TEMCo Auto Sharpener - User Review Thread

[awol]

I have over a hundred chains through my TEMCo grinder.

On the plus side, it does a good job if maintenance and adjustments are applied, is kinda fun to watch, the chains cut every bit as good as ones off my Foley or filed, and let's me do something else while it works. Also it has no trouble doing chains with two left or right cutters in series. Setup and run-in was real easy, my 12 year old boy pulled it out of the box and had it grinding good within 15 minutes.

On the negative side, it struggles greatly to read the cutters on 3/8 LP that's not full chisel, and also some .404 that is full chisel. It also won't hog off a large amount of material in one pass, so I just use the Foley for rocked chains. The stone that came with the grinder is some kind of bonded emory compound. It works well if kept clean, but I modified a course white stone and it works better for dirty chains.

 

[Philbert]

I modified a course white stone and it works better for dirty chains.

What type / size of white wheel did you start with? Pics?

I am waiting for the CBN stones to become available from Temco.

Thanks.

Philbert

 

[Kilowatt]

 

[Philbert]

I like the TEMCo videos better. If I did not already know how to use the controls, I would not have been able to follow him (dual functions of top panel controls not explained well). Also skipped the entire depth gauge ('raker') gauging procedure (unless the TimberTuff versions does not come with these tools?).

I hope to get back to this next week, and post some more comments.

Philbert

 

[GunTemco]

I have over a hundred chains through my TEMCo grinder.

On the plus side, it does a good job if maintenance and adjustments are applied, is kinda fun to watch, the chains cut every bit as good as ones off my Foley or filed, and let's me do something else while it works. Also it has no trouble doing chains with two left or right cutters in series. Setup and run-in was real easy, my 12 year old boy pulled it out of the box and had it grinding good within 15 minutes.

On the negative side, it struggles greatly to read the cutters on 3/8 LP that's not full chisel, and also some .404 that is full chisel. It also won't hog off a large amount of material in one pass, so I just use the Foley for rocked chains. The stone that came with the grinder is some kind of bonded emory compound. It works well if kept clean, but I modified a course white stone and it works better for dirty chains.

Glad to see you got so many chains through and that you're enjoying it!

I'd also like to see the mod you made to your wheel. That would be interesting.

And as Phil noted, the CBN wheels will be available soon after we finish QCing.

 

[Hinerman]

I have over a hundred chains through my TEMCo grinder.

On the plus side, it does a good job if maintenance and adjustments are applied, is kinda fun to watch, the chains cut every bit as good as ones off my Foley or filed, and let's me do something else while it works.

Finally, we have our answer...

 

[plcnut]

Glad to see you got so many chains through and that you're enjoying it!

I'd also like to see the mod you made to your wheel. That would be interesting.

And as Phil noted, the CBN wheels will be available soon after we finish QCing.

I went to @awol's to see his grinder last week, and one issue it has, is the bushing where the head rotates for left and right cutters has worn. This is causing it to lose some of its accuracy.

This made me wonder what that joint is made with.

Also, one huge improvement I think, would be to have the grinder first sharpen all right hand cutters, and then automatically switch, and then reverse the grinder direction, and sharpen all left hand cutters. This would greatly reduce wear on that joint, as well as make the cutter grind more consistent on the right and left by always grinding to the outside of the cutters.

If I was to order one, is there any chance I could get into the software on it? Or is it all proprietary?

 

[sundance]

I've saved up the $300 twice (and then spent it) waiting on a good comprehensive review. I assume one's coming eventually?

I do appreciate awol's review above. Made it sound promising although plcnut's comment gives me pause.

 

[jigsaw]

Has this project been abandoned?

 

[Wilhelm]

Most likely too many irons in the fire, also many member have been slammed with snow.
Should change as it gets warmer.

I'd love to give this grinder a try, but I don't cut enough firewood to justify purchasing one.

 

[Philbert]

Has this project been abandoned?

I have been experimenting with the grinder as time permits, and sending comments to Gun. I don't think that all of those 'discoveries' are worthy of a post, and might be confusing to others as I work things out.

