Bench Grinder to Hold Me Over

[cwramsey00]

I can get a Jet 1 HP 8” bench grinder on sale at HD for $179 currently. I’m torn between that and a bench grinder/belt sander combo. I could buy the multi-tool conversion kit but that’s another $300. I’m 25 years old and just building out a tool trailer for all the hobbyist stuff I do, I don’t need the best or beefiest (Baldor and such is out of the budget and can’t find any used). Mainly will be used for stock removal, light fab work, sharpening, and if I get the belt sander I’ll be using it for woodworking as well. I do lots of vehicle and boat restorations so many different types of surfacing and sanding/polishing. This is all in a 8.5x28 enclosed trailer I’m building out so space is limited. I plan to mount it and similar things (vice, etc) on hitch plates with a receiver mounted to my work bench and swap out as needed. I’d love to have a combo, just can’t seem to find a decent one with larger than a 1/3 hp motor in my price range (~250). Should I go with the jet and save up for the attachment? TIA

 

[justintendo]

Where are you located...much depends if you are in rust belt

 

[cwramsey00]

Where are you located...much depends if you are in rust belt

I’m currently in Louisiana. If I had a home shop I would buy an older model and restore it. I started doing that in middle school/high school with a Delta Rockwell drill press and scroll saw that were 4 times my age. Just don’t have a place for that right now and need something to tide me over. I don’t like buying harbor freight / Amazon / Vevor power tools if I think it’s possible to stay within budget and buy something that lasts.

 

[Mike007]

I find a belt grinder much more useful vs a typical bench grinder. I bought a 2" Baldor belt grinder years ago. I literally don't recall the last time I used my bench grinder. I'd definitely try and get a combi if you can.

 

[Hohn]

Personally I'd buy a used bench grinder on FB Marketplace or such and add the multiTool belt grinder adapter to it. Bench grinders are about as simple as a power tool can get and the difference between a cheap one and an industrial one is probably entirely lost on a home shop user.

The multitool imho beats a regular belt grinder because it has both slack belt and platen sides. Heck, even the cost of buying a new bench grinder is and multitool is still likely a better deal than any dedicated slack belt setup.

Multitool 2" x 48" Belt Grinder Attachment

The Multitool 2x48 bench grinder attachment features a front contact wheel, top platen, underside slack belt area, and a 7-inch disc sander. Remove metal 5 times faster than with a stone wheel.

multitoolgrinders.com

PS: Baldor isn't what they used to be, I'd not pay a fortune to get one that was new. Older Baldor is worth paying more than older cheaper. Buy used either way. It's just an induction motor with two shafts, after all.

 

[tarbellb]

This ∆∆∆

 

[seber]

In my shop I have two bench grinders and one belt grinder. The belt grinder does at least 90% of the work. Second used is the wire brush for rust cleanup. The only stone that is mounted is on a variable speed grinder for sharpening. It is also the least used. Belt grinders will work multiple times faster for stock removal and have the added benefit of quick change grit size.
If you go for the Multitool belt setup, be careful. They do not fit all grinders.

 

[Beerhippie]

Personally I'd buy a used bench grinder on FB Marketplace or such and add the multiTool belt grinder adapter to it. Bench grinders are about as simple as a power tool can get and the difference between a cheap one and an industrial one is probably entirely lost on a home shop user.

The multitool imho beats a regular belt grinder because it has both slack belt and platen sides. Heck, even the cost of buying a new bench grinder is and multitool is still likely a better deal than any dedicated slack belt setup.

Multitool 2" x 48" Belt Grinder Attachment

The Multitool 2x48 bench grinder attachment features a front contact wheel, top platen, underside slack belt area, and a 7-inch disc sander. Remove metal 5 times faster than with a stone wheel.

multitoolgrinders.com

PS: Baldor isn't what they used to be, I'd not pay a fortune to get one that was new. Older Baldor is worth paying more than older cheaper. Buy used either way. It's just an induction motor with two shafts, after all.

I wonder if this will fit my Wen BG4286 8" grinder? 5/8" shaft, IIRC.

 

[Steve_P]

At your budget, I'd buy the Jet if it's an ~8A model and then pick up a belt attachment when you have more $. Used grinders are fine, but IMO you're going to want something more than the typical 3A cheapo models if you're going to put a 2" wide belt attachment on it. As others have said, if given the choice between a bench grinder or a belt, I'd go with the belt. By the time you buy the grinder and the belt attachment, you'll be about at the same $ as a dedicated belt machine, although the grinder allows you to do it in steps, and then could also put a wire wheel on the grinder giving you more options.

 

[cwramsey00]

I find a belt grinder much more useful vs a typical bench grinder. I bought a 2" Baldor belt grinder years ago. I literally don't recall the last time I used my bench grinder. I'd definitely try and get a combi if you can.

That what I was thinking. I used to have a bench sander in highschool and used it all the time for wood projects and knifemaking. Just need to setup some kind of dust collection as its in a trailer.

 

[cwramsey00]

Personally I'd buy a used bench grinder on FB Marketplace or such and add the multiTool belt grinder adapter to it. Bench grinders are about as simple as a power tool can get and the difference between a cheap one and an industrial one is probably entirely lost on a home shop user.

The multitool imho beats a regular belt grinder because it has both slack belt and platen sides. Heck, even the cost of buying a new bench grinder is and multitool is still likely a better deal than any dedicated slack belt setup.

