I tend to use my (off-brand) mototool as a grinder/minirouter. So, most of the 8,000 bits in these "kits" are useless sanding disks, sanding drums, etc. Essentially useless for my needs.
I'd like to buy a similar "kit" of USEFUL (to me) metal bits. Like:
though I am always leary of HF's quality.
Any other sources of similar "bits"? Or, experiences with either of the above?
I have a bigger set of the HF diamond points . Don't overheat them or the diamonds fall off . Otherwise I've had good success using them . The one that came apart was sharpening a chain saw when that happened .
I'd stick with Dremel bits. I've never used HF Dremel bits but their drill bits are suitable for drilling softwood.
I have a bunch of those offshore diamond bits and they work for a while but get a bunch of them if you are doing any serious work.
That pretty much says how low the quality of the HF bits are. A chainsaw is not a very hard steel. But that just shows the overall quality of all HF stuff, and is why I dont buy from them, or recommend them. Ive never bought bits for a dremel tool, because I never found them tools real useful for my needs. I got one years ago as a gift, used the bits that came with it a few times, but I would not even know where to find it now. However, I'd suggest the bits from dremel, or another company that makes quality stuff. I've bought off-brand drill bits and they are just a waste of money, as well as a thing to piss me off when I'm trying to drill a hole. The same is true to jigsaw, sawsall, and other saw blades.
"Bigger" in terms of number of bits? Or, larger sizes? (I'd prefer a wider range of sizes but suspect the tool doesn't really have enough HP to do much with anything more substantial)
OK, so it's reasonably "capable". (why not a round file and guide for the saw? seems like you're tempting fate with a motorized tool -- Ooops!)
That's been my experience with other items that I'd expected to be "hardened". E.g., a tap & die set was a very ornate set of paperweights! (when tapping ALUMINUM and soft BRASS)
Do they just "go dull"? Or, more spectacular failures?
I tried using one of the cylindrical "grinding stones" to make a shallow "scallop" in the edge of some reasonably soft steel. All I succeeded in doing was wearing the stone down to nothing (as if I was dressing a grinding wheel!).
I took out a rat tail file and got the desired result with two or three strokes!
(i.e., I suspect the grinding stones are for use on plastic or balsa wood)
If you think the teeth on an Oregon saw chain are soft low quality steel , you have some learnin' to do . You probably pay someoneto sharpen yours , don't you ?
Bigger as in more in the box . I think mine had something like 50 . I was getting started sharpening my own chains , seemed like a quick way to touch up the chain . It was , but my inexperience let the teeth get out of balance side/side and the saw wandered in the cut and bound . I have since learned how to sharpen a chain properly , and about every 3rd touch-up I use the file guide to insure I keep the correct angles and edge profile . I can turn a 40+ foot red oak that's 16" thru at the bottom into
20" chunks in about an hour - includes lopping limbs and cutting anything 4" and over into stove lengths too .
My HF tap and die set was OK , didn't like tapping 5/16" holes in 304 stainless though . Had 'em since like '03 or so , still chuggin' along . Except the 5/16-18 ...
I did not seem to get the hang of sharpning the chain saw with a file and guide to do a very good job. I caught a HF electric sharpner on sale for about $ 30 and it works fine for the few sharpenings I do every year. Probably would want a beter quality if I did lots of chains.
From this and other posts in this thread , you apparently don't know how to use a Dremel properly . I have a clamp and mount that attaches my Dremel to my machine lathe . I use it to finish grind precision bearing and other surfaces using those same stones you're complaining about . Most of the time it's about choosing the proper tool for the job . You should have grabbed the file first . Grinders - other than angle grinders , which are another subject entirely - are usually reserved for finishing operations rather than shaping or heavy stock removal . .
The "diamond" part stops working pretty fast. I was cutting holes in glass and it took a bit per hole but the price was right.
I also had some of the stones and had the same result as you but it did get the (small) job done.
I tried a radial brass brush to clean up a battery holder and again, one bit, one job.
The real dremel bits seem a bit better.
