# Grinder recommendations for tool sharpening



## fishingreg (Jul 24, 2019)

Hello,  

I am just getting my feet wet and I have a couple of tools that are HSS that need sharpening.  I have been given some good advice on here on the process of sharpening and the angle and such.  My issue is, all I own right now is an old 8" bench grinder.  I have bought a Norton white wheel which has plastic bushings to get down to the 5/8" arbor and it is horrible.  When I put the tool to it, I feel like a machine gun operator (prior service, shot plenty of machine guns) I don't care for my grinder to feel like that.  I am thinking that can not work very well for sharpening.  I then bought another white wheel that is solid down to the arbor and while it is much better, it still is not what I would call smooth or good.  It still has a lot of bounce.  I am not looking to spend $600 on a sharpener and I want to focus what little time I have on learning my lathe not building a tool grinder.  If I stopped learning how to turn, face, and thread so I could learn the art of tool grinding and building all the supporting items to a lathe, I might as well sell the lathe, there would be no time left to use it.  That day will come but not today.

Are there any suggestions for either a bench grinder that runs smooth or a belt sander or anything that is turn key that someone recommends?  I don't mind spending a couple hundred on something that will work well but I'm only sharpening a couple tools right now and some of these are outrageous in price.  I would like something if at all possible with an adjustable tool rest so I can set the angle and not free hand it quite so much but if not, I would settle for anything that is not bouncing all over the stone when trying to sharpen it.

Thanks,
Greg


----------



## mmcmdl (Jul 24, 2019)

Sounds like you're using a carborundum stick to dress the wheel ? Norbide stick ? Get yourself a wheel dresser and see if it helps out . Maybe try a 32A-46 Norton wheel .









						HFS(R) Dresser For Bench Grinding Wheels, 10-1/2-Inch  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for HFS(R) Dresser For Bench Grinding Wheels, 10-1/2-Inch at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




Funny you brought this up , I just sold my 8" and kept my 6" grinder . My lathes are quite a bit smaller now than they used to be .


----------



## T Bredehoft (Jul 24, 2019)

fishingreg said:


> I would settle for anything that is not bouncing all over the stone when trying to sharpen it.



Bouncing is due to the wheel (either one or both) being 'way out of balance. I found that I had not tightened the nuts enough, the wheels kept moving after I'd dressed them. I really cranked known on the nuts, dressed the wheels until they stopped bouncing. It took a lot of wheel. Next time I'll static balance them before starting up.


----------



## fishingreg (Jul 24, 2019)

mmcmdl said:


> Sounds like you're using a carborundum stick to dress the wheel ? Norbide stick ? Get yourself a wheel dresser and see if it helps out . Maybe try a 32A-46 Norton wheel .
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Good question, I might have forgotten to mention I am new at this.....  J/K..  I am using the rectangular gray stone looking thing my chain saw sharpener came with to dress the thin pink wheels it has.  And actually it is I think more to shape the wheels to a certain round end.  Not sure but it works great for that...    I have no idea what it is called but I can say with confidence it is nothing like that long item you mentioned above.  I would not even know which way to hold that to use it but what I am taking from this is if I dress both wheels correctly it will smooth out the unevenness and it should run smooth?  I have never dressed the other wheel, it has all kinds of grooves in it from me grinding metal that I am welding on..  That would make sense I suppose.  Thanks and I will try one of those dressers if they work well.


----------



## fishingreg (Jul 24, 2019)

T Bredehoft said:


> Bouncing is due to the wheel (either one or both) being 'way out of balance. I found that I had not tightened the nuts enough, the wheels kept moving after I'd dressed them. I really cranked known on the nuts, dressed the wheels until they stopped bouncing. It took a lot of wheel. Next time I'll static balance them before starting up.



The nuts are plenty tight but after reading about dressing the wheels, I suspect the wheel I am not using is very out of balance, I have never dressed it and I pretty roughly grind metal on it to shape the metal and it has groves all in it.


