Scored a Vintage 8" Baldor Grinder...Questions Though

Sheriff Roscoe · Feb 24, 2014

Hey guys. Scored an 8" Baldor grinder and stand (Clarke sticker on it) today for $110. Seemed to be a good deal even though a few items are missing. It does have a wire wheel, washer and nut for the right side...just had them off when pics were taken.

This puppy runs smooth/quiet as silk! Just a tad different from the Made in China/Taiwan grinder I have now. Not bad, but no comparison to the Baldor either. Definitely a proud owner of a Made in USA unit :thumbup:

A few questions though:

-You'll see the nameplate is missing so am guessing 3/4 hp? Most 8" Baldors I've seen are this horsepower.

-Any guesses on model number? Guy I bought from estimates it to be at approximately 40 years old but wasn't positive as it was his dad's.

-I'm keeping an eye on Ebay for side covers. Not sure I'm willing to pay the high cost for these though. Are they really necessary?

-Wish it had a nameplate. Any options?

-I may fab some rests for it. Any other economical rest options?

-Original color? Looks like it's been through 3 colors...green, blue and gray.

MFolks · Feb 24, 2014

Tried contacting Baldor with pictures? Maybe somebody knows the model # and can send you the manual.

Another place to try is at: www.repairmanual.com

91bronc300 · Feb 24, 2014

For the amount of parts you'd need to track down to complete the grinder you might consider getting some buffing spindles and turning it into a buffer instead.

toomanytoyzz · Feb 24, 2014

91bronc300 said:
For the amount of parts you'd need to track down to complete the grinder you might consider getting some buffing spindles and turning it into a buffer instead.

I agree 100% with 91bronc. It will be an expensive and probably a long journey finding the parts you need. That grinder has a nice wide body and would make a great buffing grinder.

Unmarked Bill · Feb 24, 2014

People have their different perspectives and experiences, mine is that side covers and eye shields are lame and slow everything down. I would run that machine exactly as it is and love it. Nothing against restorers or their ways, but you have everything I would want right there and $110 is a fine price. Run it!

drivesitfar · Feb 24, 2014

for the age of your Baldor I'd guess green was the original color. Buffer is a great idea, but if you need a good grinder and wire wheel here's what i'd do.

i'd try to get a side cover for the grinding wheel. I have read a lot of stories and you might want to look these up too about wheels exploding. I think this happened because of the operator hitting the wheel a bit on the side or maybe they just do that every once in a blue moon. read a lot of stories of pieces flying through ceilings, walls and the person using the machine who sometimes died.

of course if you are careful you would probably be fine as is and personally i'd take the guard off the right side if it was a wire wheel on it and just be aware the wires fly so wear a heavy shirt and safety glasses. I can't remember the last one that bounced off my cheeks, but it happens.

great buy and good luck

WWIIjeep · Feb 24, 2014

Sheriff Roscoe said:
-You'll see the nameplate is missing so am guessing 3/4 hp? Most 8" Baldors I've seen are this horsepower.

-Any guesses on model number? Guy I bought from estimates it to be at approximately 40 years old but wasn't positive as it was his dad's.

-Original color? Looks like it's been through 3 colors...green, blue and gray.

I think you'll find that it's a 7" grinder, not an 8". Assuming it's about 40 years old, 8" grinders of that era had a taller and more squared-off base, not curved like yours.

If it's a 7", it's 1/2 HP. If it runs at 1725 RPM, it's a model 7306. If it runs at 3450 RPM, it's either a 712 or a 7307.

Original color was either dark gray or Vista green. Baldor offered both colors in the early 70s.

The stand isn't original, but I imagine you know that.

I'd make a tool rest for the grinding wheel on the left side, and put a wire brush or convolute deburring wheel on the right side, without a tool rest.

Unmarked Bill · Feb 24, 2014

If you don't want the wheel to explode, you take aluminum to the sander instead of the wheel. I have never seen a wheel blow off a bench grinder.

drivesitfar · Feb 25, 2014

Bill you may not have seen a grinding wheel blow up so here's a little bit of a google search to take a gander at. by the way I think these are all bench grinders and there are plenty more instances with angle grinder wheels exploding.

thanks for the tip on aluminum though and i'll have to remember that one.

http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/26801/daily-grind-test-knowledge-safety

http://www.georgiainjurylawyerblog.com/2009/05/grinding_wheel_failures_can_le.html

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/f19/grinding-side-wheel-8635/

Unmarked Bill · Feb 25, 2014

Yea it happens a lot more with angle grinders for all the obvious reasons. Aluminum heats up and cools in the wheel and it's nasty.

zkling · Feb 25, 2014

WWIIjeep said:
I'd make a tool rest for the grinding wheel on the left side, and put a wire brush or convolute deburring wheel on the right side, without a tool rest.

