Tool and cutter grinder build

What I should have written is 'If he's watching the number of views, he should already know that.' I get lazy when I type sometimes. No offense was intended to any involved parties (sheesh...now I sound like a lawyer) :rolleyes:
 
What I should have written is 'If he's watching the number of views, he should already know that.' I get lazy when I type sometimes. No offense was intended to any involved parties (sheesh...now I sound like a lawyer) :rolleyes:

Don't sweat it Bill, it's all good. In the old forum it showed the views. I haven't found them here in this forum software yet, but I am sure they are here someplace. And if I save you a bunch of headaches when you start one , I'll be happy. Hey, watching me you can certainly learn what not to do:grin:.
 
By the way Mark, what type of blade do you have on your band saw?
Brand and TPI
Thanks.
 
I been chasing my tail all day on this tool holder. It is built, looks great and works smoothly, BUT, I decided to do some checks and got out my trusty indicators. It seems there is a few thousandths run out in the tool holder spindle when I turn it. no end play just a little TIR. I know there is .002" clearance between the the spindle housing and spindle. This could and probably would account for some of it. I took the spindle out and put it in the lathe with a 4 jaw chuck. indicated it true by the chuck, put my steady rest on the outer portion and indicated it true. Now the spindle is turning true. I checked the taper for the 5c collet and there is .003" run out. so i skim cut it true and all indicates true. So I put it in the tool holder and checked it and I still show .004" run out when turning it. Now, I realize this really won't hurt anything sharpening the ends of en mills and sharpening lathe bits, and this holder is not meant to and will not work for grinding flutes, but it is just frustrating . Something else I have noticed. When you rock the tool holder in and out as you would when grinding, it moves several thousandths. with everything locked down you can flex this whole setup easily by hand several thousandths. Chances are no one has ever checked this. If I rock the assembly as in grinding and hold it near the base and micrometer bar, you don't see this movement. This indicates to me to do something I have been thinking about. Making a handle that clamps on the front bar to use to rock the tool in and out. this will solve the flexing when holding it and also make it easier to operate and the handle can be moved to any location desired on the front bar.

It seems most of the flex when handling it comes from the 5/8 bar that the tool holder mounts on. Anyone got any comments or ideas or am I just being fussy.
 
By the way Mark, what type of blade do you have on your band saw?
Brand and TPI
Thanks.
I am not sure of the brand as I get them from a local industrial supplier who makes them for me when I need them. It is a 1/2" wide , .025" thick , 8/10 tooth combo blade.
 
It looks to cut pretty clean.
I use a 10/14 and it leaves a lot of saw marks on the metal. I might see about getting that TPI to try it out.
Does it cut very fast?
 
It looks to cut pretty clean.
I use a 10/14 and it leaves a lot of saw marks on the metal. I might see about getting that TPI to try it out.
Does it cut very fast?

It cuts very clean and pretty fast.
 
It won't grind flutes? As in end mill flutes?
 
It won't grind flutes? As in end mill flutes?

"silly machinist" of course not, you should know that. (I'm kidding)

No , to grind flutes CORRECTLY, you would ALMOST need an air bearing tool holder. ( I am looking into a source for them, but not hopeful as to cost). I say ALMOST , because although it is possible to make a sliding tool holder that will grind flutes, most of them give really poor results. The air bearing is used to grind flutes because it spins and slides freely and ACCURATELY. This is important, as a machined or even ground bar and bore is hard to get to slide smooth enough to do a good job grinding flutes. The "stick" factor makes it more difficult, as you have to be able to keep the flute against the finger guide while turning and sliding the spindle the length of the flute. hesitation or "sticking and your flute is ruined.

So the answer is, yes the grinder will do flutes but must be properly equipped. You build the pretty grinder but what a lot of people don't think about is you also have to build all the pretty attachments and adapters to make it do what you want it to do.

A friend of mine was so happy about a grinder he picked up for $600, only to come to a crashing disappointment when he found there was no adapters or as we call it "tooling" and the needed tooling for what he wanted was going to set him back more than he paid for the grinder.

I intend to make as much of the tooling for this grinder as I possibly can. Like I said, I am looking into an air bearing setup and I hope to chat with someone else ( you out there Bill?) as I hope you have an idea about grinding flutes.
 
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