Looking for a bench grinder for my lathe tools. No Tormek in my budget,
alas. Thinking of your run of the mill big box offering like Ryobi. 8"
or is 6" adequate? How much HP? Wheel grit? Anything else I should
look for? Any specific recommendations?
BTW ... a couple of years ago I bought a water wheel from HF in
anticipation of future use. It's kind of a Tormek look-alike, but
plastic. Unpacked it tonight and the arbor is too short to securely
affix the wheel. Laughed out load and said thank you for the HF return
policy. It's going back tomorrow.
Larry
On Mar 13, 10:45=A0pm, Gramp's shop <[email protected]> wrote:
> Looking for a bench grinder for my lathe tools. =A0No Tormek in my budget=
,
> alas. =A0Thinking of your run of the mill big box offering like Ryobi. =
=A08"
> or is 6" adequate? =A0How much HP? =A0Wheel grit? =A0Anything else I shou=
ld
> look for? =A0Any specific recommendations?
>
> BTW ... a couple of years ago I bought a water wheel from HF in
> anticipation of future use. =A0It's kind of a Tormek look-alike, but
> plastic. =A0Unpacked it tonight and the arbor is too short to securely
> affix the wheel. =A0Laughed out load and said thank you for the HF return
> policy. =A0It's going back tomorrow.
>
> Larry
I own a little 1/4 horse 3,400 RPM Delta. Picked it up at a truck
sale many years ago and use it for everything from shop sharpening to
mowers. Yes, it is theoretically too fast for sharpening but if you
go in slow and don't get in a hurry it does fine. I cannot imagine I
paid much more than $50 but, again, I have had it for a long time.
If you haven't come across it yet, check out Darrell Feltmate's site:
http://aroundthewoods.com/index.shtml
He has a lot of information on this site including home made tools,
etc. Included are sharpening jigs that pretty much do the job of
Wolverine or other similar jigs - but his are made out of shop scrap
and simple hardware. The site is a good resource for turners.
RonB
Gramp's shop <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> Looking for a bench grinder for my lathe tools. No Tormek in my
> budget, alas. Thinking of your run of the mill big box offering like
> Ryobi. 8" or is 6" adequate? How much HP? Wheel grit? Anything
> else I should look for? Any specific recommendations?
>
> BTW ... a couple of years ago I bought a water wheel from HF in
> anticipation of future use. It's kind of a Tormek look-alike, but
> plastic. Unpacked it tonight and the arbor is too short to securely
> affix the wheel. Laughed out load and said thank you for the HF
> return policy. It's going back tomorrow.
>
> Larry
>
I'd go with 8" for the accessory selection. There's quite a bit
available in either size, but the 6" wheels should fit the 8" grinder.
Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.
I'll second the Woodcraft slow speed. Several folks in the local club use
these.
Also consider a belt sander. My Dad used a 1"x42" sander with a blue zircon
belt in 100 or 150 grit to sharpen all his turning tools. Much less aggressive
than a grinder. Remember you are trying to sharpen the thing, so grinding a new
edge each time is a waste of metal and money. I watched him turn and as soon as
the tool would start to dull, he'd quickly freehand a sharp edge using the
sander. I don't think it took him more than 30 seconds usually, but he only had
to pivot 180 degrees on his left foot to reach the sander. He claimed the trick
was to sharpen as soon as you realized the cut was deteriorating.
I use a grinder with a 120 Norton (White) stone for serious sharpening and
reforming bowl gouges. I also keep a small diamond hone handy for touching up
edges when the cut starts to show signs of dullness. I also use my 6x48 belt
grinder with a Norton cloth belt in either 100 or 120 grit.
Probably another half dozen ways to go at it that someone else will post here.
Just pick the method you like best. HTH.
Regards,
Roy
On Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:34:01 -0700 (PDT), "[email protected]"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On Mar 14, 12:28 am, Puckdropper <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
>
>>
>> I'd go with 8" for the accessory selection. There's quite a bit
>> available in either size, but the 6" wheels should fit the 8" grinder.
>>
>> Puckdropper
>
>I agree. The most used grinder I see without any question is this:
>
>http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080939/29437/8in-Slow-Speed-Grinder.aspx
>
>It is on sale from time to time fo $99 or so, and worth it. You get
>two things with this one you don't get with most others. First, the
>slow speed. That's nice. Second, the white, friable 1" wheels. I
>love those. Mine have lasted very, very well. They do an *excellent*
>job.
>
>If you were to buy a slow speed grinder and buy friable wheels, you
>would spend much more than the total package price. If you buy
>friable wheels, don't forget to get this gizmo to clean them up and
>resurface them:
>
>http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2000223/2793/wheel-dresser-diamond-tip.aspx
>
>With normal use, mine is still works great after about 5 years of use.
>
>Sometimes, Woodcraft just gets things right.
>
>Robert
I have to second that recommendation for the Woodcraft grinder.
Russ
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:f28e287d-4f3d-4eb3-ac49-15e2c04d7b40@k29g2000yqc.googlegroups.com...
On Mar 14, 12:28 am, Puckdropper <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
>
> I'd go with 8" for the accessory selection. There's quite a bit
> available in either size, but the 6" wheels should fit the 8" grinder.
>
> Puckdropper
I agree. The most used grinder I see without any question is this:
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080939/29437/8in-Slow-Speed-Grinder.aspx
It is on sale from time to time fo $99 or so, and worth it. You get
two things with this one you don't get with most others. First, the
slow speed. That's nice. Second, the white, friable 1" wheels. I
love those. Mine have lasted very, very well. They do an *excellent*
job.
If you were to buy a slow speed grinder and buy friable wheels, you
would spend much more than the total package price. If you buy
friable wheels, don't forget to get this gizmo to clean them up and
resurface them:
http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2000223/2793/wheel-dresser-diamond-tip.aspx
With normal use, mine is still works great after about 5 years of use.
Sometimes, Woodcraft just gets things right.
Robert
On Mar 14, 12:28=A0am, Puckdropper <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
>
> I'd go with 8" for the accessory selection. =A0There's quite a bit
> available in either size, but the 6" wheels should fit the 8" grinder.
>
> Puckdropper
I agree. The most used grinder I see without any question is this:
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080939/29437/8in-Slow-Speed-Grinder.aspx
It is on sale from time to time fo $99 or so, and worth it. You get
two things with this one you don't get with most others. First, the
slow speed. That's nice. Second, the white, friable 1" wheels. I
love those. Mine have lasted very, very well. They do an *excellent*
job.
If you were to buy a slow speed grinder and buy friable wheels, you
would spend much more than the total package price. If you buy
friable wheels, don't forget to get this gizmo to clean them up and
resurface them:
http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2000223/2793/wheel-dresser-diamond-tip.asp=
x
With normal use, mine is still works great after about 5 years of use.
Sometimes, Woodcraft just gets things right.
Robert