----------



## f350ca (Jul 24, 2019)

You don't need white wheels for HSS, the white Aluminum Oxide wheels cut cooler and are great for High Carbon wood working tools, but they wear quickly, to stay sharp. The grey Silicon Carbide wheels that were probably on your grinder are beter suited to HSS which is relatively unaffected by heat, till you get it red hot. Both need dressed to clean the face and run true.

Greg


----------



## fishingreg (Jul 24, 2019)

f350ca said:


> You don't need white wheels for HSS, the white Aluminum Oxide wheels cut cooler and are great for High Carbon wood working tools, but they wear quickly, to stay sharp. The grey Silicon Carbide wheels that were probably on your grinder are beter suited to HSS which is relatively unaffected by heat, till you get it red hot. Both need dressed to clean the face and run true.
> 
> Greg



Thanks and currently that’s where my issues lie is getting it to run true.  I ordered a dressing tool which I assume I just kind of grind on it until it’s smooth and hopefully running smooth.  I’ll update after that.


----------



## benmychree (Jul 24, 2019)

Either grey or white wheels will preform adequately if they are the right hardness and grit size, I had a Delta pedestal grinder that I bought used about 20 or 25 years ago, and used daily, it still has the wheels on it that came with it.


----------



## mickri (Jul 24, 2019)

My vote is to get a belt sander.  I am still a newbie at this even though I have had my lathe for over a year.  I started trying to shape tool bits with a hand held makita high speed 4" grinder.  Not good.  Moved up to a 6" bench grinder.  A lot better but still not easy to get the right angles.  Then I picked up a 1x42 belt sander in a thrift store for $40.  Wow is all I can say.  With the tilt table and an adjustable square I was able to grind any angle that I wanted.  Do yourself a favor and get a belt sander.  Your tool bits will come out better in a fraction of the time.  Here is a link to how I grind tool bits on my belt sander.  https://www.hobby-machinist.com/thr...ing-hss-lathe-tools.62111/page-33#post-654305


----------



## Richard King 2 (Jul 24, 2019)

when I used to grind HSS bits Ilearned early on I needed a grey wheel for roughing and a white wheel for finish and making a chip breaker,  Then I bought a Baldor angle table grinder for carbide and a green wheel  on one side and a diamond on the other.  I also like Benmy (John).  Also when grinding HSS wet it or cool it in water ever 5 seconds.  if the get blue you just screwed yourself.   Another thing now-a-days is a 300 RPM Glendo Accu-finish lapper with diamond wheels.  I sharpen HSS steel on mine all the time.   Slow diamonds don't plug the way the do on 3450 rpm wheels.  I figure john has forgot more about grinding bits the many of us have ever know.   He could be teaching machining in  a Tech college in my opinion.


----------



## benmychree (Jul 24, 2019)

Only thing with belt sanders, there is no way to dress the wheel and keep the abrasive sharp, with the attendant tendency to overheat the tool steel.  I prefer an regular grinding wheel with an easily adjustable tool rest to maintain angles.


----------



## benmychree (Jul 24, 2019)

Richard King 2 said:


> when I used to grind HSS bits Ilearned early on I needed a grey wheel for roughing and a white wheel for finish and making a chip breaker,  Then I bought a Baldor angle table grinder for carbide and a green wheel  on one side and a diamond on the other.  I also like Benmy (John).  Also when grinding HSS wet it or cool it in water ever 5 seconds.  if the get blue you just screwed yourself.   Another thing now-a-days is a 300 RPM Glendo Accu-finish lapper with diamond wheels.  I sharpen HSS steel on mine all the time.   Slow diamonds don't plug the way the do on 3450 rpm wheels.  I figure john has forgot more about grinding bits the many of us have ever know.   He could be teaching machining in  a Tech college in my opinion.


