Any use for oscillating multi-tool in metal shop?

eeler1 said:
What’s your source for using a die grinder on hardened ways? First I’ve heard that.
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There are a number of threads where Professionals talks about using an Grinder to scrape when you can’t move the lathe. The key is control.


Using a grinder to 'scrape' a hardened part

Today i tried to scrape a parallel but found it was damn hard, would have taken ages. It was one of 4 at 15" long, ebay bought, all of them bannered a good .0008 or so. With need being the motivator i got the grinder out. Setting up well down wind from the plate I got stuck into the smallest...
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Scraping with an angle grinder

Hi guys, I found a video on youtube where a guy scrapes his lathe with an angle grinder. Surprisingly, he does it with the great success. The guy is not from U.S. and he speaks Russian in the video. I was so impressed, so I translated the video and added English subtitles. Sorry, if it's a...
www.practicalmachinist.com


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If you are going to "scrape" with a grinder, you first need to use a precision straightedge to mark up the high spots with a very thin and evenly spread coating of ink on the entire surface of the straightedge. The straightedge must be stiff enough to stay straight while rubbing it a short distance back and forth, no flexing allowed. After marking it with the ink, you will want to remove the high spots on the work that were marked by the ink on the straightedge. The straight edge should be longer than the surface being marked for best results. Material is typically removed at not more than .001" per cycle, and that is for roughing passes. Finishing passes are measured in tenths or less metal removed per pass. By repeating cycles of the same technique, you will have more complete coverage of the entire surface with each pass, if you are doing it correctly. You can also work to change the angles of surfaces by working harder at one end, less in the middle, and zero at the other end. You will need a gentle grinder with a fine abrasive to have something controllable. Randomly deeply gouging the metal will only ruin the machine. What I have posted is roughly how to do it, but the devil is in the details. To do that kind of work correctly and get good results, you would need to be trained by someone who is an expert and can maybe teach you how to do it correctly.

Bottom line, hardened ways are ordinarlily ground into flat and parallel using surface grinders, and have been done that way for more than a century now. It is a mature process conducted by experts at doing the work. If the machine is worth fixing, it is worth fixing it right. Yes, it does cost money. That is my take on the subject, please don't try to reinvent the wheel, or do so knowingly at your own risk...
 
Here’s how to grind ways;

And there are lots of legitimate videos on scraping.
 
Saw that one Jon. I don't know where Kieth Rucker finds the time and/or money to do all that he does and work as a scientist for Bayer during the day.
Those multi-tools are handy as hell.
 
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