My CM-2 Monaset Tool and Cutter Grinder..

[OldCarGuy]

I can see you are in a different league than myself.

I have the same deckle at my winter shop. I grind relief by hand for single lip cutters on that unit. You must have a better way.

I use both machines only for custom custom shapes and HATE grinding carbide => too hard and too slow. Try to do almost everything with HSS and cobalt.

Patience my friend,, Slow and steady wins the race. Sharp diamond wheels is your friend.

 

[OldCarGuy]

If I could have found a decent T&C grinder for around $1,000 I would have gladly gone that route. But I needed one bad and decided to go with a Checkel(Chinese Deckel clone) with an R8 head and it has served me well enough. The only thing it was not able to do was grind flutes. Most of my end mills are HSS with a few solid carbide and it does a good job on them. Lathe bits I do on Chidor carbide grinder. I’m certainly no expert but I’ve been able to regrind the 15 or so HSS end mills I inherited with my mill drill that were all dull and put them back to work.

There are some bad reviews about the quality of some Chinese made T&C grinders. But I'm sure they're some good ones too...

 

[C-Bag]

There are some bad reviews about the quality of some Chinese made T&C grinders. But I'm sure they're some good ones too...

I don’t doubt it at all. My worst problem was getting things settled with the outfit I bought it from on eBay. Lots of back and forth and having dealt with the idea I knew I was not expecting perfection for this price I persevered. I ultimately got it all worked out and my goal of being able sharpen my own tools was realized. I do grade on a sliding scale because I had done my homework and knew what a real T&C grinder setup costs and to come in at less than $800 I felt like it was a relative win. Perfect no, functional yes. So far I’ve not run into a deal on a T&C grinder that made me regret my investment, knock on wood.

 

[OldCarGuy]

I don’t doubt it at all. My worst problem was getting things settled with the outfit I bought it from on eBay. Lots of back and forth and having dealt with the idea I knew I was not expecting perfection for this price I persevered. I ultimately got it all worked out and my goal of being able sharpen my own tools was realized. I do grade on a sliding scale because I had done my homework and knew what a real T&C grinder setup costs and to come in at less than $800 I felt like it was a relative win. Perfect no, functional yes. So far I’ve not run into a deal on a T&C grinder that made me regret my investment, knock on wood.

A true craftsman makes a gem from junk

 

[C-Bag]

A true craftsman makes a gem from junk

I know it’s counterintuitive but I never worked as a machinist so I never used a rig like yours. I can use stuff that you experienced guys wouldn’t touch with a 10’ pole. I was focused on being able to sharpen the end of the mill. So one of the things I had a problem with the Checkel was it was supposed to come with R8 and what arrived was the typical metric collets that was going to be useless to me as all my stuff is imperial. When we finally got that worked out I didn’t have much to work out.

I took to heart on one of the many threads I followed here that the old hands said the most important thing was consistency. Even though it’s only a clone I’ve figured out how to do that. My shop is very stark contrast to yours. I’ve got only a few American made machines. Most are used Chinese and many HF lo buck machines that have been gone through to work as expected. I have more time than $$ and getting the lathe first then the mill really upped my ability repair and mod. And being in a place where I can’t just go down and buy an endmill if I chip or break one the Checkel has made a difference.

 

[OldCarGuy]

I know it’s counterintuitive but I never worked as a machinist so I never used a rig like yours. I can use stuff that you experienced guys wouldn’t touch with a 10’ pole. I was focused on being able to sharpen the end of the mill. So one of the things I had a problem with the Checkel was it was supposed to come with R8 and what arrived was the typical metric collets that was going to be useless to me as all my stuff is imperial. When we finally got that worked out I didn’t have much to work out.

I took to heart on one of the many threads I followed here that the old hands said the most important thing was consistency. Even though it’s only a clone I’ve figured out how to do that. My shop is very stark contrast to yours. I’ve got only a few American made machines. Most are used Chinese and many HF lo buck machines that have been gone through to work as expected. I have more time than $$ and getting the lathe first then the mill really upped my ability repair and mod. And being in a place where I can’t just go down and buy an endmill if I chip or break one the Checkel has made a difference.

