Import Tool & Cutter Grinder

Petertha are we having fun yet? I keep finding new and wonderful uses for mine that was not what I think it was designed for. One such was I put lock handles on the cutter head on my Atlas shaper and needed to cut the ends to a dog shoulder. So put them in the tool grinder and cut them perfectly without having to grind them on the lathe. It isn't like I use it everyday but it has definitely been useful and solved problems I'd not been able to fix without it. Like has already been mentioned, creativity and flexible thinking is a must.
 
Buy the tools first, the ideas will follow. (Typing this quietly while the Wife is taking a nap.) ;)
 
Thanks for checking in. Aside from unpacking the T&C grinder & confirming the motor spins under power, I'm still officially in shop upheaval mode right now with my lathe apart waiting on parts from Taiwan.

There is a bit of mass to this grinder so my original thought of pulling it from a storage position to bench top is was hopelessly optimistic. I had to dolly it from the car into the shop. So I decided its probably time to build a larger sized workbench to support my bench grinder + T&C grinder & bench vice + heavy under-storage... versus my present mishmash of small tables, none of which is the proper height or area. The least expensive utility grade cabinet bases I could find gave me $$ shock, so I'm noodling some designs made from typical framing materials, plywood & low tech woodworking tools (jigsaw, glue, screws etc.). My other sickness is RC flying, so been doing that now that our short season has arrived.

Anyway, from what little exposure, the T&C looks to be a nice machine. I got the R8 spindle version. Everything slides & moves nicely. Motor seems quite free of vibration. The locking handles are typical import, but seem to grip & be functional. The wheels & accessories look to be pretty decent but the proof will be using it. I'm particularly interested to re-dress & alter drills so that will be my first focus. That particular accessory looks a bit iffy, which I've read about. Once all my peripheral shop grunt work is done, I'll do a proper review & take lots of pics. Feel free to throw some of your projects out there to keep me focused ! haha
 
Just while we are chatting on this, I kind of visualized the T&C positioned on front right corner for best accessibility & orientation. Any thoughts on this?

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I guess we all have our own focus, mine is because most of these tools have such short warrantee is to use them as quick as possible. And because I'm in a very limited space almost all my machine tools except my 9x20 lathe are on castors so I can reconfigure the shop for the process at hand. Most everything is set up as work stations. So the TG is on a small cart that I can roll out when needed and is stored with its tooling in a small space against the wall. I don't do big stationary benches either as they just seem to get overwhelmed by HSS(horizontal surface squatters). So I have two Harbor Freight carts(one a hydraulic lift cart propped up at the top of the lift with a welding top) for my benches. If I need more area I use folding saw horses. My main work station is an old three drawer rollaway with a 8" bench grinder for grinding lathe and shaper tools, a bench drill press, 6" bench grinder with wire wheel and MultiTool with 4 1/2" angle grinder and vices.

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Did you take the cab out of my garage while I was at work today. It looks exactly like mine but mine has the top box in place of the grinders etc. I need to get another to do what you have done.
 
Lol, nope. That was given to me in 80's because nobody wanted it. Put some new garage sale castors under it and started loading it up. Now I'm as safety conscious more than most and I'm careful that it is top heavy. But it's where I keep my odds and ends bolts etc, some tooling etc. Not bad for a throw away :) I also took a pic of the TG cart and I can hear the safety howls now, but when not in seldom use its stored in a little cubbyhole amongst the other machine tools in the back corner of the shop. I generally pull whatever machine into the doorway of the garage for the light and air.

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That's my thinking too, hence the question. I'm not against making tools & there are some beautiful examples of ingenious T&C grinders out there. But on the reality side, a lot of machining time & materials purchased & I don't have a spare motor kicking around... all that adds up & these grinders have some funky geometry that would be a chunk of work to replicate in what are castings (particularly the swivel). then you have the feed dial & various other lead screw-like settings/dials/locks. Basically I want to use it for what its intended & get on with my projects.

OTOH, we are talking a grinder here. What scares me a bit is the horror stories where the guy spins up his HF-type bench grinder & discovers a 0.1" run-out wobble... which he traces back to not the wheel but a warped shaft & tuna can bearings. I guess that's the 'kit' purchasing gamble. I've tried to filter search on some of the obvious keywords like Taiwan or Vertex. Even U2 U3 (what I think are Vertex series) , but I think that designation is also cloned by the clones. Heck, they are even getting sneaky & incorporating words like Vertex like or Mitutoyo like so its a bit of minefield. I'll mull this over for a bit & if I make a leap, will report findings.

U2 clone
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/U2-Universal...995765?hash=item280229f435:g:LLwAAOSwBahVOFiz

Vertex
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Vertex-Grind...309771?hash=item2a54619d0b:g:ndEAAOSwMmBVpoyq

Deckel (seriiously, listing for what my car is worth)
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/LATE-MODEL-1...685307?hash=item3abe0de6fb:g:7tMAAOSwuAVWy4Sn

If it's made in Taiwan I think you can be comfortable that it will be safe and work quite well, Certainly good enough for hobby machinist, I have a Taiwan lathe and it's as good as any I have ever used. Obviously with a grinder be sensible first time you start it up. check the wheel hasn't been damaged in transit, and stand clear when starting, other than that. I'd be glad to have one, maybe I will when the need arises.
 
...I just got delivery yesterday but had to source a dolly to wheel it. I'll open the shipping box here shortly & report findings.
How did you make out with it?

Do you know if yours is made in Taiwan or China?
 
Sorry for delayed reply. It is made in China, not Taiwan. I'd have to check my notes but I didn't think the Taiwan models offered 5C collet spindles, at least the distributors I was exposed to which was kind of a big factor for me. And they were like 2X the cost.

Rather lame excuse but I have different summer hobbies & because the season is so short, my metalworking typically kicks in when the weather gets crappy.... which averages about 8/12 of the year around here LOL. This past winter I was focused on some other shop priorities, so aside from turning it on & playing around a bit, I haven't put it to good use yet. But I am feeling the machining itch a bit early. Maybe my bio-clock is telling me fall is around the corner.
 
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