Show us Your Vintage Bench Grinders!!!!

[wrenchguy]

Holy ****. Thats a monster. And it answers a 20+ year old question for me.

I have 2 NOS 12" x 2" (mabey 2-1/2") Norton grinding wheels that i've had for 20 years. Never knew what size grinder they were for, aside from very large. Now I know.
When you get a chance, check the arbor size. I'm guessing 1".

i think arbor is 1 1/2 " or 2", maybe bigger. 7.5 hp.!!! i got a million things to do b4 heading to east coast 4 awhile, but that is 1 thing i'll find out 4 sure. i think they will cost more than what i paid 4 the machine. thank you.

 

[WWIIjeep]

I recently aquired a 7' W/T grinder with these sheilds. But they have no tags on them, so I was wondering if they were original to the tool.
Was also wondering if anyone has a picture of the light assembly.

Sorry, I saw your question when you posted it, but wasn't able to take a sample photo of the light assembly until now.

Yes, Walker-Turner did offer the Stanley style lighted eye guards as optional equipment.

They use two 25T8DC lamps. 15T7DC can also be used (DC stands for double contact bayonet base, not direct current). They are--or were--common appliance light and indicator light sizes.

Here's one of the light fixtures on a Stanley grinder, showing both lamp sizes:

25T8DC/IF on the right and 15T7DC on the left.

 

[jabberwoki]

Here's a few more that keep big blue company in my the shop.

¾ Hp Baldor . A buddy picked up at auction not realizing it was 3 phase so he gave it to me. Going to repaint and put it on a pedestal. Will be a dedicated tungsten grinder.

½ Hp Cincinnati buffer. Little guy gets a ton of use! Traded a Graymills Clean-O- Matic for it.

2hp Queen City buffer. Really have to watch yourself with it but boy does it make bigger jobs easy.

Came out of an old plating factory. It had a crazy Rube Goldberg like contraption with sprockets and pulleys bolted all over it. The buffer itself powered a deal that loaded parts onto a conveyor, those parts then went under the first wheel (course cut) then around to the other (fine cut) wheel. Then dropped down a tube through the floor. Old school automation!

Latest orphan to find it's way to my place. A 1hp Cincinnati buffer/grinder combo. Looks rough but I tested it and it runs really smooth. It's on the to-do list.

Is that logo on the pedestal for the Queen city original of a repaint?

 

[madoc1]

wow. red Loctite.. I guess you don't plan to change anything soon! lol

 

[madoc1]

a good tool to remove rivets is a multi step drill like they sell at harbor freight.
nice job on that one. love the color!

jim

 

[wrenchguy]

Re: U.S. Electrical Tool Co. 12", 7 1/2 hp. grinder.

Well the good news is my wheels actually measure 11", gonna stay with them. i mentioned i thought they had wore down to 9" because the amount of space in the housing i noted b4 taking off the guards. the housing would easy accept 14" wheels with 1/2" space to spare. i wonder how close to the speed of sound 14" wheels would get close to? Shaft diameter is 1 1/2". thanks 4 looking.

 

[Outlawmws]

SNIP

Latest orphan to find it's way to my place. A 1hp Cincinnati buffer/grinder combo. Looks rough but I tested it and it runs really smooth. It's on the to-do list.

I like this one quite a bit. I don't do a great deal of buffing, so a full up buffing machine is hard to justify space for. this one uses significantly less floor space AND has a wheel/rest/guard on in. Nice setup for the smaller shop!

 

[Outlawmws]

I was able to get these, if anyone needs one.

OK, I may be able to lay hands on these wheel covers. I know some have said they are missing one or more. I don't have exact dimensions, nor have any clue which MFG made them. The essential description:



I would guess they are for a 7" grinder: Cast in numbers appears to me to be 1384...


If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll try for them...

 

[Rust]

i think arbor is 1 1/2 " or 2", maybe bigger. 7.5 hp.!!! i got a million things to do b4 heading to east coast 4 awhile, but that is 1 thing i'll find out 4 sure. i think they will cost more than what i paid 4 the machine. thank you.

Wow. Thats huge.

I went down to my shop and checked.
Looks like a no-go.
Arbor on my stones are 1-3/16". Outer dimensions are 12" and 1/8" actually x 1-13/16"
Very course.
****, these things have sat around for 50+ years mabey more. I was hoping to find them a home.

Sorry, I saw your question when you posted it, but wasn't able to take a sample photo of the light assembly until now.

Yes, Walker-Turner did offer the Stanley style lighted eye guards as optional equipment.

They use two 25T8DC lamps. 15T7DC can also be used (DC stands for double contact bayonet base, not direct current). They are--or were--common appliance light and indicator light sizes.

