- Joined
- Nov 23, 2014
- Messages
- 2,638
To the OP questions, it's hard to say if you'd damage the machine. You'd think the original design would have been for a "bullet-proof" hardened spindle and the weak point in the more easily/cheaper bearings. Probably best to change the bearings out so you don't have to fiddle with work-arounds to get a good finish.
Not an apples to apples data point for you, but below is a posting from me doing a repair on a bench grinder my dad made in high school in 1954. Short version is the shop project (every student in the class made one of these grinders) was to expose the students to the horizontal mill, lathe and drill press. The grinder had brass bearings, not bronze. You'll see in the photos below that there was "a little" wear in the bushings/bearings. The spindle was just cold-rolled steel, not 4140 or drill rod, and it was fine.
Bruce
Just a little wear in the spindle bearing/bushing! Even I could see why the grinder spindle danced while grinding!
Not an apples to apples data point for you, but below is a posting from me doing a repair on a bench grinder my dad made in high school in 1954. Short version is the shop project (every student in the class made one of these grinders) was to expose the students to the horizontal mill, lathe and drill press. The grinder had brass bearings, not bronze. You'll see in the photos below that there was "a little" wear in the bushings/bearings. The spindle was just cold-rolled steel, not 4140 or drill rod, and it was fine.
Bruce
Just a little wear in the spindle bearing/bushing! Even I could see why the grinder spindle danced while grinding!
2020 POTD Thread Archive
POTD was repairing a bench grinder. My dad made this grinder in shop class back in high school in 1953/54. He’d left it with his dad after high school, and it made its way into my shop back in 1998 after my grandfather passed away. I already had 2 or 3 grinders but wanted it because my dad had...
www.hobby-machinist.com