Broke my harbor freight grinder, fixable?

[teknikfrog]

I had a piece of metal get sucked into the grinder because I failed to read the manual before use and install the guard.

The motor spins now but the abrasive disks do not. Is this something that can be repaired or should I toss it?

 

[swsman]

Take it apart, go from there.
See if something is broken on the drive gear.

Not too difficult to disassemble really, just regreased a couple of mine last week.

 

[RTM]

Probably something broke in the gear head, lucky if you can find a parts list, much less parts.

 

[The Cobbler]

4 screws to open the gearbox . if gears are damaged good luck . but it's worth a shot , if nothing else it will be a learning experience

 

[dogdog]

I had a piece of metal get sucked into the grinder because I failed to read the manual before use and install the guard.

The motor spins now but the abrasive disks do not. Is this something that can be repaired or should I toss it?

Lol. Hf sells lots of grinders.

 

[Junkman]

I once had the same thing happen with a new 8" circular saw. It was a small nail it hit and the gears stripped. I took it back to the store where I purchased it and they gave me a new one. The new one is now about 45 years old and it is still working like new. Sometimes you get a bad tool. You have nothing to lose by asking at the store.

 

[JeepYJ]

Probably something broke in the gear head, lucky if you can find a parts list, much less parts.

HF website has parts diagrams with part numbers. Really easy to order by calling their number and speaking to a human, free shipping and usually very reasonable costs.
Check their website for parts if you need them and you’re interested in fixing it.

 

[Rinspeed]

Lol.

 

[driftpin]

My orange housing Chicago Electric side grinder is still going strong and it must be close to 25 years old

 

[Walkers]

All HF tools are the easiest thing in the world to repair. Simply go buy a new one and return your broken tool 29 days later.

 

[swsman]

My orange housing Chicago Electric side grinder is still going strong and it must be close to 25 years old

I have one, and a couple others all over 20yrs old. Milwaukees are around 3 years old now, when in garage I still reach for corded first.

 

[MichaelP]

The motor spins now but the abrasive disks do not. Is this something that can be repaired or should I toss it?

Are you sure the disks should rotate on HF grinders?

 

[teknikfrog]

Ended up having a look at the grinder this morning. Apparently nothing broke but the bolt on one of the grinding discs came loose. Fixed, however while taking it apart and re-assembling it it became clear that this is practically a disposable grinder. I'll see how long it will last and then replace it with something else.

 

[dogdog]

Not sure if you are being vague or just not explaining it well. Which model grinder did you have ? What is clear? Or just your fuzzy feelings ?

 

[bwringer]

Ended up having a look at the grinder this morning. Apparently nothing broke but the bolt on one of the grinding discs came loose. Fixed, however while taking it apart and re-assembling it it became clear that this is practically a disposable grinder. I'll see how long it will last and then replace it with something else.

That's the beauty of these nasty things; they're so crappy and sloppy that they inexplicably last through years of abuse. At $10 to $15 each, I have at least five lying around with various abrasive implements attached just because it's easier than swapping.

Of course, they're also incredibly loud and screechy (wear ear protection), low on power (sometimes that matters, sometimes not), often vibrate severely, and the switches can be annoying.

 

[teknikfrog]

Not sure if you are being vague or just not explaining it well. Which model grinder did you have ? What is clear? Or just your fuzzy feelings ?

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-bench-grinder-with-led-lights-57286.html

So basically there are two concave "washers" on each abrasive disk. The issue is that if you tighten the bolts holding the disks on too far, it deforms the washers which either causes the disks to contact the metal housing, or the bolts come loose, which happened in my case on a brand new unit. Obviously this would get worse over time. There isn't really any fix for this design flaw, though you could potentially substitute your own spacers or something.

And then of course the runout on these things is atrocious, and also gets worse over time due to the aforementioned washers. Just a throwaway product all around.

 

[bwringer]

Ooooohhhhhhhhh.... you're talking about a BENCH grinder, and we're all talking about DIE grinders.

