An older Enco tool and cutter grinder

[Bob1947]

This is a picture of an older Enco tool and cutter grinder I acquired some years ago, though w/o the air bearing. There is very little available on the internet or in forums from people who have or use this machine. I'm posting this note on the possibility that members might have experience with it. It works fine for me; I'm curious how others use theirs. So far I've only used it to grind lathe bits and horizontal milling cutters.

 

[visenfile]

Bob, Newbie here looking to buy a first lathe. During a brief period I took training and worked in the Lockheed Burbank Skunk Works cutter grinding room. I worked mostly end mills but watched the journeymen in form tool work. The machines were Cincinnati (sp?) cutter grinders with huge beds, and without air spindles. I also briefly had a small Japanese cutter grinder machine with an air spindle. You are right, I think, that cutter grinding is a rather unknown, but essential discipline. Your machine looks really nice. If you see this response and have questions I will answer them in a limited fashion, The setup for the endmill was a simple fixture with a carbide "finger" which supported the flutes . The endmills were drawn along the fingers in contact with grinding wheels which were dropped from center to provide primary and secondary bevels (cutting and clearance angles).

 

[xalky]

Bob, That's a very nice machine. Even though there might not be a whole lot of info on that particular machine, there's plenty of cutter grinding info out there. Watching the methods utilized on other machines should give you lots of fuel for thought and techniques for using yours.

Bill is finishing up a Homegrown cutter grinder build. Keep an eye out for his posts regarding the setups and techniques he uses on his machine.

Marcel