Best Bench Grinder

[SMLWinds]

Ok....first of all, I realize "best" is subjective but I am intentionally soliciting your subjective opinions!

I am in the market for a bench grinder. I want top of the line quality. I have researched it and quickly found that Baldor is widely considered king of bench grinders.

My uses will be varied. Everything from sharpening, to using a wire wheel, to whatever use. I want something versatile.

While looking at the Baldors I noticed that an 8" grinder is monumentally more expensive than a 6" grinder. As humbly as I can say so, I can afford any of them. My question is, does the increased capability of an 8" grinder justify doubling the price over a 6"?

If you could have any grinder you wanted for varied and versatile use, which grinder would you choose, if cost was not a factor? Thanks!

 

[Voi]

If I could have any grinder but only one (and at the price of a new 8" Baldor) I'd want one that ran a 2" belt on one side & an 8" wheel on the other. Most of the time that wheel would be a wire brush.

 

[exmaxima1]

If I could have any grinder but only one (and at the price of a new 8" Baldor) I'd want one that ran a 2" belt on one side & an 8" wheel on the other. Most of the time that wheel would be a wire brush.

+1
Best option is to buy a decent Baldor grinder and add the Multitool Belt Adapter (sold by Trick Tools). Get the 2x48 adapter.

 

[LNKMK8]

How about a nice, well cared for older Craftsman Block Grinder?

 

[ducksface]

How about a nice, well cared for older Craftsman Block Grinder?

Why?

 

[ducksface]

Get two 6inch Baldor, get the adapter, set them up to really use.
Grinding wheel, belt, brush and sharpening stone all available without any change over.
Watch the balancing videos, balance the whole unit, and you'll find lots of uses for them.

If you have to monkey dance around storage of wheels, the grime involved in such, and constantly changing wheels and tools, you won't use them as much due to inconvenience.

The 8 inch serves no purpose for hobby use over the 6 inch.
Increased circumference means decreased wheel changes.
Torque factor means leaning into it for faster cut.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Get two 6inch Baldor, get the adapter, set them up to really use.
Grinding wheel, belt, brush and sharpening stone all available without any change over.
Watch the balancing videos, balance the whole unit, and you'll find lots of uses for them.

If you have to monkey dance around storage of wheels, the grime involved in such, and constantly changing wheels and tools, you won't use them as much due to inconvenience.

The 8 inch serves no purpose for hobby use over the 6 inch.
Increased circumference means decreased wheel changes.
Torque factor means leaning into it for faster cut.

Duck; That 8" would be a honey of a grinder, but I certainly agree with buying two smaller units to avoid changing wheels all the time. I use four grinders set up with wheels and brushes for specific jobs, and have three in reserve. When I dress the grinding wheels and adjust the tool rests and spark shields; they are ready for use. That is the way I like them.

 

[bczygan]

Duck; That 8" would be a honey of a grinder, but I certainly agree with buying two smaller units to avoid changing wheels all the time. I use four grinders set up with wheels and brushes for specific jobs, and have three in reserve. When I dress the grinding wheels and adjust the tool rests and spark shields; they are ready for use. That is the way I like them.

This!!!

And then there is buffers........!

Bill

 

[notlob]

IMO, the best bench grinder is a belt grinder, plus an 8" bench grinder set up with 2 wire wheels - fine on one side and coarse on the other.

After using grinding wheels for 40+ years, I have recently become a belt grinder convert. A belt grinder it provides greater speed, flexibility, control, and incredible versatility. It provides the ability to change from massive stock removal to mirror finish (and anywhere in between) with a belt change that takes a few seconds. After using a decent belt grinder, a grinding wheel seems like a relic from the stone age.

Here's a nice belt grinder:

https://beaumontmetalworks.com/product/the-kmg-industrial-belt-grinder/

 

[matt_i]

I agree completely with above, I have this 6" Delta bench grinder that I run out of necessity mainly to sharpen tig tungstens and HSS toolbits....but the tool I would much rather use is a Baldor 2" x 48" belt sander. Not as nice as above but as noted it can be either a roughing or finishing tool.

Also in the arsenal are a Conquest 20" disc sander, and Porter Cable G8 sanding center for more serious jobs.

