What is this grinder?

I was just browsing tool grinders, and came across this design of what looks like a lathe tool grinder. Described as a Ferret Trim Tool. [It's clearly well made].

I'd agree with the description as a lathe tool grinder. Many years ago, working on a tool grinding section, I used similar grinders for sharpening brazed carbide lathe tools, and one grinder had a diamond wheel, for finishing the tool. The trough is for water, although people seem to deprecate its use now. We didn't allow the work to get too hot before cooling in the water just to keep them cool enough to hold. No gloves were used for holding the tool. I think we had double-ended versions, and although hard to judge, the ones I used was larger (8 inch wheel?).

It's exactly what it says it is, a sort of industrial Worden grinder. Most of them are 3 phase, and they are very heavy. I had one which I converted to single phase but it was too heavy to keep moving around. The original size wheels are as easily available as rocking horse droppings, but I've no doubt you could alter the nose arrangement.

Edited By duncan webster on 16/03/2019 00:31:43

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... a tool for trimming ferrets

Every factory I have worked on had one of these in the turning section for sharpening carbide tools and tips. Diamond wheel and cutting oil in tray, wish I had one now.

David

I should think so too; you wouldn't want an untrimmed ferret down your trousers.

Andrew

Interesting that there is a reversing switch on it. Is that so that left handed workers can use the other side of the wheel ??

Yes Michael, all ferrets need trimming occasionally.
It could take a while to ferret out one of these tools though.

Perhaps you would want to get into "hobs," "Jills," "gibs" and "sprites" and a "business"

Back to the prologue...

Note that it does not have a precision adjustment for angle, no scale, no machined edges to the table, no guide groove in the table. Hence it is for roughing everyday tools from the days when people understood that you didn't need a multi-axis complex table just to grind a basic HSS tool. The precision tools eg for screwcutting would have come from the toolroom.

Funny how everyone thinks they can freehand sharpen a drill or wood chisel (which they can't with anything but bodgers accuracy) but think they need a super doper grinding rest for a left hand knife tool.

I found that side of the wheel very useful for doing the top rake of a right handed tool. That way you can easily keep an eye on the cutting edge and not catch the tool or your fingers on the other side of the wheel.

Using the reversing switch meant the grindng forces are down as are the sparks.

Steve.

Edited By fishy-steve on 16/03/2019 09:59:48

These seem to be commonly available in the US.

**LINK**

its a shame UK tool vendors aren’t interested in them.

Hi all, or perchance when grinding the widely prevalent brazed tip tools back in the day all such machines had reversing switches, to follow the perceived wisdom of grinding down from the cutting edge, in the case of a right hand turning tool grind the top face first on the left hand side of the wheel, reverse rotation & touch up front, side & tip radius on the right hand side of the wheel, if tool required more than a lick then the same applies when tidying up any damage on a green grit wheel, I will leave you to figure out where your fingers would be positioned otherwise.

With regard to the trimming of ferrets, in my limited experience their claws may indeed need a clip from time to time however their formidable teeth may present more of a problem, that being said they are as cute & playful a natural born killer as you will meet.

Cheers robjon44

Back when I taught apprentices the training centre machine section had one similar for lathe tool grinding but, re Bazyle's comment, ours was two sided, had guide grooves, machined edges, precision angle scale. It was a beast with a cast iron base, 3 ph. Just can't recall the maker, maybe look through Lathes.co.uk for picture.

George.

Found it... Mk1 Abwood... First picture

**LINK**

George.

Further to what Bazyle says about angle scales. Normally you'd set the table angle by reference to the existing tool angles or, possibly, a simple sheet angle reference for something special. Once you have the knack its far quicker to loosen the handle, adjust the table so the tool sits properly against the wheel and lock up again than it is to read a scale. Especially as said scale is probably covered in guiding dust, hidden under the table and, if its one of the import style linked to by Vic, not super accurate in the first place.

Generally when it comes to lathe tools sharp beats dead to book angles all the time except for special cases like screwcutting. If I had one I'd probably sort out some sort of rotating cam stop for the three or four table angles I might need.

As the name suggests its designed as a trimming tool to re-sharpen worn tools or sharpen tooling already ground to shape, either in the toolroom or purchased welded tip and brazed carbide on a shank style. Which were once readily available rough ground in a much wider range of tip shapes than can be found today. Georges' Abwood is a toolroom beast. Not shop floor.

Clive.

Edited By Clive Foster on 16/03/2019 12:17:16

A quick perusal of the popular selling forum shows three such items for sale. So no real mystery about them.

Good luck to the sellers at those prices. I personally could think of quite a few better ways of spending my "workshop cash "

Pete

Sticker shock indeed. If they really go for that maybe ignoring one for £75 plus about £25 worth of petrol to pick it up about three years back was a mistake. But I've got a couple or three nice flange mount motors of suitable size that owe me nowt up in t'workshop loft so making one wouldn't be too hard if I seriously get the wants.

Abwood double wheel one up too at less. Much better value for money if you have space.

Surprised to see on one picture that there actually is an angle scale visible if the beast is really clean. Which is so not normal.

Clive.

That's just silly money, I thought I did well getting £70 for mine. At that price you could get a Worden, granted not built like a battleship, but more functionality

.

Q. What is this grinder ?

A. The sort of thing that RJH Engineering once made:

**LINK**

https://www.rjhfinishing.co.uk/about

MichaelG.