Is this too much grinder?

[JimDawson]

It's sad to see New Tech go down. Back in the day I spent many of thousands of $$$ there having my tooling ground or custom tooling made up. Gary was the owner as I recall. About a year or so ago I went there and had some custom threading inserts made up. The place was a shadow of it former self.

Yup, I'm going to miss them.

 

[Cadillac]

if your serious about tool grinding I would scoop up all the accessories. The grinder itself it great but you want to get the spin fixtures, indexers, tailstock, finger rest, everything. the fixtures make you capable to grind what’s needed properly.

 

[C-Bag]

It is a lot of grinder but without the fixtures they don’t do anything.

 

[projectnut]

I think what you're seeing is typical of auctions today. The machine and the tooling necessary to run it are sold separately. While the machine itself may go for a reasonable price I'll bet each piece of tooling goes for premium dollars. The total cost to have a functional machine will probably once again be outrageous.

When bidding on the machine you're only bidding against someone else that wants to get into the grinding business. When bidding on the tooling you're bidding against anyone who has a similar machine and needs parts as well as the newcomers. I've seen proprietary tooling often go for more than the machine itself.

As for wanting it versus needing it I would say that's the question that needs to be answered. In all the years I've been doing this I've never had the need for a tool grinder. Most standard tooling can be sharpened on a surface grinder with a minimal investment in tooling. Those that can't be done in house can be sent to local grinding shops and sharpened for reasonable prices. To me the T&C cutter is in the same category as the planer mentioned in a previous thread. While it does have its place it will probably be one of the least used machines that unfortunately takes up an inordinate amount of floor space. The truth be known you could probably send out every tool you own for sharpening and have less than half the money invested, and still have the floor space.

 

[pontiac428]

I gave those listings a good hard look last weekend. I couldn't figure out where the fixturing ended up. They have a couple of odds and ends, obviously put into a pile and pieced out as incomplete metal chunks rather than left as actual, useful assemblies. Even if I got one of the grinders for $100, I'd still spend a lifetime scrounging and making parts. I figured I'd be better off buying from a hobbyist at top dollar with a chance of getting enough kit to make it useful to own.

 

[Jubil]

I am currently working on a grinder very similar to the one pictured, (see thread Another vfd question). I paid too much (ignorance) and got the machine, Weldon air bearing, Yuasa 5c index fixture, and some shop made fixtures for sharpening different items. It is a very versatile mahine if you have the fixtures and tooling to go with it.
Currently trying to install a vfd so that I can adjust speed for different size wheels etc.
It does take up a large amount of space and is heavy, 3500-4000 lbs.
I wouldn’t buy it again knowing what I know now. I would buy one of the bench top models and save money and space.
Chuck

 

[C-Bag]

Being a tightwad I always research stuff extensively and was lucky to find some great threads here on H-M that mostly saved me from that $$ pit. I saw so many basic Cincinnati and Gorton’s stripped bare for cheap I would have regretted so bad once committed. Being an accumulator and not a catch and release type I would have been in deep yogurt with no way out. Talk about dodging a bullet. I’m grateful to all who pointed out the pitfalls.

 

[Charles scozzari]

This is a must, don't let it get away.

 

[pacifica]

There is an action in Portland Oregon with several of these tool grinders in it.
View attachment 401535

They will most likely go for a hefty sum but if one goes for a decent price is this too much of a tool grinder for a home shop? I have never done any tool grinding.

If you have the room?

 

[MikeInOr]

The selling prices were hidden a few minutes after the item was sold. Most of the sale prices I saw were way over what I would pay.