Toolpost grinder for ML7

I know that a lathe is really not a cylindrical grinder but for an odd job it may well serve as one, as long as it is well protected and cleaned afterwards.

So which commercial toolpost grinder I could fit on my ML7?

There are 2 inches between table and lathe axis.

You could make a simple holder for a Dremel, like this:

I bought a CNC spindle from China which has a selection of collets it was easy to mount on to a mount which fitts in to the toolpost and easy to use as s grinder. The spindle includes power supply and speed controler all you need is an enclosure. This is my YouTube video.

https://youtu.be/2VKR45MYVEw

David

I bought a very similar tool to David, and fitted it to the vertical slide:

which allows all sorts of adjustments, even with the motor turning. But it is a bit off a nuisance to set up, so it spends most of its time in a QCTP holder:

which I did by bolting a piece of 1/2" square bar to the clamp supplied. That slides in the slot in the holder, and the whole thing is ready to use just like any other tool.

I mainly use it for the fluted knobs I prefer over knurled ones:

but it also drills cross holes and off centre ones in the face of parts with no extra setting up or measuring. I do need a better way of headstock dividing than blocking the chuck jaws; an electronic dividing attachment off the spindle gear is the plan. That will make partial slots easy

Martin, you admit it will be the odd job so why would you buy a commercial tool post grinder for £xxx when as people have said before it can be done another way. Myself I use a circular mag chuck and a dremel or my tool post miller with a wheel attached. I use it for grinding gear blanks and washers and with the measuring gear that I have I cannot find any runout on thickness. just make sure to protect your lathe. Also see mew article on grinding chuck jaws, informative and it works!

@john halfpenny, @bernard towers,

Dremel is not good enough (stone is bouncing). For internal grinding I have adapted die grinder (Milwaukee) which has a ground front section allowing to mount it in clamp. It does great job (and together with taper turning attachement it was successfuly used to make MT2 taper in spindle of my ML7 running dead true - weird as it may sound but *original* hardened spindle from Myford (Nottingham) had misalligned bore, so end of test bar was making small circles, 3 different bars tried to the same result).

This cannot be adapted for between centers work for obvious reason.

I do not have auxilary milling spindle and I would rally love to be able to fit 3-4 inch diameter grinding stone for grinding now and again an odd spindle.

Yes I have learned how to lap and hone these kind of jobs, I can even do really good job with finer and finer sandpapers o get down to 2 tenths of accuracy while pressing sandpaper with finger or a plasic strip - but I have really decided o stop wasting time and stand 2 or 3 afternoons a my lathe and piddle around o get an odd piece done.

Another hint:

Sunnen stone mounted in toolpost can do a great job as long as your turned piece is paralell, but there is much piddling close to shoulder.

Nevertheless I just decided to save my time and get a tool meant for the job.

Edited By Martin Dowing on 12/12/2020 20:41:18

I have a Dumore "Tom Thumb" toolpost grinder that works well on a Myford.

Also my own design Union T&C grinder head fits as well.

Just make sure to keep grinding dust out of the slides etc.

Phil

Edited By Phil P on 12/12/2020 20:49:33

Edited By Phil P on 12/12/2020 20:50:04

If you have compressed air in your workshop, then one of the extended nose die grinders are worth looking at. I bought a Silverline brand one which cost just over £20 and it is much better than my old windy drill setup. The extension is about 3/4" diameter which makes it easy to manufacture a block of aluminium to hold it in the toolpost.

My electric die grinder could be mounted in a very similar way. I dislike air tools both for the noise they and the necessary large compressor make, and the hose is a nuisance..