TNG Ep. 13: Sharpening Saw Chain on a Super Jolly Chain Grinder

Thursday Night Grind Episode 13 !!
How to sharpen a chainsaw on a Super Jolly Speed Sharp Chain Grinder
This is the grinder I’m using:
bit.ly/2QP2wKL
How I USED to sharpen chainsaws:
• The American Edge on a...
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Thank you for watching! ❤️
-Matt

[@trwilkinson4623]

A suggestion FYI. The chain clamp tilt, usually 10 degrees is used for full chisel chain teeth. Told makes a difference to pro users. The 1/8, wheel intended for use with 1/4", 3/8" LP, 0.325" pitch chains. 3/16" wheel, more for use with full size cutters on 3/8" or 0.404" pitch chains. If thinner wheel used on heavier duty / commercial chain, tends to not clear the gullet or depth of the side plate properly. Was told years ago, more light dabs better than persistent sustained pressure. Some chain, more prone to altering temper than others. Late 80's & 90's Japanese built chain, particularly. Composition of steel causes this. Was more prone to fail when used in very cold conditions. How often rakers need filing, depends on how steep the height of tooth falls away from cutting edge to rear. The raker setting, determines how much bite the tooth gets. Too much, grabby or over load power head, also increases chance of kickback. Hope helpful to you. Be safe !

[@capnmatt41]

This is awesome input, TR! I appreciate you laying that down and I'm going to implement it into my approach. Thanks so much!

[@cardlock]

I know it has been 2 years but still great advice. There is a ton to know with chains. It matters more based on how the saw is used. For the average homeowner it does not matter as much for performance, hell most will be trenching with it anyway. But it is super critical for the homeowner who buys a bigger saw than they have the experience to run. The more HP the more dangerous. Thats where it becomes critically important to get the Raker setting right so they keep the saw in the tree instead of in their face. You dont want to see the red staff that spews in alternating streams. People, always wear safety gear including saw stop pants and boots, eyewear and a brain bucket. Clear your work area first as falling ain't running. Sometimes you need to run. Plan your escape route. If the tree looks bigger than your saw will handle, then use a different saw, preferably the one that is also operated by the professional tree cutter. You will find it safer, the tree falls where you want, your not as tired at the end of the day, and your house still keeps the rain off your head. Be careful. One last word of advice for anyone who cuts trees or works with heavy equipment. You can buy two excellent quality one hand locking tourniquets on amazon for twenty bucks. Well worth it to have one handy if you ever need it. And no your belt will not work for 98 percent of you out there as it is too hard to get it tight enough in the short time you have.

[@MrTomread]

I realize this is a couple years after your video. Hope you and yours came safely through the pandemic. Just ran across your video as I was looking for tips on using this exact same model. I like your easy-going, humble approach in your video. You are absolutely correct about being an entrepreneur. Hope your business is doing well.

[@capnmatt41]

Still going great, thanks man, appreciate your kind words.

[@duck-n-cover477]

I bought my Super Jolly from Sharpening Supplies too. They are helpful and their prices are good too. By the way, the Tecomec variant they sell, is made in ITALY...good stuff!

[@duck-n-cover477]

For solvent/cleaner outdoors, diesel fuel works well. Insidoors? I learned from Hobby Hardwood Alabama (has KZbin channel), try Cotton Picker Spindle Cleaner/Detergent. It's a water-soluable oil. He uses it on his sawmill blades. I want to try it on my chainsaw chains.

[@raylares]

You spend too much time with the wheel on the saw tooth. Overheating the saw tooth will cause it to lose its temper, making the metal softer and prone to dull more quickly. I would suggest being more diligent about bouncing the wheel onto the cutting surface.

[@capnmatt41]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@thoward4051]

Very helpful. Thanks!

[@capnmatt41]

You're welcome! Check out my other one on chainsaw chain angles.

