on ,have to buy a decent grinder so the spec's are spot on , sharpened a full chisel 3/8 chain at 20° top plate by 53° side plate angle on grinder and it lasted for ages in Australia yellow box wood,loved the dirt and wasn't any slower than 25°-30°,will let you know of any changes ,seams like the manufacturer wants people to sharpen away and away the steal

a piece of advice from a friend which I'm sure will help you. You'll need a resin bonded diamond disk and not electroplated. The reason is that resin bonded is cooler and smoother on chainsaw cutters.

 

[blades]

I sharpen commercially, I do not care for the plated wheels. ya the stones make more mess but i can shape them for the particular cutter, like those itsy bitsy pico pico ,1/4" pitch items , need a wheel in the 1.5-2 mm width for those or just reshape the 1/8" ones.

 

[JJoe_257]

Hi all ,best thing you can do is buy a diamond sharpening disc for a bench grinder to sharpen chainsaw chains ,spot on ,have to buy a decent grinder so the spec's are spot on , sharpened a full chisel 3/8 chain at 20° top plate by 53° side plate angle on grinder and it lasted for ages in Australia yellow box wood,loved the dirt and wasn't any slower than 25°-30°,will let you know of any changes ,seams like the manufacturer wants people to sharpen away and away the steal

It's interesting that you found those angles to be so effective.
Most recommendations are for a steeper top plate angle, so it's good to hear a real-world account.
I'm curious, what kind of diamond disc are you using, and what RPM does your grinder run at?
Also, how do you manage the depth gauge setting when sharpening this way?

 

[SawdustKing]

That's a great point, using a diamond disc with the right angles really does make a difference. I've found that a 20°/53° combo works great, especially when you're working with hard woods like yellow box. It's totally worth it to get one.

 

[Apex22]

I sharpen commercially, I do not care for the plated wheels. ya the stones make more mess but i can shape them for the particular cutter, like those itsy bitsy pico pico ,1/4" pitch items , need a wheel in the 1.5-2 mm width for those or just reshape the 1/8" ones.

Yeah, I'm in the same boat! I also grind stone wheels, especially for those small 1/4 pitch cutters. It's a messy job, but it gives you way better control than using plated wheels.

 

[amb3r-run]

Thanks for the tip! That 20°/53° setup sounds really sharp. I usually use 25°–30° on my chains. Did you feel more kickback or shaking with that angle? And what grit is your diamond disc? Wondering how it does in rough wood like yellow box.

 

[chryst0s]

I only sharpened by hand so far, but my uncle swears by his bench grinder setup. That 53° side plate angle caught my eye, curious too if you notice any kickback difference compared to the usual 30°? Aand what grinder you’re using that holds those angles so well?