THX R-2!  There are many aspects of machine work that others may be better at, but I think I had a quite good education at it from so many individuals that I have known since the late 1950s and especially early 1960s; I was blessed by the people that I have know and those who were my bosses and instructors; I think I was naturally inclined towards mechanics, greatly encouraged by others, and if I may be so crass, have a natural talent for it. I doubt that I could teach at a college level, I do not have the patience that my teachers had!


----------



## MalR (Jul 25, 2019)

fishingreg said:


> Are there any suggestions for either a bench grinder that runs smooth or a belt sander or anything that is turn key that someone recommends? I don't mind spending a couple hundred on something that will work well but I'm only sharpening a couple tools right now and some of these are outrageous in price. I would like something if at all possible with an adjustable tool rest so I can set the angle and not free hand it quite so much but if not, I would settle for anything that is not bouncing all over the stone when trying to sharpen it.
> 
> Thanks,
> Greg



Whenever a wheel is fitted to a grinder it never goes on truly concentric with the spindle - it has to be trued. To do this you have to hook a dresser over the edge of the rigid workrest like this:





This tool is home made and has an industrial diamond in the tip but a crush-dresser works on the same principle.

Running the diamond across the wheel without hooking it over the workrest will only dress the wheel not true it to the spindle.


Mal


----------



## tmenyc (Jul 25, 2019)

There is a topic I posted recently on Grinder Problems, a week or so ago.  Lots of good responses, from which I think I made the right decisions for my Dewalt 6".  Among the constellation of thing I didn't know, I clearly didn't know at the time that most inexpensive new grinders are not made for precision work and come with wheel flanges that are not trued, and that the wheels themselves are often not balanced.  Now I know...and my solution was to swap out the flanges for machined ones and to true-dress the wheels.  I'm using Norton AO 36 and 80 grit.  
Good luck!  Feel free to speak up if I can help.  

Tim


----------



## mikey (Jul 25, 2019)

I'm with @mickri. I would use a belt sander. It is way faster and easier to grind lathe tools with.


----------



## fishingreg (Jul 26, 2019)

mickri said:


> My vote is to get a belt sander.  I am still a newbie at this even though I have had my lathe for over a year.  I started trying to shape tool bits with a hand held makita high speed 4" grinder.  Not good.  Moved up to a 6" bench grinder.  A lot better but still not easy to get the right angles.  Then I picked up a 1x42 belt sander in a thrift store for $40.  Wow is all I can say.  With the tilt table and an adjustable square I was able to grind any angle that I wanted.  Do yourself a favor and get a belt sander.  Your tool bits will come out better in a fraction of the time.  Here is a link to how I grind tool bits on my belt sander.  https://www.hobby-machinist.com/thr...ing-hss-lathe-tools.62111/page-33#post-654305



Thank you.  That is kind of what I was thinking.  For me the grinding wheel feels like it is not very controllable at least at this young stage for me and I need to crawl a little before I walk.  It felt like a belt sander might work easier for me but I have not found any good data on what grit and that kind of thing so I am a bit lost on belt sanders.  I think that is the route at least for now I really want to go.


----------



## mickri (Jul 26, 2019)

Read the thread that Mickey started on grinding tool bits.  https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/models-for-grinding-hss-lathe-tools.62111/  The basics are covered in detail starting on page 3 or 4.  My belt sander needed a new belt when I got it.  My local Ace hardware store only had 80 grit 1x42 belts.  That is what I have been using.  They seem to work just fine for me.  The HF 1x30 belt sanders will work.  Also look for garage sales and CL ads.  Belt sanders come up regularly.

You will need a stand.  Another forum member pointed me to 3 drawer rolling file cabinets.  They work great.  I picked up six of these at a county surplus sale for under $10 each.  You can't make something for that price.  I have my drill presses, bench grinder, belt sander, router table and 125 amp welder mounted on these cabinets.  Very handy to be able to roll things where I need them and store out of the way when not in use.