 

[WhoWhatNow]

I would agree with the people saying to get a belt grinder. Much easier to change abrasives, fast material removal and no chance of a grinding wheel flying apart. I have the belt only version of this and it is awesome:

https://www.baldor.com/catalog/248-181TD

 

[bczygan]

Belt and disc sanders/grinders should also be in the toolkit.

I have Kalamazoo ones.

Bill

 

[rmack898]

An 8" Baldor is hard to beat.
I have an 8" Baldor with a stone on one side and a wire brush on the other, this tool gets used every day.

For serious grinding, I have a 2X48 belt grinder.

http://www.radiusmaster.com.au

Baileigh has in import version of the Jancy that is just about identical for 1/3 less money and I can't tell the difference.

I have the Jancy at my day job and the Baileigh at home.

 

[exmaxima1]

I would agree with the people saying to get a belt grinder. Much easier to change abrasives, fast material removal and no chance of a grinding wheel flying apart. I have the belt only version of this and it is awesome:

https://www.baldor.com/catalog/248-181TD

I have the belt-only version as well. Mine was 3-phase so it is now VFD-equipped, so variable speed and electronic start/stop. Great grinder, very smooth.

That said, it is not my favorite because the rubber contact wheel is not readily accessed. You grind against a platen on the Baldor, which really deprives you of one the best joys of using a belt grinder. You need to have the rubber wheel out front so you grind/sharpen against it. Not only is the rubber more resilient than a hard platen, but you can push harder into into without breaking the belt: the belt is carried with the wheel, not dragged across a platen where it can overheat and break.

Best value is still a Multi-Tool adapter for general work, Kalamazoo is much cruder but ok for deburring and light grinding (keep in mind its slow speed on the basic models), and Baldor is ideal if you need square edges and want a machine to last a lifetime.

 

[tool_scrounge]

I have the belt-only version as well. Mine was 3-phase so it is now VFD-equipped, so variable speed and electronic start/stop. Great grinder, very smooth.

That said, it is not my favorite because the rubber contact wheel is not readily accessed. You grind against a platen on the Baldor, which really deprives you of one the best joys of using a belt grinder. You need to have the rubber wheel out front so you grind/sharpen against it. Not only is the rubber more resilient than a hard platen, but you can push harder into into without breaking the belt: the belt is carried with the wheel, not dragged across a platen where it can overheat and break.

Best value is still a Multi-Tool adapter for general work, Kalamazoo is much cruder but ok for deburring and light grinding (keep in mind its slow speed on the basic models), and Baldor is ideal if you need square edges and want a machine to last a lifetime.

If you get the tilting version of the Baldor grinder, you can pivot the grinder back and get good access to the rubber contact wheel. Almost all these grinders I have seen advertised on the used market have the lower half of the bottom wheel guard removed, so I presume using the contact wheel is pretty common.

https://www.baldor.com/catalog/248-151AS#tab="specs"
https://www.baldor.com/catalog/248-151AS#tab="specs"

 

[exmaxima1]

If you get the tilting version of the Baldor grinder, you can pivot the grinder back and get good access to the rubber contact wheel. Almost all these grinders I have seen advertised on the used market have the lower half of the bottom wheel guard removed, so I presume using the contact wheel is pretty common.

That's a good point. Tilted back it would be much like my home-made belt grinder. It started out as a 1hp Dayton 10-inch grinder, and I added a Grizzly contact wheel (and other components).

 

[JiminAZ]

8" Baldor, 1800 RPM.

For my woodworking and other tempered tools the slower wheel runs cooler and less propensity to get the steel hot enough to take out the temper.

Have a Tormek for the final hone

I agree with above comments on utility of a belt unit. Need to buy one myself.

 

[engineer2]

I have a Wilton 17205 8" and it's plenty good for home use, but the light is worthless.
The Baldor units look nice!
Find one with good shields and good lighting.

 

[SMLWinds]

This is great information and so helpful--thanks to all! So, a few things...

It seems most agree Baldor is a great grinder. It seems there are a few other good brands out there but Baldor is certainly a quality company as I thought.

Can someone please explain to me exactly what the huge advantage is of an 8" wheel vs. a 6" wheel? The price increase is massive. Why is an 8" so much better?

