Tecomec Super Jolly for $270?

[RI Chevy]

Yes. The 2nd cutter looks much better to me.
Nice job. Getting better use by use. Lol

 

[TreeLife]

I'm gonna resurrect this thread, as I'm considering a grinder myself but am not educated in them. I dont care for square chain or the cost of their grinders much so a machine like this sounds like the way. Is it standing the test of time? What is the learning curve on these things? My dumb azz has only filed by hand muh whole life...

 

[huskihl]

I'm gonna resurrect this thread, as I'm considering a grinder myself but am not educated in them. I dont care for square chain or the cost of their grinders much so a machine like this sounds like the way. Is it standing the test of time? What is the learning curve on these things? My dumb azz has only filed by hand muh whole life...

Absolutely. The vise needs to be calibrated in and out so that it leaves the same length cutters on the left as it does the right. And if you lay it on its side for a month, the fluid will leak out of the cylinder. But it’s relatively easy to add hydraulic oil to it. It’s a bad ass grinder

 

[TreeLife]

Absolutely. The vise needs to be calibrated in and out so that it leaves the same length cutters on the left as it does the right. And if you lay it on its side for a month, the fluid will leak out of the cylinder. But it’s relatively easy to add hydraulic oil to it. It’s a bad ass grinder

I'm intending on it living on a bench built for chain work. If you say it's well worth it, I'm going to order one at some point.

 

[Philbert]

I hate to keep linking to other sites, but this is something that has been covered quite a bit before in other threads, especially:
https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/511a-grinder-improvements-tweaks.197073/

- Take lots of small taps to avoid overheating the cutters.

- Dress the wheel frequently (once per loop?) to expose fresh abrasive.

- Practice on some scrap chain first.

Practicing lets you make lots of small mistakes first, then work backwards to see how to avoid them. Take some chains that you like, place them in the grinder with the motor 'OFF', and try to 'copy' those settings with the grinder adjustments; you may find the numbers different than you expected. Take a look at how the cutter profile changes when you make small changes in the grinder settings, etc.

When you start to feel confident, offer to sharpen your friends' chains before you risk your own!

This is a lower cost option on a basic Tecomec grinder. It does not have the hydraulic vise, light, or 'sown angle' adjustment, but good quality, and less to go wrong:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Tecomec-Co...rpener-compare-to-Oregon-520-120/383293681932

Philbert

 

[huskihl]

I'm intending on it living on a bench built for chain work. If you say it's well worth it, I'm going to order one at some point.

You'll like the wheels it comes with. Had I had the green Tecomec wheels earlier, I wouldn’t have bought cbn

 

[JimBear]

I'm gonna resurrect this thread, as I'm considering a grinder myself but am not educated in them. I dont care for square chain or the cost of their grinders much so a machine like this sounds like the way. Is it standing the test of time? What is the learning curve on these things? My dumb azz has only filed by hand muh whole life...

Welp??? Have you bought one of these yet? If so what’s your opinion?

 

[JimBear]

The vise needs to be calibrated in and out so that it leaves the same length cutters on the left as it does the right.

What’s this calibration you speak of??? Isn’t the tooth length going to be dictated by where you set the finger stop? And are you having to adjust your depth when changing from right to left?

 

[Philbert]

What’s this calibration you speak of??? Isn’t the tooth length going to be dictated by where you set the finger stop? And are you having to adjust your depth when changing from right to left?

The Left and Right hand cutters are touched by different parts of the grinding wheel, since they are on different sides of the vise. Some vises are described as 'self-centering'. Some vises need to be adjusted as the wheel wears. Instructions are in the manual.

Other option is to grind one side, check the first cutter on the other side, and make adjustments in the chain stop setting, if needed.

Philbert

 

[JimBear]

Other option is to grind one side, check the first cutter on the other side, and make adjustments in the chain stop setting, if needed.

