"Let's see your Bench Grinders!"

[Steven67fr]

This thread should yield some great images and stories... hopefully. It'll need all of us to work out, though. But hey. I know we all love sharing stories. We should see some grinders new and old with plenty of character!

I'll get it started.

My main grinder is a 1hp 10' Milwaukee. Estate sale: $75
It's accomplices are a few smaller, newer baldor's.
It has a nice custom-fabbed stand with a little shelf for tools.

I want to give it a good cleaning and repaint... but the bearings are good and I use it literally every day. About time for a new stone for me... been putting off the expense as long as possible.

<a href="http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s283/steven67fr/?action=view&current=P6010723.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s283/steven67fr/P6010723.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Here's a second photo of the plate. If anyone can ID the vintage of this that would be superb. I was thinking 40's, but am not certain. I have not personally seen any other large, vintage Milwaukee's to compare.

<a href="http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s283/steven67fr/?action=view&current=P6010724.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s283/steven67fr/P6010724.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[930dreamer]

I bought this one today on ebay 1 hp, 3 phase $50. It's 350 miles from the house sooooo, road trip. I wonder if either of my daughters will tag along? The HH6 won't be to happy.

 

[Vettman]

My 79 yr. old buddy moved into an apartment, (tired of the upkeep on an old home) so I inherited his dad's grinder

 

[blazemaster83]

Here is mine. I just recently restored it. The PO said it came out of a Navy shipyard, but it doesn't have any markings to prove it. It's made by US Electrical Tool Co.

Year of Manufacture 1947
14"
1800 rpm
3 phase
3hp
495 lbs

Right now it's sporting a 10 inch wire wheel, and a chunky 36 grit 14" stone. I plan to get a 14 inch wire wheel and a few finer grit stones. It was a bit intimidating at first, but after using it a bit, it is very nice and solid. You can't bog this thing down, even on the most heavy stock removal. It's not much different than a small one, you can just grind much larger stuff.

It's missing the eyeshields (which I never use anyways) and one of the tool rests, but someone fabbed one that works fine. I don't even use it with the wire wheel anyways.

I paid $400 on CL, which I though was a bit at the time. I contacted the company, they still make them and have a new price of $6,250 so it made me feel better.

I also made the rolling stand recently as well, so I can wheel the beast out in the driveway when I want to get really dusty.

 

[cnc-me]

Got this nice 12" grinder on flea-bay last fall.
Specs-
2x12 Wheel
3 H.P.
220/440 3 Phase (No problem, have 220 3 Phase line power in shop )
Prewired 220
Lighted eye shields.
It runs so smooth you can hardly tell its running.
Brand new old stock from 1989 (I think).
Around $2200-$2300 new with pedestal
Never had a wheel on it 'till I put that little 10" on her.
My two favorite brands, Baldor motors & Allen Bradley controls - It don't get any better.
Oh, the best part of all, the price $150.00 Yah, gotta luv it.

Allen Bradley manual starter probably costs more than 150 bucks. (he he he)

 

[jabberwoki]

I've posted this before but i`m very proud of my beast it`s a 5 hp 3phase queen city high duty rescued from a dingy warehouse on the tide flats of Tacoma cost $200 had to cast a copy from the left wheel cover has it was missing it was cast in aluminum but the aluminium oxide wheel on the right was very expensive.
On top for scale is a 1/3 wisota

 

[SwampCat]

May I be the first to say - YOU ALL ****!!!

 

[pfbz]

Picked this up the other day... $30.

GM / Packard Grinder. 6.2 Amps.

 

[emeraldcoupe]

here's mine. 1 hp 8" craftsman . got it for $50 off cl.

 

[Jure]

damn,they looks so solid,here in europe is hard to find a good one,pretty much they are all made in china ^^

 

[Monte]

Bosch new and Bosch old

 

[torqueman2002]

Wow there are some outstanding grinders posted!

Here's one I got off CL with stand and diamond dressing tools for $70.00.

Some painting was needed.

Also in the back ground there's a 1/3 HP Dayton set up with grinding stones, runs smooth and spins down slowly.

 

[warmpancakes]

baldor 10 inch 1hp FREE work was throwing them away because the tool rests were broke and osha wasnt happy Baldor stand included the other of the pair was a 8 inch model gave it to a buddy with a matching stand

 

[91bronc300]

Grinder envy.