Multitool 2" x 48" Belt Grinder Attachment

The Multitool 2x48 bench grinder attachment features a front contact wheel, top platen, underside slack belt area, and a 7-inch disc sander. Remove metal 5 times faster than with a stone wheel.

multitoolgrinders.com

PS: Baldor isn't what they used to be, I'd not pay a fortune to get one that was new. Older Baldor is worth paying more than older cheaper. Buy used either way. It's just an induction motor with two shafts, after all.

Roger that, you dont have a hp/amp rec for running the beltsander? I was a little unsure that a 1/3 hp el cheap could handle stock removal without bogging down.

 

[GeoBruin]

Roger that, you dont have a hp/amp rec for running the beltsander? I was a little unsure that a 1/3 hp el cheap could handle stock removal without bogging down.

That Jet will more than handle the multitool. I have an older (taiwanese?) 3/4 hp Dayton and I've never had a problem. It's a fantastic addition to a grinder. One of my most used tools.

 

[dnschmidt]

The only thing that a grinder does better than a belt sander is sharpen drill bits if you have the skill to do so. The reason for this is the round wheel enables you to get back clearance easily whereas a belt sander makes this very difficult to achieve.

 

[finn]

I primarily use bench grinders for wire wheels, and that doesn’t take much power. I mounted a diamond wheel for grinding tungsten’s for tig welding, again, not a high amp draw..

For grinding and surfacing, a cheap Menards belt / disc sander is more useful than a grinder.

For actual grinding, a battery or corded 4 1/2 or 5” hand held gets used for the most part.

 

[cwramsey00]

That Jet will more than handle the multitool. I have an older (taiwanese?) 3/4 hp Dayton and I've never had a problem. It's a fantastic addition to a grinder. One of my most used tools.

I went with the jet. In my limited current space I think getting the multi tool and having a belt/disc on one side and a grinder/wire wheel on the other will accomplish 4 jobs in one. Thanks!

 

[cwramsey00]

The only thing that a grinder does better than a belt sander is sharpen drill bits if you have the skill to do so. The reason for this is the round wheel enables you to get back clearance easily whereas a belt sander makes this very difficult to achieve.

I was planning on getting a cheap jig to learn that way instead of the drill doctor or something similar. I also need to perfect my chisel and axe sharpening but wont be able to do that very well on a non-variable speed grinder i think.

 

[Hakeem]

Funny, I always hear about bench grinders being an essential tool of any shop but by the sounds of it, a belt grinder would be a better choice

 

[dnschmidt]

Funny, I always hear about bench grinders being an essential tool of any shop but by the sounds of it, a belt grinder would be a better choice

If you have a machine shop the grinder is required to form your lathe bits for the same reason it's the tool of choice for drill bits. If you're not a machine shop the belt grinder is far more useful.

 

[GeoBruin]

Funny, I always hear about bench grinders being an essential tool of any shop but by the sounds of it, a belt grinder would be a better choice

I think that probably has actually changed over time. The variety of different abrasives available now is astounding. In just a few seconds, you can change from coarse, fast cutting to finishing and polishing, or from low cost belts designed for mild materials to ultra exotic belts designed for high hardness materials, and everything in between. Also, belt grinders have become more accessible. Options used to be limited to essentially 3-phase industrial machines and what were essentially belt sanders intended for wood. Now there are DIY kits available to assemble your own "semi-custom" grinders with variable speed controls, adjustable platens, and various contact wheels. The knife making crowd has really pushed the envelope on this front.

The multi-tool discussed above is a really accessible way extend some of these capabilities to the bench grinders many of us already have. For my part, my workflow almost always includes grinding on the belt, then deburring on the wire wheel, so having the two a mere 18 inches apart (and already spinning) is perfect. I've often thought about replacing my multitool/grinder setup with a dedicated belt grinder but I would really miss that wire wheel being so close by.

 

[Hakeem]

If you have a machine shop the grinder is required to form your lathe bits for the same reason it's the tool of choice for drill bits. If you're not a machine shop the belt grinder is far more useful.

Right, I spent a few months wiring up a CNC shop and the Tool&Die makers would start their day off making inserts on the grinders.

I think that probably has actually changed over time. The variety of different abrasives available now is astounding. In just a few seconds, you can change from coarse, fast cutting to finishing and polishing, or from low cost belts designed for mild materials to ultra exotic belts designed for high hardness materials, and everything in between. Also, belt grinders have become more accessible. Options used to be limited to essentially 3-phase industrial machines and what were essentially belt sanders intended for wood. Now there are DIY kits available to assemble your own "semi-custom" grinders with variable speed controls, adjustable platens, and various contact wheels. The knife making crowd has really pushed the envelope on this front.

The multi-tool discussed above is a really accessible way extend some of these capabilities to the bench grinders many of us already have. For my part, my workflow almost always includes grinding on the belt, then deburring on the wire wheel, so having the two a mere 18 inches apart (and already spinning) is perfect. I've often thought about replacing my multitool/grinder setup with a dedicated belt grinder but I would really miss that wire wheel being so close by.

Great info. I bought a bench grinder based on the conventional wisdom but yeah a belt grinder would be more versatile. Grinding wheels are more aggressive than I anticipated, grinding heat-treated metal without losing the temper is quite difficult.