Grinder recommendations for tool sharpening

[mickri]

I have only had one belt sander in my life. So my experience with belt sanders is limited to say the least. Like anything you can spend a lot of money on a belt sander. On the other hand the el cheapo ones seem to work. Maybe just as good as the expensive ones for grinding tool bits. The two main things I would look for are a tilt table and table edges that you can use a combo square on to get the correct angles. Beyond that anything else is just frosting on the cake. IMHO there is no need to spend a fortune on a belt sander.

 

[fishingreg]

I have only had one belt sander in my life. So my experience with belt sanders is limited to say the least. Like anything you can spend a lot of money on a belt sander. On the other hand the el cheapo ones seem to work. Maybe just as good as the expensive ones for grinding tool bits. The two main things I would look for are a tilt table and table edges that you can use a combo square on to get the correct angles. Beyond that anything else is just frosting on the cake. IMHO there is no need to spend a fortune on a belt sander.

I see an ENCO 1 X 30 that looks like it has a nice table with square edges that tilts to a 45 degree. Would you think that would do what I needed for sharpening HSS bits? I am sure I will grind some of my own bits one day but honestly I feel like that is a couple years down the line and if this worked good until then, I would be happy with that. Its one that is in my budget. If you think it is way too small though, I would not want to waste my money.

 

[fishingreg]

Do a Google search for 2x72 belt grinder or sander. Be prepared for sticker shock though,

I've had the sticker shock and for where I am at right now, I'm not able to drop that much to sharpen tools. I think I would hand file/hone them first... I only have 1 tool right now I need to keep sharp. I know that will grow but my budget for a sharpener is not that much at the moment.. We all have a start and thats where I am at. I put all I could in my lathe as I felt that is where I should put it, I can take my time and build on the rest.

 

[mickri]

I would think that the Enco 1x30 would work just fine. It appears to be the same as the HF 1x30 and the Wren 1x30. And there is no need to wait to try sharpening your own tool bits. Follow the simple instructions in Mickey's thread that I posted a link to above and you will be good to go. Watch the garages and CL in your area. It won't take long to find a belt sander at a bargain price. You will need more than one tool bit to get any use out of your lathe. I have some spares. Send my your address in a PM and I will send you some. That should tide you over until you can get a belt sander.

 

[homebrewed]

Grinders are dead useful for all sorts of things in addition to sharpening/forming HSS bits. I used mine a few days ago to sharpen a wood-splitting maul. No belt sander yet but I want both!

 

[fishingreg]

I would think that the Enco 1x30 would work just fine. It appears to be the same as the HF 1x30 and the Wren 1x30. And there is no need to wait to try sharpening your own tool bits. Follow the simple instructions in Mickey's thread that I posted a link to above and you will be good to go. Watch the garages and CL in your area. It won't take long to find a belt sander at a bargain price. You will need more than one tool bit to get any use out of your lathe. I have some spares. Send my your address in a PM and I will send you some. That should tide you over until you can get a belt sander.

Thank you very much for the generous offer. I do have other tooling, I just have one tool right now that I sharpen. My parting tools are high speed steel. I really did not like the reviews I read on insert tooling for parting tools so I went with just HSS on that but I can't seem to sharpen it very flat on the front with my bouncing grinder. It gets sharp and then with Mickey's advice I hit it with some diamond stones on top but when I part it leaves quite a nipple and I am sure that is due to my poor grinding abilities with my bounding grinding wheel and lack of any tool rest on my grinder. I do have HSS insert tooling for facing, turning, boring, and I have some carbide insert tooling for threading, internal threading and profiling. So I am getting some fun use out of my lathe but because I am playing I constantly need to part a piece off and it has been frustrating a bit with the sharpening. Eventually I will follow Mickey's direction and try my hand at making some HSS bits but not quite yet. I appreciate the other ones you mentioned, I will look at those as well and see if one is a better deal. Thank you again.

 

[mikey]

I thought I had seen you recommended that in a past post I read at some point. It all runs together now, clear as mud. Do you have any recommendations on a belt grinder or just go to HD or Lowes and pick up one?

Thanks

I, and others, have looked for a belt sander that would meet the requirements for tool grinding and they are hard to find. Actually, any belt sander can grind a tool but adapting the tool rest to produce precise angles is the issue. I do know that the one I use can be easily adapted but that exact one is no longer made. A replacement with a slightly weaker motor IS available here; I own this one, too and I know it will work. If you go for this one, there are a few caveats.

First, you have to use ceramic belts. At 1/3hp, the motor is not strong enough to grind tools with if you use standard aluminum oxide belts; it will bog down. However, the ceramic belts cut so well that the grinder is fully capable of grinding HSS lathe tools and I have confirmed this myself. Amazon carries the Red Label brand and I can testify that they are superb belts that work well for our purposes. I use the 36 grit for shaping and 80 for removing coarse grind marks but you might want to try their assortment pack to see what works for you if you go this route.

Second, you need to make a decent tool rest and ideally use a ceramic glass platen liner. For what it's worth, this article discusses the rationale behind this opinion and how I made mine.

Finally, I suggest you use a wax stick lubricant when grinding HSS on these belt sanders. Just touch the stick to the belt for a few seconds to lubricate the belt and improve the function of the belt. This wax prolongs the life of the belt significantly.

Belt sanders make tool grinding so much easier. It isn't that a bench grinder won't work; it works well if you know how to use them. I used a bench grinder for tool grinding for over a decade so I know how it works but speaking just for myself, after grinding hundreds of lathe tools, it is my opinion that the belt sander is vastly superior for tool grinding provided you modify the tool rest and attend to that platen liner thing.

 

[darkzero]

Second, you need to make a decent tool rest and ideally use a ceramic glass platen liner. For what it's worth, this article discusses the rationale behind this opinion and how I made mine.

Funny, I'm working on one for my Jet 2x42. I should be almost done with it today & final touches tomorrow. But I'm not using my belt sander for grinding lathe tools. The stock platen was crap so I just wanted to do something about it.

 

[mickri]

I am pretty sure that the nipple you are getting when parting is because the tool isn't on center. The further you are off from center the bigger the nipple. The parting tool is the one tool that is relatively easy to grind on a bench grinder. All you have to do is push the tool straight into the wheel at just a slight upward angle. The curvature of the wheel will cut a sufficient relief.

 

[mikey]

Funny, I'm working on one for my Jet 2x42. I should be almost done with it today & final touches tomorrow. But I'm not using my belt sander for grinding lathe tools. The stock platen was crap so I just wanted to do something about it.

That Jet is a serious grinder! @Aukai has one, too, and he made a solid platen for his, too. It is difficult to overstate how important a solid platen is. I do hope you're planning to include a platen liner, Will. It will reduce wear significantly over time.