Scored a nice Baldor grinder

ndnchf

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Every once in a while I get lucky. A local auction house had a tool action going. I spotted this Baldor and put a decent bid on it. To my surprise I won. It's a 7", 1/2 hp, model 7307D. A nice feature is the lighted eye shields. It runs smooth and quiet. It came with the original Baldor cast iron base. One of the eye shield light sockets needs to be replaced, but other than that, it's great.

Baldor.jpg
 
Nice score, looks like a good one. Is it dual voltage, or just 115? Mike
 
It's dual voltage 115/230, currently wired for 115. The only problem I see is that one of the light sockets has damaged/missing electrical contacts. I'll have to figure out the best way to fix it.
 
I drool for your Balder. Great find.
 
It's dual voltage 115/230, currently wired for 115. The only problem I see is that one of the light sockets has damaged/missing electrical contacts. I'll have to figure out the best way to fix it.
I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned the lighted shields, but it seems like this would be a good application for the "angel eyes" ring LED lights like a lot of people use on their mill spindles. I ordered two different sets which claimed to be 100 mm ID but were actually less, so I have four extras waiting for me to find a use for them. I think this is a good application. Probably cover in sacrificial acrylic front and back, as long as that doesn't produce too much glare.

Thanks for the idea!
 
Good idea! I put an angel eye light on my RF30 mill drill and love it.
 
Great buy. I picked up a 10" baldor like yours awhile back and its been awesome. I put LED bulbs in the shields so far they work good.
 
Great buy. I picked up a 10" baldor like yours awhile back and its been awesome. I put LED bulbs in the shields so far they work good.

I was wondering about LED bulbs. If they would hold up to the vibration and if their light is directional. The way the bulb is positioned, it seems that light from the side of the bulb aims at the tool rest.
 
The light seems adequate to me but thats a subjective thing. I did have a bit of a problem with the first bulb i tried in that it was too tall and would not fit. The guard housing essentially limits the physical size bulb you are able to screw in. The cost of the bulbs at big box stores has come way down so at least it wont be an expensive experiment.
 
A 6" vise is overkill for a RF45 style mill. A 4" is more appropiate for that size mill & IMO 5" max. I have a 5" GMT vise on my PM45 & it's slightly too big. Not enough Y axis travel to make use of the 5" full capacity. Better to save your money rather than getting something too big & most importantly the weight. I take my vise of the table quite often, a 6" is still light enough for me to be carried by hand but I'm glad I have a 5". I also have a 4" vise as well. I prefer the 5" though.

But those GMT 6" Premium vises are pretty nice. I'd love to have one but don't need one on my current mill. But if you plan on upgrading to a full size knee mill in the future than the 6" will be perfect.


Here's what the 5" looks like on my mill.
Img_1921.jpg


I couldn't even complete this cut without my bellows & DRO scale getting in the way. Not enough Y travel & the 5" vise is not even maxed out.
Img_7597_zpscb8b5dd7.jpg


Here's what a 6" vise looks like on another PM45 (gt40's)
View attachment 253544

1737f1f80c094627fe7b51a0a7a8653d.jpg
 
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