# Thor Valve Grinder



## MattM (Dec 22, 2019)

I picked an old Thor valve grinder off CL for $35.00.  It's complete (except for collets) and works.  It was very dirty and greasy but no rust.  I've taken it apart and starting cleaning and de-greasing.  My idea is to rebuild it and either sell it or re-purpose it as drill sharpener or other machine. (I really have no use for a purpose built valve grinder.)

Anyone have one or have any ideas?


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## matthewsx (Dec 22, 2019)

Nope, but if you do come up with anything let us know. Those and brake lathes are always showing up on Craigslist and I can't think of a good use for either. I did learn how to run them back in high school though

John


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## benmychree (Dec 22, 2019)

If you can use drills sharpened with no clearance and only need to drill soft things like modeling clay, it might work just fine, or maybe not --- For antique car devotees, it might be just the thing, I "sharpened" the valves for my 1920s Dodges with one that I have.


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## MattM (Dec 22, 2019)

I figure I got way more than $35.00 in shafts, gears, motors, screws, handles, and nuts and blots.

I see valve grinders on CL all the time in the 3-400 dollar range.


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## C-Bag (Dec 24, 2019)

MattM said:


> I figure I got way more than $35.00 in shafts, gears, motors, screws, handles, and nuts and blots.
> 
> I see valve grinders on CL all the time in the 3-400 dollar range.


There's the rub. I'm not familiar with a Thor. My favorite grinder was Sioux. If the collets are proprietary and not available I'm not sure the machine is useful. The Sioux and B&D had a head kinda like drill press Chuck so there were no collets involved. Like has been noted valve grinders are not really made for anything but grinding at 45deg on the main head and if it has a stem grinder 90deg. I guess with some mod's you could maybe grind pins. A valve grinder without a seat grinding setup is only one half of a setup to do a valve job.

I bought a really old Sioux valve grinder that I think was an antique for $100. Worked fine but wasn't actually very useful in a production setting. I ended up selling it to a collector and bought a really hi end Sioux valve grinder and seat grinder set that was insane for $600. It had all the pilots and mandrills along with stones to do foreign up through big diesels. It had changed hands several times but never really used like it was designed to do. Dirty, but unused. I did several jobs with it and it was a joy to use but didn't work out financially. I ended up putting it up for sale and my old highschool shop teacher came by and thought he might catch a deal until he saw it. All the engine machine shops in town were sweating who would get it as they were all just hanging on and this was an incredible setup and didn't need another competitor. My old teacher scarfed it up for $2,200 and only the very advanced students used it. I've went in and used it decades ago but I'm not even sure they have the auto and machine shops anymore. I think there's a reason we see valve grinders on CL all the time for cheap, it's hard to make any $$ with them. And it hard to do anything else with them.


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## MattM (Dec 24, 2019)

I agree.  Maybe I oughta just s-can it and use it for materials.  The crank handle alone is probably worth the $35.00 I paid.


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## C-Bag (Dec 24, 2019)

I probably would have had a tough time walking away for $35. I've bought stuff just 'cause it's "shiny" and with some kind of cool factor about it and found some use for at last part of it. It would be nice to see a pic. I would hate to see you put a lot of work into it and not get anything for it. Does it have some interesting mechanisms in it?


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## MattM (Dec 24, 2019)

Yes, it has a nice Bodine 1/40 hp gear motor, a lead screw. four nice 1"x12" rounds of what appear to be drill rod, a coolant pump, a 1/3 hp main motor, the aforementioned crank handle (which is worth the price of admission), a nice tapered operating arm, a large, heavy castiron base, and a very well made metal stand.

Most important it is an honest old tool that will give me pleasure restoring.  I like to restore old iron; sometimes I even turn a profit but probably not this time.  So far over the 35 bucks I have 6 bucks invested in a belt and some paint.  Don't ask how much time...  I'm happy.


