Bench Grinder

Hello all.

I need a new bench grinder, has anyone any recommendations?

Are there any that come with half decent tool rests ?

Thanks,

What is your budget? Unanswerable without that information!

Unless you spend loads all seem to suffer from poor tool rests. I replaced mine recently with a £30/35 ish 8" job from Screwfix. One day I will make new tool rests for it. It needed work and decent wheel flanges making to get the wheels running true, but for the money does the job.

With regards to the tool rests;

I guess a decent size and gauge of mild steel plate is just too much to ask for?

.

In an economy where £30/35 is the going rate for an 8" Grinder ...

Yes: Very probably too much to ask for.

MichaelG.

From personal experience, the really cheap ones will vibrate & the wheels will not run true, I threw my first one away & bought a Creusen, its a quality machine but expensive.

I have just bought a Warco heavy duty grinder plus stand for my son & he is well pleased.

Tony

I would plan for making your own tool rests and leave them off the must have list, I would also allow for replacement stones if you intend to use it for off hand tool grinding. A diamond dresser is another useful accessory as even a new wheel on a true hub will need truing.

Mike

I have a Hilka 6" bench grinder. It has a 1/2 HP motor and is just the job for regular workshop use. The tool rests could be improved but I don't usually use them at all anyway. Colin

Used a cheap Whitcote 6" grinder for many years. Typical of the not so bad imports. Adequately smooth, just about OK grey coarse and fine wheels and, like Colins Hilka, less than stellar grinding rests that weren't quite bad enough to absolutely have to be replaced. Almost but not quite. There being more work than it appears at first sight in going from back of envelope sketches to something properly engineered that really will work. When I got a bit more serious about things I sidestepped the whole issue with proper cup wheel and adjustable angle table on the side. One of these :-

cheap from Axminster worked pretty well once I'd swopped the nuts on the adjusters for Bristol handles.

Couple or three years back a Cruesen came along at a price that didn't strain the budget too far. Evidence of careless use included a grinding wheel that pretty much re-defined undressed and a missing grinding rest on the left hand side. So I had to do something.

Found some 12 mm and 8 mm steel plate to weld up an opposite hand copy of the one on t'other side up from. Came out pretty well :-

Took some pictures of the making thinking I might do an article for Neil but illness and family issues got in the way. If it might be of interest I could have a a go at a write up now I have time again. Need to draw up the mount rail on the grinder tho'. If someone did want one its lots easier to modify dimensions on an existing drawing than to engineer from scratch.

Can easily send a PDF copy if required. Just PM me your E-Mail.

Clive

Edited By Clive Foster on 15/01/2018 19:07:17

Edited By Clive Foster on 15/01/2018 19:08:19

There are so many ideas deeply buried in the posts on this site - the same problems, queries and requests come up again and again, but it is rather difficult to find the buried info.

Anyway, my efforts at half decent grinding rests was a post last year some time...some of the pics attached again - also not easy to just link to the specific post itself, rather than the entire years thread...No idea how this stuff works anyhow!

The typical crappy rests that are supplied with the grinder..

The new rests made from bits of flat bar, angle iron and round bar

All fitted to the grinder:

Tilt and pivot to hearts content.

Joe

Sorry for re-posting and rehashing old stuff - as I said , no idea how to link only to the relevant stuff..

Edit - corrected some crappy English...

Edited By Joseph Noci 1 on 15/01/2018 19:32:40

I bought a Cruesen grinder and the wheel fittings are Fairly steady but I reinforced the tool rest with gauge plate pieces and I have a great unit now.

David

Edited By David George 1 on 15/01/2018 20:55:20

Once again Arc Eurotrade is your friend.

The Allwin 6" comes at a reasonable price, is well made and doesn't wobble all over the place. The rests are no much better than any others (they are however adjustable) so I made Harold's simple grinding rest and haven't looked back. Usual encomiums ...

Eug

Before seeing Brian's post I was contemplating the Titan TTB521GRB from Screwfix £35 have to admit it was the 400 what motor that caught my attention any one got one and care to comment ?

H

|Posted by Eugene on 15/01/2018 21:09:09:

|Once again Arc Eurotrade is your friend.

The 6" ones are out of stock. but that's ok because the 8" one is nicer .

The wheels, as supplied are a soft grade AlO so good for HSS. Bit too soft for sharpening TIG tungstens, but it'll do until I make an adapter to take one of the harder wheels that's lying about in the draw.

I really wanted an 8" Wolf, due to the excelent tool rests, but they are now quite rare.

As for the Screwfix one, read the reviews. They're why I went to see Ketan

Edited By Mark Rand on 15/01/2018 21:41:49

Thanks guys for taking the time to reply, regards budget, depends, if I could find exactly what I want with decent tool rests then would be prepared to spend a little more, I am trying to avoid having to make some rests but looks like it may be inevitable. What type / grit wheels to you recommend for HSS ?