Timber Tuff chainsaw sharpener, Review

[Scooby074]

Posting up a short review on my new Timber Tuff chainsaw sharpener:

The Bad:

1. Some reviews Ive read online have said that the TT they purchased was damaged upon delivery. Looking at the packaging, I can see why. No foam, no contoured inslation.. not even bubble wrap! Just chucked in the box.. This was a brand new, unopened box so its not like somebody removed the packaging. Not good at all.

2. As is typical of Chinese knock offs, he casting of the base left a lot to be desired.. its not 90* and required washers as shims in order to mount it to my stand.

3. No picture, but the mount for the vise where the chain is held is quite crude. THere was Chi-spec grease in there (gravel grease:laughing that wasnt very slick. I cleaned that off and applied Teflon Super-Lube. I also lubes the outer ring where the vise swivels. That helped a ton, but its still quite stiff when changing from side to side. I hope it will work in.

On some forums, people have "modded" the TT to make it better by shimming the rotation ring to tighten it up. I can see why they did it, but im not yet sure if its necessary.

4. The hinge that holds the grinder motor and wheel assby is pretty weak. This is a cast aluminum unit. I can only imagine the all plastic ones.

This can come into play because with a heavy hand you can deflect the grinding wheel which changes the profile cut into the tooth. But if you take little bites (as your supposed to), you can sharpen without deflection.

5. The grinding wheels arent top quality. They work, but seem a bit soft. And the 1/8 wheel was slightly chipped right out of the box, however I dressed the chip out.

6. The angle gauges are very cheesy. Particularly the tooth angle. They could have one a better (and maybe more accurate) job of scribing the angles for setup.


The Good:



All set up and ready for use!

1. The motor is very smooth. Surprising smooth actually. Not hardly a vibration.

2. Its quite fast. I usually free hand it in the field and I'd say its faster (once the chain is off) than free handing without a guide.

3. Its accurate. One main reason I got this unit was so I can even up my teeth after freehanding them a few times. I figured I was doing a good job free hand, I also use a Stihl version of the Oregon manual sharpener after several days of use.

During close inspection while using the electric grinder I realized that my freehand nor my guide was giving me accurate results! Its much more accurate than either manual methods. Even using the guides my teeth had a hockey stick sort of profile to the cutting edge, not a smooth, straight line.

5. The light is real nice.


Off the top of my head thats about it.

While its not as refined as some of the European models its a darn good sharpener! I wish the hinge was a bit stiffer, but the end result is great. I took the well worn Oregon chain (hit rocks) pictured above and brought it back to life.. Thats $20 right there.

I tested that chain out in some dry hard, hardwood and it cut better than new.. Actually it seemed to cut better and better as I used it. Strange.

Ive gone from using Oregon to using Stihl RSC chain just because I think the cut is better and they stay sharper longer, but this old Oregon after being sharpened on the grinder has given me a reason to reconsider my love of Stihl chain.

 

[studor]

Thanks for the review Jason -- as I said in your other thread my buddy has one of those and it is much more robust than my HF plastic unit -- and yes a heavy hand can really vary the grind on the all plastic ones

 

[Scooby074]

Ran a couple more chains through it.

Another couple things stick out.

1. The vise jaws could lock the chain a bit better.

2. The vise jaws are painted which causes drag on the chain when advancing to the next tooth. I noticed on the Maxx? grinders that they have proper rollers on each end, seems that it would be that much better.

3. The angle markings, probably one of the most important things on the grinder really need to be a bit more accurate to get the most consistency out of it.

I will say this, I hand filed with my old roller guide between fuel tanks while cutting some old HARD hardwood and it didnt stay as sharp for as long as when using the grinder. To me that means im getting a sharper, better chain off the sharpener as opposed to hand filing.

 

[jeff9366]

Scooby074:

A very informative review. Obviously, you have done some research. If price was NOT a consideration, what brand of sharpener would you purchase, with basically the same design as the Timber-Tuff?

 

[arrow]

The cheaper sharpeners spin very fast and actually too fast. They tend to leave a burr on the sharpened edge and as this burr wears off, the chain actually cuts better. From your first picture, you could go just a tad deeper so you don't get that double shoulder in the gullet or perhaps the wheel has not run in yet. A smaller width wheel than necessary can also cause this.