My thoughts exactly.

Sheriff Roscoe · Feb 25, 2014

!

Wow...thanks guys! Some excellent responses..thank you again.

MFolks said:
Tried contacting Baldor with pictures? Maybe somebody knows the model # and can send you the manual.

Another place to try is at: www.repairmanual.com

I may do that

91bronc300 said:
For the amount of parts you'd need to track down to complete the grinder you might consider getting some buffing spindles and turning it into a buffer instead.

I don't have a real need for a buffer (though could probably come up with many if I had a buffer

) but your point is well taken

toomanytoyzz said:
I agree 100% with 91bronc. It will be an expensive and probably a long journey finding the parts you need. That grinder has a nice wide body and would make a great buffing grinder.

Same as above though I may be able to fab a rest and side covers for it.

Unmarked Bill said:
People have their different perspectives and experiences, mine is that side covers and eye shields are lame and slow everything down. I would run that machine exactly as it is and love it. Nothing against restorers or their ways, but you have everything I would want right there and $110 is a fine price. Run it!

You're a meat and potatoes kind of guy. No fuss, no muss...I like it!

drivesitfar said:
for the age of your Baldor I'd guess green was the original color. Buffer is a great idea, but if you need a good grinder and wire wheel here's what i'd do.

i'd try to get a side cover for the grinding wheel. I have read a lot of stories and you might want to look these up too about wheels exploding. I think this happened because of the operator hitting the wheel a bit on the side or maybe they just do that every once in a blue moon. read a lot of stories of pieces flying through ceilings, walls and the person using the machine who sometimes died.

of course if you are careful you would probably be fine as is and personally i'd take the guard off the right side if it was a wire wheel on it and just be aware the wires fly so wear a heavy shirt and safety glasses. I can't remember the last one that bounced off my cheeks, but it happens.

great buy and good luck

Stones flying can not be good! If I can't score a side cover on the cheap, I'm thinking of fabbing a side cover (or two). Could use flat stock and pop a hole in the cover for the nut and washer

Had a teacher for small engine repair in high school that harped on us to wear safety glasses. There wasn't a day that went by that he wasn't "reminding" someone to get their eyes back on. One day at home, he ended up with a strand of wire wheel in his eyeball and was off for a few months. You can imagine how much fun we had with that one when he returned! Anyway, it's been 30 years now and that story still comes to mind and makes me cringe when I see a wire wheel :eyecrazy:

. Needless to say, the glasses are on when the grinder/wheel turns on

WWIIjeep said:
I think you'll find that it's a 7" grinder, not an 8". Assuming it's about 40 years old, 8" grinders of that era had a taller and more squared-off base, not curved like yours.

If it's a 7", it's 1/2 HP. If it runs at 1725 RPM, it's a model 7306. If it runs at 3450 RPM, it's either a 712 or a 7307.

Original color was either dark gray or Vista green. Baldor offered both colors in the early 70s.

The stand isn't original, but I imagine you know that.

I'd make a tool rest for the grinding wheel on the left side, and put a wire brush or convolute deburring wheel on the right side, without a tool rest.

That very well could be. The stone label says 8" but currently measures 7 1/4" Not sure if you can squeeze an 8" wheel on a 7" grinder? Is there a measurement on the grinder I can take to verify? Either way, thanks for the model info. The original color is intriguing in case I wanted to repaint it

Unmarked Bill said:
If you don't want the wheel to explode, you take aluminum to the sander instead of the wheel. I have never seen a wheel blow off a bench grinder.

I didn't know that about aluminum. Good to know

drivesitfar said:
Bill you may not have seen a grinding wheel blow up so here's a little bit of a google search to take a gander at. by the way I think these are all bench grinders and there are plenty more instances with angle grinder wheels exploding.

thanks for the tip on aluminum though and i'll have to remember that one.

http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/26801/daily-grind-test-knowledge-safety

http://www.georgiainjurylawyerblog.com/2009/05/grinding_wheel_failures_can_le.html

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/f19/grinding-side-wheel-8635/

Unmarked Bill said:
Yea it happens a lot more with angle grinders for all the obvious reasons. Aluminum heats up and cools in the wheel and it's nasty.