[@Doodad2]

Thanks for the video. I just got the same grinder and am working on figuring it out. I have found that Purple Power cleaner full strength or slightly diluted cleans chains great and it is cheap. Gets sap or pitch off well and is a great degreaser.

[@capnmatt41]

Appreciate that feedback on the Purple Power. Be sure to check out my next video on sawchain: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2G8dayropWdfNk

[@Yettiattack]

Do not waste your time cleaning your chain

[@timberray9572]

@@Yettiattack Says the guy with clogged wheels.

[@centurion2185]

I just acquired a super jolly and it is made in Italy and is the same as the Oregon 620 I got a 200 dollar credit for signing up for an Amazon Days credit card and the saw was selling for $322. Basically $122 for the grinder. Couldn’t resist. I bought CBN WHEELS. Works great sharpened 3 chains with it. One for Stihl and two for Stihl pole saw. HAVE TO DO THE RAKERS NOW BUT WILL USE THE SUPPLIED PINK WHEEL. I’m still trying to understand how the grinder cuts the TILT without the toggle type tilt adjustment as is used on the less expensive versions of the Oregon/Tecomec series of grinders. Tecomec is the company in Italy. Look it up on line. They make lots of stuff. Thanks for the overview and if anyone understands the Tilt question I have please enlighten me. My suspicion is it might be due to cutting OFF the CENTER of the curvature of the grinding wheel as opposed to using the slope of the the circumference of the wheel. That is, grinding on the tangent point of the wheel as opposed to forward or rear ward of the tangent point of the wheel. Shops would not sharpen the pole saw chains ? They came out nicely.

[@capnmatt41]

You can adjust the tilt by sliding the vise forward or backward when you loosen the handle that allows you to change the vise angle. Look on the right hand side of the machine. Check out my more recent video on sawchain angle for more on that and doing the rakers.

[@garrettrimko4386]

Lye works amazing for sleaning chains before sharpening

[@capnmatt41]

First time I've heard that, thanks! If you have any resources on best practices or video's of anyone using lye please share links. I'm interested to learn more.

[@tkjhamak]

Awesome video, you're close on the cutter idea. Overheating the cutter will ruin the temper causing it to actually soften so it won't hold it's edge. Also if your left and right hand cutters are a different length on one side the bar will pull one way while cutting.

[@capnmatt41]

Thank you! Yes, that is most intuitive to me and makes the most sense, the losing the temper part. BUT I've heard, that if we overheat the tooth on the grinder and then go to touch it up with a file, that the file won't cut, which would imply a hardening effect rather than a softening effect. Your response continues to draw into question the validity of that argument. Thank you, too, for stating so clearly why it matters to have the teeth the same length on both sides. Appreciate you!

[@tkjhamak]

@@capnmatt41 hardening steel requires heating and quenching. Tempering requires heat and slow cooling to reach a specified hardness by softening it back after hardening. If you ever want to experiment though you could take a junk chain and purposely overheat a tooth, let it cool and try filling it alongside a normal tooth.

[@capnmatt41]

@@tkjhamak Brilliant. First, I love the way you explain it. Second, I have a stump chain and might just do that. You Rock!

[@HighMaintenancePS]

@@tkjhamak As a paid chainsaw operator with 20 years cutting experience, paid per tree, I can promise you we trasitiinally avoid chain grinders because they harden the tooth making your next field file difficult and slow. Some guys here set up compressed air on the chain grinder to lower temp. And or going very slow. Going very slow is critical. Also flower elbows tip on the CBN grinder wheel, that sounds like a great solution.

[@tkjhamak]

@@HighMaintenancePS I'm not a professional, but I haven't had any complaints on my sharpens hardening teeth. I just grind mine and switch out chains. I did pick up a CBN wheel that I'm excited to use. The faster cut will definitely keep heat down. I've always ground slow. If I need to remove a lot of material, I make multiple passes of small bites.

