let's see your craftsman block grinders

[jakemac]

I was under the impression that the earlier models (specifically the 397.19580 that it looks like he has) did not come with a plastic cover. I thought the plastic covers came around the time that the shields switched from metal framed glass to a plastic shield.

That could very well be. I guess you can tell by the existence of a screw hole in top of the metal cover. If there is one, then the screw goes through that hole and into the plastic cover. If there isn't a one, then you get to burn your fingers on the metal cover.

All: My block metal light doesn't have any screw holes so i guess OSHA wasn't around in the old days to prevent those nice burns on the skin if you weren't paying attention. i haven't taken mine apart yet to see when it was built so here's a picture of it.

All of that sounds about right to me. I think that the plastic covers showed up in the very late 60's or early 70's. But I don't have one on hand to compare.

 

[McBrownie]

All: My block metal light doesn't have any screw holes so i guess OSHA wasn't around in the old days to prevent those nice burns on the skin if you weren't paying attention. i haven't taken mine apart yet to see when it was built so here's a picture of it.

Drives,

That is good to know. My guess is that yours is early-mid 60's.

 

[drivesitfar]

McB: i do like the way your pair looks too. sorta like they are fully dressed and ready to go to a play.

 

[txusa03]

drivesitfar: your block does not meet today OSHA standard. Sent it to me and i will recycle it for you free of charge

 

[McBrownie]

McB: i do like the way your pair looks too. sorta like they are fully dressed and ready to go to a play.

Thank you! I really like that round top commercial. I had an 8" wire wheel on it this weekend (no guard) to clean parts while working on the car. It made a nice breeze in the garage.

 

[drivesitfar]

McB: your lights with their covers might have been ok with OSHA, but the open wire wheeling might not fly. sounds like you had fun and i hope you wore a thick shirt and a full face guard. when i do that style of wire wheeling i'm picking wires out of my pants and sweat shirts for months and thankfully nowhere else yet. nice to here the twins know how to work as well as look good.

Tex: probably won't be leaving my little garage anytime soon and if i burn myself or my kids do then i won't sue anybody. it's the learning curve my gramps taught me. if you are not bleeding to death you are not hurt and just shut up and keep working so we can get this done and go have some meatloaf and baked potatoes sooner.

 

[dgxlh]

I was told by another member I should post these in here. I figure it'll help the cheaper guys like me get a quick fix in making a shield for our grinders

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[McBrownie]

I was told by another member I should post these in here. I figure it'll help the cheaper guys like me get a quick fix in making a shield for our grinders

Drives: Absolutely with the safety gear. Too many RPM's not too.

dgxlh: Thanks for sharing those brackets. Simple and adjustable!

 

[organ]

Craigs list find....................Blew up the guys computer for 2 days, he finally e mailed me Monday, Said He only has computer at work.
Gave $125.00 for it. OEM Stand.
Guy said he paid about $200.00 20 years ago. But he says he never used it. Looks to be the case.

 

[McBrownie]

Ok, I'm no expert, but I don't see this passing an OSHA audit. It sure shines up metal in a hurry! Btw, I only use it with a face shield.

 

[drivesitfar]

McB: you know what i think of OSHA or maybe you don't read minds. anyway nice and it passes in my book and thanks for the awesome grinder ****.

DG: thanks for posting your homemade grinder's shield on the thread. even though the pictures are great would you care to elaborate how you bent the metal and what kind you used for the bracket. what kind of welding did you do for those that have the talent and would like to know in case they need to build a quick one? good job.

 

[helpfulhand]

Hopefully not showing up too late for this thread. I'm working on restoring my grandfathers grinder. From everything I'm finding it's a 115.7561. Just painted cases last night and started cleaning up the stator cover band. I'm using Rustoleum's Universal Flat Metallic Antique Nickel for the casing. I hope to get some pics up.

One thing I would like to find is a template or something to repaint the data plate. The stamps are still pretty visible but the paint is almost all gone except for some of the black.

I need to wire a new switch in, the one that was in it was too small and finally went out. I was probably 10-11 when I put it in and now I'm 35 so it wasn't too bad.

