# New supports for a HF Bench Grinder



## Pontiac Freak (Oct 1, 2012)

I was trying to sharpen a bit the other day and couldnt hold the bit steady on the rest due to vibration and movement so upon investigation I found the backing plate was cracked at every hole.  I decided to rebuild them.  Here are some shots of the progress so far.


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## Pontiac Freak (Oct 1, 2012)

The plate might seem overkill but it was all I had :whistle:


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## Pontiac Freak (Oct 1, 2012)

Had to make new rests for the new pieces as well, still working on them.


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## davidh (Oct 1, 2012)

my horror fright grinder is also a trembling monster.  shakes so bad the wheel nuts loosten by themselves, plus it has very little power, in startup, it seems to take forever for it to wind up to speed.  i suppose my liftime warranty will allow me a new one ?????


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## 7HC (Oct 1, 2012)

davidh said:


> my horror fright grinder is also a trembling monster.  shakes so bad the wheel nuts loosten by themselves, plus it has very little power, in startup, it seems to take forever for it to wind up to speed.  i suppose my liftime warranty will allow me a new one ?????



Unless the shaft is bent or a bearing has failed the problem is most likely with the wheels if the shaking is that bad.

With good quality wheels that are kept dressed, even a HarborFreight grinder should perform well.



M


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## Pontiac Freak (Oct 1, 2012)

I had problems with a wire wheel on one side as well.  Took several times but finally got it to run straight and smooth.


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## 8ntsane (Oct 1, 2012)

I allso have a simular grinder. Any inprovement on the supports is a good thing. I also had vibrations in my grinder. I found the main trouble was those plastic bushings that centre up the wheel. I machined up new ones and the inner washers, and runs nice and smooth now. The vibes are usually related to those items, or the wheels. If the grinder runs smooth with the wheels removed, then start looking at the bushings that centre the wheels, and the inner washer that holds the wheel straight. My side washers had a bad wobble.


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## Terrywerm (Oct 21, 2012)

I've got a HF Chicago Electric bench grinder, uses 8" wheels and runs at 3400 RPM or so. I bought it used on a KBid auction in my area for $10. It works just fine, runs nice and smooth, but does vibrate slightly at about half speed as it spins up or winds down. The vibration isn't bad, but it is at just the right frequency that it will toast the filament in the light bulb if the light is on while the grinder is winding up or spinning down. I think that I could make it run smoother though, especially with new machined side washers and bushings instead of the the cast zamac side washers that came with it. Looks like I've got another project on the list!


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## Hawkeye (Oct 21, 2012)

When I got my new 8" grinder, it would walk across the floor and boil the water out of the bucket. I trued up the flange washers (they were stamped) and balanced the one wheel that was heavy-sided. Smooth as silk since then.

My balancer was a large automotive washer with a hole slightly larger than the shaft. By sliding the washer away from the heavy side of the wheel and tightening down the nut, it was pretty easy to balance.


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## 7HC (Oct 21, 2012)

terrywerm said:


> I've got a HF Chicago Electric bench grinder, uses 8" wheels and runs at 3400 RPM or so. I bought it used on a KBid auction in my area for $10. It works just fine, runs nice and smooth, but does vibrate slightly at about half speed as it spins up or winds down. The vibration isn't bad, but it is at just the right frequency that it will toast the filament in the light bulb if the light is on while the grinder is winding up or spinning down. I think that I could make it run smoother though, especially with new machined side washers and bushings instead of the the cast zamac side washers that came with it. Looks like I've got another project on the list!



Have you tried using one of the new spiral wound fluorescent bulbs.  It won't cure the vibration but it might allow you to see what you're grinding for longer.  )



M


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## Jeffers (Oct 26, 2012)

I would like to get a HF tool grinder but can't decide if they are more trouble than help


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## 7HC (Oct 26, 2012)

Jeffers said:


> I would like to get a HF tool grinder but can't decide if they are more trouble than help



Why do you think that, and which model do you have in mind?



M


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## wolframore (Nov 1, 2012)

Nice build! I need to do that... I need the 3/4 cover on mine... can you weld up tabs so that old cover bolts back in?  I wouldn't want all the dust shooting out the back.


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## Pontiac Freak (Nov 1, 2012)

Thanks.  The cover used to bolt to the grinder around the spindles but could be turned around mounted to the new support without too many mods.  It would help keep the dust from going out the back.


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## jpfabricator (Nov 1, 2012)

Hey guys, sorry I havent posted in awhile, I have been super buzy. I was thinking of upgrading my bench grinder to a stand alone rest that is conected to the bench. I also have read several articles about balencing grinding wheels, or any other wheel that has high speed capacity. It used two rails that are perfectly parallel and level with a hardend and ground axel. when placed on the rails the heavy side would turn to the lowest point, either meaning you could remove material on the heavy side, ad weight to the light side, or do a combination of the two. I saw the article in "The Homeshop Machinist". I will have to get back to yall with the date. The auther also poured the arbor hole full of molten lead, and reamed a hole the exact diamater of the grinders shaft on the lathe. The weight of the lead acted as a harmonic dampener, and ensured the hole was not out of center. This setup also removed the inacuracy of the plastic bushings that we have become reliant on.


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## wolframore (Nov 2, 2012)

I just did my grinder.  I put a new wheel and it was rattling the workbench.  This weekend I checked the bearing and the spindle and found them to be in good shape.  I lapped the arbor, cleaned the paper and glue off the wheel - this helped to take the side to side wobble it had.  Then using a diamond tip dresser I evened out the circumference... it's spinning like a champ now.


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