[@notachance374]

The raker sets the depth of cut per tooth Every few sharpenings the need touched. Period As the tooth is sharpened it’s tapered back, thus lowering or lessening the chip thickness More often touched if you have any significant damage to a tooth

[@JamesHuffman-tx8vq]

You asked so I will answer the cleaning question. Spray the chain out doors with brake cleaner wait 5 minutes then indoors soak the chain in a mix of 99% + lye solution to remove all natural debris from the chain about 15 minutes. A vibrating parts cleaner with heat will add tremendously. Dry then sharpen the chain. Don't forget to check the drag / cleaning link depth to obtain a chain that will cut like factory new.

[@capnmatt41]

That's quite the cleaning process! How do you check the cleaning link depth?

[@kirkchatwin6160]

I usually adjust rakers around 4 times a chain, but this varies depending on condition of wood I’m cutting

[@capnmatt41]

Same here, for my own chain. For customers chains I always at least check and usually make a minor adjustment.

[@ronledbetter4993]

I use a product called AWSOME Cleaner. None flammable, no odor. I have recently used it to clean a Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 engine. I did a complete tear down and rebuild for my neighbor. Did all the work in his basement. Check you tube for comparison with other cleaners. Soaked pistons over night and the carbon build up came off with little brushing. I drop my chains in a coffee can half full of Awsome . When I get ready to sharpen them I remove them rinse with water and blow them off. After sharpening I put them back in and slosh around then rinse with water, blow them dry then spray with WD40 and put in a labeled zip lock bag. Don't leave Aluminum parts in Awsome over night. It will dissolve aluminum in time. Test 20 min. at a time until clean.

[@capnmatt41]

So awesome! Thank you for all that info, I'm going to go look up that awsome.

[@denisthemenace.]

You should charge 10 bucks and do the rakers. Experienced sharpeners touch them at least every 3 sharpenings. On those little chains use a file and a raker gauge, it will take 5 minutes

[@capnmatt41]

Thanks, yes, I have since changed my procedure to include the rakers.

[@rankeny2]

Thank you for the video. I am thinking about buying a Super Jolly, in fact I have one in an online cart. I decided to search KZbin for a video before I finalize payment. I'll be placing the order as soon as I submit this comment. BTW, I used the Granberg guide and a file for years, then I upgraded to the 12 volt Granberg sharpener. I only sharpen chains for myself and my brother, but maybe I'll do some on the side to help pay for the grinder.

[@capnmatt41]

I hope you've had a chance to run some chain through it. I'm getting a little hot and bothered for the CBN wheel...stay tuned. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@treborterb]

Just curious as to why...seeing that have a magnifying lens mounted next to ur grinder...that u did not film an actual close up of ur grinder sharpening at least one tooth which would’ve shown the change in the tooth before and after the grinding instead of the tedious grinding of every single tooth...

[@capnmatt41]

It's a work in progress, brother. Appreciate your idea and feedback.

[@juttree]

A cheap grinder designated for rakers is the way to go in my opinion.

[@capnmatt41]

Only days after publishing I have changed my opinion on rakers....in a future video I'll show my process, but it's quite simple on the Super Jolly and I now do it for all chains. Curious if you could point to a video of how you do it with a grinder? I love learning all the different ways to do things.

[@juttree]

@@capnmatt41 I don't have a video of my setup but maybe I'll put one together. I've been in the tree business for about 24yrs and we go through lots of chains. I also make all of our chains. To be honest I can sharpen by hand better than the grinder but my hands hurt too much now to continue doing it that way. The grinder does do a very good job though.

[@HighMaintenancePS]

@@juttree I am similar. Hand filing is best once you've done a few hundred chains. But hurts the hands like all heck, takes lots of effort. Hand filing grinds cool and we can really develop our hook (gusset).

[@goatsfirewoodandfarms1918]

@@juttree hand filing most definitely gives you the best results but I do like usung the grinder on my firewood saws. It's just easier lol

[@JohnSmith-tn1te]

Just got into this. Had a cheap Chicago electric and never tried it. Went and got the jolly star with manual vise. Then mounted a grinder wheel for an angle grinder in the harbor freight special. Works quite well for the rakers. Less wheel changing.

