Recent content by searman

I have completely torn down and rebuilt a Craftsman 397.1949 1/2 HP grinder here. I discarded the original wheels and it doesn't appear than anyone makes 7" aluminum oxide wheels with a 1/2" arbor any more. I tried the Norton wheels from the local Grainger, but could not find an arbor bushing...

Not yet. I wanted to eliminate the slop from the mount first. Hopefully, the supplied bushing/flange washer assembly will fit snugly on the arbor. I'll probably address any obvious radial runout issues before balancing the wheels.

Correct, the 1-piece bushing did not fit the wheel tightly enough. I bought my Norton wheels from the local Grainger store.

You can see here how much room for movement there is with the nested bushings that Norton supplies with the wheels and how the 1-piece bushings eliminate that. Still it was not enough to eliminate the vibration. After much research, I decided to go with the One Way Precision balancing system...

Earlier, I posted about baselining my 16 x 16 garage here. Heating it has always been easier than cooling it. Not long after I bought the house, I picked up one of those single-burner, tank top propane heaters like this 15,000 BTU Mr Heater. It has worked fairly well over the years and...

Thanks! I started to do that this afternoon, then I discovered these 1-piece bushings that look to be the right size. I ordered a pair and hope they'll work.

This morning, I switched it on and everything worked including the add-on lamp. While free spinning the wheels I could see some difference in the circumference. However, the vibration was far more than I expected when the grinder was running. The bushings that Norton included with each wheel...

I tried this method of installing the new bearings twice, but it flat out did not work for me. I had the shaft well below 25 F and the bearings were showing in the neighborhood of 135 F. Both times, the bearing stopped about 3/4-inch from home. I was unable to find any reasonable makeshift...

As recommended in several locations, I contacted the Accurate Bearing Company for a quote on their 6203 ZZ bearings for the shaft. Accurate responded with a detailed quote, but the bearings they offered were branded "Nachi". I guess I was expecting a "Made in USA" or North American brand at...

Even though it rates at just 1/4 HP, it also says it draws 8 amps. That's a LOT of juice!

No, I'm sitting on 2 vintage Craftsman block grinders. It was tempting, though. As a kid, K-Mart was the place to be. They had a big toy section, extensive "live pets" section, and the "Blue Light Special" somewhere in the store. Here's a little something from the 1970s to get the nostalgia...

A little over a year ago, I acquired an NOS, never assembled Craftsman Commercial 397.19591 bench grinder. The seller failed to cushion it properly and it was damaged beyond repair during shipping. I wrote about it here. I decided to strip it down and save all the undamaged parts. A few weeks...

I hit a few estate sales today and saw this little gem. I had no idea S.S. Kresge (aka K-Mart) sold bench grinders. Of course, when I was shopping there, I was just a kid and rarely went past the toy aisles. :)

@seagiant Did you need a hydraulic press to remove the old and install the new bearings? If not, how did you do it? I'm working on a 1/2 HP model 397.19430 that looks identical to yours.

@Michael_PE2003 I like Simple Green and keep several bottles around the house. But I didn't know it could clean metal like this. To use a British term, I am gobsmacked! I've got to order some Norton wheels and a dressing stick, but this is nearly ready to be an early Christmas gift. Thanks...