BarG
Founding Member
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
save some for the rollers, lol
save some for the rollers, lol
Tech 1 gears; Lucas Polish Shredders
- Thread starter Bex
- Start date
- Status
Brown Thumb
Well-Known Member
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
Try switching the combs around and flipping them over also, they should not be tight.
If you had the bars out, that hold the combs try flipping them around also.
The bars holding the combs should not move.
When I reassembled mine I had to play around with it to get it right.
If your leaf is in very low case the shredder / grinder will turn it to Dust.
Try switching the combs around and flipping them over also, they should not be tight.
If you had the bars out, that hold the combs try flipping them around also.
The bars holding the combs should not move.
When I reassembled mine I had to play around with it to get it right.
If your leaf is in very low case the shredder / grinder will turn it to Dust.
Brown Thumb
Well-Known Member
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
Also make sure you put it together right.
He has good pics on eBay.
Also make sure you put it together right.
He has good pics on eBay.
Bex
Well-Known Member
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
The saga continues. Last night I took the shredder to a neighbor who is a machinist and makes his own parts, gears, etc., hoping that he would figure this out. The combs and the bars were removed. Some of the things we found out: the combs are either right or left side, and not interchangeable, which makes sense, as the rollers on each side are different as well - one side having the teeth just at the end of the row of teeth, and the opposing one having the groove there. This makes sense, of course. The bars also only go one way, as they need to clear the gear that's on one end of the roller. However, each individual comb also fits one way - putting them in only one way allows the holes for the bolts in the bar to line up. This guy finally figured this all out....but here is the problem. Nothing stays in position unless the bolts for the bars and the bolts for the combs are torqued to such a ridiculous level, that it becomes almost impossible to turn the handle. He got it back together so that the combs sat in the grooves, and the rollers and entire mechanism was so tight, that even he couldn't move the handle without a socket wrench. Just slightly loosening the bolts on either side of the machine (that holds the bars in place) causes the shredder to turn the tobacco leaf to dust. Aside from this, with everything so tight, the handle (which is only secured by the bolt) ends up turning on it's own when the machines jams. And jam it does - it will only shred a single leaf at a time that is completely stretched out. No way, despite Lucas' claims, will it shred a midrib, a slightly damp leaf, the thickness of two leaves, etc. I am sure that the thing I received was a lemon - certainly no one would have built this so that the handle was too long for the machine, if it wasn't raised up 2" or more from whatever surface you intended to mount it on. I sent Lucas an email, and advised him of all the problems that I'm having with this thing. It was expensive enough, where finding it unusable after only about 10 ounces of tobacco going through it is really not a good recommendation. Frankly, I have the idea that maybe someone else - other than Lucas - made this without him (or anyone knowing what they were doing) checked it out before sending it to me. Anyway, I got an answer back from Lucas, who advises that I should send the machine back to him, and he will check it out and do the necessary whatever so that this is usable. I imagine that this is what I'm going to do, as it is just impossible to use it as it is. Of course, this means I suffer with flaked tobacco for the next few weeks, but there is no point in just leaving this machine as it is. So, that's my update!!
The saga continues. Last night I took the shredder to a neighbor who is a machinist and makes his own parts, gears, etc., hoping that he would figure this out. The combs and the bars were removed. Some of the things we found out: the combs are either right or left side, and not interchangeable, which makes sense, as the rollers on each side are different as well - one side having the teeth just at the end of the row of teeth, and the opposing one having the groove there. This makes sense, of course. The bars also only go one way, as they need to clear the gear that's on one end of the roller. However, each individual comb also fits one way - putting them in only one way allows the holes for the bolts in the bar to line up. This guy finally figured this all out....but here is the problem. Nothing stays in position unless the bolts for the bars and the bolts for the combs are torqued to such a ridiculous level, that it becomes almost impossible to turn the handle. He got it back together so that the combs sat in the grooves, and the rollers and entire mechanism was so tight, that even he couldn't move the handle without a socket wrench. Just slightly loosening the bolts on either side of the machine (that holds the bars in place) causes the shredder to turn the tobacco leaf to dust. Aside from this, with everything so tight, the handle (which is only secured by the bolt) ends up turning on it's own when the machines jams. And jam it does - it will only shred a single leaf at a time that is completely stretched out. No way, despite Lucas' claims, will it shred a midrib, a slightly damp leaf, the thickness of two leaves, etc. I am sure that the thing I received was a lemon - certainly no one would have built this so that the handle was too long for the machine, if it wasn't raised up 2" or more from whatever surface you intended to mount it on. I sent Lucas an email, and advised him of all the problems that I'm having with this thing. It was expensive enough, where finding it unusable after only about 10 ounces of tobacco going through it is really not a good recommendation. Frankly, I have the idea that maybe someone else - other than Lucas - made this without him (or anyone knowing what they were doing) checked it out before sending it to me. Anyway, I got an answer back from Lucas, who advises that I should send the machine back to him, and he will check it out and do the necessary whatever so that this is usable. I imagine that this is what I'm going to do, as it is just impossible to use it as it is. Of course, this means I suffer with flaked tobacco for the next few weeks, but there is no point in just leaving this machine as it is. So, that's my update!!