----------



## fishingreg (Jul 26, 2019)

mikey said:


> I'm with @mickri. I would use a belt sander. It is way faster and easier to grind lathe tools with.



I thought I had seen you recommended that in a past post I read at some point.  It all runs together now, clear as mud.  Do you have any recommendations on a belt grinder or just go to HD or Lowes and pick up one?  

Thanks


----------



## fishingreg (Jul 26, 2019)

MalR said:


> Whenever a wheel is fitted to a grinder it never goes on truly concentric with the spindle - it has to be trued. To do this you have to hook a dresser over the edge of the rigid workrest like this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



So I see my first issue, I have no tool rests on my grinder.  Thats not an option so I think I am to the cross roads of getting something new to grind my tools but I think out of everything I have read, I would be able to control the belt sander the best at this point.


----------



## ddickey (Jul 26, 2019)

fishingreg said:


> I thought I had seen you recommended that in a past post I read at some point.  It all runs together now, clear as mud.  Do you have any recommendations on a belt grinder or just go to HD or Lowes and pick up one?
> 
> Thanks


Do a Google search for 2x72 belt grinder or sander. Be prepared for sticker shock though,


----------



## mickri (Jul 26, 2019)

I have only had one belt sander in my life.  So my experience with belt sanders is limited to say the least.  Like anything you can spend a lot of money on a belt sander.  On the other hand the el cheapo ones seem to work.  Maybe just as good as the expensive ones for grinding tool bits.  The two main things I would look for are a tilt table and table edges that you can use a combo square on to get the correct angles.  Beyond that anything else is just frosting on the cake.  IMHO there is no need to spend a fortune on a belt sander.


----------



## fishingreg (Jul 26, 2019)

mickri said:


> I have only had one belt sander in my life.  So my experience with belt sanders is limited to say the least.  Like anything you can spend a lot of money on a belt sander.  On the other hand the el cheapo ones seem to work.  Maybe just as good as the expensive ones for grinding tool bits.  The two main things I would look for are a tilt table and table edges that you can use a combo square on to get the correct angles.  Beyond that anything else is just frosting on the cake.  IMHO there is no need to spend a fortune on a belt sander.



I see an ENCO 1 X 30 that looks like it has a nice table with square edges that tilts to a 45 degree.  Would you think that would do what I needed for sharpening HSS bits?  I am sure I will grind some of my own bits one day but honestly I feel like that is a couple years down the line and if this worked good until then, I would be happy with that.  Its one that is in my budget.  If you think it is way too small though, I would not want to waste my money.


----------



## fishingreg (Jul 26, 2019)

ddickey said:


> Do a Google search for 2x72 belt grinder or sander. Be prepared for sticker shock though,



I've had the sticker shock and for where I am at right now, I'm not able to drop that much to sharpen tools.  I think I would hand file/hone them first...  I only have 1 tool right now I need to keep sharp.  I know that will grow but my budget for a sharpener is not that much at the moment..  We all have a start and thats where I am at.  I put all I could in my lathe as I felt that is where I should put it, I can take my time and build on the rest.


----------



## mickri (Jul 26, 2019)

I would think that the Enco 1x30 would work just fine.  It appears to be the same as the HF 1x30 and the Wren 1x30.  And there is no need to wait to try sharpening your own tool bits.  Follow the simple instructions in Mickey's thread that I posted a link to above and you will be good to go.  Watch the garages and CL in your area.  It won't take long to find a belt sander at a bargain price.  You will need more than one tool bit to get any use out of your lathe.  I have some spares.  Send my your address in a PM and I will send you some.  That should tide you over until you can get a belt sander.


----------



## homebrewed (Jul 26, 2019)

Grinders are dead useful for all sorts of things in addition to sharpening/forming HSS bits.  I used mine a few days ago to sharpen a wood-splitting maul.  No belt sander yet but I want both!


