let's see your craftsman block grinders
- Thread starter emeraldcoupe
- Start date
trijeff
Well-known member
Howdy gents! Some of you may recall I lucked out into one of the CM pedestal bases, did not come with a CM grinder. Have been keeping an eye out for a 1HP but not sure that's going to happen. In the meantime/alternate, is the 1/3 pictured below a good deal at $35? If so, like a "just OK" deal or a "run over there right now" deal?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Thanks in advance for your help!
+1
Exactly my thoughts. I have a 1/2hp Cap Start Commercial block sitting on the shelf that needs the end covers, and I thought they were only on the Commercial units.
Could this be a 6-inch rather than the usual 7-inch 1/2hp blocks??
IIRC, the commercial factor is dual voltage.
1/2 Hp with dust ports are 7" units
-115v only are non commercial
-115/230v are commercial
3/4 hp and above are 8", dual voltage, some are labeled commercial, some are not.
They also made a 1/3hp round top? with dust ports that was dual voltage and labeled commercial.
1/2 Hp with dust ports are 7" units
-115v only are non commercial
-115/230v are commercial
3/4 hp and above are 8", dual voltage, some are labeled commercial, some are not.
They also made a 1/3hp round top? with dust ports that was dual voltage and labeled commercial.
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jakemac
Well-known member
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Jeff: i agree to get that 1/3 HP because it has all it's parts. Looks like just dress the stone after a wipe down of the block and put it on your CMan stand and plug it in. nice find and yes you might look for a while for a 3/4 or 1 HP block, but don't stop looking because just as you do it will appear.
TM: another nice block for your "extended family". you must have a family tree sort of like the members of the Greek Family Wedding movie and best of luck filling all those block orders/requests.
TM: another nice block for your "extended family". you must have a family tree sort of like the members of the Greek Family Wedding movie and best of luck filling all those block orders/requests.
balane
Well-known member
I burnt up my first block grinder yesterday. It's my own fault, I've been running it too long and too hard lately. It tripped the circuit breaker on the power strip. The grinder was hot to the touch also. I let it cool and tried it again, same thing. So I tore it down, replaced some wiring inside and also the power cord. No help. It's the windings I'm pretty certain. I had a spare so no great big deal but I learned they can only take abuse so far. It was a 1/2 HP flat top. It had been getting louder over the last few weeks so I think it's time was coming anyway.
balane
Well-known member
wire wheel and grinding a little, mostly the wire wheel.
picked up a 1/2 hp 7in when i first seen this the pics were kind of dark, i thought it was a 3/4hp but i am happy with what i got it has a crappy paint job but it probably kept it from rusting more, THE PLUS nothings broke, everything works, and everything is on it, and runs like a champ, and this light is gonna look awesome its got the swivel head and the metal lamp shade.
i have been searching for one with this base plate with water tray in it and tool rest on it, and finally found one
i have been searching for one with this base plate with water tray in it and tool rest on it, and finally found one
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firemanast
Well-known member
Very nice find !picked up a 1/2 hp 7in when i first seen this the pics were kind of dark, i thought it was a 3/4hp but i am happy with what i got it has a crappy paint job but it probably kept it from rusting more, THE PLUS nothings broke, everything works, and everything is on it, and runs like a champ, and this light is gonna look awesome its got the swivel head and the metal lamp shade.
i have been searching for one with this base plate with water tray in it and tool rest on it, and finally found one
McBrownie
Well-known member
picked up a 1/2 hp 7in when i first seen this the pics were kind of dark, i thought it was a 3/4hp but i am happy with what i got it has a crappy paint job but it probably kept it from rusting more, THE PLUS nothings broke, everything works, and everything is on it, and runs like a champ, and this light is gonna look awesome its got the swivel head and the metal lamp shade.
i have been searching for one with this base plate with water tray in it and tool rest on it, and finally found one
Really Cool! Those '50's pre-blocks are nice. I have that same swivel lamp. It's keeps you from having to twist the gooseneck all over the place. Are you planning on cleaning it up? If so, can't wait to see the "after" pics.
yes i am gonna go completely thru it, bit its not on my priority list.
all i have been doing since i have been off from work is WHEELING and DEALING literally i have not been getting nothing done hardly, i still can't lift over 10lbs straight up with my left arm thats why the grinder is still in the back of the car, but i will get to it.
your grinder set up with that light on it is awesome
altersaddle
Well-known member
I bought 7" wire wheels for my block, and had one on for all of thirty seconds. 3750 RPM is too fast for my liking, it was blowing air like crazy.
