Grinders for HSS

[ChazzC]

Quinn has a good video for beginners on grinding HSS bits:

In another video (this one is very entertaining) she also shows using an angle grinder to rough out a bit that required removing a lot of material (not unlike roughing out a feature using the bandsaw before taking it to the mill).

Quinn is also finishing up a series on building the Eccentric Engineering Acute Tool Sharpening System:

 

[Pevehouse]

Wow, I really appreciate all the feedback on this topic. Getting some really great ideas and a ton of knowledge. I am new to grinding HSS so I was kind of overwhelmed with all the different wheels and grits and grinder options. I did pull the trigger on a grinder For carbide and got the grizzly HD tool grinder back a few months ago but have not set it up to use it yet. I may swap out one of the green wheels on it for HSS. I also have a Rockwell 6 x 48 belt grinder I’m in the process of restoring. It will be great when it’s done

 

[Chips O'Toole]

I have several options. The disk on my MultiTool with a ceramic disk for roughing. Then a Chinese copy of a Baldor carbide grinder for finishing. It has a green wheel and a fine CBN wheel for honing.

CBN is a must. It's fantastic.

1. Wheels keep their shape. No dressing.
2. Lasts nearly forever.
3. Wheels can't blow up, so you can grind anything on them, even aluminum, and you can grind on the sides.
4. They suck heat out of whatever you grind, so things don't overheat quickly.
5. No guards needed.
6. They cut fast.

I have two CBN wheels from Wood Turners Wonders, and they are a joy to use. I put them on a 3/4 HP Chinese Dayton. I think it goes 1800. Forgot.

That being said, nobody has enough grinders. Angle, belt, whatever. A shop without a 2x72 is inadequate.

 

[Jake M]

I am tempted by this one.

Grizzly 2x42 belt sander

Cool. Very tempting... Still out of where I want to be, but very tempting.....

I like to think they all get equal use and that I'm not just collecting ....

I resemble that remark...

 

[WobblyHand]

I've been using an 8" grinder, and plan to make a belt grinder (someday...)

Belt grinders seem to be preferred, but the cost has been considerably higher than wheel grinders. I did notice this has turned up at Grizzly, looks like it might be a decent option, and far more affordable than most others I looked at which were pushing $500 and still needed some modification.

I was committed to the idea of making a 2x grinder, and that is still my plan but I am tempted by this one.

Grizzly 2x42 belt sander

You want a grinder with a rest that wraps around the belt on both sides. Sometimes you need to do that, or at least I do, for some of the reliefs.

I hacked a Dayton belt sander 2x42. In retrospect, simply should have built my own 2x72. My set up mostly works, but it has limitations, the primary one being the stability of the tool rest angle. It creeps. But it's great for bulk removal of material, especially with 35 grit ceramic belts.

Also picked up a carbide grinder and have a white wheel on one side and a CBN wheel on the other. I believe that the CBN wheel was from Shars. Once mounted it's ok, but man, that wheel had ugly machining. It was made to the lowest possible price point. I may not be the best machinist, but I at least have some pride in my work. I wouldn't have let that piece leave the factory. But it's flat where it needs to be and it was mountable. Surprisingly, it's not out of balance.

 

[ChazzC]

You want a grinder with a rest that wraps around the belt on both sides. Sometimes you need to do that, or at least I do, for some of the reliefs.

The Grizzly that @Aaron_W linked looks reasonably sturdy and it should be easy to fab a replacement table that would wrap around this configuration (once you take the front guards off):


@Aaron_W – have you done any research on reviews of that grinder/sander? Thanks!

 

[Pevehouse]

CBN is a must. It's fantastic.

1. Wheels keep their shape. No dressing.
2. Lasts nearly forever.
3. Wheels can't blow up, so you can grind anything on them, even aluminum, and you can grind on the sides.
4. They suck heat out of whatever you grind, so things don't overheat quickly.
5. No guards needed.
6. They cut fast.

I have two CBN wheels from Wood Turners Wonders, and they are a joy to use. I put them on a 3/4 HP Chinese Dayton. I think it goes 1800. Forgot.

That being said, nobody has enough grinders. Angle, belt, whatever. A shop without a 2x72 is inadequate.

So if I have a 6 x 48 belt grinder, would you still recommend getting a 2 x 72? Or would the 6 x 48 do it all? Thanks

 

[GeneT45]

So if I have a 6 x 48 belt grinder, would you still recommend getting a 2 x 72? Or would the 6 x 48 do it all? Thanks

I'd say you're good. The table and the belts available to you are the most important things. 2x72 is a common configuration, but there's no magic in those numbers. If anything a wider belt is frequently advantageous where a medium belt usually is of no advantage.

I have a 2.5" x 60" and a 2" x 72". The 2" x 72" (Burr-King) hasn't been powered up in years because it's a 220V machine and I haven't gotten around to running power to it since I move here. Why not? Because the 2.5" X 60" really does everything I need. The best reason to have multiple belt grinders is to be able to keep different belts and/or different fixturing set up on your various machines. (Yes, I'll still power it eventually, but circumstances make it a big job so I've been dragging my feet.)

GsT

 

[Aaron_W]

The Grizzly that @Aaron_W linked looks reasonably sturdy and it should be easy to fab a replacement table that would wrap around this configuration (once you take the front guards off):

View attachment 497534
@Aaron_W – have you done any research on reviews of that grinder/sander? Thanks!

No, I just recently saw they had this. If this had been available a couple years go when I bought my 8" grinder I probably would have gone this route, as it about the same price as what I paid.
At this point I'm going to make my own belt grinder.

 

[Jake M]

I've looked at that for a bit. Not the reviews, as honestly this site is in the majority of web sites in this department, so I can't boycott 'em as there'd be zero options for too many things.... But I don't read their reviews. They most typically don't match my experiences. NOT SAYING that Grizzly isn't a valid source for entry level (or better sometimes) stuff, just that I won't even poison my brain by looking at their reviews, or the plethora of youtube reviews that's out there for most of their stuff...

So, studying that, I see a couple of things. First, I don't see a way to set up a "nose wheel" to grind on. I'm honestly not sure just how big of a deal that is, but I see several other belt grinders that offer it. The second thing I see (and fair enough....), it's gonna need a platten on the table for grinding most HSS bits. Not a big deal. The third thing I see, is it has the "NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE" disclaimer in the description. I'm not sure what the life span is going to be. In hobby use, which isn't commercial... It might go forever. Maybe they mean it's got a duty cycle, which won't bother 99 percent of us. Or maybe it's got (crap) castings and (crap) bearings throughout, and the speed controller has electronics designed for a 50 running hour service life.... I dunno, but that disclaier on a Grizzly tool bothers me. Not that it won't work, but that disclaimer says to me "Harbor Freight is gonna have a red version that's no worse in it's "building" price point, but half price in it's sales price point in another year or less....

With pessimism out of the way, I'm entertained by that. It's got a good footprint, but I'd have to get rid of two grinders (Well, one. The other is useless). I am NOT making room for another one. It would have to replace one regularly used one though. Could be any, but which one?..... At that price point, it's honestly something I gamble on. From what I can squeeze out of what little (very little) information I can find on it, including the web site, I suspect that it's "knife grinder" status, vs "belt grinder" status probably puts it into the "very light duty" category. I have not seen one "tortured" on youtube yet, to see what it'll do or how much it flexes, bends, etc. It might be out there, but I haven't found it.