----------



## fishingreg (Jul 26, 2019)

mickri said:


> I would think that the Enco 1x30 would work just fine.  It appears to be the same as the HF 1x30 and the Wren 1x30.  And there is no need to wait to try sharpening your own tool bits.  Follow the simple instructions in Mickey's thread that I posted a link to above and you will be good to go.  Watch the garages and CL in your area.  It won't take long to find a belt sander at a bargain price.  You will need more than one tool bit to get any use out of your lathe.  I have some spares.  Send my your address in a PM and I will send you some.  That should tide you over until you can get a belt sander.



Thank you very much for the generous offer.  I do have other tooling, I just have one tool right now that I sharpen.  My parting tools are high speed steel. I really did not like the reviews I read on insert tooling for parting tools so I went with just HSS on that but I can't seem to sharpen it very flat on the front with my bouncing grinder.  It gets sharp and then with Mickey's advice I hit it with some diamond stones on top but when I part it leaves quite a nipple and I am sure that is due to my poor grinding abilities with my bounding grinding wheel and lack of any tool rest on my grinder.  I do have HSS insert tooling for facing, turning, boring, and I have some carbide insert tooling for threading, internal threading and profiling.  So I am getting some fun use out of my lathe but because I am playing I constantly need to part a piece off and it has been frustrating a bit with the sharpening.  Eventually I will follow Mickey's direction and try my hand at making some HSS bits but not quite yet.  I appreciate the other ones you mentioned, I will look at those as well and see if one is a better deal.  Thank you again.


----------



## mikey (Jul 26, 2019)

fishingreg said:


> I thought I had seen you recommended that in a past post I read at some point.  It all runs together now, clear as mud.  Do you have any recommendations on a belt grinder or just go to HD or Lowes and pick up one?
> 
> Thanks



I, and others, have looked for a belt sander that would meet the requirements for tool grinding and they are hard to find. Actually, any belt sander can grind a tool but adapting the tool rest to produce precise angles is the issue. I do know that the one I use can be easily adapted but that exact one is no longer made. A replacement with a slightly weaker motor IS available here; I own this one, too and I know it will work. If you go for this one, there are a few caveats.

First, you have to use ceramic belts. At 1/3hp, the motor is not strong enough to grind tools with if you use standard aluminum oxide belts; it will bog down. However, the ceramic belts cut so well that the grinder is fully capable of grinding HSS lathe tools and I have confirmed this myself. Amazon carries the Red Label brand and I can testify that they are superb belts that work well for our purposes. I use the 36 grit for shaping and 80 for removing coarse grind marks but you might want to try their assortment pack to see what works for you if you go this route.

Second, you need to make a decent tool rest and ideally use a ceramic glass platen liner. For what it's worth, this article discusses the rationale behind this opinion and how I made mine.

Finally, I suggest you use a wax stick lubricant when grinding HSS on these belt sanders. Just touch the stick to the belt for a few seconds to lubricate the belt and improve the function of the belt. This wax prolongs the life of the belt significantly.

Belt sanders make tool grinding so much easier. It isn't that a bench grinder won't work; it works well if you know how to use them. I used a bench grinder for tool grinding for over a decade so I know how it works but speaking just for myself, after grinding hundreds of lathe tools, it is my opinion that the belt sander is vastly superior for tool grinding provided you modify the tool rest and attend to that platen liner thing.


----------



## darkzero (Jul 26, 2019)

mikey said:


> Second, you need to make a decent tool rest and ideally use a ceramic glass platen liner. For what it's worth, this article discusses the rationale behind this opinion and how I made mine.



Funny, I'm working on one for my Jet 2x42. I should be almost done with it today & final touches tomorrow. But I'm not using my belt sander for grinding lathe tools. The stock platen was crap so I just wanted to do something about it.