I suspect that running sustained with all that extra load is pretty hard on the motor. An induction motor wants to run at full speed all the time, so if you load it up so it can't run "normally" then it may be relying on the start windings the whole time. (Depends on the motor, so I might be way wrong here too)
I'll use the wire wheels on my lathe, so I can run them slower, or rig up a pillow block buffer setup with a 1725 RPM drive.
torqueman2002
Well-known member
The variety never seems to end.
torqueman2002
Well-known member
Coyote556
Well-known member
Just picked this up tonight, on the pedistal for 120. Did I do ok? 257.192190
torqueman2002
Well-known member
torqueman2002
Well-known member
picked up a 1/2 hp 7in when i first seen this the pics were kind of dark, i thought it was a 3/4hp but i am happy with what i got it has a crappy paint job but it probably kept it from rusting more, THE PLUS nothings broke, everything works, and everything is on it, and runs like a champ, and this light is gonna look awesome its got the swivel head and the metal lamp shade.
i have been searching for one with this base plate with water tray in it and tool rest on it, and finally found one
Good one!!
torqueman2002
Well-known member
Coyote;
That's a good deal!
Can you do me/us a favor?
When you get a chance, please snap and post up some pictures of inside the bottom cover.
I'm curious what these newer m-257 Blocks look like and how they compare to the older Blocks.
Coyote556
Well-known member
Will do! Any idea of an age on mine?
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Coyote: since I've never owned a 1 HP block yet i'm not sure which one you have, but for the price you paid the stand is worth that much. hopefully you have a REAL block and not the plastic imitation one. TM (Tourqueman2002) has several 1 HP so if you can get him the information he asked for i'm sure he will let you know what you have.
nice find
Tedsters: so tell us how many blocks is that for you now because i don't think that's your first or second one? congrats and hope the shoulder is almost 100% so you can lift these around your garage.
Nines: we've missed your informative and sometimes humorous posts so welcome back. is it starting to get warm and muggy again or still cooler than your average weather? i bet it's almost perfect for painting this time of year for you. yes? i'll have to go catch up with your thread to see what you've been up to in that nice shop you've been improving all the time.
nice find
Tedsters: so tell us how many blocks is that for you now because i don't think that's your first or second one? congrats and hope the shoulder is almost 100% so you can lift these around your garage.
Nines: we've missed your informative and sometimes humorous posts so welcome back. is it starting to get warm and muggy again or still cooler than your average weather? i bet it's almost perfect for painting this time of year for you. yes? i'll have to go catch up with your thread to see what you've been up to in that nice shop you've been improving all the time.
torqueman2002
Well-known member
I'd quesstimate 80's or newer; but, there maybe a date stamp on the ouside of the bottom cover like the older blocks.
And thanks in advance.
Drives, it has been raining strait for two weeks or more, mid 80's daytime, mid 70's nighttime and 99% humidity... F'n *****. We have cold rainy season, then a couple nice days of spring, then hot rainy season, then a couple nice days of fall and it starts all over again. 
Hopefully I can get out there before it gets up near the triple digits and get some work done! Thanks for looking out! BTW, how is your place coming along, I haven't seen any updates on that table you were working on?
Hopefully I can get out there before it gets up near the triple digits and get some work done! Thanks for looking out! BTW, how is your place coming along, I haven't seen any updates on that table you were working on?
jakemac
Well-known member
To quote a line from the original Mad Max film - "The last of the V8's !"
