Found Some Nice Tools At An Estate Sale Today.

Thanks guys, I guess I'll have to figure our how it works and try it out!

John
 
johnnyc14 said:
Yesterday I spotted a Dumore tool post grinder at the sale as well but didn't think I'd ever use it so I left it there. After thinking about it overnight I went back today and looked at it again.
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I've learned to never leave anything behind at an estate sale if the price is right. I always either find a use for it, trade for something else that I do need, or flip it on eBay and use the money to buy more tools.
 
Wow, rare to find grinder at that price and intact/good shape like that. I'm jealous and I don't even want a tool post grinder.
 
Send to Dumore to get some proper belts if you want smooth grinding results. Those belts are wrong. High speed tool post grinders use cloth thin belts with NO CLEATS. They aren't much thicker than 2 layers of scotch tape so that they do not affect the spindle with vibration. And,run the grinder 1/2 hour before using it. This gets the bearings up to the right diameter(which is a very small difference,but it affects your ground surface quality).

To get the best results,run the lathe BACKWARDS at high speed. It might seem that running the lathe slow would be better,but fast makes smoother grinds,believe it or not. And,correct belts are very important,too.

Also,find out from Dumore what lubricant EXACTLY to put into those oil cups. Don't get sloppy and use just anything. ESPECIALLY,do NOT use DETERGENT motor oil. New high precision bearings will cost big money,so be careful what oil you use.
 
John if the contents of the Dormer steel drill cases are true made in Sheffield Dormer drills you are a very very lucky man indeed .
In 1965 in the UK a single boxed set would have set you back nearly a months wages £40 which in today's money ( 50 years later ) would be around £ 1,280 ( approx 1,900 $ USD )

Back in 1965 my Uncle Cliff was the engineering head of several wool mills in Bradford Yorkshire England with an engineering staff set up of over 130 men .
He came to visit us one day and gave my dad a large steel boxed set of imperial Dormers from 1/32 up to 5/8 th inch that went up in 1/64 th's , saying " Bill I want you to test these drills to destruction and let me know what you think by the end of next month , as I'm looking to spend a bit of brass ( money ) getting some decent tools together for when we start doing the next refit at the mills " .

Dad duly used the drills as much as he could and at the end of the month phoned cliff telling him that they were the best he'd ever used . Cliff asked him to send the drills back and told him to expect a little present in return .
A few weeks later dad received a metric and an imperial set similar to yours as a thank you . Evidently Cliff used the worn set to back up his engineering need for quality drills to the bean counters .
When dad died in 1985 the drills passed to my big brother , they are still going strong , so is the case .. Though to be fair I've sharpened /kissed up a few whenever we have visited big bro (he's now aged 74yrs old ) . I've also provided a few replacements , they were not British but were Japanese Dormers & not quite as good a quality .
 
Price wise you scored big.
Value wise you scored even bigger.
You will find good use for these gems.

Daryl
MN
 
Estate sales in my neck of the woods never have any good stuff in them! Always old fogy clothes, ancient furniture, wore out screwdrivers and mechanic tools, etc.
 
george wilson said:
Send to Dumore to get some proper belts if you want smooth grinding results. Those belts are wrong. High speed tool post grinders use cloth thin belts with NO CLEATS.
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Dumore no longer sells those parts directly. I'd recommend reaching out to Bill Sopko http://www.wmsopko.com (No affiliation, just a happy customer.)
He and his son are both knowledgeable and easy to deal with.
 
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