Here's one of the light fixtures on a Stanley grinder, showing both lamp sizes:

25T8DC/IF on the right and 15T7DC on the left.

Thats awesome. Thank you for posting that.
Are they switched separately? Or do they turn on with the grinder? My grinder has 2 holes in the rear base, which i assume are for the lamp leads. Hmm.

I picked up this baby from ebay. Paid a premium price, but I'm pleased.
1950 Walker Turner 7" Grinder


It was profesionaly restored, to a point. Bearings, capacitor,shine and paint.
The important things. Runs like a raped ape on crack. I usually restore my own, but this was a had to have.
I plan to take it further. Lights,brass replacement tags and cooling reservoir.
Chances are slim to none that I find those light assemblies. So I gotta be creative.

 

[WWIIjeep]

Chances are slim to none that I find those light assemblies. So I gotta be creative.

Here's a couple of ideas from the guys at owwm.org for fixing the old lamps:

http://owwm.org/viewtopic.php?p=390372#p390372

 

[-Brent-]

Man, there are some heavy hitters on this thread. Impressive. Here is my modest arrangement:

 

[Nortonscustom]

Is that logo on the pedestal for the Queen city original of a repaint?

It is repainted. It had dozens of layers of paint on it but I found red on the Q and C and bits of sliver on the other letters. The rest of the machine I believe was originally black. Was able to save most of the original paint on the id tags.

I like this one quite a bit. I don't do a great deal of buffing, so a full up buffing machine is hard to justify space for. this one uses significantly less floor space AND has a wheel/rest/guard on in. Nice setup for the smaller shop!

Yeah these combo units are pretty neat. I'm going to use a wire wheel and slap sander wheels on the buffer side. Will make a nice grind and blend machine.

Wrenchguy,
What a great find!! Years ago I got a tour of a forge. They had maybe 20 of those exact grinders that ran nonstop all day and night. Big metal totes sat next to them with fresh forgings to have the flash ground off. The unusual tool post always stuck in my mind.

 

[WhoWhatNow]

I was able to get these, if anyone needs one.

PM inbound

 

[wrenchguy]

Holy Carp WrenchGuy!

That sucker's huge! onder how much she weighs?

1150 lbs. paid 19.5 cents a lb. 4 it.

 

[wrenchguy]

Wow. Thats huge.

I went down to my shop and checked.
Looks like a no-go.
Arbor on my stones are 1-3/16". Outer dimensions are 12" and 1/8" actually x 1-13/16"
Very course.
****, these things have sat around for 50+ years mabey more. I was hoping to find them a home.





thanks 4 looking, i been pm'd tobe very careful about putting unknown wheels on this thing, not to say urs are bad. my stone texture and color look tobe tha same as urs. good luck 2 u.

 

[Carla]

Re: U.S. Electrical Tool Co. 12", 7 1/2 hp. grinder.

Well the good news is my wheels actually measure 11", gonna stay with them. i mentioned i thought they had wore down to 9" because the amount of space in the housing i noted b4 taking off the guards. the housing would easy accept 14" wheels with 1/2" space to spare. i wonder how close to the speed of sound 14" wheels would get close to? Shaft diameter is 1 1/2". thanks 4 looking.

Actually, your big grinder......assuming the common 60 cycle 3ph power, could be a nominal 1800 (1725 or 1750) rpm, or a nominal 1200 (1150 or so) rpm.

If its a 1200 rpm unit, it really should have 14" wheels, as the peripheral wheel speed will be approx 4400 feet per minute, a bit on the low side as grinding wheel specs go, but quite serviceable for those heavy snagging units. Some of the old snagging grinders were 1200, some were 1800.

If you've an 1800, 14" wheel grinder, and get best quality new wheels for it, you'll have very nearly 6600 fpm peripheral speed on your wheels, which will really get some work done.

Obviously, be particular to keep the wheels dressed and trued.......a wheel which is allowed to wear 'out of balance' is seriously dangerous.

Plan on cleaning it up, having it apart, and fitting best quality new bearings.....American, German, or Swedish made bearings, not the 'low bidder' make from 'you know where'.

There is some 'old machinists' folklore' about worn bearings setting up 'resonances', a frequency of vibration you can't feel, but will sometimes get a vitrified wheel to resonate, then begin to crack.....and once a crack begins, its only a matter of time before the wheel 'blows' from the centrifugal forces inherent in its operation.

(I've seen the damage after a 14" wheel came apart......fortunately, the operator was standing to one side, and was unhurt, but you would not believe how far bits of wheel were thrown before they went through the shop wall......they were 'funneled' so to speak, out of the wheel guard, The heavy cast iron guard was cracked, but didn't actually break.)