This is what I have been doing. This Tecomec Super Jolly has the hydraulic vise & the only way I see to adjust the tooth length is adjuster finger/chain stop. Changing the depth of cut could also change it. I have a bit of issue with the chain wanting to rock up occasionally.

 

[JimBear]

I just thought maybe I missed something in the manual or wasn’t seeing a control knob. It wouldn’t be the first time I overlooked something obvious.

 

[dirter]

Mine varies per size of the chain. I can calibrate it so that it's perfect on my .325 .063 but when I switch over to the tiny 1/4 .043 it's way off again. This is due to only one side of the vice moving. A thin chain is favored to one side of the vice. I find it much easier to leave the centering at the 0 mark and just adjust the chain stopper. It only takes a minute.

 

[huskihl]

This is what I have been doing. This Tecomec Super Jolly has the hydraulic vise & the only way I see to adjust the tooth length is adjuster finger/chain stop. Changing the depth of cut could also change it. I have a bit of issue with the chain wanting to rock up occasionally.

When you move your gauge selector, the .050, .058, .063…, the front side of the vise moves. When you pull the grinder head down, the back side of the vise moves. If the front half of your vise is set too far back, towards the inner vise, it will clamp your chain too far back, resulting in the left cutter being long. And when you change to do your right hand cutters, it will be clamping that side closer to the back which will result in a shorter cutter.
So here’s what I did…

Set your sliding axis at 0° in and out. Set your grinder to 25° and tilt the head to 55. Very lightly grind a left hand cutter and swing the vise the other way and grind a right hand cutter. Measure them. If your left cutter is longer, you need to turn your gauge dial to the right, which will allow the chain to be clamped closer to you, resulting in a shorter left hand cutter. If your left cutter is shorter, do the opposite.
Remove the snap ring on your gauge dial and reset it to whatever gauge chain you have. If the gauge dial doesn’t allow enough travel, like how mine was delivered, you’ll need to remove the snap ring before you get both cutters the same length and adjust it from there. And then once everything is all set with both cutters the same length and your gauge dial reading the same as your chain gauge, replace the snap ring.

 

[JimBear]

Thanks I will try that shortly. I’m scrounging in the iron pile for some stand materials for them at the moment.

 

[JimBear]

Mine measured within .003” depending on how I held my tongue ( or calipers). That’s good enough for the girls I date. Here’s some pics of a ground cutter. 55-25-10. Fire away

 

[huskihl]

Mine measured within .003” depending on how I held my tongue ( or calipers). That’s good enough for the girls I date. Here’s some pics of a ground cutter. 55-25-10. Fire away

View attachment 231012 View attachment 231015 View attachment 231018 View attachment 231019 View attachment 231020

That looks great. Mine was more like .040” different

 

[Philbert]

Here’s some pics of a ground cutter. 55-25-10. Fire away

Looks good. Nice, clean edges.


Philbert

 

[JimBear]

@huskihl

When this is set @ say 55-25-10, rights are done, when rotating to the lefts, 25* & 10* are both moving components/settings, the tooth length can still be different unless you are just absolute dead nuggets on both settings when resetting. Correct? It’s not like we are going to use test indicators & dial the prig in each time. This is where the tooth stop is the final/finesse adjustment, all the other chit is just ball park correct? What’s your acceptable deviation in tooth length?

 

[Philbert]

@huskihl
It’s not like we are going to use test indicators & dial the prig in each time.

I just do a 'test' cutter on the opposite side, then hold the cutters back-to-back. You can quickly visually determine if it is close enough for you, and make any adjustments, if needed.

Philbert

 

[JimBear]

I just do a 'test' cutter on the opposite side, then hold the cutters back-to-back. You can quickly visually determine if it is close enough for you, and make any adjustments, if needed.

Philbert

View attachment 231021

That’s what I was getting at Philbert, ballparking it. I was just flashing back to my machine shop days & the learning curve of compound angles, head/vise movement & accuracies. Making sure I hadn’t completely fried what brain cells I have left.