 

[Stelzer]

Sorry I don't have any great advice, other than to edit your title to read "Bench Grinder" vs. "Grinder". This entire time I was thinking you were referring to one of their angle grinders, and judging by some of the comments, I don't think I'm alone. Hope you get it fixed though.

 

[zendriver]

Ended up having a look at the grinder this morning. Apparently nothing broke but the bolt on one of the grinding discs came loose. Fixed, however while taking it apart and re-assembling it it became clear that this is practically a disposable grinder. I'll see how long it will last and then replace it with something else.

It’s a $50 bench grinder design for light use.

If someone used it hard enough to actually wear it out why would they not want to Simply dispose of it?

 

[RTM]

Ooooohhhhhhhhh.... you're talking about a BENCH grinder, and we're all talking about DIE grinders.

Wasn't that obvious from the pict.... Oh never mind...

 

[RTM]

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-bench-grinder-with-led-lights-57286.html

So basically there are two concave "washers" on each abrasive disk. The issue is that if you tighten the bolts holding the disks on too far, it deforms the washers which either causes the disks to contact the metal housing, or the bolts come loose, which happened in my case on a brand new unit.

Correct answer is get rid of those chintzy stamped washers, and get some nice turned ones. Cheap stuff shows up first, then the nice stuff is down the page, at a slight price increase. I bought a set of 10 hand made by a guy a few years back, for about 10% more than 2 stamped ones.

Google Search

The good stuff

 

[teknikfrog]

Ooooohhhhhhhhh.... you're talking about a BENCH grinder, and we're all talking about DIE grinders.

Fair enough. I did mention the grinding disc(s) though

 

[teknikfrog]

Correct answer is get rid of those chintzy stamped washers, and get some nice turned ones. Cheap stuff shows up first, then the nice stuff is down the page, at a slight price increase. I bought a set of 10 hand made by a guy a few years back, for about 10% more than 2 stamped ones.

The good stuff

Ohhhh intredasting. Yeah that would be a worthwhile upgrade. A little pricey though.

 

[RTM]

Ohhhh intredasting. Yeah that would be a worthwhile upgrade. A little pricey though.

Compared to spending an hour dicking around with trying to true a grinding WHEEL (not called discs or disks on a bench grinder in my world), it is $10 extra well spent.

 

[MoonRise]

Ooooohhhhhhhhh.... you're talking about a BENCH grinder, and we're all talking about DIE grinders.

And I thought he was talking about an angle grinder.

He did mention "disks", which typically are used on an angle grinder.

A die grinder is usually using a carbide burr, maybe a grinding point.

A bench grinder is usually using a grinding wheel, or maybe a wire wheel.

 

[Wamsutta]

Ended up having a look at the grinder this morning. Apparently nothing broke but the bolt on one of the grinding discs came loose. Fixed, however while taking it apart and re-assembling it it became clear that this is practically a disposable grinder. I'll see how long it will last and then replace it with something else.

I have two grinders and they're both the BOSCH 1375A. The first one I got over 20 years ago and it has had extensive use because I grind almost every day. So far the only thing I've had to do is replace one armature bearing and that was only $5 from the local industrial supply. Absolute awesome grinder. It is now a discontinued model, but there's a few still floating around on the internet as new old stock. I think the reason they discontinued it was because it would never wear out.

 

[dogdog]

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-bench-grinder-with-led-lights-57286.html

So basically there are two concave "washers" on each abrasive disk. The issue is that if you tighten the bolts holding the disks on too far, it deforms the washers which either causes the disks to contact the metal housing, or the bolts come loose, which happened in my case on a brand new unit. Obviously this would get worse over time. There isn't really any fix for this design flaw, though you could potentially substitute your own spacers or something.

And then of course the runout on these things is atrocious, and also gets worse over time due to the aforementioned washers. Just a throwaway product all around.

