My buddy had been making noises about maybe selling his small surface grinder and getting one of the tool and cutter grinders that is capable of also doing some light surface grinding,-- since he wanted more of the one and less of the other.... So, when the recent threads by Your Old Dog and Spin Doctor about surface grinders came up, I followed it with interest. As typical of us "tool-aholics". I 'kinda' wanted one (didnt NEED one... and besides, down here in the wastelands there were never any available anyhow)... but, with the possibility of one becoming available .... I wanted all the info I could get, and as usual there was some good stuff in the threads.
Well, my buddy found a T&C grinder (Covel) and definitely put the surface grinder on the market, and at a very attractive price, and I got it a week or so ago. The grinder was attractive for more than the price.... at one time in its past, it had belonged to Lane, and he had gone through it quite extensively, and with the present owner having used it very little, I felt a LOT more comfortable buying it than something off ebay. Its an "Eagle" brand, made in England, is manual with a right drive table...
"manual with a right drive table" ----- HAH!, these were discussed quite a bit in the threads, and boy, did I get checked out on that part of a surface grinder!! ........I had to have a magnetic chuck for it, and pretty quickly found a rather nice fine pole 6x12 (unknown brand) for $116 on ebay. It had been in a coolant system and was DIRTY!, --- cleaned up nicely, but decided it could stand a "skimming" to finish the clean up, and, I could check out my new grinder......About 6-8 hours later, 3 heart attacks, pulling hair, a nervous breakdown, and a multitude of %&^#** , ---it finally turned out pretty nicely. Magnet chucks do not grind worth a hoot! In the first couple hours, I thought it was ruined with the dig-ins and burn marks,-- what with my inexperience with the operation, and the characteristics of this tool. After about 6-8 passes (at 15-30mins each), I had slowed down to taking 20-40 thou feeds and only advancing after the up and down sweep and the burning & diggin-in stopped and the surface began to clean up...WHEW!! I was dressing the (new) wheel after about every 3-4th pass. Have still got a couple marks that didnt come out, but I can live with them ... Id had enough of going back and forth over that thing!
Was telling Lane about it and he seemed to think that my description sounded about normal for this .... in other words... a pain in the butt!!
So I can speak with some authority that the manual table isnt all that bad --- that next time I need a little 1x6" piece of steel cleaned up I think it will go rather quickly!! As for the right hand table wheel...well, I cant say yea or nay about it...
Well, my buddy found a T&C grinder (Covel) and definitely put the surface grinder on the market, and at a very attractive price, and I got it a week or so ago. The grinder was attractive for more than the price.... at one time in its past, it had belonged to Lane, and he had gone through it quite extensively, and with the present owner having used it very little, I felt a LOT more comfortable buying it than something off ebay. Its an "Eagle" brand, made in England, is manual with a right drive table...
"manual with a right drive table" ----- HAH!, these were discussed quite a bit in the threads, and boy, did I get checked out on that part of a surface grinder!! ........I had to have a magnetic chuck for it, and pretty quickly found a rather nice fine pole 6x12 (unknown brand) for $116 on ebay. It had been in a coolant system and was DIRTY!, --- cleaned up nicely, but decided it could stand a "skimming" to finish the clean up, and, I could check out my new grinder......About 6-8 hours later, 3 heart attacks, pulling hair, a nervous breakdown, and a multitude of %&^#** , ---it finally turned out pretty nicely. Magnet chucks do not grind worth a hoot! In the first couple hours, I thought it was ruined with the dig-ins and burn marks,-- what with my inexperience with the operation, and the characteristics of this tool. After about 6-8 passes (at 15-30mins each), I had slowed down to taking 20-40 thou feeds and only advancing after the up and down sweep and the burning & diggin-in stopped and the surface began to clean up...WHEW!! I was dressing the (new) wheel after about every 3-4th pass. Have still got a couple marks that didnt come out, but I can live with them ... Id had enough of going back and forth over that thing!
Was telling Lane about it and he seemed to think that my description sounded about normal for this .... in other words... a pain in the butt!!
So I can speak with some authority that the manual table isnt all that bad --- that next time I need a little 1x6" piece of steel cleaned up I think it will go rather quickly!! As for the right hand table wheel...well, I cant say yea or nay about it...
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