inexpensive Bench Grinder/polisher

[madmikeee]

What do you folks have?

 

[ibedayank]

grinder and polisher are two differnt machines they will not interchange

 

[ranger302]

I have 2 Northern Tool 8" grinders and 1 Tractor Supply 6" love them, but they are not Baldors.

 

[Weps]

what makes the baldors so nice? i have a couple of their industrial motors, but have never understood why the buffers and grinders get so much acclaim. i don't see these as complicated tools. anything quiet, strong, and true, should work just as well.

am i missing something??

 

[rsanter]

what makes the baldors so nice? i have a couple of their industrial motors, but have never understood why the buffers and grinders get so much acclaim. i don't see these as complicated tools. anything quiet, strong, and true, should work just as well.

am i missing something??

they run smooth, good actual power for their rated HP, and they are very durable
I have a couple of Cman grinders and a couple of baldors. when you use them you can tell the difference

bob

 

[solitaire]

whats the differencr between a polisher and a grinder?
Arnt they both just motors that spin a shaft?

 

[78pimpala]

usually buffer has longer arms, dunno if the RPM is different i would think so tho. ive had a delta grinder for probly 20+ years, never an issue

 

[ibedayank]

buffer

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-buffer-40668.html

grinder
http://www.harborfreight.com/5-inch-bench-grinder-94186.html

 

[ibedayank]

what makes the baldors so nice? i have a couple of their industrial motors, but have never understood why the buffers and grinders get so much acclaim. i don't see these as complicated tools. anything quiet, strong, and true, should work just as well.

am i missing something??

the baldors are smoother more power and last lot longer and can be rebuilt

its like comparing snapon to craftsman

 

[madmikeee]

grinder and polisher are two differnt machines they will not interchange

Depending on the application I would agree, From my personal experience the combo units are good for small occasional use whereas the seperate units are more for people who do ALOT of specific polishing and grinding etc.

If you plan on polishing items like Valve covers or smaller aluminum parts the combo unit should work fine (Hell I have used a drill bit polisher to do those jobs in the past with great results) but anything bigger and you need to invest into even a cheap standalone polishing setup.

 

[madmikeee]

the baldors are smoother more power and last lot longer and can be rebuilt

its like comparing snapon to craftsman

Same in price comparison as well. For a full shop or someone who is a proffesional out of their house making money from projects I would recommend Baldor all day long but for the occasional home user it is WAY overkill IMHO.

 

[ibedayank]

Mike...at work we have a 8inch hf and it gets used couple times a month for cycle engine case covers and it does the job nicely does it WARM after awhile tho...
heres a trick put a damp cloth over the motor and it will run cooler

 

[Catalyze]

I have used an HF 8" buffer for probably 6 years and it is fine for my work. If and only if I had the money.....I would love a Baldor unit. The hp rating on them is "real". They run smooth and they have power that won't bog down with small increases in pressure. On the other hand....they will take parts from foolish folks and throw it across the shop. DAMHIK.......LOL
Craig

 

[bobcatdan]

If all you have ever used is a craftsman, delta, hf, and so on, you will be happy with most bench grinders that turn on. Give a baldor a spin and the first time you make a hard pass and it does not slow down, you will never look back. I have a US made matco I'm pretty sure is a baldor I got from my dad and it puts the delta at work to shame.

 

[ibedayank]

I have used an HF 8" buffer for probably 6 years and it is fine for my work. If and only if I had the money.....I would love a Baldor unit. The hp rating on them is "real". They run smooth and they have power that won't bog down with small increases in pressure. On the other hand....they will take parts from foolish folks and throw it across the shop. DAMHIK.......LOL
Craig

yeah....and wear a good set of leather gloves for those opps moments when ya just happen to touch touch your knuckles on the pad...

 

[Hammer1963]

I just lucked into one hell of a deal on a Blue Point branded Baldor 1/3 HP bench grinder with the Blue Pont Multitool attachment on Ebay in a Buy it now sale. This unit is so smooth, even with one of the rubber feet gone off of it, you can sit a glass of water on the top of it, start it and not spill a drop. That's quality plain and simple.

I also have a Jet 1/2 HP with the same setup. It's a great unit as well, but it's not a Baldor. Simply the best. Period

 

[Hammer1963]

I stand corrected. I just did a little more research on the grinder thru my Snap-on dealer and was told it is a Wissota. Either way, it is one sweet grinder.

 

[shampoop]

I just bought a barely used wilton grinder for $10 on craigslist. Haven't got a chance to use it yet but seems really nice! What do you guys think of wilton ones? I found it when i was looking for a vise.

Craigslist is the way to go!

 

[crewchief888]

i bought a cheap ryobi 6" at HD on sale for $29 a couple years ago.

stalls easy, and is slow on startup.

worked for what i wanted it for at the time, (just touching up a few drill bits)