Thread: Bench Grinder for Christmas! But...

merry christmas richard
that is a wonderful wife you have there, my darling got me some joop aftershave
i have an 8 inch bench grinder that i sharpen shovels on as i am not game enough to sharpen a chisel blade without stuffing it up
i will set up a jig eventully and have a go at chisel and plane blades but would like some one to show me first
best wishes
greg

Lucky B!

Most of us have to make do with an 8" at best. A 10", if the shafts are not too big, can take 8" wheels, so you can use the new Norton BluMax wheels as well as the white (or pink or whatever) AluminiumOxide wheels for HSS.

And you'll never have to worry about it 'bogging doen' under load either

If you are determined to send it back, my personal preference would be for an 8" grinder (or 2) - I have 2 x 8" bench grinders - one set up with a whire wheel & a linisher/disk sander, the other one is not yet set up but will have AlOx wheels & be a dedicated tool sharpener with all the jigs. (I can put a blunt edge on almost anything sharpening freehand ). The 8" is a bit more powerful than the 6", and you get much beter wear from the wheels which makes it cheaper over time.

Maybe you could do a search on Apricotripper's sharpening threads. He's got a grinder based system that seems to work well.
A 1.5 HP, 10" grinder - you must have been a good boy

Thanks for the replies guys, yes, I don't know how lucky I am - she got me a drill press a couple of years ago, and a Triton Mk 3 many years ago. I wouldn't be woodworking if she hadn't got all that stuff.

I guess that is the question, is a plane iron likely to require 1.5 HP! A shovel , well maybe. I have only occasionally needed to grind a tool - I try to keep them sharp by regularly honing, but on the odd occasion, I would probably completely take out the temper on this beast so I was wondering whether a water cooled grinder would be better. The Scheppach is a 'bit' more expensive...well quite a lot really, but already had a nice wheel. Buying a good wheel (the Norton as you suggest) for a Ryobi would cost a bit I suspect. Is there a cheaper alternative to a Scheppach?

I noticed last night Derek C had posted a link on grinding I was going to follow up, but that seems to have disappered.

Not sure about being a good boy...maybe she wants to keep me out of the way in the shed.

Sounds like way overkill to me. For plane blades and chisels, I've got one of these (6", picked up for about $80):

with a white wheel and the Veritas tool rest, it works like a charm.

See http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/rev...yobiHBG620.htm

The white wheels cut much quicker and don't heat up the metal as much. Hollow grinding your bevels makes hand honing on a stone, sandpaper, etc., much quicker.

Bunnies have a stand for it too for about $65.00, if bench space is a problem.

Better off with an 8 or 10 inch grinder as the hollow grind is more flat compared to a 6. I have been extremely happy with the 8 since I have jigged it all up to actually be useful.

Only problem now since I have done this and grinding the primary bevel is quick and easy I ahvent stopped buying planes :eek:

Thanks folks again. Sounds like an 8 inch is a good size although I'd still be keen to know if anyone uses wet grinding to eliminate the problem of overheating the cutting tool. The 10 " industrial model is quite an expensive monster I found out - not a heck of a lot cheaper than a wet grinder.

My 'workshop' is about 1/2 a single car garage so I haven't even really got room for a grinder permanently on a stand as my bench and saw bench takes up most of the floor space.

So, looks like a trip to town to see what is available! Tool shopping..what a chore!

From what I've read, the 'wet' grinders are OK for High Carbon Steel, but HSS just laughs at them. So if you have HSS plane blades (I have all HSS LV ones) or HSS turning chisels (ditto) you really want a bench grinder derived grinder/sharpener, unless you LIKE spending hours grinding before you give it a final polish.

As for overheating, a tin can of water next to the grinder seems to be a preferred option - just wrap a bit of fencing/coat hanger wire around it just under the top seam & hook it up to the tool stand. If you are paranoid about edge micro-cracking, then just put in some old motor oil instead of water & keep that fire extinguisher handy.

While you are going 'in to town' - see if you can find some of the recent books of workshop projects from Taunton or one writen by Danny Proulx - they have some plans for a roll about tool stand with interchangeable tops that have the tool bolted to them - just lift off the old tool & base, shelve it & put the new tool on then tighten the hold-downs. Danny's idea was to have a tall thin cupboard with shelf pins or ledges that lets you slip in a number of setups, then close the door to keep the dust out.

Try Repco, Aussie Cattledog

Kiwi Cattledog

For a "Universal Stand" for grinders, I'm awaitinting the arrival at the Fairy Medow store, but in a fit of insanity, I cleaned my garage, I have all around the walls, but have to leave room for the car, so I have room for the stand and can get my little 6" grinder off my main bench!