Tool & Cutter grinder options...

Need a new project and something I don't have - a competant, compact and flexible tool and cutter grinder. This is for endmills, milling cutters, lathe tools, drills, - the usual stuff. There seems to be myriad options out there for designs with the classic being the Quorn I guess. I can't accommodate a pro machine (like a Clarkson) simply due to limited space, and that isn't a DIY project anyway. So what other recommendations do folk have other than the Quorn that I should consider?

I am going to build the ACTO T&C .

I found the plans for sale on ebay (cd rom)and require no castings but the plans cost $70

I would recmmend you have a look at Harold Halls book (WPS) on tool and cutter sharpening as it has plans for a simple but effective T&C unit that won't cost the earth or take a year to make .

Ian

The ACTO is a new one to me, I had not seen it before. Love the counterweight - I guess it falls over without it? there are some interesting features in it though. I don't think it would take a year to make a Quorn but maybe owners could enlighten me.

> The ACTO is a new one to me, I had not seen it before.

New to me too, so abit surprised that of the four photos that came up on a google search, one was my crude home-made effort, complete with coffee stain! I'm gobsmacked!

Neil

The Bonelle looks an interesting alternative to Quorn using stock material. Google will show, I can't get links to work on I pad yet. Is also in yahoo groups Quorn section if I remember correctly.

Steve

Steve,

You beat me to it ... here is a link to the Bonelle page

[checked and linked on my iPad]

MichaelG.

Hi Chris,
Yet another option is the Colyer/Caseley cutter grinder that was shown in issue 179 of MEW ( August 2011) which is a bit like the quorn but built without castings.

Les.

Thanks for the links etc., to the Bonelle, I've downloaded the plans and will study them. Looks impressive. I will also look at the Colyer/Caseley if the digital archive holds iss. 179

Thanks Ian for giving my sharpening book a plug. If though Chris you wanted something a little more demanding but not going as far as the Quorn and similar, you could also look at Milling a Complete Course which has a more substantial version of that in the sharpening book.

The principles for using it are the same and it uses the same accessories.

The following web page will give you some ideas as to how they are both used.

**LINK**

There are also other pages on the web site regarding sharpening workshop tools.

Harold

If you like the Clarkson but smaller then look at the Stent or as mentioned above the Bonelle version of it whose footprint is about that of a laptop. The Stent's fault is the flimsey head support but you can improve that.

If you like the idea of a simpler Quorn then look at the Colyer design mentioned before
perhaps with a swivle head upgrade.

The Worden always looks a bit 'tinny' and the Kennet might be a better version of that table based style but someone on the web does have a nice design for a radius attachement under his Worden heading which is worth finding.

I did do the Worden T&C grinder from Hemingway Kits. It's basically done, and seems to work quite well.

Did do some writeups of it on my blog - http://cnc-for-model-engineers.blogspot.com - the build went quite well.

It's not a Quorn, but maybe much easier to use for most used operations. (at least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it)

I can see, if one gets into machinery building, that one could make a few very interesting T&C grinders....

Another JohnS.

There is a seed of a 'cunning plan' in my mind... My mill already has the X-Y-Z axes of sufficient accuracy, and more than enough travel. A rotary table could provide the radial indexing. If I made a wheelhead attachment which fitted to the top section of the mill's knee dovetail then all I would need is some method of providing angular adjustment (in 2 axes). I would be using a diamond cup wheel so there wouldn't be lots of grit thrown around, but of course I would still need to protect the machine during grinding operations.

...now I'm sure someone will point out that J.Bloggs already did this back in 1923 etc., but it's a new idea to me

this thing i made is not pretty but it works. x/y table, tilting rotary table with a er collet block

Edited By mark mc on 16/05/2013 07:50:06

**LINK**

Hi Chris

Have you explored the above link? There are interesting ideas discussed.

Michael

Here's mine again FWIW. It isn't actually finished, but it works so...

Neil

These all look like workable solutions to the basic problem, yet all different You chaps are obviously typical Model Engineers - inventive problem-solvers. Makes me feel I'm being lazy in looking for an off-the-shelf solution.

I can dedicate an area about 2ft square to accommodate the whole thing, anything larger would start to get in the way of other tools so the more compact the better. I was originally looking at the little Universal Tool and Cutter Grinder sold by (amongst others) RDG **LINK** which fits the size requirements but has not received particularly good reviews (and sells for less than half the price in the US). Pity that, but it wouldn't do any more than most of the solutions described above anyway. I suspect in the end I will cherry-pick the ideas and features found in the designs invented by others and from that cobble together something that suits my needs.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I built a Quorn and quickly sold it as being too complicated for my use. I then built a Stent, but fitted it with a Quorn spindle. This has been with me for about fifteen years now and still proves useful. It's main functions are four and six facet drill sharpening and the odd cutter.

Alan.

**LINK**

The above link should be to a mini bonelle, wish I had the skills to make it

Michael.

i have heard of this combination before, what is the advantage of the Quorn head / fault with the stent spindle?

Steve

I've had a root about in the workshop cupboards and came up with this combination, I'm thinking it may be the basis for cutter grinder? The Myford swivel slide has sat in a draw for years - not used it since buying a mill. The quick index head is part of the GHT dividing kit I made, and the collet chuck is off the lathe. The center bar could be used to locate the cutter flutes (somehow). Maybe if this lot were bolted to an X-Y table I would have the axes of movement required.