Can't Understand What A Tool Post Grinder Is Good For?

Ok, I think I'm getting a bit better handle on the concept.

Since I typically only deal with aluminum/mild steel and my tolerances are not "uber" critical, its beginning to sound like I don't really have need of a tool post grinder.

I may make one though as I will have a nice 1/8 HP motor when I convert my Atlas to DC. Might be a nice project to practice on....
 
A 1/8 hp motor will only serve for very small wheels and light grinding.
Would work well for a small internal grinder with 3/8"dia. and smaller stones.
 
tertiaryjim said:
A 1/8 hp motor will only serve for very small wheels and light grinding.
Would work well for a small internal grinder with 3/8"dia. and smaller stones.
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Since its going on an atlas 10F and will not get any heavy use, that sounds just about right to me.

:)
 
an extra part to the accuracy thing (according to what I've read anyway, no personal experience) is that grinding doesn't leave any grooves or marks on the work like you get with turning, even with a slow feed or large nose radius. So when you measure your OD, that's what it is, you're not measuring the peaks of a turned piece which may later collapse or wear away and reduce the OD. I've never worked to that accuracy nor needed to, but others do need it for their application.
 
One thing I did notice is with a ground surface that runs on a bushing, if one does not polish to remove the microscopic peaks left by the wheel, the bushing will not last.
Pierre
 
mattthemuppet said:
an extra part to the accuracy thing (according to what I've read anyway, no personal experience) is that grinding doesn't leave any grooves or marks on the work like you get with turning, even with a slow feed or large nose radius. So when you measure your OD, that's what it is, you're not measuring the peaks of a turned piece which may later collapse or wear away and reduce the OD. I've never worked to that accuracy nor needed to, but others do need it for their application.
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You are still measuring on the peaks between the scratches left by the abrasive particles.
 
interesting, I was under the impression that any marks left by the grinding wheel were of a much smaller magnitude than those from turning
 
John Hasler said:
You are still measuring on the peaks between the scratches left by the abrasive particles.
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mattthemuppet said:
interesting, I was under the impression that any marks left by the grinding wheel were of a much smaller magnitude than those from turning
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While that is true, normally a properly ground surface is an order of magnitude smoother than the best turned surface.
 
I'm not sure that you want to be using a grinder on aluminum. My (limited) experience is that the stone gets clogged pretty quickly and makes a very poor finish. Steel works just fine. Might get some of the more knowledgable/experienced guys to comment on using a grinder on aluminum.
 
Grinders intended for ferrous metals aren't used on aluminum, unless something has changed that I don't know about.....
 
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