H/F Carbide Grinder Question

[DICKEYBIRD]

Looks like thoughtful wife & daughter have "authorized" Dad to get one of the standard issue $149.95 H/F carbide grinders for this milestone birthday (60...I can't believe it!) I have a really sturdy freebie equipment rack I want to cut down to make a stand for it and other abrasive tools. What height do you fellows favor for easy operation?

Anybody bought a diamond wheel from CDCO? Their price is down where I can afford one in a couple months but don't want to waste the money if they're crappy.

[ahidley]

yES i BOUGHT ONE. The wheels that come with it are too hard. The diamond wheels work NICE. 6a2c wheels fit . You'll need 8 (4 each side) new screws that are counter sunk. Search back a ways through the threads and somebody tells the size. They are metric.
Wheels from shars.com are 76.00 each part # -2212 150 grit . Buy two because you want to set the table at an angle on one side and a differant angle on the other side.

[RTPBurnsville]

I have my HF grinder sitting on one of those Workmate portable work tables and the height is about right for me. I'll guess and say it's about 30 inches high.

I bought one of those white AO wheels for mine so I can do HSS bits with one wheel. If I remember right KB tools was one of the few places I could find one. Cost about $25.00

[DICKEYBIRD]

Thanks guys. The CDCO D6A2C wheel (140 concentration/180 grit) is $59.00 + shipping. Is 180 grit too coarse for your average home shop grinding? They have 320 grit for $69.00.

[Bill Pace]

I've got the CDCO wheel red lined on my Christmas wish list hoping MY thoughtful bride will notice it....

I will go for the 180 coarse, as I had tried a fine grit in a CBN (cant remember the #) and it is almost useless it is so smooth.

I mounted my old original Delta model carbide grinder that the HF is cloned from --- I got it at a garage sale for $20 -- and a couple other bench type grinders at about 40-42inches. You can stand at the grinder for quite a while working a new bit to the configuration you want, and I found that stoop shouldered stance was too uncomfortable, so a year or so ago I beefed up a shelf for the grinders and made it taller for this reason ... I like it better

[DICKEYBIRD]

Thanks Bill...so you ended up with it at 40-42" or you started at that height and moved up from there?

[agrip]

Seriously consider your options before drygrind anything with cobalt in it.
Suggest a mixture controlled mist judiciously (sp?) applied to center of wheel and let the flow wet the grit.

regards Ag

[Too_Many_Tools]

I've got the CDCO wheel red lined on my Christmas wish list hoping MY thoughtful bride will notice it....

I will go for the 180 coarse, as I had tried a fine grit in a CBN (cant remember the #) and it is almost useless it is so smooth.

I mounted my old original Delta model carbide grinder that the HF is cloned from --- I got it at a garage sale for $20 -- and a couple other bench type grinders at about 40-42inches. You can stand at the grinder for quite a while working a new bit to the configuration you want, and I found that stoop shouldered stance was too uncomfortable, so a year or so ago I beefed up a shelf for the grinders and made it taller for this reason ... I like it better

I have several of these grinders....the Delta was originally a Walker Turner version...LOTS of cast iron in that one. If you get the chance to compare, it is revealing how cost cutting occurred over the Walker Turner->Rockwell->Delta years.

The H/F carbide grinder has gotten alot of good reviews...but the wheels that are included on it are considered throwaways.

I would include in your grinding setup a light and a magnifier....once you have them available you will understand how nice they are to have.

Has anyone built a recirculating setup for the coolant system on this grinder..if so I would like to hear about it.

TMT

[Bill Pace]

I guess that was a bit vague on the final hgt??--- I ckd to verify my guess, and it is 42"...while I was at it I took a quick pix.

TMT, I knew there were a couple more variations.... That $20 I gave was pretty iffy, that thing had really been beat on, my big concern was it had been left in the weather and was pretty badly rusted, but about 6-8hrs of elbow grease and 2 new bearings and it performs nicely, though the 2 tables are pretty pitted. I know that if it throws craps, I'll head right to HF and replace it ... that thing is TOO handy!

The HF version IS getting some pretty decent remarks, though as said, apparently the wheels & screw are to be pitched immediately

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b301/pace1980/IMG_0717.jpg

[Carld]

DickeyB, I like the grinders table at or just below elbow height. If you can make the stand adjustable it is best. If it is to low you'll find your self bent over it to do the grinding.

I have one of the HF tool grinders and I like mine just fine. As stated the wheels that come with it are to hard. I like stone wheels and use HHS and carbide so I have a green wheel on the left and a white wheel on the right.

[Pete H]

There's been quite a lot of talk over on the "Home Machinist" forum about grinding carbide. Some of the more authoritative members feel that "green wheels" don't do a good enough job, that diamond is the only way to go.

Someone pointed out that the "green wheels" use silicon carbide to grind the tungsten carbide cutters; and silicon carbide dust is not good for your lungs. Both statements are true.

It probably would be a good idea to look into a dust-collector or wet-grinding arrangement. Or at the very least, a good mask, not one of those paper "nuisance-dust" things.

(I can't help it... I was a Safety Officer for 30 years.)

Pete in NJ

[Carld]

I have been using the green wheels for over 17 years and I always avoid the dust. When I dress the wheel I use a mask or a shop towel for a mask or put a fan on me. I don't think you'll get much dust when sharpening a cutter.

Someday I will have to try a diamond wheel and see if I like it. The problem is I have two green wheels now and they will last a long time unless I get a lot of work to do.

[ahidley]

Thats a cheap price for the wheel. 180 grit is fine

[BobWarfield]

These grinders are great. I want to remind folks of an older thread that has some great info on them too:

http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/showthread.php?t=10497

Best,

BW

[John Stevenson]

Many many years ago in another galaxy [ sorry shed, got carried away :D ] I built a few of these as there wasn't anything affordable at the time.

[ Insert immensely crappy picture here ↓ ]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/stevenson.engineers/lsteve/files/face_grinder.jpg

This is the last one existing and it's a crappy pic as it crammed in on a storage shelf .

Simple enough to build, 1/4Hp single phase fan motor that for us on 50 hz does 2950 rpm. Big top hatted bush secured to the shaft with grub screw in side onto a flat and the wheel is retained by a plate and three screws, this allows it to go either way without throwing a wobbly.

Tilting table is 4 pieces of slotted Dexion racking filed up supporting an alloy plate with grooves in to support a protractor gauge.

The alloy plate is supported on the brackets by 4 rubber exhaust bobbins off BMC mini's as I had loads around and thought it might help with the vibration.

The box on top is just a tin box welded to the guard with an old push button switch in it off my very first mill drill.
Looks like this one still has a green grit wheel fitted but I now have dedicated grinders with diamond wheels hence why it's in storage.

I probably made about 6 or 7 of these in total for myself and friends, I know I had thee on a bench at one time with white, blue and green wheels.

.