Home Grown Carbide Tool Grinder?

[Finster]

I'm really liking the Baldor carbide tool grinder. I'm not liking the $1300+ price tag. Seems like it would be easy enough to convert a regular bench top grinder into one of these. Has anyone done it? I'm just wondering if the motor and spindles would be able to take it. I'm not sure if a regular grinder is designed the same? I would be happy with the cheapo harbor freight one but it seems as if they quit selling them. With a little tweaking, they seem to work ok for a home shop. So back to the question, has anyone built one?

 

[Country_Bubba]

Some time ago, I got a diamond cup wheel from Enco and adapted it to the spindle of my 6" bench grinder, then made an articulated table and slide so I can set angles.
Has worked quite well for me and no problems.

 

[CluelessNewB]

I would be happy with the cheapo harbor freight one but it seems as if they quit selling them.

It appears Enco no longer sells them either. But Grizzly has the H7762 http://www.grizzly.com/products/Heavy-Duty-Tool-Grinder/H7762

 

[Bob Korves]

Companies still sell those Chinese carbide grinders. Better yet, pick up a used one. They are cheap and they don't get used up with the light work they do. I recently bought a HF grinder from my brother, for what he paid at a garage sale, $75. It needed 3 of the tommy bolts for the table adjust, two pins for the water pot to sit on, and a miter gauge, which were missing, so I made them. Other than that it was new and unused. I bought a diamond wheel for it from Shars for ~$40. It works great! Smooth and quiet. I am now building a stand/cabinet for it out of scrap lumber and hardware. Not bad for $120 and some fun in the shop!

Edit: Next I need to make a graduated protractor for the miter gauge.

 

[Brain Coral]

Keith Fenner did a 4 part video series on refurbing a new one similar to Grizzly's. Worth a watch...

 

[royesses]

Enco still shows it in stock:
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=414-2126

I did a lot of work on mine. I paid $239.96 with an Enco 20% coupon. I have a CBN wheel on one side and Diamond wheel on the other. Both from Shars.
The grinder instruction manual says to call Harbor Freight for any problems ( they must have forgot to take that out of the manual), indicating that this is made by the same company. All of the parts are available from Grizzly. Exactly the same grinder as H.F. also. I replaced the bearings and added a wave washer that they no longer use. They evidently did not not make any changes to accommodate the lack of wave washer. I purchased wheel plates from Grizzly and turned them as true as i could on my little HF 7x16 lathe. I made new spacers turned true and new new shaft nuts. Milled the table cut outs parallel. Used a belt sander to make the base flat. Used a file and Dremel to make clearance on the table bracket slots to get the tables to rotate smoothly and what ever else it took to get it to where it suited me. I am pleased with it now. I don't know what its life span will be. You can balance a nickle on it when it starts and runs. The wave washer got rid of what I thought was noisy operation.

 

[hman]

Finster -
There's one feature of Baldor and similar grinders designed for cup wheels that you might want to add to whatever plans you make for your DIY. That's a reversing switch on the motor. It allows you to grind on either side of the cup face. Might not be a big issue, if you're OK with just using one side. But if you can somehow add the feature, it would be helpful.

 

[Bob Korves]

Keith Fenner did a 4 part video series on refurbing a new one similar to Grizzly's. Worth a watch...

Keith had a lot of trouble with his grinder. That is part of the game with import machinery. Some are just fine, some need a bunch of work, some are total junk. For the price, you can buy one of each...

 

[Finster]

Anyone know what the motor speed is on a carbide grinder. I know they are a higher rpm than the average bench top.

 

[CluelessNewB]

Enco still shows it in stock:

Ah the plot thickens... I was looking at Enco Model #891-8106 which is marked as discontinued but appears to have been replaced by the newer model Model #414-2126