Hope to talk some more and check some other threads as I don't normally sign up for these.

 

[stage20]

i had been warned to stay away from the 257 prefix model because it had a plastic case and was junk. i went back to the thrift shop yesterday and it was still sitting there. it is a metal case, still unsure about it. its marked 69 bucks but i know i could get it for 50 with the way the pricing is done there

 

[Itinerant]

i had been warned to stay away from the 257 prefix model because it had a plastic case and was junk. i went back to the thrift shop yesterday and it was still sitting there. it is a metal case, still unsure about it. its marked 69 bucks but i know i could get it for 50 with the way the pricing is done there

Then it doesn't sound like the model Nine posted a pick of last month, did you get the full model number?

 

[torqueman2002]

Hopefully not showing up too late for this thread. I'm working on restoring my grandfathers grinder. From everything I'm finding it's a 115.7561. Just painted cases last night and started cleaning up the stator cover band. I'm using Rustoleum's Universal Flat Metallic Antique Nickel for the casing. I hope to get some pics up.

One thing I would like to find is a template or something to repaint the data plate. The stamps are still pretty visible but the paint is almost all gone except for some of the black.

I need to wire a new switch in, the one that was in it was too small and finally went out. I was probably 10-11 when I put it in and now I'm 35 so it wasn't too bad.

Hope to talk some more and check some other threads as I don't normally sign up for these.

Helpful .. welcome aboard. We are in a prime spot in Michigan for picking up these vintage grinders.

I have have a 1/3 HP m-115.7566 and a 1/4 HP m-115.19500.

I haven't seen a template for the machine tag/label. I have seen others hand paint them though.

For more resources and ideas on restoring these simple machines, check out this related thread. --> http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4000536&posted=1#post4000536

 

[torqueman2002]

i had been warned to stay away from the 257 prefix model because it had a plastic case and was junk. i went back to the thrift shop yesterday and it was still sitting there. it is a metal case, still unsure about it. its marked 69 bucks but i know i could get it for 50 with the way the pricing is done there

Some m-257 grinders are metal and some are plastic cased.

See this link for pictures. --> http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4000536&posted=1#post4000536

What is the HP and model number? Are all the pieces there? Some can be impossible to find, others are still available.

Condition and location are the big factors for me when I decide how much I will pay.

Don't forget to post up some pictures.

Good luck.

 

[Davefr]

I picked up this old CM Commercial grinder for $15 at a G-sale. The good news is that it was almost NOS. The bad news is that all the attachments were missing. (looks like they were never installed)

It looks like the Commercial version offered guards with dust chutes, better (more versatile) tool rests, bigger 6.2 amp motor and 7" X 1" wheels.

As Found:

I made some U shaped brackets out of 1/8" X 3/4" cold rolled steel and added a Dayton Eye Shield kit. (about $13/pr from Zoro Tools and much better then the original fragile CM eye shields). I also had to make the spark arrestors.

The next project was fabrication of tool rests. These were made from 3/16" X 1" and 3/16" X 1.25" cold rolled steel. (the Commercial series uses 2 pc tool rests mounted in the inboard side of the guard)

The next project will be the light. The plastic cover is still available but not the metal lamp shade. I ordered the plastic cover and once I receive it I'll see if one of these could be modified to work:

Here she is so far:

I'll post an update once I get the lamp completed.

 

[drivesitfar]

Dave: that awesome grinder found the right home. nice job on the restoration and piecing all the puzzle back together. looking like a keeper more and more. nice work and a pretty decent deal too.

 

[helpfulhand]

So upon further investigation, I have found mine was not what I thought it was. The model number matches this Model: 397.19501 Craftsman 1/4 HP Grinder
http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=15121

Still my grandfathers grinder and it prides me to fix it no matter what the model.

I have a friend that will be helping me with remaking my badge and I am planning on silk screening it.