Brown Thumb
Well-Known Member
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
If the rollers turn fine without the combs in, then the combs might be too deep into the rollers when you tighten them down binding on the unmachinrd inside of the roller.
Pull the combs up a little before tightening them.
If the rollers turn fine without the combs in, then the combs might be too deep into the rollers when you tighten them down binding on the unmachinrd inside of the roller.
Pull the combs up a little before tightening them.
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
Bex, If you do send it back set it up like you think it is supposed to be and ask him to shred a few ounces with it to verify it is or is not a lemon.
Bex, If you do send it back set it up like you think it is supposed to be and ask him to shred a few ounces with it to verify it is or is not a lemon.
Bex
Well-Known Member
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
I think that I am going to send this back to him. Even from day one, when I first received it, I found this really difficult to use - even with mounting it and keeping it stable, there was no way that I could shred more than one flattened leaf at a time. (The rollers do turn a lot better, by the way, without the combs inserted). If there was any fold in the leaf at all, this was incredibly hard to turn (I was hoping that the drill set up would make this easier, but instead, it just ripped the drill out of my hand - and that was before I took the combs off). I can't imagine that this is right. I see you tubes of Gabej's set up (similar to Lucas') and the machine is far easier to turn. It is very possible that, when we put the combs back in, they were set in too deep, which makes this now even worse. But it's pretty unusable as it is, so I'll post it back to him on Monday. Hopefully he'll sort this out. I will ask him to shred some before he sends it back. I have a feeling that, if he is actually making these, that no one checked this one out before it was sent to me, and that it wasn't machined by anyone who had real experience in making these. I'll update more as this progresses. Thanks again for all your info and advice!
I think that I am going to send this back to him. Even from day one, when I first received it, I found this really difficult to use - even with mounting it and keeping it stable, there was no way that I could shred more than one flattened leaf at a time. (The rollers do turn a lot better, by the way, without the combs inserted). If there was any fold in the leaf at all, this was incredibly hard to turn (I was hoping that the drill set up would make this easier, but instead, it just ripped the drill out of my hand - and that was before I took the combs off). I can't imagine that this is right. I see you tubes of Gabej's set up (similar to Lucas') and the machine is far easier to turn. It is very possible that, when we put the combs back in, they were set in too deep, which makes this now even worse. But it's pretty unusable as it is, so I'll post it back to him on Monday. Hopefully he'll sort this out. I will ask him to shred some before he sends it back. I have a feeling that, if he is actually making these, that no one checked this one out before it was sent to me, and that it wasn't machined by anyone who had real experience in making these. I'll update more as this progresses. Thanks again for all your info and advice!
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
Sounds like you got a lemon. I can shred with mine not even bolted to a table. I hold the top of it with one hand and crank with the other. Not real easy to do but easy enough for when I want to shred a half dozen leaves of a new tobacco that I want to try
Sounds like you got a lemon. I can shred with mine not even bolted to a table. I hold the top of it with one hand and crank with the other. Not real easy to do but easy enough for when I want to shred a half dozen leaves of a new tobacco that I want to try
Bex
Well-Known Member
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
I've been asked to provide an update here, which I will. First, I am not a big, strong (handsome) man like most of you - instead I am a wonderfully thin, attractive and very girlie female....LOL....I found the handle of this shredder kind of hard to turn - all the more confusing to me, as most of the videos of this type of shredder wasn't really specifying that it needed to be mounted, etc., etc. Anyway, thank goodness Lucas is a patient sole....I sent the shredder back to him, because, of course, by the time I was finished fiddling with combs, etc., the thing was unusable. He had an extension welded on to the handle - you know, leverage and all that - so that it was easier for me to turn. Of course, I got the shredder back with this huge handle, and said 'WTF'. (But that was then, and this is now). Lucas also advised that the machine should be oiled with 'food oil' prior to use. Eck, what did I know? I thought he was talking about the bearings, etc., figuring that if you brush the rollers, the tobacco will get all oily. Anyway, I started using the shredder, oiling the bearings and all was going fairly well for a while. I must say that when the shredder is working well, there is NOTHING like it - it shreds tobacco like nobody's business - and even has shredded the sleeves of my sweatshirt once or twice, as well. Anyway, about 10 months pass and the shredder stops working very well. I begin to investigate, and I see that there is loads of tobacco stuck in between the teeth of the roller. I have to take the combs out - I remember my last foray into this project, and this time, smartly, leave the bars that the combs sit on, intact, so that the angle is correct for the combs to be remounted. I sit with my shredder for hours, using a PIN, and dig out all the old tobacco that's stuck in the combs. This time, it's easy for me to put the combs back - after a few efforts, I realize that I am trying to make replacement of the combs a hell of a lot more complicated than it is - if you just slide them along the bar, they fit in at the right angle into the rollers (rather than me inserting the combs into the rollers first, and THEN trying to screw the combs back on to the bar). What can I tell you - I never said that I was too smart at this. Anyway, all the tobacco has been dug out, and suddenly, like a bolt of lightning from beyond, I understand what Lucas (and everyone else) means about the 'food oil'. I brush the ROLLERS with the food oil. The tobacco doesn't taste like oil, and the shredded bits don't get stuck in the rollers when you oil them. Ah, finally I have this thing down pat.
