Queen City Grinders

[Rick_Br]

Generally speaking where do Queen City larger grinders (10 and 12 inch) rank as far as qualty and performance when compared to other manufactures. What are the downsides of larger grinders - I realize wheel cost.

Rick

 

[Packard V8]

Queen City is about as good an industrial grinder as ever was built. The challenge is most are 3-phase and some are 440-volt.

jack vines

 

[jabberwoki]

I have a 5hp 3ph and it's fantastic quality.
There are a few threads here about them.

 

[Rick_Br]

I'm OK with 3 phase. The current owner says its 440 but the motor data plate says ot is dual voltage (220/440). Also the owner claims it is a 12" unit but queen city literature shows the model (3-F) as a 10". He wants $300 and won't come off of it - just not sure they command that kind of value.

 

[dutchgray]

^you either pay the $300 or don't.
Any others available at the moment?

I paid about that much for each of my 10" grinders in the UK.

 

[DocsMachine]

The Queen City I had was at least fifty-sixty years old when I got it, and had had a hard life. Both wheel guards had been heavily repaired several times, and the machine had a "department of corrections" sticker on it when I got it.

Replaced the rotor bearings, gave it a fresh set of wheels (and the usual bodywork and paint) and it ran like a champ. It was simply not possible to push enough metal hard enough into the wheel to even think about slowing it down.

Doc.

 

[22george]

Check to see if the 9 wires have numbers on them. If not you won't be able to change it from 440 to 220.

 

[exmaxima1]

Why would you want a wheel grinder nowadays? Invest in a belt grinder and you won't regret it.

 

[Rick_Br]

Why would you want a wheel grinder nowadays? Invest in a belt grinder and you won't regret it.

It just looked too cool - unfortunately the deal fell through. The seller got snarky and dropped negotiations. Oh well - I still have a 10: US electrical grinder with oedestal. It needs tool rests, eye shields and a left side outer guard.

Rick

 

[dutchgray]

Why would you want a wheel grinder nowadays? Invest in a belt grinder and you won't regret it.

Still pretty useful if you use HSS or Brazed Carbide lathe tooling, or for wire wheels, or scotch brite wheels.

 

[slowtwitch73]

I prefer to touch up my lathe tools on a disc sander with a fence. Grinders rarely get turned on.. usually just for wire wheel and polishing.

 

[exmaxima1]

Still pretty useful if you use HSS or Brazed Carbide lathe tooling, or for wire wheels, or scotch brite wheels.

I have several smaller grinders that can efficiently perform those tasks. I can't imagine needing a multi-horsepower Queen grinder for tool sharpening, nor would I spend $150 for a 12-inch Scotch-brite wheel. Those giant grinders are obsolete and the old wheels on them are "widow makers".

 

[Packard V8]

Those giant grinders are obsolete and the old wheels on them are "widow makers".

Agree, a large, powerful belt sander is a wonderful thing to have.

Re; Old grinders. Your opinions are allowed to vary, but sixty years of experience disagrees with your flat statements.

That the big dogs still sell for good money is proof not everyone feels they're obsolete.

For example, home shops come in all sizes of workpieces. If one does much steel fabrication, a wheel grinder will shape workpieces. bevel edges and clean up welds, the rough edges of which can rip up belts.

Again, one is working on rusty old car parts, a 10" wire wheel on a large grinder will remove rust on large parts quickly and easily.

Ideally, one would have several sizes and powers of stock removal equipment.

Jack Vines, who has a dozen small and medium bench grinders and a couple of belt sanders and should sell some.

 

[dutchgray]

I have several smaller grinders that can efficiently perform those tasks. I can't imagine needing a multi-horsepower Queen grinder for tool sharpening, nor would I spend $150 for a 12-inch Scotch-brite wheel. Those giant grinders are obsolete and the old wheels on them are "widow makers".

I have a pair of pedestal grinders, they take 10" by 1" wheels so are not that expensive, they are the typical British design with the motor in the base and a belt drive to the spindle, the build quality is excellent.
I also use a couple of your typical cheap imported 6" bench grinders, they are badly built, vibrate badly and are just not nice to use.

Everyone has different needs, just because you wouldn't want a big old grinder doesn't make it a bad tool for someone else.

 

[exmaxima1]

To be clear, I was responding to the guy that was talking about sharpening lathe bits. Typical tool grinders are generally 6 or 7 inch size, not massive 10-12" monsters. I'm pushing 70 and frankly my sphincter puckers when I turn on an ancient old grinder with ancient wheels. I appreciate the notion that a belt can tear (unlike a wheel) but that mostly happens when working against a platen. If you work against the rubber contact wheel it rarely happens. And a belt just breaks---it doesn't explode and take off 1/2 your face. I also have a 10" grinder with a wire wheel. Since grinders over 8" are generally only 1750rpm (like mine) it really doesn't work as efficiently as a 6-8" grinder spinning at twice that speed on ferrous metals. The best thing about belt grinders is how quickly and easily it is to change belts and the availability of modern abrasives of various grits: ceramic, aluminum oxide, zirconium, etc. Cheap, no dressing, toss them when they wear or clog. Decent big wheels are very expensive and still need to be trued and dressed when you install them---it's almost barbaric that anyone still does that. There's a reason that all the knife makers have moved to belts---they just plain work better.

To illustrate my point, here's a pic of my 10" grinder that I ditched the wheels and converted to a belt and wire combination. I sourced the contact wheel from Grizzly and my buddy gave me the (expensive) wire wheel.

 

[Farmer J.]

All interesting reading, from the different contributors with varied experience and knowledge. I only have an awful Taiwanese 6" bench grinder with various grit stones and a wire wheel, it vibrates so much everything falls off the bench when i turn it on! I have even done a training course and am qualified to fit grindstones, (and have the safety certificate to prove it) but i'm damned if I can get that thing to run balanced and smooth.
Normally I use a monster angle grinder for any serious work, and a small one is handy too.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Meh... imminent death is the cornerstone of any shop worth it's salt.


What I like most about the old grinders are the nice stock pedestals that can be repurposed in the shop.