Dremel tools are really just for working on tiny things anyway except for chain saws. If you get the real chain saw stone, they make sharpening a chain saw a couple minute thing. It is a lot faster than a file and it seems to be a lot easier if you don't have a jig. We have palm trees here and they will eat a chain (sand migrates up into the trunk) so sharpening is a constant thing.
Stand doesn't work when you're trying to deal with something fastened to the ceiling or *in* a wall. Hence the value of small, and handheld.
I find the hardest part of sharpening (with file/guide) is keeping the saw wedged between my thighs (as I usually sharpen it while I'm in the middle of *using* it -- somewhere in the yard).
Does it have a DIFFERENT sort of built-in guide? I.e., how do you keep from making the sorts of mistakes you'd previously made with the file?
So, just like other HF tools that "loose their edge" quickly. Drill bits can be resharpened; these more ornate "milling bits" are essentially use until discard...
Yeah, but CONSIDERABLY pricier. :<
Most things here are softwoods (though we have palms, as well -- I've just never felled one... too messy to *want* one!). Pick the right time of year (when sap isn't flowing) and they're a piece of cake. I felled a 25 ft Mulberry (some 40 feet in dia) with just a bow saw by carefully selecting *when* I did it.
I lay it down. I also don't use the guide, just the round file. Works for me.
With the blade flat on the ground (or parallel to it)? If so, how do you keep fuel mixture and chain oil from seeping out?
How do you keep the file from wandering too deep into the gullet?
I straddle the saw, bar pointing away from me, so it's not going anywhere. Then, move the chain, by hand, until I can locate a convenient reference (often, two left or two right cutters in a row, instead of alternating; sometimes a different spacing between adjacent cutters).
I *kiss* each left cutter, advance chain to next left cutter, repeat until I've moved through the entire length of the chain. Then, swap hands and do the right cutters.
Guide makes sure the file stays "high" on the cutter (but not TOO high) from one to the next. Witness marks on the top side of the guide help me hold it at the correct angle in relation to the bar.
I have another gauge that I use to check the height of the rakers (and a flat file for those). But, they tend not to need to be tweeked.
Run a finger gently over each tooth to verify they "catch" my flesh, just a bit.
I keep a wrench (to loosen the bar), screwdriver (to adjust bar tension), file and guide in my pocket when using saw. I don't want to let the "inconvenience" of having to return home to fetch them deter me from keeping the saw nice and sharp.
*Big* difference between a "really sharp" chain and one that you've let go a wee bit too long. Usually pretty obvious while you're using the saw: does *it* do the work? Or, do *you* have to PUSH it through the wood?If I hear a neighbor using a saw, I'll usually wander over to see how much "work" it is for them. As it only takes a few minutes to touch up a chain, I'll often offer to do so -- and watch their eyes light up, afterwards, at how much easier the saw is to use.
[Of course, *they* never seem to grasp the idea that THEY should be doing this instead of forcing a dull saw to do the work...]
Not low quality steel, but they are not made from a super hard steel either.
You're right about paying someone, (sort of). I only have an electric chain saw and electric pole chain saw. I gave up on gas powered ones, because I dont use them enough and it seemed everytime I needed to use one, the carb would have to be rebuilt, even though I would drain the gas. If a large tree needs to be dealt with, I trade the wood to someone to cut it down. I dont burn wood anyhow. As for my electric ones, I have a friend who has an actual chain sharpening machine. I take him a 6-pack and he sharpens my chain. It's a perfect job, which I could never do by hand, and he can do it in 10 minutes. It used to take me hours to do it by hand and it still never cut well. It was not worth my time doing it by hand, in fact before I met this guy, I usually just touched it up a few times with a file, then I just bought a new chain. They're not that costly for the small electric saws.
My friend spent big money for that machine, but he uses it all the time. For my occasional use, it would not be worth buying.
I like to do most of my own stuff, but cant see spending hours to sharpen a chain, and still it's not right. Thats why machines are made for jobs like that. Not only do they do a perfect job, but do it in minutes, rather than hours.
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