The best machinists has years of experience and often times working under seasoned machinists. Always thinking outside the box, and learning what works and what doesn't. The newest and greatest machine does not guarantee the human behind the controls can machine the perfect end product. Rather a great machinist will receive great results on an old clunker. He knows the machines quirks and capabilities then works around them. Indeed a precise machine makes the job easier, and I'm feel fortunate to have a shop full..

I've worked around hundreds of machinists over for nearly seven decades. And was taught by Father, one of the best. When I was in my 20's I was trying to bore a 4” diameter hole in a piece of hardened 4140 ten inches deep. Using a tired old South Bend Lathe in my garage. My father stopped by and did his magic. He fastened a 2”bar directly to the carriage with a round 3/8” HSS blank tool bitfor a boring bar. Ran the lathe in reverse and cut on the back side of the bore with the tool bit upside down. He placed a rope from the boring bar to a pulley on the ceiling joist with a heavy weight on the other end to eliminate thechatter... Within a few hours the operation was complete..

In contrast the shop I was in charge of a machine shop that just purchased a brand new 15” Cholchester Lathe. A so called top rated machinist spent a week trying to make six a simple parts. Always missing the mark and scrapping the part. He blamed the new machine and suggested we return the lathe. He didn't last the month before he got his walking paper's..

 

[C-Bag]

The best machinists has years of experience and often times working under seasoned machinists. Always thinking outside the box, and earning what works and what doesn't. The newest and greatest machine does not guarantee the human behind the controls can machine the perfect end product. Rather a great machinist will receive great results on an old clunker. He knows the machines quirks and capabilities then works around them. Indeed a precise machine makes the job easier, and I'm feel fortunate to have a shop full..

I've worked around hundreds of machinists over for nearly seven decades. And was taught by Father, one of the best. When I was in my 20's I was trying to bore a 4” diameter hole in a piece of hardened 4140 ten inches deep. Using a tired old South Bend Lathe in my garage. My father stopped by and did his magic. He fastened a 2”bar directly to the carriage with a round 3/8” HSS blank tool bitfor a boring bar. Ran the lathe in reverse and cut on the back side of the bore with the tool bit upside down. He placed a rope from the boring bar to a pulley on the ceiling joist with a heavy weight on the other end to eliminate thechatter... Within a few hours the operation was complete..

In contrast the shop I was in charge of a machine shop that just purchased a brand new 15” Cholchester Lathe. A so called top rated machinist spent a week trying to make six a simple parts. Always missing the mark and scrapping the part. He blamed the new machine and suggested we return the lathe. He didn't last the month before he got his walking paper's..

Cool story’s, thanks for sharing. My dad was a potato chip salesman and not mechanical where my grandfather was a blacksmith turned IH field mech. Mostly crawlers. I spent a lot of time with him when young on his farm so I soaked up more attitude than actual how to. He didn’t work on stuff at the farm the mech stuff was his day job and he didn’t bring his work home. Being a Dust Bowl Okie with a second grade education he oozed get ‘er done whatever and however. Soft spoken and humble but the epitome of a human Pitbull. Once he latched on he never gave up. Just the fact he was to go to guy for rebuilding IH crawlers “in stiu” where they broke stuck in the horrendous clay mud that is the west side of the San Joaquin Valley says it all.

Above all he never griped about the job he was always grateful for work. He hated lazy people who treated people who worked hard with their hands as less. So when I got a job fresh out of high school as a trainee for a guy who needed someone to rebuild VW engines in an all VW wrecking yard it was a good fit. The owner was an old Texas wildcat oil field machinist with a second grade education and we were a good fit. He taught me the proper way to rebuild and measure. Especially how to rebuild the heads which at that time was treated as proprietary info. Another get er done guy.