Next, I know answers will vary widely, but how many different abrasive options do you want to have? You have belts vs. wheels, different grit wheels, wire brushes, etc. I completely see having a couple units so you aren't always changing wheels.

I understand faster RPM will heat up metal and potential ruin it so there is an arguement for slower RPMs. With that said, what specs do you want/need with a grinder? What hp? What RPM?

If we narrow it down to Baldor, which models would you suggest? I honestly get lost in the number of models. And, the differences between the $250 Baldor 6" grinders and the 2K, 3K, 4K+ models doesn't seem that large. However, I know that in general if there is a more expensive model it exists and is on the market at that price for good reason. Would one maybe be best off going with a couple units that are under $1000 for various grinding stone and wire wheel options and then having a "daddy" unit with a 2" belt and 8" stone that costs 2K-3K? Or do I just need to **** it up and buy all more expensive units so I don't end up upgrading or regretting my purchase? What I am wondering is whether the 3K-4K units are versatile and can run anything, but if you are dedicating machines to a certain use (wire wheel, certain grit stone, etc) are there some abrasive surfaces that are just as good on a $500 grinder if you don't need versatility to change between surfaces because you have multiple dedicated grinders.

Sorry for all the questions (and ignorance) but these answers are really helping. Any further help is greatly appreciated!

 

[cvairwerks]

There are two big differences between the 6” and 8” grinders, no matter who builds them. Virtually every 6” out there has a 3600 rpm motor. They have to turn that fast to get decent speeds on the wheels to work, with such low torque motors. 8” and larger unts turn 1500 or 1800 rpms, and are typically over 1.5 hp, and can make the necessary torque at those lower rpms.

The other thing you will notice, is that there is a substantial increase in the weight when you jump from a 6 to an 8. The weight increase helps keep the grinder from moving around when it’s not absolutely and rigidly bolted down. That weight also cuts down on any vibration due to wheel, motor or mounting imprefections when an operator starts loading the grinder down.

Select the size based on current and anticipated uses, and go from there. Who knows, six months from now you might figure out you need a 7.5 hp 12 unit in the shop more than the 6”.

 

[bob15]

Just curious if you have looked in the used grinder world. I bought a 1hp Stanley (Kingston-Conley made) 10" grinder for under 100 bucks (actually I bought 2 of them).

Nothing wrong with old USA-made used bench grinders......

 

[GTO]

My 8" "Craftsman Best" from the 70's......it was free w/stand.

 

[zkling]

You said best...

A traditional bench grinder can be dangerous and cumbersome to fully use a wire wheel on. Get one of these.

https://www.burrking.com/catalog/p-100016/model-800-deburring-polishing-machines

A 2" wide belt grinder is the modern work horse of abrasive stock removal for small to medium tasks.

https://www.burrking.com/catalog/p-100000/model-760-1.5-x-60-or-2-x-60-three-wheel-belt-grinder

Or the KMG if you prefer the more open contact wheel.

If you still feel the need, then pick up a 6" Baldor bench grinder and put some upgraded rests on it.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I recently aquired a Baldor 8" that I am in the process of giving a new life. That multitool attachment looks awesome but it is expensive! I will be replacing a craftsman (non block) 1 /2 hp 8" grinder. Some very good points and info on here. I also have a craftsman 4" belt/6" disk combo sander. Is it possible to use that as a metal sander? I know it doesn't have the same tensioning mechanism as the multitool type sanders. I just dont have the space for another dedicated tool.

 

[pcmeiners]

Unless you must have brand new be wise and pick up used off Ebay or an auction. Have 3 Baldors, 2 ten inch , an eight inch, and a Baldor buffer all used, at 25% or less of new cost. Some older units my require a bearing change, but it is very easy and fun.

 

[Gregua]

I was making choice of bench grinder for a long time. But I was lucky to find a well-done review about 10 popular bench grinders. Click this out.I stopped on JET 577102 JBG-8A. What do you think about it?

 

[exmaxima1]

I was making choice of bench grinder for a long time. But I was lucky to find a well-done review about 10 popular bench grinders. Click this out.I stopped on JET 577102 JBG-8A. What do you think about it?

Not worth $300. You can buy a really nice vintage machine for less than that, and it will run smoother and more stable.