So, now I am using this shredder, and have to agree with Randy's first determination (although I thought he was nuts at the time) - I will never buy another shredder, nor do I ever want to use another one. This thing is great - it makes shredding a joy to do. I usually shred about 1/2 pound at a time, and it takes about 15 minutes to do that. On the couple of occasions I've used my little shredder (one of the small ones with the rollers and combs), it's been sheer punishment.
I highly recommend this shredder - I highly recommend Lucas (as he is very patient with stupid people!!). The one thing that I haven't been able to do is to attach my variable speed battery operated drill to it, to 'mechanise' it. But then again, like I said, I'm wonderfully thin, attractive and very girlie - the drill just spins out of my dainty little hand. But with the oiled rollers - and the longer handle - I'm happy. Actually, no, I'm effin ecstatic.....
I've been asked to provide an update here, which I will. First, I am not a big, strong (handsome) man like most of you - instead I am a wonderfully thin, attractive and very girlie female....LOL....I found the handle of this shredder kind of hard to turn - all the more confusing to me, as most of the videos of this type of shredder wasn't really specifying that it needed to be mounted, etc., etc. Anyway, thank goodness Lucas is a patient sole....I sent the shredder back to him, because, of course, by the time I was finished fiddling with combs, etc., the thing was unusable. He had an extension welded on to the handle - you know, leverage and all that - so that it was easier for me to turn. Of course, I got the shredder back with this huge handle, and said 'WTF'. (But that was then, and this is now). Lucas also advised that the machine should be oiled with 'food oil' prior to use. Eck, what did I know? I thought he was talking about the bearings, etc., figuring that if you brush the rollers, the tobacco will get all oily. Anyway, I started using the shredder, oiling the bearings and all was going fairly well for a while. I must say that when the shredder is working well, there is NOTHING like it - it shreds tobacco like nobody's business - and even has shredded the sleeves of my sweatshirt once or twice, as well. Anyway, about 10 months pass and the shredder stops working very well. I begin to investigate, and I see that there is loads of tobacco stuck in between the teeth of the roller. I have to take the combs out - I remember my last foray into this project, and this time, smartly, leave the bars that the combs sit on, intact, so that the angle is correct for the combs to be remounted. I sit with my shredder for hours, using a PIN, and dig out all the old tobacco that's stuck in the combs. This time, it's easy for me to put the combs back - after a few efforts, I realize that I am trying to make replacement of the combs a hell of a lot more complicated than it is - if you just slide them along the bar, they fit in at the right angle into the rollers (rather than me inserting the combs into the rollers first, and THEN trying to screw the combs back on to the bar). What can I tell you - I never said that I was too smart at this. Anyway, all the tobacco has been dug out, and suddenly, like a bolt of lightning from beyond, I understand what Lucas (and everyone else) means about the 'food oil'. I brush the ROLLERS with the food oil. The tobacco doesn't taste like oil, and the shredded bits don't get stuck in the rollers when you oil them. Ah, finally I have this thing down pat.
So, now I am using this shredder, and have to agree with Randy's first determination (although I thought he was nuts at the time) - I will never buy another shredder, nor do I ever want to use another one. This thing is great - it makes shredding a joy to do. I usually shred about 1/2 pound at a time, and it takes about 15 minutes to do that. On the couple of occasions I've used my little shredder (one of the small ones with the rollers and combs), it's been sheer punishment.
I highly recommend this shredder - I highly recommend Lucas (as he is very patient with stupid people!!). The one thing that I haven't been able to do is to attach my variable speed battery operated drill to it, to 'mechanise' it. But then again, like I said, I'm wonderfully thin, attractive and very girlie - the drill just spins out of my dainty little hand. But with the oiled rollers - and the longer handle - I'm happy. Actually, no, I'm effin ecstatic.....