 

[yotie]

1976 craftsman "Block" 1/2 Hp 8" bench grinder, so I didn't want no Chinese **** so I was on the hunt for an older grinder, found it on CL , bought off a young guy, he said he Had bought it from an old man having a yard sale back in 2013, its clean, I think iv used it more in the last 3 weeks iv had it, it also came with a box of 4 original grinding wheels, 3 wire wheels, and about 10 buffing pads,3 diffrent box's of compounds, all in old packaging, iv timed how long it takes to stop spinning after power down, im at 4 minutes, hahaha,......... sorry for the way the pictures uploaded. ..

 

[torqueman2002]

1976 craftsman "Block" 1/2 Hp 8" bench grinder, so I didn't want no Chinese **** so I was in the hunt for an older grinder, found it on CL , bought of a young guy, he said he Had bought it from an old man having a yard sale back in 2013, its clean, I think iv used it more in the last 3 weeks iv had it, it also came with a box of 4 original grinding wheels, 3 wire wheels, and about 10 buffing pads,3 diffrent box's of compounds, all in old packaging, iv timed how long it takes to stop spinning after power down, im at 4 minutes, hahaha,

Nice, very nice score.

Here's a link to a lot of information on grinders and CM Block grinders in particular. --> http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249539

One or two notes of caution though.

It is good practice to stand to the side, not directly in front, when starting up a grinder; in the unlikely and unfortunate event a stone comes apart. The wheel guards, covers, spark arrestors, eye shields, and tool rests are important to have installed and properly adjusted for safest operation when grinding.

Any stone may have hard to see cracks and any that have not been stored properly (dry) should be discarded. Here is a link to a grinding stone 'Ring Test'.
'Ring Test' - Checking grinding stones for hidden cracks.
Important - The 'Ring Test' is primarily applicable to vitrified bonded wheels.
http://tinyurl.com/Grinding-Wheel-RingTest-Norton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NDtL4gisZYo



BTW - Welcome to the Journal, and this thread.

 

[drivesitfar]

Yotie: i watched your YouTube video except for the run down time which sounds amazing. the box full of new wheels sounds like you had Christmas early and were still a kid. dang that was some great stuff inside that box. Welcome to the Block gang and now since you have enough wheels i guess you'll need to find a few more block grinders and make some more cool wood stands. Brent actually mounted a few on his rolling tool boxes if you can find his posts so he can have different wheels set up on all of his blocks.

TM: Agree with everything you posted.

 

[yotie]

Thanks guys!!

 

[McBrownie]

Sorry that I can't post a pic, but a complete early '60s 1/2hp industrial complete with quench tray and homemade stand for $100. Not a steal, but a rare one and in good shape. It's also the first block grinder that i have seen for awhile in this area. Unfortunately, I'm not in the market. Someone grab it before the one of the Michigan gang comes down here and takes it away! :

http://mansfield.craigslist.org/tls/4603359861.html

 

[torqueman2002]

Sorry that I can't post a pic, but a complete early '60s 1/2hp industrial complete with quench tray and homemade stand for $100. Not a steal, but a rare one and in good shape. It's also the first block grinder that i have seen for awhile in this area. Unfortunately, I'm not in the market. Someone grab it before the one of the Michigan gang comes down here and takes it away! :

http://mansfield.craigslist.org/tls/4603359861.html

McB - Here you go, and a 'firm' price that is 2x what should be paid - it's safe from this Michigan guy; and I can't drive just yet!

 

[McBrownie]

McB - Here you go, and a 'firm' price that is 2x what should be paid - it's safe from this Michigan guy; and I can't drive just yet!

Thanks TM. I hope you get back on the road soon.

 

[jotimm05]

Just picked this guy up from a tool sale/swap on Saturday. I'm new to these but from learning from you guys this looks like I struck gold! It's a 397.19581, I paid $25 for it. When going through it would it be wise to replace fasteners with stainless steel ones?

 

[McBrownie]

Just picked this guy up from a tool sale/swap on Saturday. I'm new to these but from learning from you guys this looks like I struck gold! It's a 397.19581, I paid $25 for it. When going through it would it be wise to replace fasteners with stainless steel ones?

Jot,
Yes you did! That quench tray alone costs $25 to replace. Nice job and welcome to the club.