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## FOMOGO (Dec 24, 2019)

I have two of these machines. One like C-bag above, with all accessories, and like new condition, which I use for it's intended purpose. The two seat grinders and stones that came with it, I will probably sell off as I have carbide cutter sets that produce much better multi angle results. The other one I plan to modify for tool and cutter grinding. Time will tell how that works out. As Matt said, it's mostly about the love of machinery. Mike


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## MattM (Dec 24, 2019)

I was thinking on adapting a chuck to hold drill bits for sharpening.


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## C-Bag (Dec 24, 2019)

At the time I was a VW guy and bought me a Quickway carbide seat cutter set with various solid and expandable pilots. There is just no comparison between grinders and cutters as far as accuracy. I personally think it's the weight of the grinder itself pushing on the pilot. Especially because most of the import pilots were close 1/4" /6mm? compared to most domestic being 3/8" or larger. Not used any of that for decades. 

in thinking about the valve grinder the thing it lacks is a way to tilt the head to be able to sharpen and it's angle to the grinder wheels is all wrong but I guess that could be modified. You also don't need the work head to rotate, but to index. It's all backwards from any cutter sharpener I've used. But if I remember the work head rotates relatively slowly and might make a good power unit for making a lathe cutter lapping setup. I've been thinking about making one for a while as buying them is very expensive.


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## matthewsx (Dec 24, 2019)

Probably fixing it up and offering it to classic car guys is the way to go. Yes, they are plentiful now but in 10 or 15 years who knows.

I have a Quick-Way I used for building race kart motors but valves were too cheap to bother messing with them if they were bad. Fun fact, the lathe in my profile pic was mostly used for cleaning up Briggs & Stratton valves on kart motors for the first 7 years I owned it.

Cheers,

John


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## Silverbullet (Dec 27, 2019)

I have a black n Decker valve grinder , I used it often up till I had to stop fixing small engines. Hundreds of them in a year at times. Small engines run hot burn them out f there fins are clogged .


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## GK1918 (Jan 3, 2020)

I shed a tear to write this because I'm no spring chicken.  Valve work,  I have you name it. Back in the day
most engines with 35,000 miles it was cleaning carbon & grinding valves.  No clue why gas-oil don't know.
And you know I hate new years and birthdays cause we used to run strong, today 'all the hands on shops'
all  gone.  My hated word 'modern' is a throwaway, no more valve jobs. no more fixing, just replacing, or just
buy a new one, like now, no one can operate a screw driver; true:  However we are still in the blue doing
L head engines all makes, mostly V8 Fords including A's and T's.  We recently did a massive 175hp Hercules
marine 'Flathead'  Can not be done, if you do not have a proper valve face machine and valve a seat grinder.
This Christmas we did a valve job on a 264 IH industrial engine.  We are the only ones in this all gone
industry and shop replaced with house's.  We lost major mfg. Paragon Gear, Raytheon ,new england twist drill
co. Ford Motor Co. Bacon Felt major supplier for Ford and GM and more. This area noted for textiles and
silver smiths,  GONE.   Please excuse me for this rant,  but its like I woke up with a bad dream.


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## C-Bag (Jan 4, 2020)

Read history and it is the direct demonstration of the only constant is change. And I'm always shocked at how little I knew of that change until I read a book or listen to a good radio show with a guest that has dedicated their life to understanding a certain subject. 

Take Luddite, I like most people thought it was a person who hates technology. Turns out it was actually textile workers in the 1700's in UK protesting against the plant owners automation of textile production. They went from being skilled craftsmen to slaves of the machines. Sound familiar? Valve grinders are just like the other old iron we save from the scrapyards. All because owners don't want to have to train skilled workers through apprenticeship programs like Ford and others used to do, much less have to pay them skilled wages. Now they complain they can't find skilled workers and want us taxpayers to fund schools to provide them with the workers while they do their best to dodge paying taxes that would support those schools forcing prosepctive workers to pay for their schooling. It's a really nasty downward spiral. The Luddites saw that automation would squeeze out craftsmen and kill off those trades. Luckily there are places like here that keep the manual knowledge and the use of these machines alive.


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