[@tmccusk1]

Hi Mathew... I have never used a grinder. I have the Grandberg manual sharpener and am thinking about the Super Jolly. When you sharpen can you keep your depth shallow and make a full depth plunge and take off a little at a time and keep adjusting the depth lower as you cycle through the chain? Does that make sense?

[@capnmatt41]

Yes, that makes sense, and that's a good approach to keep the heat in the cutters down. Getting a CBN wheel for the Super Jolly allows you to take bigger bites with each pass and saves time in the long run over the standard Aluminum Oxide wheel.

[@tmccusk1]

@@capnmatt41 thanks

[@FloweringElbow]

Hey Matthew. Really like your grinder and setup, and 'perpetual motion' shop build idea... Parts washer wise, I like soaking them in kerosene, but it is smelly - I just shove em in a bucket (with lid) of the stuff for a day or so, then dry em off with compressed air. In terms of dust extraction, if your doing many - yes DO sort that asap (and/or wear a mask) and that tickle cough might go away ;) Dust extraction can be as simple as a desk fan blowing across the work out a door or window. You already saw my vid, so you know, but a reminder: a CBN wheel vs the kind you are using will reduce dust a LOT, as well as having lots of other benefits. Thanks for the share. Peace, Bongo.

[@capnmatt41]

Thank you! I'm thinking the parts washer might just have to go outside. Moderately inconvenient, but I could also put it near my compressed air - appreciate that tip! The majority of sharpening revenue is going into the savings pot for my dust collection system. It's all designed, just need a little dough to place the order. Appreciate your comment!

[@smokinbutts2]

Is the Super Jolly the same as a Oregon 620-120? Thanks

[@capnmatt41]

Same but different, man. Yeah, certainly a comparable machine.

[@denisthemenace.]

And get a CBN wheel, they are 20 times better than the pink wheels and 10 times better than the green. I have a super jolly and they are not too bad but not perfect

[@capnmatt41]

Yeah, the CBN wheel is approaching the top of my list. Some people seem to passionately not like the super jolly. What are the features you don't like about it?

[@denisthemenace.]

Bed is not quite "square" ie chain stop adjustment is required when going from left to right hand cutters, which is annoying but ok when you get used to it and of course they are non reversable : you are grinding inside out on the left (like filing) and outside in on the right. For personal use I always touch them with a file after grinding

[@capnmatt41]

@@denisthemenace. gotcha and agree. Those sound like universal issues across any grinder in this realm. Is that true? Is there another grinder we should be looking at?

[@denisthemenace.]

@@capnmatt41 Probably Stihl but very expensive, not worth it for me

[@denisthemenace.]

@@capnmatt41 And the direction can be reversed - put a socket in your hand drill and get it spinning then hit the switch. It works (I've done it), and if the jolly motor is brushless it should not do any harm, but again it is hardly worth it for a few chains per month. Good luck from S. E. Oz

[@HighMaintenancePS]

Rarely an issue! Takers are critical to performance and must be adjusted with every sharpen. Critical! Charge $10 and do takers otherwise there are lots of sharp chains out there that will refuse to xut anything or cut very slow.

[@capnmatt41]

I have since added a raker adjustment to all the chains I do, or I at least check them.

[@constructionduru5195]

Rakers are almost more important then the cutting tooth... kinda... but if one raker is down 30 thousandths tech all should be down that much... personally if ones down that much and the rest are down half that if match the rest to decrease the chance of kickback... enjoyed your video otherwise keep it up man!

[@MastercraftKARIGAR]

Very talkative

[@capnmatt41]

Really bro, same comment on multiple videos. Move along.

[@JanYi2023]

if you only knew what you were talking about, that grinder sucks

[@capnmatt41]

Thanks Sam! Sounds like you know what you're talking about, please enlighten us.

[@kurtvonfricken6829]

Everyone is a critic.