I'm suprised one of those cutting disks hasn't come apart on me yet. They're very thin and the glasses are most definately on

drivesitfar · Feb 25, 2014

Sheriff: pretty sure they still make and sell 7 inch wheels because I just sold an almost new 7 inch Baldor when I upgraded to my 8 inch baldor buffer last year.

good luck on making the guard for the grinding wheel and maybe you'll get lucky and find one and a tool rest is a great add on too.

glad you'll be wearing the safety glasses and by the way not sure if you are as old as some of us that use readers, but the newer safety glasses come with magnifiers in them if needed.

PS don't forget the heavy shirt or work apron if you do a lot of wire wheeling so you won't have to pick the flying wires out of you or your clothes.

good luck

Davefr · Feb 25, 2014

Sheriff Roscoe said:
-I'm keeping an eye on Ebay for side covers. Not sure I'm willing to pay the high cost for these though. Are they really necessary?

-I may fab some rests for it. Any other economical rest options?

You need one guard, two side covers, two eye shields, two tool rests and a couple spark deflectors.

Baldor probably has all those parts but they won't be cheap. I'd get a cheap HF 8" grinder at a garage sale and harvest all those parts. It would be easy to adapt them to work with that grinder.

Now you can safely put it to use while starting a long search for the original parts.

Even if you have to buy a new HF grinder to get the parts, they're still pretty cheap. (much, much cheaper then original Baldor parts)

WWIIjeep · Feb 25, 2014

Re: !

Sheriff Roscoe said:
That very well could be. The stone label says 8" but currently measures 7 1/4" Not sure if you can squeeze an 8" wheel on a 7" grinder? Is there a measurement on the grinder I can take to verify? Either way, thanks for the model info. The original color is intriguing in case I wanted to repaint it

Measure the inside of your intact left guard. Just by looking at it, with the 7-1/4" sized wheel on it, I doubt you'll get an 8"-plus-a-little measurement there.

What's the bottom color? Green? You can go either way--Vista green or dark gray, because Baldor offered both color options 40-odd years ago. You could even go red, because they offered a 7" model that way too.

I copied this for a previous topic about 6" Baldor grinders, but you can see some of the 7" text:

Voi · Feb 25, 2014

Re: !

Sheriff Roscoe said:
The stone label says 8" but currently measures 7 1/4" Not sure if you can squeeze an 8" wheel on a 7" grinder? Is there a measurement on the grinder I can take to verify?

I have an old Baldor 7306. Here is a picture with one of the side guards removed:

It looks like I have about 7 3/8" on the inside of my guard.

How much room do you have from the outside of the 7 1/4" wheel to the inside wall of the inner guard?

Here's another pic showing the general shape of the grinder.

rsanter · Feb 25, 2014

Make the tool rest on the left side and make a guard out of flat 16 ga steel with a clearance hole in the center for the nut and washer. Use that left with a grinding wheel.

Do a little cleanup grinding on the right and install a wire wheel and put the thing to use.

If it was me I think I would actually install 2 wire wheels and have one fine and one coarse.
Yea that's the best idea....send the grinder to me so I can do that

Bob

Sheriff Roscoe · Feb 25, 2014

I took a few measurements:

7 1/2" inside the guard area (notice I'm using 1" as my reference point)

The wheel measures 7 1/8" (previously said it was 7 1/4")

The distance between these two holes is 7 1/4"

Looking more like a 7" grinder, correct?

drivesitfar · Feb 25, 2014

you might want to put the grinding wheel in the drawer because it might be original one and sell it to collector in 50 years when you get the upgrade for this grinder you now own that should last at least that long.

WWII you really know your Baldor grinders. nice call sir :bowdown:

2oolhound · Feb 25, 2014

Yep, WWIIjeep nailed for ya. That wheel you have is about the largest you can run on it.

You could also remove the inner wheel guard on the rt and install a buffer wheel and try some buffing. Baldors have more wider end caps on their grinders than other brands so you can do quite a bit with them as is for buffing.

tedsters · Feb 25, 2014

i justed got this it was green when i got it and i didn;t think it was i thought it was repainted but it wasn't and i didn't get a pic before i redone it had white speckeles all over it from house paint you can look at the tag and see what kind of shape it was in its only a 1/4hp but a power house, I painted it Rustoleum Satin Granite X2
Baldor uses BattleShip Grey

Sheriff Roscoe · Feb 26, 2014

WWIIjeep said:
What's the bottom color? Green? You can go either way--Vista green or dark gray, because Baldor offered both color options 40-odd years ago. You could even go red, because they offered a 7" model that way too.