----------



## mickri (Jul 26, 2019)

I am pretty sure that the nipple you are getting when parting is because the tool isn't on center.  The further you are off from center the bigger the nipple.  The parting tool is the one tool that is relatively easy to grind on a bench grinder.  All you have to do is push the tool straight into the wheel at just a slight upward angle.  The curvature of the wheel will cut a sufficient relief.


----------



## mikey (Jul 26, 2019)

darkzero said:


> Funny, I'm working on one for my Jet 2x42. I should be almost done with it today & final touches tomorrow. But I'm not using my belt sander for grinding lathe tools. The stock platen was crap so I just wanted to do something about it.



That Jet is a serious grinder! @Aukai has one, too, and he made a solid platen for his, too. It is difficult to overstate how important a solid platen is. I do hope you're planning to include a platen liner, Will. It will reduce wear significantly over time.


----------



## darkzero (Jul 26, 2019)

mikey said:


> That Jet is a serious grinder! @Aukai has one, too, and he made a solid platen for his, too. It is difficult to overstate how important a solid platen is. I do hope you're planning to include a platen liner, Will. It will reduce wear significantly over time.



Yes, I'm using Pyroceram. I'm just using mild steel for the backing plate though & not ground tool steel like you did. Will be overkill for my needs. Nice job on yours!   

Of course I will post a thread on it.


----------



## GrayTech (Jul 26, 2019)

I prefer a bench grinder to a belt sander because it offers coarse and fine wheels which gets me closer to the required finish before honing. It's pretty easy to make a tool rest and it does not have to be attached to the grinder itself, it can be mounted to the bench or stand. I do sometimes use a belt sander 40 - 80 grit to hog off material to get closer to the desired angles, it's faster, especially with ceramic belts.


----------



## MalR (Jul 27, 2019)

fishingreg said:


> So I see my first issue, I have no tool rests on my grinder. Thats not an option so I think I am to the cross roads of getting something new to grind my tools but I think out of everything I have read, I would be able to control the belt sander the best at this point.



A bench grinder without a tool rest is useless for tool grinding and is probably a safety hazard. If you bought it new you could question the vendor. I use a bench grinder for lathe tools and drills a lot but you need a toolrest. I also have a cheap belt grinder which is very limited in its as-built design. So yeah, it’s decision time. Either spend on a decent belt grinder or mod your bench grinder with a decent toolrest. If you’ve only got a few tools to grind the most cost effective will be a rigid toolrest for your bench grinder - it can be mounted on the bench if the grinder doesn’t have mounting points.

Mal


----------



## fishingreg (Jul 27, 2019)

mikey said:


> I, and others, have looked for a belt sander that would meet the requirements for tool grinding and they are hard to find. Actually, any belt sander can grind a tool but adapting the tool rest to produce precise angles is the issue. I do know that the one I use can be easily adapted but that exact one is no longer made. A replacement with a slightly weaker motor IS available here; I own this one, too and I know it will work. If you go for this one, there are a few caveats.
> 
> First, you have to use ceramic belts. At 1/3hp, the motor is not strong enough to grind tools with if you use standard aluminum oxide belts; it will bog down. However, the ceramic belts cut so well that the grinder is fully capable of grinding HSS lathe tools and I have confirmed this myself. Amazon carries the Red Label brand and I can testify that they are superb belts that work well for our purposes. I use the 36 grit for shaping and 80 for removing coarse grind marks but you might want to try their assortment pack to see what works for you if you go this route.
> 
> ...



Thanks Mikey, I do appreciate your detailed help.  I had read your article on the platen and table upgrade prior and will likely get the one your recommended and work on the upgrades.  I don't have all the fab tools at this time to make a table much better than what it comes with but I will over time so I think if I start with the one you mentioned and do the platen upgrade I bet I can manage to get by with the current table since I am just sharpening right now and not making tools from blanks.  Then once I get some other tools to make parts for a table I can put something together to make it a bit more user friendly and stronger.  Thank you again!


