Thread: 200mm Bench Grinders - what spinny things can be used?

My only minor and very minor suggestion Brett .
Is to place some cardboard on the wall behind your grinders .
Polishing metal with cloth wheels the polishing compound gets everywhere.
And makes a huge mess .
Just bin the cardboard every so often .
Note point to self do the same lol

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Swansdown Mops:
Ubeaut have what appear to be very good locally made mops from genuine Swan's Down, but don't show a 200mm version.

I have a 6" jobbie and it seems to work OK. but I only use mine in a chuck on a WW lathe because I can control the speed, It just seems a bit too fast on a bench grinder.

Are they suitable for metal polishing or would a less expensive Calico mop be more appropriate?

If you use it for metal it will then mark timber - I keep mine for timber.

Calico Mops:

Are these suitable for timber? I think yes, but would a Swansdown be better?

Calico mops are much coarser than swansdown mops and my guess is you would probably burn timber with them

Stitched Cloth:

Near as I can see these are used for applying polish to metals, or do they have other uses?

Yep metal work

Wire Wheels:

I know what they're for, but don't seem to be able to turn up any that have solid brass bristles. Just brass plated, which appears to be a bit of a nonsense when there's some nice hard steel just under the surface.

I don't think you can drive the all brass wire wheels at grinder speeds.
I use mine for quickly cleaning up small welds, preping small bits of steel for welding, and they are great for cleaning up threads.

[QUOPTE]Scotchbrite: There seem to be a few copies around which are sigbificantly cheaper and by all accounts do a good job.[/QUOTE]
Metal work only

Flap Wheels:

Not really certain of the purpose, except that they are aggressive, depending on the grit.

I bought one for my grinder, used it a couple of times and never used it since then. Flap wheels are easier to use on angle grinders.

One of the most useful things that can be put on a bench grinder is a multitool linisher.
I've rigged mine so it can also be used as an unsupported
I use this more than any other wheel/mop/brush.
Note the small disc sander at the side as well.

Buffing mops should be used with an RPM between 1400 -1700 as you will burn the timber but I bet someone here gets away with it at higher RPMs. The forum sponsor sells swansdown mops of the highest quality. I would get the Beal mops from Carroll's wood supplies, I use them and would recommend the kit.


SB

I've had one of these on my 8" grinder for about 4 years and it works a treat. Originally bought it for tidying up old Stanley planes but have used it on lots of things. Excellent at removing flight rust but beware, it will take off a 'patina' in no time flat. DAMHIKT. Leaves a shiny polished surface on just about any metal.
http://www.toolking.com.au/products/...HEEL-8%22.html
Much better price than the genuine Scotchbrite wheels. If you can even get them.

I like your idea for the unsupported belt on the multi-tool Bob. Is that a knife grinder belt? I think I need to set my 6" grinder up with a multi-tool.

Thanks for the replies chaps. At least one of the grinders will be the new VicMarc ½speed jobbie. At 1500w and 1475 rpm I suspect that it will have plenty of grunt to drive mops etc which traditionally can suck the life out of the rpm due to increased load (having read Bob's thread on grinder loading a few days ago). Probably the smart way to go is to get the first Vicmarc and try it out with the various wheels for speed, load etc, and then make a decision on the second (which would then be either another Vicmarc, or the orange full speed jobbie that looks identical apart from the motor specs)

Originally Posted by BobL

I have a 6" jobbie and it seems to work OK. but I only use mine in a chuck on a WW lathe because I can control the speed, It just seems a bit too fast on a bench grinder. More grist to the mill for two ½speeds. I think that a 6" mop on an 8" grinder might be a bit tricky to get the job into - take the gaurd off which should be ok for a mop.

If you use it for metal it will then mark timber - I keep mine for timber. Yep, understood - would have 2 separate mops

Calico mops are much coarser than swansdown mops and my guess is you would probably burn timber with them. That's more or less what I was thinking, Maybe a Swans for timber and cheaper calico for metal methinks.


I don't think you can drive the all brass wire wheels at grinder speeds. More grist to the mill for two ½speeds
I use mine for quickly cleaning up small welds, preping small bits of steel for welding, and they are great for cleaning up threads. Indeed, but again ½speed will probably suffice. Is it possible to get solid brass? I don't even know why they bother with the brass plate. It's gone within zip, leaving bare steel.

Scotchbrite: There seem to be a few copies around which are significantly cheaper and by all accounts do a good job.
Metal work only. Yep, understood.

I bought one for my grinder, used it a couple of times and never used it since then. Flap wheels are easier to use on angle grinders. Yes, I'm struggling to see the relevance for what I would be doing.

One of the most useful things that can be put on a bench grinder is a multitool linisher. Looks interesting. I did see this one at Hare & Forbes - full speed of course. But (cough) it's 500 nicker. Perhaps there's an after-market attachment I could add later.

I've rigged mine so it can also be used as an unsupported
I use this more than any other wheel/mop/brush.
Note the small disc sander at the side as well. Is that on the right side on the back wheel out of view? It looks like a flap wheel on the left.