Well the plot thickens. There are 4 coats of paint instead of 3. The gray is on the green; the green is on the blue; and the blue is on....YELLOW?

The guy I bought it from was guessing age at about 40 years old but he wasn't certain as it was his dad's. The guy looked to be in his mid-late 50's so I'm wondering if the grinder could be much older. Any idea if 7" Baldors were offered in yellow way back when?

Voi said:
I have an old Baldor 7306. Here is a picture with one of the side guards removed:

I noticed your grinder doesn't have the exhaust chute out the back like mine does. Could this be a variant of a 7306/7 or a different model altogether?

Voi · Feb 26, 2014

Sheriff Roscoe said:
I noticed your grinder doesn't have the exhaust chute out the back like mine does. Could this be a variant of a 7306/7 or a different model altogether?

Mine does have an exhaust chute but it's located higher up. I'll take a better picture later.

Mine appears to be older. It has braided wire insulation in spots still and also has a different switch orientation than yours. I'm guessing they changed the design along the way.

WWIIjeep · Feb 26, 2014

Sheriff Roscoe said:
Well the plot thickens. There are 4 coats of paint instead of 3. The gray is on the green; the green is on the blue; and the blue is on....YELLOW?

The yellow could be zinc chromate primer.

How "blue" is the blue? Baldor's OEM dark gray is really more like a blue-gray, with a fair amount of blue tint.

Sheriff Roscoe · Feb 26, 2014

WWIIJeep: Your description of the OEM blue-gray is how I would describe it. It's not pure blue by any means nor is it pure gray...something in-between.

Other thing I noticed was the top (light gray) coat and the green coat chipped off fairly easily. The third coat down...the blue-gray does not chip easily if at all. I had to scrape/wire wheel to get through the blue-gray perhaps suggesting superior factory-applied paint vs rattle can paint?

drivesitfar · Feb 26, 2014

WWII that is a good thought on why it might be yellow because I have seen a lot of old Baldor grinders and all sizes and have yet to see a yellow one.

Sheriff I think you are peeling of the original coat of paint if coming off that hard. by the way what color are you going to paint it after taking down to bare metal? Hammered rustoleum rattlecan green or sending off to the paint booth with some auto body paint?

Sheriff Roscoe · Feb 26, 2014

WWIIjeep said:
If it's a 7", it's 1/2 HP. If it runs at 1725 RPM, it's a model 7306. If it runs at 3450 RPM, it's either a 712 or a 7307.

I have one of these gizmos on the way:

Sheriff Roscoe · Feb 26, 2014

drivesitfar said:
Sheriff I think you are peeling of the original coat of paint if coming off that hard. by the way what color are you going to paint it after taking down to bare metal? Hammered rustoleum rattlecan green or sending off to the paint booth with some auto body paint?

Now there is the question of the hour! :thumbup:

Going to the nth degree to find out the original color but that's mostly for age determination. Must say I have a strong preference for the "hammered" look; green, cobalt-blue, gray, hmmmm.......

Davefr · Feb 26, 2014

I picked up a NOS 7" Baldor. Unfortunately it came with bad paint. I think it was on a shelf in a warehouse where some solvent dripped on it and removed some of the factory paint on the motor. I did repaint the motor and after a lot of shopping found a perfect match for Baldor Gray. Hope this helps.

zkling · Feb 26, 2014

Great job on the repaint Dave. :thumbup:

Although the way it sits crooked on the base would drive me mad. :willy_nil

drivesitfar · Feb 26, 2014

great restoration Dave!!!! before you said it was old I thought it was the 3 year old one I sold last year.

Sheriff i'll try to find a dumbbell I painted that color to post here because I painted a whole set of them and had and extra one. as soon as it warms up i'm going to paint a lot of my vises that Hammered green color. not too shiny and looks great.

Sheriff Roscoe · Feb 26, 2014

Davefr: Oh my...she's a beauty! Would you like to sell your side covers, left guard, tool rests, face shields, name plate, etc?

Thanks for sharing!