And.......congrats, you've an excellent, heavy duty machine there....... : )

cheers

Carla

 

[wrenchguy]

thanks carla. the tag reads 1750 rpm, which looks like a midrange rpm for the machine. on the left, the tag has other locations for other rpm options.

 

[madoc1]

my old grinder made from a motor out of a 40s oil burning heater. used to be dual shaft till it got dropped. works great tho.

 

[catnapper]

Wrenchguy,
What The......... That thing is huge. I think you should name it Grinderzilla! Do you have 3 phase in your shop or are going to use a phase converter?


_____________________________
"If you need a machine and don't buy it, then you will ultimately find you have paid for it but don't have it." Henry Ford

 

[wrenchguy]

Wrenchguy,
What The......... That thing is huge. I think you should name it Grinderzilla! Do you have 3 phase in your shop or are going to use a phase converter?


_____________________________
"If you need a machine and don't buy it, then you will ultimately find you have paid for it but don't have it." Henry Ford

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This is what i use for my 3 phase equipment, 1937 caterpillar d8 engine size genset, built for the us navy. Its 9500lbs, 120hp, runs 900 rpm, battery or pony start, 120/208 volt, 70 kw. Originally it was electrical backup powerplant for the countrys only torpedo factory before ww2. New it was located in newport ri and in the 50's sometime it went to a apple sauce/juice factory near lancaster pa. I got it off ebay 5 years ago. Every once awhile i skid it out the barn and take it to a caterpillar tractor or antique engine show, like seen here.
thanks 4 asking.

 

[jakemac]

WOW, that's a little excessive just to keep your beer cold during a power outage !

 

[drivesitfar]

Wrench: sorry i asked you how you were going to move a little 1000 pound grinder now and no wonder you didn't care to share if you move things like that around. not sure how you move that around, but i'm guessing you have another big toy to help you.

just curious when the city goes dark do they come to you with diesel and ask to hook up to your power source?

thanks for sharing

 

[wrenchguy]

Wrench: sorry i asked you how you were going to move a little 1000 pound grinder now and no wonder you didn't care to share if you move things like that around. not sure how you move that around, but i'm guessing you have another big toy to help you.

just curious when the city goes dark do they come to you with diesel and ask to hook up to your power source?

thanks for sharing

*several vintage machines.

*no, they wear greenie beanies.

 

[organ]

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This is what i use for my 3 phase equipment, 1937 caterpillar d8 engine size genset, built for the us navy. Its 9500lbs, 120hp, runs 900 rpm, battery or pony start, 120/208 volt, 70 kw. Originally it was electrical backup powerplant for the countrys only torpedo factory before ww2. New it was located in newport ri and in the 50's sometime it went to a apple sauce/juice factory near lancaster pa. I got it off ebay 5 years ago. Every once awhile i skid it out the barn and take it to a caterpillar tractor or antique engine show, like seen here.
thanks 4 asking.

 

[hegner2]

Here is my latest garage sale find. I posted it there first, thought I'd move it here with some more info. It is a real nice smooth running grinder. I was asked to show a close up of the data plate and have included it. Anyone know if this grinder would have had cast end cover plates? They are both missing and I would like to find some. Any other info would be great!

 

[drivesitfar]

Hegner: your grinder even looks better close up. i'm still thinking you got a great grinder that only needs a little TLC. i think Outlaw had some information about Sioux grinders on the garage sale thread where you posted it first in case you didn't see that yet.

it looks like it probably had tool rests on both sides and also shields because i see a battered up rest and some holes where the eye shields would go. can you also take a few close up pictures of the ends showing the entire cast that covers the wheels? some grinders were made without them and i like using my wire wheels without even the cover you have on yours.

i'm interested to hear about this one too and will be watching

 

[riggs1117]

I acquired both of these this month. Left is a Baldor 1/2 HP and right is a Wilton (made by Wissota) 1/3 HP. I need to source a coolant cup and tray for my Baldor somewhere. The Wilton will have a wire and buffing wheel on it soon. Both came with a pedestal.

 

[drivesitfar]

Riggs: i can't say I've seen a water tray on a Baldor like your Wilton, but they have made some. i had a newer 7 inch one a couple years ago that had one attached in the back as you can see in the picture. some might have made a cup or tray and attached to the stand which might be your best option if you need one.

nice pair and with the stands you did well.

 

[BJ42LX]

Baldor 1/2 HP

Riggs, what's in the giant electrical box on top of the Baldor?

 

[WWIIjeep]

Baldor water pots:

http://www.mile-x.com/search.aspx?find=baldor+water+pot

The GA24 pot comes with mounting hardware.

The GA3 pot is larger and hangs on the pedestal for the 12" and 14" grinders.

Baldor tool tray:

http://www.mile-x.com/baldor-ga25-tool-tray.aspx

No affiliation to that seller; it's just sometimes easier to search for Baldor accessories there than on Baldor's website.