The manual controls were a bit confusing to me: e.g. does 'Length - (minus)' mean shorten the length of the cutter ? or back off on the length adjustment (leaving a larger cutter)? The knobs turning in free space (past the point where adjustments make a difference) was also confusing, as was the relationship between 'Length' and 'Pitch' adjustments (different than how we use the terms describing chains in general).

So cutting the viewing windows helped, as has 'playing' with the adjustments on a variety of test chains. But, since the grinder has a 5 cutter start up sequence, testing the effects of a small adjustment can be slow. As noted, it is 'automatic' once it starts to operate, but set-up requires intentional decisions and actions. Maybe I am over-thinking things, and someone who has never used a conventional grinder, or without Philbert's analytic tendencies, would hit the ground running.

I have not been satisfied with the narrow, fine grit, OEM grinding wheel, and am waiting for the CBN wheels to be released.

***I encourage others to take advantage of TEMCo's generous, no-risk, eBay offer (including free-shipping both ways) and come to your own conclusions. Please post your comments, findings, observations, etc. in this thread, so that we get a variety of perspectives ***

I am planning on bringing this one down to the Iowa GTG in a few weeks for others to check out.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

CBN wheels for the auto grinder are now posted on eBay:

http://www.ebaystores.com/TEMCo-Ind...73038011&_sid=850561031&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

Glad to see that they are offering different sizes for different pitch chains.

Philbert

 

[wcorey]

I'm not very familiar with resin bonded cbn, have only used the plated type, I have to wonder why no one else seems to be promoting it for chain sharpening.
Evidently bonded can be and needs to be dressed where plated can't be and doesn't need dressing.

With bonded the cutting surface gets renewed with dressing but obviously gets worn smaller, where with plated the cutting surface gradually deteriorates but holds shape and size for the life of the wheel. Can also be replated.

It seems there is no straight answer on which lasts longer, maybe just too many variables.

The Temco wheels are 150 grit, which is relatively fine, at least compared with what's offered out there for plated wheels.

I tend to associate finer grit with a nice finish but being touchy as to overheating the cutters.
From what I've read, one advantage to bonded can be cooler running so maybe that's how they get away with the finer grit.

 

[Frankavich84]

Man I really wish this thing could do .63 chain. It takes out all my Stihl .325 sharpening which is a majority with homeowner grade saws that need assistance in keeping their chains true. I’ll have to wait for that upgrade even if it costs more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Armbru84]

I'm not very familiar with resin bonded cbn, have only used the plated type, I have to wonder why no one else seems to be promoting it for chain sharpening.
Evidently bonded can be and needs to be dressed where plated can't be and doesn't need dressing.

With bonded the cutting surface gets renewed with dressing but obviously gets worn smaller, where with plated the cutting surface gradually deteriorates but holds shape and size for the life of the wheel. Can also be replated.

It seems there is no straight answer on which lasts longer, maybe just too many variables.

The Temco wheels are 150 grit, which is relatively fine, at least compared with what's offered out there for plated wheels.

I tend to associate finer grit with a nice finish but being touchy as to overheating the cutters.
From what I've read, one advantage to bonded can be cooler running so maybe that's how they get away with the finer grit.

We use both at work and depends on the application. Though I generally see bonded CBN more than plated these days. Plated has a tendency to wear down and if your not careful you end up with burning...bonded CBN allows you to dress a very small amount essentially renew your cutting edge. Issue on this is I don’t see a dressing option to reprofile the wheel but I could have missed it.

Granted this all is different depending on the industry, what your grinding, and how fast you want to do it. Dressable CBN is sweet stuff but ya gotta dress it.

 

[Marshy]

We use both at work and depends on the application. Though I generally see bonded CBN more than plated these days. Plated has a tendency to wear down and if your not careful you end up with burning...bonded CBN allows you to dress a very small amount essentially renew your cutting edge. Issue on this is I don’t see a dressing option to reprofile the wheel but I could have missed it.

Granted this all is different depending on the industry, what your grinding, and how fast you want to do it. Dressable CBN is sweet stuff but ya gotta dress it.

You cant shape the bonded or plated CBN wheels because the profile is determined by the wheel substrate which its plated or bonded to.