Sheriff Roscoe · Feb 26, 2014

drivesitfar said:
Sheriff i'll try to find a dumbbell I painted that color to post here because I painted a whole set of them and had and extra one. as soon as it warms up i'm going to paint a lot of my vises that Hammered green color. not too shiny and looks great.

That would be perfect drivesitfar. My eyes are all open to suggestions

kenburkholz · Feb 26, 2014

O.K., Here goes, grinder safety 101. Before installing a new or used grinding wheel, always ping test them. use a piece of wire to support the wheel, and gently tap the wheel with a small hammer. You should hear a sharp ring, If the sound is a dull thud the wheel has cracks or fractures and should be thrown away. I'm not being overly cautious i'm being realistic.

Never, ever grind aluminum on a grinder. The advice to use a sander, earlier in this thread was right. When you grind aluminum it will leave a small deposit on the wheel, and every time that spot goes by the work piece more aluminum will be deposited resulting in a very serious out of balance condition. resulting in severe vibration and eventual wheel, and bearing failure. Safety glasses are not optional! Ken.

Sheriff Roscoe · Feb 26, 2014

kenburkholz said:
O.K., Here goes, grinder safety 101. Before installing a new or used grinding wheel, always ping test them. use a piece of wire to support the wheel, and gently tap the wheel with a small hammer. You should hear a sharp ring, If the sound is a dull thud the wheel has cracks or fractures and should be thrown away. I'm not being overly cautious i'm being realistic.

Never, ever grind aluminum on a grinder. The advice to use a sander, earlier in this thread was right. When you grind aluminum it will leave a small deposit on the wheel, and every time that spot goes by the work piece more aluminum will be deposited resulting in a very serious out of balance condition. resulting in severe vibration and eventual wheel, and bearing failure. Safety glasses are not optional! Ken.

Ken; thanks for the excellent advice! Hadn't heard about the wire hanging trick before...will be certain to do that

drivesitfar · Feb 26, 2014

kenburkholz said:
O.K., Here goes, grinder safety 101. Before installing a new or used grinding wheel, always ping test them. use a piece of wire to support the wheel, and gently tap the wheel with a small hammer. You should hear a sharp ring, If the sound is a dull thud the wheel has cracks or fractures and should be thrown away. I'm not being overly cautious i'm being realistic.

Never, ever grind aluminum on a grinder. The advice to use a sander, earlier in this thread was right. When you grind aluminum it will leave a small deposit on the wheel, and every time that spot goes by the work piece more aluminum will be deposited resulting in a very serious out of balance condition. resulting in severe vibration and eventual wheel, and bearing failure. Safety glasses are not optional! Ken.

that's a double thank you for the grinding wheel tips. thanks Ken

by the way i'm thinking of putting 2 wire wheels on my 3/4 3600 Baldor buffer that won't have any guards. safety glasses and apron or thick shirt and then ok??

Outlawmws · Feb 26, 2014

WWIIjeep said:
Snip

I'd make a tool rest for the grinding wheel on the left side, and put a wire brush or convolute deburring wheel on the right side, without a tool rest.

Another vote for this option and just keep a watch out for a dead Baldor for new guards shields later.

Outlawmws · Feb 26, 2014

drivesitfar said:
that's a double thank you for the grinding wheel tips. thanks Ken

by the way i'm thinking of putting 2 wire wheels on my 3/4 3600 Baldor buffer that won't have any guards. safety glasses and apron or thick shirt and then ok??

No, full face shield plus GOOD safety glasses, especially with the braided heavy wire wheels. And pay attention to bystanders also, I've found wire wheel bristles in amazing places later...

If you want body protection, since you are running sans even a deflector, I'd use a leather work apron and maybe welding leathers on your arms and I've and the heavy bristles go through my shirt sleeves on quilt lined shirts...

Davefr · Feb 27, 2014

Maybe it's just me, but I'd also never use a wire wheel without a guard and eye shields.

There's absolutely no reason you can't retrofit some cheap guards to that machine while you look for originals.

drivesitfar · Feb 27, 2014

thanks Outlaw and agreed those little buggers have been known to be everywhere and a few have bounced off my cheeks on the 6 inch B & D one I have been using without a guard. sweatshirts and jeans get a few embedded pretty deep so with the Baldor I better pick up some welding leathers or a heavy duty apron.

Dave i'm guessing you are addressing Sheriff's wire wheel situation because not sure how I would make guards or eye shields for my Baldor buffer, but good advice just the same.

Scored a Vintage 8" Baldor Grinder...Questions Though

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