 

[torqueman2002]

jot - nice grab.

Welcome to the forum and the thread. See the link in my sig. line for more information on grinders and these Block grinders.

I've had good results wire wheeling, buffing the fasteners. Stainless steel would look nice though.

 

[softailgarage]

Just picked this guy up from a tool sale/swap on Saturday. I'm new to these but from learning from you guys this looks like I struck gold! It's a 397.19581, I paid $25 for it. When going through it would it be wise to replace fasteners with stainless steel ones?

Hey Jot, welcome to The Garage and Craftsman bench grinders. First of all let me say, YOU ****! There, thats out of the way. If I'm painting the grinder a different color, like black & gold, I'll use brass nuts and bolts, other than that I use a bench grinder/buffer, some rouge and buff/polish the fasteners to a chrome finish (I would replace them but I have this thing about keeping it as original as possible).

BTW... A "you ****" on GJ is a good thing

 

[jotimm05]

Thanks for all the positive feedback! Softail, you ****! One, for being from Oceanside. We have vacationed there, and if I can make it happen ill retire there. Two, you prolly have one bad bike. Back to grinders: I flitzed the eye pro tonight and they look so much clearer!

 

[torqueman2002]

OK - rule is - photos are needed, or as 'they' say - it didn't happen.

And, help an old duffer out - what is "I flitzed the eye pro ..." ?

BTW
Suckage is seconded!

 

[drivesitfar]

TM: those young guys and their cell posts and voice recognition or spell check. new language for sure and maybe meant to say "fixed".

cheers

Jot: welcome to the block gang and to the Forum. glad to have you and it looks like you have at least one good grinder on your bench.

 

[jotimm05]

TM, I used Flitz polish on the eye protection and it turned out great. Its funny because I have only used that metal polish on plastic items... Looks like I might have to fabricate a spark arrester for the left side. The pic is after the Flitz polish.

 

[torqueman2002]

Aaah, I get it now. They do look nice and clear.

I'll make a note to try that.

Thanks.

 

[balane]

Flitz is good stuff. I use it to polish the feed ramps on firearms and it does an amazing job.

 

[4xdog]

I bought this ½-HP Craftsman 6-inch bench grinder new circa 1982-1983, and although I use it regularly I don't use it heavily. It's mounted to a piece of 1¼ plywood with two handles on it so I can move it around. That's turned out to be especially useful since I inherited my brother's Workmate.

I have the manual, the two end covers, the other tool rest, and the original wheel where there's a wire wheel now. The affection for these things is not misplaced -- it's a great little block grinder.

 

[McBrownie]

I bought this ½-HP Craftsman 6-inch bench grinder new circa 1982-1983, and although I use it regularly I don't use it heavily. It's mounted to a piece of 1¼ plywood with two handles on it so I can move it around. That's turned out to be especially useful since I inherited my brother's Workmate.

I have the manual, the two end covers, the other tool rest, and the original wheel where there's a wire wheel now. The affection for these things is not misplaced -- it's a great little block grinder.

Dog, that is another great option for a Workmate mount. I can even envision hanging that grinder on the wall if you did not want to take up shelf space. Thanks for the ideas!

 

[4xdog]

...I can even envision hanging that grinder on the wall if you did not want to take up shelf space...

That would probably indeed work, although I've never thought about it.

There have been many times in the past where I placed the grinder across one of the drawers on, for example, those old lab cabinets in the background, and closed the door on the plywood slab to hold it in place.

I've inherited my dad's old half-baked Craftsman "table saw" -- a puny thing that he had mounted on an old wooden TV cabinet. I don't need a table saw so often that I can afford the space for a real one, so I'm going to mount it to a plywood slab just like the block grinder and use the Workmate the same way.

 

[softailgarage]

TM, I used Flitz polish on the eye protection and it turned out great. Its funny because I have only used that metal polish on plastic items... Looks like I might have to fabricate a spark arrester for the left side. The pic is after the Flitz polish.

I understood what he was saying, geesh you guys.

Jot- Flitz is pretty abrasive stuff, did it leave any scratches in the plastic?