 

[Scooby074]

The cheaper sharpeners spin very fast and actually too fast. They tend to leave a burr on the sharpened edge and as this burr wears off, the chain actually cuts better. From your first picture, you could go just a tad deeper so you don't get that double shoulder in the gullet or perhaps the wheel has not run in yet. A smaller width wheel than necessary can also cause this.

Im running the 1/8 wheel. It's what was spec'd in the manual. I dressed the wheel as per the instructions. Maybe I could go wider? I'll definitely adjust the stop to go deeper on this chain. It was my first go round with the sharpener so I was still feeling it out.

On the RPM, the TT "max" speed is 3600 RPM while the Oregon 511AX is 3400 and the Maxx is 3200. whereas the Silvey is 1725. I agree it is a bit fast, but all the Itialian units are in the same ballpark and not as bad as could be. The HF unit is 4200 for comparison.

I might rewire the unit to get reverse as well.

 

[Scooby074]

Scooby074:

A very informative review. Obviously, you have done some research. If price was NOT a consideration, what brand of sharpener would you purchase, with basically the same design as the Timber-Tuff?

Probably a Silvey if money was no object.

 

[arrow]

Im running the 1/8 wheel. It's what was spec'd in the manual. I dressed the wheel as per the instructions. Maybe I could go wider? I'll definitely adjust the stop to go deeper on this chain. It was my first go round with the sharpener so I was still feeling it out.

On the RPM, the TT "max" speed is 3600 RPM while the Oregon 511AX is 3400 and the Maxx is 3200. whereas the Silvey is 1725. I agree it is a bit fast, but all the Itialian units are in the same ballpark and not as bad as could be. The HF unit is 4200 for comparison.

I might rewire the unit to get reverse as well.

Scooby what you can try are a couple of things. Get what's called a "Kool Stik". This is a wheel dressing that won't allow as much heat buildup. I used 3/8th chain just about exclusively and I'd sharpen my crews chains as well. On a rare occasion I'd get a.325 pitch and I found a dressed down 3/16" wheel worked better than the 1/8 called for. There is too much size disparity in wheel sizes as 1/8 even does 3/8 Lo-Pro or mini 3/8 as it used to be called. 3/16 can do 3/8th but it is also scheduled for.404 which again I felt was sized wrong. 1/8 works well on .325 as cutters wear down. I'm wondering how an inline rheostat might work to slow up a typical grinder just a bit because some of these cheaper grinders won't have the grunt to sharpen if slowed too much or threaten motor burn out. Also, you might want to splurge a bit on real good wheels made from CBN. They come in the necessary sizes, cut better and cooler and hardly need dressing at all. They are a bit pricey but nothing like the slotted, diamond impregnated metal wheels that are approaching $250 a pop. Other good wheels are the Oregons made with chromium oxide or the Molemab wheels Bailey's sells for Chinese and Italian grinders…..wait, that just made me hungry for some reason.

 

[cqaigy2]

Scooby what you can try are a couple of things. Get what's called a "Kool Stik". This is a wheel dressing that won't allow as much heat buildup. I used 3/8th chain just about exclusively and I'd sharpen my crews chains as well. On a rare occasion I'd get a.325 pitch and I found a dressed down 3/16" wheel worked better than the 1/8 called for. There is too much size disparity in wheel sizes as 1/8 even does 3/8 Lo-Pro or mini 3/8 as it used to be called. 3/16 can do 3/8th but it is also scheduled for.404 which again I felt was sized wrong. 1/8 works well on .325 as cutters wear down. I'm wondering how an inline rheostat might work to slow up a typical grinder just a bit because some of these cheaper grinders won't have the grunt to sharpen if slowed too much or threaten motor burn out. Also, you might want to splurge a bit on real good wheels made from CBN. They come in the necessary sizes, cut better and cooler and hardly need dressing at all. They are a bit pricey but nothing like the slotted, diamond impregnated metal wheels that are approaching $250 a pop. Other good wheels are the Oregons made with chromium oxide or the Molemab wheels Bailey's sells for Chinese and Italian grinders…..wait, that just made me hungry for some reason.

LOL yummm grinders