Especially Jabberwoki and Blazemaster

 

[cnc-me]

I've posted this before but i`m very proud of my beast i`ts a 5 hp 3phase queen city high duty rescued from a dingy warehouse on the tide flats of Tacoma

Nice looking grinder, I'm rebuilding a 16" Queen's City 5 H.P. buffer that is
very similar to your grinder. Buffing wheels are 54" on center.

 

[jabberwoki]

Nice looking grinder, I'm rebuilding a 16" Queen's City 5 H.P. buffer that is
very similar to your grinder. Buffing wheels are 54" on center.

I MUST see a picture of that!!!

 

[t100]

my pants are getting tight.

 

[ricleh]

10" Baldor bought off CL

 

[jabberwoki]

(Bosch new and Bosch old)
MMMM i love bosch tools!

 

[2oolhound]

Grinder envy.

+1 .....and I have 3 grinders (all of which I'd trade for one of the above!)

 

[tonydanzah]

My 79 yr. old buddy moved into an apartment, (tired of the upkeep on an old home) so I inherited his dad's grinder

that miller falls looks alot like my cman

 

[Steven67fr]

I knew that would happen! Some seriously great grinders would show up and I wouldn't be able to keep up with the commentary! We've got some real beasts on here. It like to see that 5hp buffer mentioned! Keep it coming guys!

 

[derkafer]

Here's my old Black & Decker 6". I picked it up for $15 at an estate sale. Runs smooooOOTH and weighs a ton. Any idea when it was made?

<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v600/derkafer/Garage/?action=view&current=IMGP4829Large.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/derkafer/Garage/IMGP4829Large.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v600/derkafer/Garage/?action=view&current=IMGP4831Large.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/derkafer/Garage/IMGP4831Large.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[lametec]

8" Sioux on pedestal.

On the pull down mount:

6" Thor
6" Craftsman
6" ProTech (China junk)

 

[Steven67fr]

Looks like that B&D the Millers Falls and my Milwaukee are all about the same vintage... but I don't know when that would be.

 

[whelenfan]

great grinders! What is the consensus, better to mount on the bench or on a stand?

 

[Hammer1963]

I've used 2 HP grinders, but a 5 HP bench grinder ! Do you use it to grind with or ride it to the store down the street. What a beast. If you read betwwen the lines I just typed, it's Jealousy rearing its ugly head. Nice tools guys!

 

[jabberwoki]

I've used 2 HP grinders, but a 5 HP bench grinder ! Do you use it to grind with or ride it to the store down the street. What a beast. If you read betwwen the lines I just typed, it's Jealousy rearing its ugly head. Nice tools guys!

After i bought that 5hp a guy on Practical machinist showed me a 7.5 hp pedestal grinder!!!!! WTF?????

 

[A_Pmech]

The current state of mine:

After i bought that 5hp a guy on Practical machinist showed me a 7.5 hp pedestal grinder!!!!! WTF?????

Funny you should mention that... These START at 7.5HP and go to 20HP:

 

[2oolhound]

20HP? Nasa should look at those. They could put a man into orbit.

 

[cnc-me]

I knew that would happen! Some seriously great grinders would show up and I wouldn't be able to keep up with the commentary! We've got some real beasts on here. It like to see that 5hp buffer mentioned! Keep it coming guys!

Here is some pics of the Queens City 5 H.P. Buffer.

Original photos from E-Bay auction.


Custom control panel and motor wiring junction box.


Another shot of the control panel. Aluminum plate will be drilled for buttons
and potentiometer. using an Eaton 5 horse variable speed drive.


Assembled with new bearings and epoxy primer ready to paint.
In the foreground you can see the one tool that fixes everything,
thats right, its the MSC catalog. If you can't fix it with this tool
you might as well scrap it.


Getting ready for a test run with my 3 phase motor tester.


Re-threading the 1-1/4" left hand threads.
Even with a good portion of buffer's spindle inside the Lathe's spindle
this 48" Clausing Lathe only has about 1/2" to spare.
Sometimes, long beds are good for more, than just taking up space in the shop.