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
Bex, glad you "finally" got it working! I keep a small brass brush next to shredder. After each use I brush the rollers and combs, removing all of the "gunk". While doing this I turn the rollers clockwise, then counterclockwise ( or is it anti-clockwise?).
Bex, glad you "finally" got it working! I keep a small brass brush next to shredder. After each use I brush the rollers and combs, removing all of the "gunk". While doing this I turn the rollers clockwise, then counterclockwise ( or is it anti-clockwise?).
Bex
Well-Known Member
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
Yup, I have found that also - when I'm finished shredding about 4oz or so, I run the rollers backwards (so not having to deal with clockwise, anticlockwise, LOL), once, then forward once, back once, etc., until the rollers are clear. I find that the oil itself keeps the rollers pretty clean - there has been no buildup at all, since I started using it. I cannot imagine using anything else at this point - even my beloved Teck 1.....
Yup, I have found that also - when I'm finished shredding about 4oz or so, I run the rollers backwards (so not having to deal with clockwise, anticlockwise, LOL), once, then forward once, back once, etc., until the rollers are clear. I find that the oil itself keeps the rollers pretty clean - there has been no buildup at all, since I started using it. I cannot imagine using anything else at this point - even my beloved Teck 1.....
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
Yup... somehow, wayback this thread morphed into the Polish shredder that Lucas sells on ebay. Not sure if the thread/title can be fixed.
Yup... somehow, wayback this thread morphed into the Polish shredder that Lucas sells on ebay. Not sure if the thread/title can be fixed.
Bex
Well-Known Member
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
Yes, sadly it morphed into a couple of directions in post #2!! There are Teck 1 measurements on the first page, but then it was suggested that I look at another shredder, which I did, and then ordered, and the thread then moved toward my saga with the new shredder. Sorry for the confusion....
Yes, sadly it morphed into a couple of directions in post #2!! There are Teck 1 measurements on the first page, but then it was suggested that I look at another shredder, which I did, and then ordered, and the thread then moved toward my saga with the new shredder. Sorry for the confusion....
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
I believe it's a useful thread, despite its broad content. I was just confused reading the latest comments, without going back through 70 posts to clarify the topic. How would a title change to "Tech 1 gear measurements and Polish Shredder" be? Or we could just leave it as is, since the thread is going along merrily.
Bob
I believe it's a useful thread, despite its broad content. I was just confused reading the latest comments, without going back through 70 posts to clarify the topic. How would a title change to "Tech 1 gear measurements and Polish Shredder" be? Or we could just leave it as is, since the thread is going along merrily.
Bob
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
Maybe: " Tech 1 gear measurements and the Lucas Polish Shredder" might be better. There are 2 or possibly 3 shredders made in Poland these days.
Maybe: " Tech 1 gear measurements and the Lucas Polish Shredder" might be better. There are 2 or possibly 3 shredders made in Poland these days.
Bex
Well-Known Member
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
I cannot believe that I was able to confuse you!! I will defer all editing to the professionals, but yes, probably sticking Lucas' name in the title might be helpful.....Sorry for the confusion! LOL
I cannot believe that I was able to confuse you!! I will defer all editing to the professionals, but yes, probably sticking Lucas' name in the title might be helpful.....Sorry for the confusion! LOL
Oh! Look! The new thread title!
Of course, editing the title alters only the way it appears in the index, and the very first post in the thread. New posts subsequent to the change will also show the new title.
I went with a shortened version of JBD's suggestion.
Bob
Of course, editing the title alters only the way it appears in the index, and the very first post in the thread. New posts subsequent to the change will also show the new title.
I went with a shortened version of JBD's suggestion.
Bob
Bex
Well-Known Member
Hold on...there's a semi-colon in that title. People will think I'm too educated...
Re: Teck 1 gear measurements
Hi Bex
We've been waiting a long time to hear of your success. Congratulations. The oil thing bemuses me. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out shredders, and finally have amassed the "wisdom" of knowing what the correct case is in leaf to shred. Nowadays, I don't suffer from clogged shredders, and I have never used oil. Maybe I will.
Actually, someone on the forum may be able to advise me. Over time, the shredding thickness seems to have increased. This is OK - as I use an injector, so I can deal with a thicker shred. DO you think this is wear on the shredder?
Hi Bex
We've been waiting a long time to hear of your success. Congratulations. The oil thing bemuses me. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out shredders, and finally have amassed the "wisdom" of knowing what the correct case is in leaf to shred. Nowadays, I don't suffer from clogged shredders, and I have never used oil. Maybe I will.
Actually, someone on the forum may be able to advise me. Over time, the shredding thickness seems to have increased. This is OK - as I use an injector, so I can deal with a thicker shred. DO you think this is wear on the shredder?
- Status
Similar threads
