So I want a tool and cutter grinder…

[C-Bag]

Tool and cutter grinding is a deep subject.

it is a very deep subject. Luckily I found a good website somewhere that ran down the different angles for different metals. So for cutting mild steel I use 5deg on the cutting edge of the end mill and 1deg of relief. I believe that’s what they call where the end are dished in the middle. Terminology has always tripped me up.

The thing the SO type and Kuorn don’t have and maybe the other T&C(certainly the monoset does) is an air bearing for grinding the flutes of end mills and and reamers. I was told it was impossible without it. The attachment for doing flutes on my Checkel was so sloppy it was crazy but I managed to cut down the flutes of random dull 8mm end mill I had to make a 5/16” out of it for some project I was doing. I tried rebushing the Checkel attachment to slide and have decent clearance but as soon as I started grinding and the inevitable dust got on it, even with seals it was a mess. I then bumped into a real air bearing and added it to the arsenal. It’s insane how good that works! And never gets fouled by the grinder dust. And before you go thinking “why not just add a air fitting and inject some air between the bushing?” Ain’t gonna work. Air bearings are also a REALLY deep subject.

 

[Dabbler]

Grinding is only as deep as you want to make it. I'm aware of all the angles for materials, and I have a single lip cutter grinder and a full sized T&C grinder, but fot I use my bench grinders more. For all turnning with HSS I just grind 5-5-5 degrees and always works just fine for me.

 

[7milesup]

@Christianstark I, too, have been wanting a tool and cutter grinder for quite some time. I have seen the large T&C grinders on auctions around here, but I feel like I don't know enough about the tooling to determine if I am buying a boat anchor.

A couple of years ago, I purchased plans for the Acto Tool & Cutter Grinder. I have not had the time to build it yet, but it is high on my list of projects. One of our members built one and has a short thread on it here. His has an air bearing on it too.

 

[matthewsx]

What would you like to do with the Hot Shot?

As always it comes down to the projects you want to do. Sharpening or making cutters is fine but how many would you go through if you just replaced them?

Seems like a good side hustle for someone on here with the tooling and desire to make the world a sharper place.

I have a little machine I picked up a while ago, even made a fixture for doing end mills and drill bits but I haven’t run out of sharp tools yet.

John

 

[RWL]

I didn't look at the Shars, but owning three KO Lee tool and cutter grinders, I'm in the camp of buying a used KO Lee with the tooling you'd need for whatever you want to sharpen. I don't know what used KO Lee's sell for now though, so that might make it impractical if they've gone up much more than the Shars. Although Cincinnati is a well regarded name, their tool and cutter grinders take up an inordinate amount of space. The KO Lees are the right size for a home shop.

 

[C-Bag]

For all turnning with HSS I just grind 5-5-5 degrees and always works just fine for me.

That’s what I’ve come to also.

 

[Christianstark]

I'd like to be able to heat treat. I'd also like the capability to do precision grinding afterwards. The whole experience is a hobby to me, so Im not sure the old adage of "depends on what projects you have coming up" applies. I don't even need my lathe and milling machine. lol

Friends and family keep asking me why I have all the stuff I do, and I always tell them it's cheaper than the divorce that would certainly come, after spending my time and money on hookers and blow.

What would you like to do with the Hot Shot?

As always it comes down to the projects you want to do. Sharpening or making cutters is fine but how many would you go through if you just replaced them?

Seems like a good side hustle for someone on here with the tooling and desire to make the world a sharper place.

I have a little machine I picked up a while ago, even made a fixture for doing end mills and drill bits but I haven’t run out of sharp tools yet.

John

 

[pontiac428]

There is no substitute for a proper T&C, but the little Sheckel is limited only by two things, feed motions and swing. With a little creativity, its versatility can be expanded. One is with fixtures, the other is wheel geometry. While you will never sharpen a tap or reamer on a D-bit grinder, you can do more than what is apparent at first glance. I need a muffle furnace, but heating with a torch in a refractory chamber made from fire mortar and a paint can works pretty well with W-1 and O-1 steels.

 

[C-Bag]

There is no substitute for a proper T&C, but the little Sheckel is limited only by two things, feed motions and swing. With a little creativity, its versatility can be expanded. One is with fixtures, the other is wheel geometry. While you will never sharpen a tap or reamer on a D-bit grinder, you can do more than what is apparent at first glance. I need a muffle furnace, but heating with a torch in a refractory chamber made from fire mortar and a paint can works pretty well with W-1 and O-1 steels.

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View attachment 421465

Creativity is key for me. I always seem to be trying to do something that is outside my experience/knowledge and can’t find the proper tool or fixture to do it. So have to make it. Having a bunch of different dull or broken bits and my Checkel has gotten me out of so many corners it is worth it to me as I could learn and mod them with no cost.

If I had run upon a CutterMaster for around $1k I would have gone that route. Smaller, lighter , flexible and less footprint but at that time the used ones were around $2k+. Of course now I see them for like $1200 and a couple of times below $1k Once I got hip to what I was looking at almost all T&C I was seeing used were stripped and basically useless without their attachments.

All of this is hard to justify as you can buy a LOT of new end mills for that much. But then I’d be like so many with buckets full of dead cutters. And that just hurts my cheap soul.

 

[matthewsx]

I'd like to be able to heat treat. I'd also like the capability to do precision grinding afterwards. The whole experience is a hobby to me, so Im not sure the old adage of "depends on what projects you have coming up" applies. I don't even need my lathe and milling machine. lol

Friends and family keep asking me why I have all the stuff I do, and I always tell them it's cheaper than the divorce that would certainly come, after spending my time and money on hookers and blow.

I know some folks do tool grinding on their surface grinders, might be something to look into.

John