If the housings and guards are all metal, then you do indeed have a grinder that was built near the end of the "true" Block period. They started to morph into plastic shadows afterwards. That would date it somewhere in the early to mid-80's.
As for worth - I think the earlier blocks tend to go for a little higher money due to nostalgia value, but the fact that your's is a 1HP model puts it at the top of the chain anyway.
The original stands sell easily on ebay for around $100 and have sold as high as $150 to desperate buyers (whom shall remain anonymous
). Which means that you only paid $20 for the grinder. If that makes you feel any better. 
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BLOCK abuse! Alert the authorities!
Citizens arrest!
Citizens arrest!
Hey Gomer.
Loved that show.
Are you guys pushing so hard on they bog down? I wonder about putting a thermal fuse or switch on them would prevent winding burn out problems.
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drivesitfar
Well-known member
ZK and TM: I'm pretty sure Gomer was on Mayberry where Ron Howard was the little boy, but didn't Gomer have his own show for a few years too? or maybe i'm thinking of Goober on Mayberry because Jim Neighbors was on the show with the sergeant yelling at him all the time?? Jim Neighbor's show??
Nines: i ended up buying parts of a 100 year old large steel fabrication company's old tools and odds and ends so I haven't been pushing my neighbor to get the first welding table done much less my 2 because i'm NOT going to lease another storage unit.
sorry to hear the weather is so crappy in 2015 so far and maybe it will turn for the better before too long. or move up by me where it was 70 degrees and sunny most of the day today. yes we get rain, but rarely do we have muggy high humidity sunny days.
cheers and i'll post up a few of my steel finds on the garage sale thread when i get a few pictures. I've stepped up a bit on what my thinking is about what big steel is, but when you have 10 ton cranes above your head lifting 5 ton items around the shop it makes our 300 pound anvils and vises seem puny if you can believe that. Here's a picture of one tool i couldn't save and hopefully it found a home before it got scrapped. The fork lift driver said this punch weighed 30,000-40,000 pounds, but he didn't know for sure. it could punch a hole in a 3/4 inch piece of steel up to 3 inches in diameter in a couple seconds.
ALL: i'm hoping Coyote's 1 HP is a real block, but wondering if they made 1 HP block imitations with the plastic covers. anybody know?
Nines: i ended up buying parts of a 100 year old large steel fabrication company's old tools and odds and ends so I haven't been pushing my neighbor to get the first welding table done much less my 2 because i'm NOT going to lease another storage unit.
sorry to hear the weather is so crappy in 2015 so far and maybe it will turn for the better before too long. or move up by me where it was 70 degrees and sunny most of the day today. yes we get rain, but rarely do we have muggy high humidity sunny days.
cheers and i'll post up a few of my steel finds on the garage sale thread when i get a few pictures. I've stepped up a bit on what my thinking is about what big steel is, but when you have 10 ton cranes above your head lifting 5 ton items around the shop it makes our 300 pound anvils and vises seem puny if you can believe that. Here's a picture of one tool i couldn't save and hopefully it found a home before it got scrapped. The fork lift driver said this punch weighed 30,000-40,000 pounds, but he didn't know for sure. it could punch a hole in a 3/4 inch piece of steel up to 3 inches in diameter in a couple seconds.
ALL: i'm hoping Coyote's 1 HP is a real block, but wondering if they made 1 HP block imitations with the plastic covers. anybody know?
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Just picked this up tonight, on the pedistal for 120. Did I do ok? 257.192190
you did good
thats a nice set up, how wide is that thing
Howdy gents! Some of you may recall I lucked out into one of the CM pedestal bases, did not come with a CM grinder. Have been keeping an eye out for a 1HP but not sure that's going to happen. In the meantime/alternate, is the 1/3 pictured below a good deal at $35? If so, like a "just OK" deal or a "run over there right now" deal?