This will have to due for now as I plan on doing a full write up on this,
in a separate thread.
-John

 

[cnc-me]

The current state of mine:

Is that a Hammond?
Looks like that housing could take a much larger stator.
Where do you get your rewinding supplies?

 

[DocsMachine]

Queen Citys seem to be more prevalent than I thought. When I got mine ($50 on Craigslist ) I'd never heard of the brand, and a Google search (about two years ago now) gave virtually no results, either text or photos. I think I found one other, besides mine.

Today, everybody has one.

Mine's a late 40's, early 50's (guessing by the dataplate style) 2HP 1700 RPM 12" model, that came from the Alaska Corrections System- IE, a prison machine shop.

I show people the wheels it came with- worn down to 7" or so- and say "Think of how many shanks were made with this."

Both guards have been crashed, shattered, and brazed back together. Both side covers are fabbed steel replacements. Imagine one of those 12" wheels blowing out...

I run it on a rotary phase converter, and as others have noted above, it'd probably take hydraulics to push a piece of steel into it hard enough to bog it down. I sure as hell can't. And it runs almost smooth enough to balance a nickel on it.

Doc.

 

[Steven67fr]

John- Great job on the 5hp grinder. I can't imagine what one would use a 7.5 hp grinder for. I (at least with standard shop tasks cant stall a 1hp if I try! StevenFl.

 

[torqueman2002]

Found this guy on CL and it followed me home. OK, I did feed it - $60.

Needs some eye-shields, tool rests, and a light; but it looks to be a CM 1 H.P. Block grinder, like emeraldcoupe's!

 

[ZRX61]

Well dagnabbit, guess I'll have to finsh the resto of my tool grinder & then take pics of that along with the other 3...

 

[strnjss]

Any of you doing restorations/repairs on your grinders should make some writeups with pictures! My father works with bench grinders every day, and in the past 30 years, he's built up quite the collection of dead (and or overheating) grinders. It would be kind of cool if I could fix a few of them up. I don't really have the knowledge to do so though. Hard to find writeups.

 

[torqueman2002]

Any of you doing restorations/repairs on your grinders should make some writeups with pictures! My father works with bench grinders every day, and in the past 30 years, he's built up quite the collection of dead (and or overheating) grinders. It would be kind of cool if I could fix a few of them up. I don't really have the knowledge to do so though. Hard to find writeups.

strnjss - I'm in the process of replacing the bearings on a CM 1/3 HP 1959 grinder, plus the power cord & switch, start capacitor, and internal wiring. I've sandblasted the motor covers, wheel covers, and tool rests. Next I'll paint and assemble with buffing wheels. I will be posting this soon. But in the mean time, this might help some ....
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=103220

 

[mrbreezeet1]

Here is some pics of the Queens City 5 H.P. Buffer.

Original photos from E-Bay auction.


Custom control panel and motor wiring junction box.


Another shot of the control panel. Aluminum plate will be drilled for buttons
and potentiometer. using an Eaton 5 horse variable speed drive.


Assembled with new bearings and epoxy primer ready to paint.
In the foreground you can see the one tool that fixes everything,
thats right, its the MSC catalog. If you can't fix it with this tool
you might as well scrap it.


Getting ready for a test run with my 3 phase motor tester.


Re-threading the 1-1/4" left hand threads.
Even with a good portion of buffer's spindle inside the Lathe's spindle
this 48" Clausing Lathe only has about 1/2" to spare.
Sometimes, long beds are good for more, than just taking up space in the shop.


This will have to due for now as I plan on doing a full write up on this,
in a separate thread.
-John

I have not done a lot of threading, and never left handed,
What is the Idea on doing a left handed thread on the lathe, do you have to rotate the work away from you and feed towards the tail stock?
Thanks,
Tony

 

[cnc-me]

I have not done a lot of threading, and never left handed,
What is the Idea on doing a left handed thread on the lathe, do you have to rotate the work away from you and feed towards the tail stock?
Thanks,
Tony

Usually, easier to do than a right hand thread.
Stock rotates towards you, and you feed toward the tailstock.
Someone over tightened the nut on this machine and goofed up the threads.
I considered getting a die but at $50 for a one time use, decided to re-thread
with the lathe instead. When I was done, the nut threaded right on, with no issues.
Have done quite a few left hand threads over the years, both new and re-threading
like this job.