Bench Mounted or Small Surface Grinder?

[HMF]

Ok...

I have a lathe, a mill, and a bench grinder, once I get everything together....

Surface grinder, I'm thinking- very useful machine.

Only have a small bit of room...

Are there any bench mounted, or small models I should look at?


Thanks,


Nelson

 

[bcall2043]

One thing to consider with limited space is a tool with more than one use. For example I recently acquired an old tool and cutter grinder. One of the options available for machines of this type is a magnetic base that allows you to do small-part surface grinding. If you are lucky enough to get a grinder with the original tooling and all the options the machine can do a little surface grinding and sharpen most of the tools a hobby machinist uses.

The grinder that I rescued from the scrap yard is a small KO Lee model B600 table top model with the optional cabinet and weighs about 320 lbs. The machine without the cabinet is about the size of a mill-drill machine. Unfortunately it did not have any tooling with it. I have ordered a universal vise from Jeff at http://www.tools4cheap.net/proddetail.php?prod=univise that will let me get started with lathe and shaper tool bits. Later maybe I can add tooling to do mill cutters and drill bits. I will probably have to make most of any new tooling for it as what OEM stuff that shows up for sale cost way too much.

For the real ambitious hobby machinist, one of the members on another forum made his own universal vise.

A photo of my grinder setting next to a lawn mower is attached for size comparison.

Benny
In middle Tennessee, USA

 

[brucer]

i thought you might find this interesting.. this is actually the first bench top surface grinder i've ever seen myself..

the guy even has it somewhat automated.. i would love to have one of these

http://www.lathes.co.uk/exe/page3.html

also do a search for sanford bench top surface grinder

 

[Blogwitch]

The green 'lump' in the corner is my Herbert Junior surface grinder.



It only has an area coverage of 7" x 4", but that is plenty for me. It's scales are marked up in thous (0.001"), but they are far apart, so by splitting the scale, it can grind to an accuracy of about 2 tenths (0.0002"). It weighs about 500lbs, almost all you see is solid cast iron. Over the years, I have gathered together all sorts of tool sharpening fixtures for it, and I have made some of my own, the only thing I can't do yet is grinding the side flutes of cutters and reamers, and grinding single point engraving tools.

I swapped an old mill I was given for mine, but they normally sell for about 300 pounds.

If you have never had one, you would never miss it, but once you have one in your shop, you would find it indispensable. I can grind almost anything, from softish rubber to tungsten carbide.

John