Thanks in advance for your help!
i haven't found a 1hp yet either, but i hope ya got that 1/3 for $35 not bad shape at all
torqueman2002
Well-known member
Gomer (Jim Neighbors) was on the Andy Griffith show (Mayberry later on?) with Aunt Bea (sp?), Barney, and little Opie Taylor (Ron Howard, the now director of great films).
Jim Neighbors spun off into Gomer Pyle: USMC (TV Series 1964–1969). Andy made a guest appearance while Gomer was in boot camp, IIRC.
I watch re-runs of re-runs of re-runs, of ..... the Andy Griffith show. I don't get tired of it, kind of like the I Love Lucy show. Although, right now I'm watching Charmed with the sound muted.
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Ah, the good ol days! I remember being a kid and staying up every night late for MASH at 11:05pm, it was the only show I could think if that started 5 mins after the hour. I'd watch the Honey Mooners, Dr Who(original), Benny Hill, my three sons, bewitched, the Donna Reed show, Dennis the menace, you name it. Andy and I love Lucy were faves as well, this was late 70's, early 80's, I loved watching the old b&w tv shows, tv was so innocent and proper back then, clean humor!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
TM & Nines & ALL you block heads: don't forget the Honeymooners (to the moon Alice), Red Skelton and later the Rockford files. the list goes on and on and yes TV was a lot more fun to watch in those days before the morals were dropped to the floor.
thanks for the trip down memory lane and i still use VHS tapes in my shop and garage to pop in an old movie to listen to while working out there. my 25 year old son tells me all the time i can put all my old VHS tapes on a CD or DVD and just doesn't understand why i like the old stuff.
kinda like the old Blocks that were made to last.
cheers
TM: did Sears/Craftsman make a plastic 1 HP that you know of? or anybody else know if they did and when they started making them? or did the plastic ones to the 1/2 HP and lower sizes?
thanks for the trip down memory lane and i still use VHS tapes in my shop and garage to pop in an old movie to listen to while working out there. my 25 year old son tells me all the time i can put all my old VHS tapes on a CD or DVD and just doesn't understand why i like the old stuff.
kinda like the old Blocks that were made to last.
cheers
TM: did Sears/Craftsman make a plastic 1 HP that you know of? or anybody else know if they did and when they started making them? or did the plastic ones to the 1/2 HP and lower sizes?
Yes! I love MASH, I will occasionally whistle the song and seldom is it that anyone sub 40yo will recognize it.
They are still on NBC-2 or probably on cable for you fancy folks.trijeff
Well-known member
Don't run. Use your car, you'll get there faster.
torqueman2002; said:
Fellers, I really appreciate the timely advise but looks as though I missed out on this one ... no reply correspondence and the ad is no longer active. Ugh. I guess a $35 1/3 HP wasn't in the cards this time. Totally bummed I did not get this
I sure hope this $25 1/2 HP commercial will console me
Saw homeowner use for about 10 years and sat in storage for the last 20, has the eye guards but not the quench tray and obviously the light needs a little TLC. Pick it up next Wednesday 
And then there were two was Re: let's see your craftsman block grinders
Went on the hunt this morning, picked up something good and cheap but of no use. Made a call, arranged a trade for something useful but maybe not needed.
So 397.19400 joins the family.
Went on the hunt this morning, picked up something good and cheap but of no use. Made a call, arranged a trade for something useful but maybe not needed.
So 397.19400 joins the family.
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McBrownie
Well-known member
BLOCK abuse! Alert the authorities!
Citizens arrest!
Citizens arrest!
What? What? Wait'll Andy hears about this!
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McBrownie
Well-known member
Re: And then there were two was Re: let's see your craftsman block grinders
Welcome to the forum and congrats on what looks like a very solid block grinder.
Welcome to the forum and congrats on what looks like a very solid block grinder.
McBrownie
Well-known member
Based on the casting date stamps of the last of the flat tops (which were early to mid 1980's), I would guess late '80's or early '90's. Definitely the end of an era of USA made grinders. Very nice find and, like TM, I would like to some pics of the internals as well.