I have the craftsman ones 6” bench grinder for light use. Have no issues. Although I don’t over tighten the two bolts like a holy monkey on steroid. The two nuts are different one is left hand thread. Its design that way so it don’t spin off. Unless you modify your grinder to go the other way. I also have the 3” toy one for tungsten grinding, can’t complain. And their new 8” Hercules one. That is a beast. But all these comments, I don’t expect it to be a precision grinder like those tool post grinder things I don’t own… so…

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-heavy-duty-professional-bench-grinder-70557.html

 

[seber]

In fact it was the mention of discs that made everyone think angle grinder. Bench grinders don't use disks.

 

[Sumboodie]

Fair enough. I did mention the grinding disc(s) though

Bench grinder uses grinding wheels.

 

[bcschief]

Try here https://www.harborfreight.com/parts

 

[The Cobbler]

Fair enough. I did mention the grinding disc(s) though

Grinding Disc(s) are used in angle grinders .
Grinding (wheels) are used in bench grinders , although a buddy has a bench grinder with an angle grinder cut off disc mounted on it for making slots

 

[American Locomotive]

Ohhhh intredasting. Yeah that would be a worthwhile upgrade. A little pricey though.
Yeah that would be a worthwhile upgrade. A little pricey thoug

I know everyone's financial situation is different, but odds are if you have the $55 to blow on the grinder, you also have $25 to blow on new wheel washers. I think you can you spare what amounts to two McDonalds meals on a tool improvement.

Arbor Bench Grinding Washers 2-3/8″ OD x 1/2″ ID – Stainless Steel CNC Machined – Crown Kirk

Our CNC Arbor Washers are used for a better more consistent fit. With this all-new CNC machined design, it will help protect your bench grinder from being damaged by high-speed wobble caused by uneven alignment of bench grinding accessories. The Bowl-Style design is used to affix the grinder...

crownkirk.com

 

[Rinspeed]

Ooooohhhhhhhhh.... you're talking about a BENCH grinder, and we're all talking about DIE grinders.

I'm glad I'm not the only idiot.

 

[bwringer]

Also, the grinding WHEELS are held on with NUTS, not "bolts".

If you don't have the paper manual, you can download the manual for this bench grinder from the product page on HF's website, and it contains clear assembly instructions and diagrams, along with instructions for centering the wheels, correcting wobble and runout, etc. Something may be assembled wrong, or maybe the wheel on that side was damaged or the shaft got bent during the incident you describe.

Damaged grinding wheels are extremely dangerous, so be very careful with that. You mentioned a lot of runout, which could be due to a bent shaft. And even on the most expensive bench grinders, it always takes a little fine-tuning to get the grinding wheels running true.

 

[Innovate1]

Not exactly that model, but I have an HF bench grinder and it vibrates quite a bit. The better washers may help but I wonder about how they will seat on the poorly machined shaft and shoulder. There is also balance. Have read about making a couple out of intentionally unbalanced thin flat washers out of sheet metal to balance things but haven't gotten around to it.

 

[finn]

Those “concave washers” are Belleville washers, designed to collapse when the nut is tightened and maintain compression on the wheel. They’re essentially springs, and, if made with proper material and heat treatment won’t plastically deform.

That said, it is a HF grinder, after all. Who knows if the material and heat treatment are correct?

 

[Fixr]

I know everyone's financial situation is different, but odds are if you have the $55 to blow on the grinder, you also have $25 to blow on new wheel washers. I think you can you spare what amounts to two McDonalds meals on a tool improvement.

Arbor Bench Grinding Washers 2-3/8″ OD x 1/2″ ID – Stainless Steel CNC Machined – Crown Kirk

Our CNC Arbor Washers are used for a better more consistent fit. With this all-new CNC machined design, it will help protect your bench grinder from being damaged by high-speed wobble caused by uneven alignment of bench grinding accessories. The Bowl-Style design is used to affix the grinder...

crownkirk.com

Seems kinda like high-end lipstick on a potbelly pig.