 

[Armbru84]

You cant shape the bonded or plated CBN wheels because the profile is determined by the wheel substrate with its plated or bonded to.

Plated ones for sure...but we shape the other ones. Gear grinding is an example...if your running a dressable CBN wheel and dressing say every 100 parts your dressing the form back into the wheel. Yes the shell that the CBN is bonded to normally has a form to it but the end result after dressing isn’t dependent on the core the CBN is bonded to.

Generally speaking your using a flat wheel and using a single point dresser to dress it but that’s not true in all cases.

 

[Philbert]

So pretty when they are new! Very professional appearance.

Received the CBN wheels for the TEMCO grinder (1/8", 3/16", and depth gauge). I like that they now provide different thickness wheels for smaller (1/4, 3/8 low profile, and some .325) and larger (some .325 and full sized 3/8) pitch chains. This helps obtain the correct cutter profile.

I was confused why they had a directional arrow in the photos, but upon receipt, it is pretty clear: the cutter sharpening wheels have a shoulder on the back, and the depth gauge wheel is profiled at a specific angle. Standard TEMCO vitreous wheel is shown for reference (can be mounted either way)

The grit on these CBN wheels feels very fine; even finer than the original vitreous wheels. eBay posting lists them at 150 grit.

Very nicely packaged in a re-usable holder.





Philbert

 

[GunTemco]

Thanks @Philbert for letting others know about the CBN wheels for the FP1000! I'm really excited to have these available for sale at $65 per piece. So you might be asking: "how are you keeping the CBN costs low?" Part of it is keeping costs down where we can, e.g. going with no-frills yet practical packaging. For the most part, though, we're basically eating margins in order to stay in-line with the them of the product line: TEMCo Industrial wants to be able to deliver affordable products that help people do work without sacrificing quality. If we're able to pay our employees, keep the lights on, and also give you guys a good deal on a quality product, we think that's a win-win.

If you guys have any questions directly for me, please feel free to use that @ feature to get my attention. In the meantime, I'm just lurking and reading all of the things you guys have to say about the product.

 

[Philbert]

Dressing the Wheels

A problem that I had been having with this grinder was with the OEM wheels. The fine grit wheels worked fine (no pun intended) at first, but then slowed w-a-y down. This was especially a problem with the gravity-feed head, which works on on a time cycle, no matter how the depth limit is set. If the wheel is not cutting, the tooth does not get fully ground, even if the chain is run through several sharpening cycles.

Conventional, vitreous wheels need to be frequently dressed, to continuously expose fresh abrasive. This is somewhat difficult with the FP1000, as it has to go through a start-up cycle to make the wheel move; then the machine needs to be 'paused' (wheel running); then the head tilted all the way back with the adjustment knob (sharpener will not start in this position - creates a 'fail' condition); then dressed in the small opening allowed by the plastic wheel guard.

I tried this a few times with limited success, then @GunTemco sent me a replacement wheel (bottom photo) for comparison. It is clear that the original wheel became glazed (top photo) and stopped cutting after a limited number of loops. The fine dressing stick I was using generated dust, but did not remove this glaze. When I tried the very coarse, silicon carbide ('carborundum') dressing stick that came with an Oregon grinder, I was able to clean off the glaze, and get good performance again from the OEM vitreous wheel. But this took a bit of effort.



I like coarser wheels. When I compared a bunch of inexpensive grinders a few years back, most of them came with similar looking, fine grit wheels. When I replaced one with a coarser aluminum oxide wheel, the grinder worked so much better that I ran around looking for more chains to sharpen! This is a problem due to the proprietary wheels used on this grinder.

CBN Wheels

I just started trying the CBN wheels, and these are working very well (although, they are also new). They also have a relatively fine grit - not sure how TEMCo chose this grit. CBN wheels are not normally dressed, although, they can fill up with gunk and need to be cleaned. It would be helpful for the company to supply care instructions for them. If they hold up better than the vitreous wheels, maybe they should be supplied as OEM with the automatic grinder, to really make it a low maintenance product?

Wheels are, perhaps, the most important part of any grinder, analogous to the chain on a saw; a sharp chain on a modest saw will cut better than dull chain on a more expensive saw.

Philbert