It seems to me that the number of ½ speed tasks exceeds the number of full speed tasks, and yet there is ONE ½ speed on the market again (but only since this week) and no one has thought about producing a variable speed grinder (or does the Universal motor make this difficult?).


So no other types of spinny things to consider?

Thanks Tony. How did you mount it though? It doesn't look like there's any hardware provided. Much cheaper than Scotchbrite. Shoulda got Adam to pu one in Bathurst - he was here this morning (finally took the BBQ away).

Multi-tool Linisher attachments:

eBay

Hare & Forbes (different to last link)

Alltools WA

Blackwoods (if you really want to deal with them )

And a thread on here.

What is the advantage of an unsupported belt?

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Thanks for the replies chaps. At least one of the grinders will be the new VicMarc ½speed jobbie. At 1500w and 1475 rpm I suspect that it will have plenty of grunt to drive mops etc which traditionally can suck the life out of the rpm due to increased load (having read Bob's thread on grinder loading a few days ago). Probably the smart way to go is to get the first Vicmarc and try it out with the various wheels for speed, load etc, and then make a decision on the second (which would then be either another Vicmarc, or the orange full speed jobbie that looks identical apart from the motor specs)

Yep - sounds like a plan.

If you use it for metal it will then mark timber - I keep mine for timber. Yep, understood - would have 2 separate mops

You won't need a swansdown mop for metal - you are much better off using two calico mops for metal one to apply the polish and work the fine scratches off the surface and one for final finish. If you can't get a mirror finish with the second calico mop then it's not being done right

I don't think you can drive the all brass wire wheels at grinder speeds. More grist to the mill for two ½speeds
I use mine for quickly cleaning up small welds, preping small bits of steel for welding, and they are great for cleaning up threads. Indeed, but again ½speed will probably suffice. Is it possible to get solid brass? I don't even know why they bother with the brass plate. It's gone within zip, leaving bare steel.

I had a couple of small all brass wire wheels that I used to drive on a drill but I found had no use for them except for perhaps burnishing a bit of aluminium. The brass work hardens and breaks off too easily.
A Scotchbrite or similar wheel is much easier to use and does a better job.
NB The Scotchbrite I have does not leave a polished finish, it leaves a smooth burnished finish. I think it looks good on its own but its also the finish I use before metal bluing as the process is speeded up this way.

One of the most useful things that can be put on a bench grinder is a multitool linisher. Looks interesting. I did see this one at Hare & Forbes - full speed of course. But (cough) it's 500 nicker. Perhaps there's an after-market attachment I could add later.

Yep - Not cheap but well worth it.

Note the small disc sander at the side as well. Is that on the right side on the back wheel out of view?

Yep

It looks like a flap wheel on the left.

That's the Scotchbrite wheel. It's literally folds of Scotchbrite around a set if long rivets.

It seems to me that the number of ½ speed tasks exceeds the number of full speed tasks, and yet there is ONE ½ speed on the market again (but only since this week) and no one has thought about producing a variable speed grinder (or does the Universal motor make this difficult?).

Not really - most grinders are used mainly by metal workers to grind. The only wheels I wish I had variable speed grinder for is to use with a CBN and a White coarse Alox wheels. Everything else is fine at full speed.

There are some other types of wheels that can be used like felt, bristle type brushes for leather work, and leather on a aluminium substrate on a disc sander type arrangement.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Thanks Tony. How did you mount it though? It doesn't look like there's any hardware provided. Much cheaper than Scotchbrite. Shoulda got Adam to pu one in Bathurst - he was here this morning (finally took the BBQ away).

It would just fit on a normal taper arbour.

Thanks very much Bob, lots of good info in there.

The tapered arbour (cone) will also take any of our Swansdown Mops they can be used for metal and timber the 150mm (6") buff is more than enough size for a 200mm grinder any bigger could create problems with being able to buff all around the work.

Warning: You definitely need to have 1 buff specifically for metal and one for timber, etc. You will not get the black out of the buff after using it on metal and it will be transposed onto timber if you try to buff with the metal impregnated buff.

I also used felt buffs loaded with jewellers rouge on the grinder cone, to polish carving tools and various metal pieces. The felt can be easily shaped to fit almost any tool pattern even down to the inside of small V tools, etc. I still have a tool head specifically set up for carving tools with a variety of inner and outer shapes moulded into the felt for use with carving tools, plane blades, chisels, turning tools, etc. Not often used these days but still an invaluable piece of equipment to have around.

Cheers - Neil

The Robson's wheel is more of a deburring wheel than a polishing wheel, although it's good at initial surface cleaning of chisels and the like. They fit the same way as hard grinding wheels. Depending on your spindle size you may have to bush them or drill out the bore a little. Excellent value!
Is the Robson's store still open in Lithgow?

Originally Posted by burraboy

Is the Robson's store still open in Lithgow?

Apparently not.