 

[riggs1117]

That is the on off switch made by Allen Bradley. The baldor came from a high school metal shop in erie pa. It has a circuit breaker built in to the box you have to use a screwdriver to press it in to reset the breaker.

 

[riggs1117]

Thx jeep. Been looking everywhere for this

Drives it: mine would be the same as your photo. The brackets are on the end covers still

 

[riggs1117]

Not the best pictures

 

[nine4gmc]

Do pedestal belt sanders count? I scored this jem at auction then turned around a week later and got the pedestal from member Bluebolt for a perfect match!

 

[tncumminsguy]

http://nashville.craigslist.org/tls/4434069015.html

might be picking this up later today

 

[GarageDog]

Wiring help???
I recently gave a Sears & Roebuck "Companion" Bench grinder a cosmetic cleanup. I'm guessing it's of 60's vintage. It was given to me a couple of years ago by a neighbor and had been repainted bright blue at some point in time - a color which I struggled with. So, I stripped and repainted with Rustoleum, Rosemary Hammertone and cleaned up the hardware - looks pretty good now.

Though it worked fine prior to my disassembly, the wiring was a rats nest that I thought would be easy to clean up and sort out later. Being an electrical knucklehead, it hasn't been so easy.

The Wiring Mess
For clairification wires 2 & 3 come out of the bottom of the motor and were joined together with one black wire (4). Wire 1 also comes out of the bottom of the motor

Wires 8 & 9 are connected to the replacement switch I added.
6, 7 & 8 power cord.

Any wiring guidance would be much appreciated.
Thanks, Bill

BTW, any idea where I might find a power cord "sheath" or bend relief cover? - to protect the cord where it exits the base casting, which is about .25" thick. Casting is too think to accept a standard rubber grommet. Thanks agian.

 

[exmaxima1]

Do pedestal belt sanders count? I scored this jem at auction then turned around a week later and got the pedestal from member Bluebolt for a perfect match!

Of course it should count!! Looks very familar.....

 

[Outlawmws]

Wiring help???
I recently gave a Sears & Roebuck "Companion" Bench grinder a cosmetic cleanup. I'm guessing it's of 60's vintage. It was given to me a couple of years ago by a neighbor and had been repainted bright blue at some point in time - a color which I struggled with. So, I stripped and repainted with Rustoleum, Rosemary Hammertone and cleaned up the hardware - looks pretty good now.

Though it worked fine prior to my disassembly, the wiring was a rats nest that I thought would be easy to clean up and sort out later. Being an electrical knucklehead, it hasn't been so easy.

The Wiring Mess
For clairification wires 2 & 3 come out of the bottom of the motor and were joined together with one black wire (4). Wire 1 also comes out of the bottom of the motor

Wires 8 & 9 are connected to the replacement switch I added.
6, 7 & 8 power cord.

Any wiring guidance would be much appreciated.
Thanks, Bill

BTW, any idea where I might find a power cord "sheath" or bend relief cover? - to protect the cord where it exits the base casting, which is about .25" thick. Casting is too think to accept a standard rubber grommet. Thanks agian.

My best guess:

Connect 6 (pwr cord black) to 8 (Sw Black)

Connect 5 (pwr cord wht) to 1 (Mtr wire)


Connect 9 (Red Sw) to 4 (Mtr common boac) and put a wire nut (insulate) where the black wire connects to the 2 motor wires #2 & 3.

Connect 7 to a good chassis ground on its own dedicated screw (needs a ring lug crimped on)

For the cord in the hole go to a good hardware store or motor shop and get one of the bulkhead strain reliefs with the part the you squeeze in to get it installed.

 

[nine4gmc]

Of course it should count!! Looks very familar.....

HEY!! I picked my sander up from auction and the pedestal here from member Bluebolt. I am missing the rest in front of the belt for sure, would you mind getting close ups from a few angles so I can try to replicate it? Also, is that a VFD on yours? Thanks for posting!

 

[exmaxima1]

HEY!! I picked my sander up from auction and the pedestal here from member Bluebolt. I am missing the rest in front of the belt for sure, would you mind getting close ups from a few angles so I can try to replicate it? Also, is that a VFD on yours? Thanks for posting!

My belt grinder didn't have the rest OR the bracket/mount for it, so I had to engineer something for mine---you at least have the bracket as it is supporting your backing plate. You might be able to find a pic of the correct rest and fabricate something. I'll see if I find something.

Yes, I have a VFD on mine. I bought my grinder for $35 since nobody wanted a 3 phase machine for home use, and even though I have 3P power at work I bought a VFD in case I ever bring the thing home. And the variable speed is nice since that machine normally runs VERY fast surface speed and can get scary with coarse belts---it will eat steel in seconds!