----------



## mikey (Jul 27, 2019)

fishingreg said:


> Thanks Mikey, I do appreciate your detailed help.  I had read your article on the platen and table upgrade prior and will likely get the one your recommended and work on the upgrades.  I don't have all the fab tools at this time to make a table much better than what it comes with but I will over time so I think if I start with the one you mentioned and do the platen upgrade I bet I can manage to get by with the current table since I am just sharpening right now and not making tools from blanks.  Then once I get some other tools to make parts for a table I can put something together to make it a bit more user friendly and stronger.  Thank you again!



Another option is to build a 2x72 belt sander. Lots of guys have done it and some have done it for cheap. If this interests you, start a thread and see where it goes. I have so many things on my plate right now but when I get some free time, I am going to build one, too. They are vastly more capable of tool grinding than a 2x42 but you have to be able to fabricate. If that is an issue then the 2x42 is a viable option.


----------



## mickri (Jul 27, 2019)

I had to make one modification to my belt sander.  While the table will tilt there was no protractor scale to use to set the tilt and the table was held in place with a bolt and nut.  Had to have a wrench on each end to tighten it.  Needed a third hand to hold the combo square to set the tilt angle.  I tack welded the bolt in place.  Now one hand to tighten the nut and one hand to hold the square and table




This is how I use the combo square to set the tilt.




Not matter what belt sander you get, you will be able to make it work.


----------



## RWanke (Jul 28, 2019)

This is the one I recently bought through Amazon. *Palmgren 2" x 42" Belt, 6" Disc bench finishing machine.* So far I am quite happy with it. I bought some different belts (very fine grits but have not tried them yet). I have ground a couple bits, including the one I used to cut some internal and external threads and they worked great.


----------



## Flyinfool (Jul 29, 2019)

You said it twice. You do NOT have any tool rest at all. Regardless of if you are using a belt sander or a grinder, there is no way you will ever sharpen bits decently without a rest. I would whip up something to use as a rest on your current grinder before trying anything else. Even a bad rest is far better than no rest. It has to be real close to impossible to dress the wheel without a rest for the truing device (whether you use your stone or a dressing wheel) to sit on to hold it steady.


----------



## NortonDommi (Jul 30, 2019)

If I can trow 2 cents in, don't use your bench grinder for anything but tools.  If you want to dress rough cut metal put it in a vice and use an angle grinder.  You can dress a wheel just right and grinding tools it will only need a occasional touch-up, hog rough metal and that wheel is now useless for anything else without a lot of work.


----------



## bakrch (Jul 30, 2019)

This will probably sell for a million dollars, but Accu-Finish grinders are my favorite by far. Not great for roughing considering their low speed (diamond wheel), but perfect for touch-ups or finishing after being shaped on a bench grinder.

Been looking for one of these for ages, but always out of my price range.

That link will be dead one day, so here is a picture just in case one catches your eye at a garage sale or something.


----------



## WalterC (Aug 9, 2019)

I was so impressed with the 2x72 belt grinder I built, I designed and made two more and they sold fast to knife makers. They are outstanding for sharpening drill bits, cutting bits and anything you like sharpened.

 I just designed a 2x36 portable I can move around and does a great job. I don't have plans for it yet, but it can be built for under 350 bucks and will last a lifetime.






 You can build the larger one (2x72) for about 200 bucks more.


----------



## brino (Aug 10, 2019)

fishingreg said:


> It gets sharp and then with Mickey's advice I hit it with some diamond stones on top but when I part it leaves quite a nipple and I am sure that is due to my poor grinding abilities with my bounding grinding wheel and lack of any tool rest on my grinder.





mickri said:


> I am pretty sure that the nipple you are getting when parting is because the tool isn't on center.



@mickri is correct, check the height of the parting too, you want it exactly on centre.



RWanke said:


> This is the one I recently bought through Amazon. *Palmgren 2" x 42" Belt, 6" Disc bench finishing machine.*



Did you mean to include a link?

-brino


----------

