Question on this old Craftsman bench grinder.

[balane]

I tried searching but there's just too much information on bench grinders, even Craftsman, to sort through.

I picked up this old Craftsman bench grinder from Craig's List. The grinding wheel on it is fine however the wire wheel seems woefully under-sized for the grinder. I took it off and it's a standard 6" wire wheel. So I went and bought a 8" wire wheel yet it rubbed on the housing too much and would not spin freely, or even close to it.

It looks like these take a 7" wheel. Is that correct? I can't really find any that size. Well I did find one from Canada on eBay but with shipping it would be about $65 US which is just more than I want to spend. I really want a wire wheel that fits.

Can any of you shed any light on where I can get a wire wheel to fit this grinder? I believe these were/are pretty popular grinders.

It's a 1/2 HP unit with 1/2" arbors. Thanks.

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[balane]

I found a 7 x 7/8" wire wheel at Grainger for $22 in case anybody else finds this useful.

 

[lametec]

Those grinders are nicknamed "block grinders", btw. They're good grinders.

 

[Tool Pants]

1/2 hp used a 6" wheel.

http://www.*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$*@#$/index.php?topic=4135.0;all

Best price I have seen for a 6" wire wheel is my local ACE for $7. Made in China.

 

[balane]

6" is too small. 7" x 7/8" is the best size wheel for it. It might be made for 6" but the larger wheel fits much better. Thanks.

 

[bluebolt]

That grinder (397.19441 right?) indeed uses a 7" x3/4" wheel according to sears parts direct. Lots of parts available for that one too, more so than my 1/2hp 6" block grinders.

We need more pics!

 

[AL`]

I have the 8", 1HP version. Picked it up off craigslist. Nice grinder you have there. Mine differs slightly though on the tool rests. Instead of being bolted to the wheelguards, they are attached to some horizontal pivoting bars which are located at the grinder's base, with a reservoir in the center.

Well, I guess a pic is worth a lot of verbage, so here it is and also a pic of an old belt drive 6in grinder I inherited.

 

[balane]

Yes on 397.19441 Didn't know about the 3/4" width recommendation. I went with 7/8" wide and the wheel fits great and looks beefy. I don't have any photos with it installed yet but I'll get one when I can.

Here's another shot of it with the puny looking 6" wire wheel. I paid $35 for it and it's really in excellent shape. The bearings sound great and it runs smooth and hard. I couldn't be happier about it. What's really amazing is how this 1/2 hp feels a magnitude stronger than my Chinese grinder's 1/2 hp. Night and day performance really. I don't care if it's 30 years older either.

I'd love to have the 8" one, wow it looks awesome. Easier to find wheels for too.

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[AL`]

I paid $35 for it and it's really in excellent shape.

I guess that's the going rate per HP, LOL. I paid twice that for mine. Not a steal to brag about, but I was happy with the price for a made in USA, 8", 1HP grinder in good condition.

I use to see 7" grinding wheels quite a bit online, but when I saw your thread and started googling, I didn't find much. Glad you found a source.

 

[Tool Pants]

I started looking through some old catalogs. In 1973-74 it was 7', and in 1978-79 it was 6". Your model does not look like either. It must be in some other year catalog. You have the red plastic switch, so it is not a real old model. In the 1973-74 catalog you might be able to see the switch was a metal toggle. The light also had its own switch.

 

[bluebolt]

I started looking through some old catalogs. In 1973-74 it was 7', and in 1978-79 it was 6". Your model does not look like either. It must be in some other year catalog. You have the red plastic switch, so it is not a real old model. In the 1973-74 catalog you might be able to see the switch was a metal toggle. The light also had its own switch.

Thanks for the catalog pictures, I have been trying to figure out the timeline of these grinders and it helps. Notice Balanes's has the guards and eye shields of the earlier 73-74 style.

 

[Tool Pants]

Yes, he has the fancy guards with the rear dust port.

I found my 1976-77 catalog. Same fancy guards are shown on the 2/3 and 3/4 hp models, along with the red plastic switch. 6" wheels for both. The 1/2 hp model has a different guard and no light is shown, and is also 6".