I need help deciding - CBN vs Oxide for sharpening HSS lathe tooling...?

This sander is almost identical to the Sears model that is no longer sold. It is only 1/3HP so you need to use ceramic belts on it to grind lathe tools but it will work. You also need to make a good tool rest and it is wise to put a glass platen liner on it but once those things are done, this tool will grind really good lathe tools. I own the Sears versions of this sander in both the 1/3HP and 1/2HP versions so I know they work.
 
Mr Mike said:
Hello...
Would something like this not work if a CBN replaced the AO on this Grinder...? Link to grinder with a belt from Eastwood company 150.00

I would appreciate your feed back.. thanks.
Click to expand...

Yes but stock they have issues, most replace the platen to something more solid / durable than the tin ones they come with. Some also require cutting away part of the guard to be able to grind some of the angles required. The cheaper sanders like that Eastwood use 2x27 belts, the 2x42" 2x48" or 2x72" will last longer and are supposedly available in more varieties. I've been looking at a similar Jet belt sander, but $500 plus tinkering, really makes building a DIY belt sander look appealing (except the time needed to actually do it).

Bench grinder is cheaper and basically plug and play. You can get a cheap 8" bench grinder for $100 +/- or a good one for $200-250 which is not much more than a cheap belt sander. Of course CBN wheels add another $200+. Part of the reason I'm waffling on a decision until the AO wheels wear out. The cost of CBN wheels is a long way towards a decent belt sander.
 
Aaron_W said:
Yes but stock they have issues, most replace the platen to something more solid / durable than the tin ones they come with. Some also require cutting away part of the guard to be able to grind some of the angles required. The cheaper sanders like that Eastwood use 2x27 belts, the 2x42" 2x48" or 2x72" will last longer and are supposedly available in more varieties. I've been looking at a similar Jet belt sander, but $500 plus tinkering, really makes building a DIY belt sander look appealing (except the time needed to actually do it).

Bench grinder is cheaper and basically plug and play. You can get a cheap 8" bench grinder for $100 +/- or a good one for $200-250 which is not much more than a cheap belt sander. Of course CBN wheels add another $200+. Part of the reason I'm waffling on a decision until the AO wheels wear out. The cost of CBN wheels is a long way towards a decent belt sander.
Click to expand...

Gotcha, Both You and Mikey have altered yours... so no just buying one and running with it... what Im really taking away from all this is that Mikey should just give me his and he makes a new one ;)
 
mikey said:
This sander is almost identical to the Sears model that is no longer sold. It is only 1/3HP so you need to use ceramic belts on it to grind lathe tools but it will work. You also need to make a good tool rest and it is wise to put a glass platen liner on it but once those things are done, this tool will grind really good lathe tools. I own the Sears versions of this sander in both the 1/3HP and 1/2HP versions so I know they work.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mikey I like having Options....
 
Mr Mike said:
Gotcha, Both You and Mikey have altered yours... so no just buying one and running with it... what Im really taking away from all this is that Mikey should just give me his and he makes a new one ;)
Click to expand...

Ideally, you should look into building a 2X72 belt sander. Kits and parts are getting cheaper by the day. I don't own one but only because mine works well for my needs and I'm too damned busy to commit to it right now. If you can weld or know someone who can, you can also mod that belt sander I linked to and easily duplicate my 2X42. Here is the writeup.
 
Mr Mike said:
Gotcha, Both You and Mikey have altered yours... so no just buying one and running with it... what Im really taking away from all this is that Mikey should just give me his and he makes a new one ;)
Click to expand...

I just have a bench grinder, I have been wanting to get a belt grinder but so many options and none seem to be just buy it and go. There are several threads on the mods people have made to theirs, to make them more suitable for tool grinding.

mikey said:
Ideally, you should look into building a 2X72 belt sander. Kits and parts are getting cheaper by the day. I don't own one but only because mine works well for my needs and I'm too damned busy to commit to it right now. If you can weld or know someone who can, you can also mod that belt sander I linked to and easily duplicate my 2X42. Here is the writeup.
Click to expand...

DIY is really what keeps me from buying a bench grinder. If there was one I could get for $500 or less that was ready to go out of the box, I'd probably go with that. If I'm going to have a project I'd rather go with a purpose built DIY, and for now the bench grinder works well enough. Like most I already have a project list longer than my arm. :)
 
I'm sure there are 2x72 kits that are pretty much ready to go but you can build one cheaper than you can buy it. However, I do understand having a project list and a belt sander probably falls pretty far down the list. What you have works for now - good enough.
 
mikey said:
I'm sure there are 2x72 kits that are pretty much ready to go but you can build one cheaper than you can buy it. However, I do understand having a project list and a belt sander probably falls pretty far down the list. What you have works for now - good enough.
Click to expand...

Belt sander is actually fairly high, but yeah, pretty much what I have works and it is paid for. If I were to do it now, a belt sander would be higher on my list but at the time a bench grinder was a much more viable option for the set up I had.
It also seems like there are more belt sanders in the $200-ish range on the market, than there was a few years ago.

There is also the "I made this" factor to the DIY belt sander that appeals to me, and it will utilize some of the new skills I have acquired the past few years when I finally get to it. There are some pretty interesting plans out there for 2x42" and 2x72" grinders.

By no means am I trying to discourage the use of a belt sander, it just seems like each option has a catch. Even a simple bench grinder creates a desire to make an improved tool rest / sharpening guide.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top