What to look for in a surface grinder

[magu]

Hello all, I am considering picking up a surface grinder in the near future, and am curious on how to assess one. I am thinking something like a 6x12-6x18. My issue is they aren't something I have any real experience with, and so I don't really have a good base for checking one out. What would you look for to assess condition and how would you check such things?


Thank you for any help

 

[C-Bag]

Read this:

New to Surface Grinders

I was just starting to look at surface grinders and was wondering what the consensus is on which is best when buying older, used machines. I have my eye on a couple Boyar Schultz 6x12's but I also see a couple Brown and Sharpes and Harig Super 612's etc... All are on local (or fairly local)...

www.hobby-machinist.com

 

[NCjeeper]

Beware alot of times the low priced ones mean they are worn out and will not grind to any accuracy. Look for one that is well kept and has low usage.

 

[Beckerkumm]

Surface grinders are precision so the wear on the ways and screws are important. The hard thing when I bought was finding a used machine that the seller would give me numbers on tolerences over a set range. I got a lot of " it grinds very well " but not much " it varies by .0002 over a 4x4" block " etc. I bought a used Kent 1020 and it is one of my few Taiwan machines because the seller was a retired small one man shop who showed me how to grind and how to hold tenths. Not as cool as a Gallmeyer and Livingston but functional and not abused.

Another choice is how automated the machine needs to be. Even on a small grinder, power X axis is nice to have. Y is good but not a deal breaker and Z is optional. A DRO for the Z that measures in tenths is also a very convenient option. 8" wheels and extra hubs, and a vacuum are worth including. Dave

 

[sdelivery]

Being around this equipment every day for decades I can tell you one thing for sure....
You cannot tell what your getting by the quick visual.
It's nice to look at a machine all cleaned up and think "that looks like it was well taken care of"
Truth is most of this stuff is old enough that the true history is unknown.
So grab the hand wheels....does it travel smoothly? How much backlash? Spin the spindle slowly keeping your fingers on it.does it feel smooth? Give the spindle a good spin, fingers off this time..does it sound smooth and quiet?
Does it continue to spin?
Ideal would be to inspect under power but you can get a good idea of basic condition.
As I tell everyone....doesn't matter if it's a house,car or machine Everything needs Something.

 

[Liljoebrshooter]

And the biggest difference is your budget. If you want to spend $1500 on one you can't expect perfection. I bought one for $400 a couple years ago and made a nice project. Now I want one that has flood coolant.
Joe

 

[C-Bag]

The thread I posted was a gold mine for my exploration into surface grinders. I was well armed with what I needed to know when I went to look at the used ones I looked at. The first one was a Chevalier 618 and was told it was barely used as far as he knew. But in talking further he told me they had the spindle rebuilt and once we got the table off and I could see and feel the wear in the ways I backed out. By the questions and info I had about it the guy was sure I was an old hand and was stunned when I told him I’d never even seen one in use. My background in mechanics definitely helped but the amount of info in that thread was the true star. After checking several out it broke me of jones’n for a SG as every one had a problem that even my TAS couldn’t overcome. YMMV.

 

[Braeden P]

On mine it looked bad an covered in junk and I checked the ways and saw some scraping and all of the original scraping was there and for $500 it was a steal, still needs cleaned up but the ways all move really easy, sometimes machines look like garbage but are still really acurate.

 

[mmcmdl]

My Micromaster is still awaiting its final move and start-up . One of these days .

 

[Apostle10]

Hello all, I am considering picking up a surface grinder in the near future, and am curious on how to assess one. I am thinking something like a 6x12-6x18. My issue is they aren't something I have any real experience with, and so I don't really have a good base for checking one out. What would you look for to assess condition and how would you check such things?


Thank you for any help

I purchased a nice but dirty Harig 612 (non-hyudraulic) machine. I dd a lot of work to get my machine the way I liked it and even installed a "Hospital Curtain" and vacuum system around it to protect specks from polluting my entire shop. I can take additional photos if you're interested but here's a photo of one of my grinds. I was pleased with the finish I obtained.

Best,
Mike
Charlottesville, VA
mike@w4xn.com