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Tool post die grinder
- Thread starter Tim9
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2014
- Messages
- 7,594
Grinding dust will eat a lathe or a mill. Make quite sure you have everything very well protected from the grit, and clean everything up spotlessly clean after grinding. Do not use woven cloth, the grit will go right through them. Lately I have been using old newspapers, wetted with a spray bottle, to cover the ways, cross slide, and compound rest. Work at keeping grit out of the air while grinding near machines, too. Many lathe operators will not allow a grinder near a lathe. I do not go quite that far, but do not do it often, and take proper precautions when I do. The really smart thing to do is to have a "grit room" where all grinding takes place, completely closed off from the rest of the shop. Sadly, most of us are unable to arrange for that. Regardless, do the best that you can. Even things like floor to ceiling plastic curtains around a grinding area can help a lot.
Yea.... thanks for the warnings. And I do take precautions. It’s not just a grinder though. It’s also a variable speed drill on the tool post. Because it has a regular Jacobs styled chuck, one can chuck up 1/16” to 1/4” drill bits to center or patern drill using the cross slide. Also angle drill anything which you can chuck up in 3 or 4 jaw chuck.
I will probably be using it more for drilling than grinding. That said, if and when I grind I’ll take full precautions. Wet newspapers sounds like a good option. Mostly I have been using old cut up tee shirts which I secure over the bed with four small magnets and then use another piece of old t-shirt over the compound/ saddle. I then vacuum bed and saddle and then wipe lathe with a damp red rag dampened with kerosene or mineral spirits.
Plus, my lathe is already beat to hell. The saddle, carriage assy is really worn and needs to be scraped and the bed is beat to hell. Scored too. But it surprisingly holds pretty true.
Anyway I’m still tooling up. And this is just one more tool in the box. Like many tools, may only use it once a year. But having that tool is a lifesaver that day of the year even though I may not use it for the next 12 months.
Stay tuned. I just purchased a new old lathe.
The above mentioned South Bend 9” lathe is 3-1/2’ model C built in 1939 and I just purchased a War Production 4-1/2’ Model A 9” lathe. Drove to Houston and back in one day to get it. Just checking it out now.... cleaning and inspecting.
It’s got wear, but no where near as worn as the current used Model C ( which I did convert to a Model B )
But, it has been abused and neglected and damaged while moving.
Going to soon start a rebuild thread in the South Bend Lathe section. First step will be the gearbox. It was packed with grease a frozen and damaged when it got dropped.
stay tuned.
I will probably be using it more for drilling than grinding. That said, if and when I grind I’ll take full precautions. Wet newspapers sounds like a good option. Mostly I have been using old cut up tee shirts which I secure over the bed with four small magnets and then use another piece of old t-shirt over the compound/ saddle. I then vacuum bed and saddle and then wipe lathe with a damp red rag dampened with kerosene or mineral spirits.
Plus, my lathe is already beat to hell. The saddle, carriage assy is really worn and needs to be scraped and the bed is beat to hell. Scored too. But it surprisingly holds pretty true.
Anyway I’m still tooling up. And this is just one more tool in the box. Like many tools, may only use it once a year. But having that tool is a lifesaver that day of the year even though I may not use it for the next 12 months.
Stay tuned. I just purchased a new old lathe.
The above mentioned South Bend 9” lathe is 3-1/2’ model C built in 1939 and I just purchased a War Production 4-1/2’ Model A 9” lathe. Drove to Houston and back in one day to get it. Just checking it out now.... cleaning and inspecting.
It’s got wear, but no where near as worn as the current used Model C ( which I did convert to a Model B )
But, it has been abused and neglected and damaged while moving.
Going to soon start a rebuild thread in the South Bend Lathe section. First step will be the gearbox. It was packed with grease a frozen and damaged when it got dropped.
stay tuned.
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