Surface Grinder - YEAH or NAY

[CumminsFan]

How many of you garage shop folks have a surface grinder? What kind of projects is it most useful on. I am looking a buying one because the price and availability seems right, just not sure what I am going to use it for. My want appears to be exceeding my need and better judgement. What does the Garage Journal collective say?

 

[The Cobbler]

The GJ Collective's adage is, want & need are 2 different things, but if you want it, get it! LOL

Never do we base our tool purchases on common sense or the need factor.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I have a Delta Toolmaker which I've found handy. A good surface grinder is a one tenths machine, a Toolmaker is a .five tenths machine. I turned a Chinese boat anchor into a usable shaper vise with it.

 

[Lassen Forge]

I could justify it... Tools is tools.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I ran one for 29 years at work doing die work. I want one, but really don’t know what I would use it for.

 

[Perrorojo]

I have a Brown & Sharp that I've used to flatten/square up some stuff. I'm not good enough with it yet to do any real work.

Sent from my SM-G970U using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[versamil]

Can't imagine NOT having a surface grinder. I have MANY. From a small 5 inch by ten inch, to a three foot wide by ten foot travel. But grinding is a skill. From dressing the wheel, to what kind of wheel you're using, coolant use, a LOT to learn. From grinding parts flat, to making cutters, the uses for a grinder are numerous. But a grinder is more of a finish machine for getting parts flat and square. Different grinding techniques allow a person to do many different jobs.

I bought a 10 inch by fifteen inch Abrasive brand grinder thirty years ago for around twelve hundred dollars. A twelve inch wheel machine, totally manually driven with coolant. A machine BIG enough to really do something with. I've bought many more since then, but I use the original at least once a week. If you make things or need to SHARPEN things, a surface grinder is a LOT of bang for the buck.

 

[4 FN 27]

This make my blood boil.

I had a Surface Grinder I was going to bring home that we retired from operations at the plant. One of the Warehouse guys bumped it with a Fork Lift and tipped it over.

That was 3 years ago and I am still pissed off.

Still looking for one.

 

[pamike]

This make my blood boil.

I had a Surface Grinder I was going to bring home that we retired from operations at the plant. One of the Warehouse guys bumped it with a Fork Lift and tipped it over.

That was 3 years ago and I am still pissed off.

Still looking for one.

That makes me feel better. I thought I was the only one who can't "get over it" when people do stupid things. Especially stupid things that cost me money or damage something I hold dear...

 

[larry_g]

How many of you garage shop folks have a surface grinder? What kind of projects is it most useful on. I am looking a buying one because the price and availability seems right, just not sure what I am going to use it for. My want appears to be exceeding my need and better judgement. What does the Garage Journal collective say?

I would have to ask what other machines you have in your shop to support it? Typically one has a machine shop and the surface grinder is added to the machine set after the other basic machines are in place. AS much as I would like a surface grinder I would find other tools more useful or upgrade what I have before the S grinder. As said above the S grinder is a finishing machine.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[ndnchf]

I have a Delta Toolmaker also. Its a nice machine for my home garage. Its not the best one out there, but it serves my needs. I don't use it a lot, but sometimes its just the right thing. I'm rebuilding a Dana 44 rear axle right now. I may use it to grind pinion shims to get it to spec. The Toolmaker is like my Ammco 7" shaper. It doesn't get a lot of use, but its nice to have when I need it. I use a lathe and mill more, but damn - the shaper is more fun to watch

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I'd love a grinder, but I definitely wouldn't get enough use out of it. Maybe after I get a lathe, but right now I'm not doing anything that calls for such precision.

 

[gtlegs]

If you are located near Arkansas I have a decent one I would let go of for a real good price.

 

[sberry]

I agree about it being part of a shop. If its a hobby and all the rest is irrelevant then go for it. When I started out lots of stuff was job shop built and having some machine tools was a real deal and good for hire etc but my deal is general shop and maintenance and have a neighbor with a few small tools does it for nuthin on the rare occasion I cant source a part in a practical fashion.
I don't want tools to make more tools. I could have more and better and every once in a while it wou;ld be great to have the perfect thing but I can work around it on most one off and get by. I know where to go to get a little something done I cant and its not worth the effort to collect it all. I fuss with the stuff I really need or can get some benefit from.
Some of it glad I didn't get and didn't get early on. Some should have bought sooner, a hoist, som4e more air guns. Glad I didn't get brake lathe or get in to motor machine. Other guys had it at the right cost.
Got a bud who is looking for a bigger lathe now so he can turn a couple drums for his old truck. Got a couple buds that built all the tools to build the tools to build the tools and when its done don't got nuthin to use it on.

 

[Riggerson]

I have a surface grinder but I'm also mainly do machine work. A mill and a lathe are usually the first steps into machining and have a lot more applicability for day to day repair jobs. Once you start branching out into surface grinder territory you're pretty far into the machining hobby.

 

[KBigg]

Having a surface grinder costs alot more than just buying the grinder. You need to consider the cost a little further before you make your decision. Your going to need a magnet or at least a vise/fixtures, wheels, a balancer for the wheels, a tool to dress the wheels, way oil, and coolant.

Next i would consider what you want to make with it? If you want to hold tenths in overall dimension and flatness, its a breeze with a surface grinder. If you want to hold .001, the. I would say you probably dont need it. Also consider what kind of measuring tools you have to inspect the parts you make. If you cant measure it accurately, you cant make it accurately.

If its something you want and it wont effect you financially then go for it, they're nice to have around and leave a nicer finish than milling.

 

[rbgearz]

I have a Brown & Sharp that I couldn't live without.

 

[matt_i]

When nothing else will touch the hardened surface, the surface grinder will machine it. Obviously there are other abrasive tools but this is the most precision planar tool. Add in rotational tooling like a Harig Grind-All or a Suburban Master Grind and now you have another dimension.

One thing to watch out for, commonly 6x12 grinders just sit by weight alone into a shallow stamped pocket in the base with rubber isolators underneath, but no actual metal-to-metal connection. If a person didn't know that it could end badly.

Making sure the finish is good (spindle bearings in good condition) and the magnet vise is strong enough will avoid some common reasons grinders goto auction.

Last is to beware of the abrasive swarf and keep it away from your lathe and mill. Its attracted to oiled surfaces and will act as a lapping compound....

 

[NitroShark]

I have a Parker Majestic surface grinder built in the 1950's It's stout and used to surface plates,end mills, clutch floater disc. I have a universal grinder also. Grinding crankshafts (for bikes) is mostly what it is used for.

The mill and lathes get used a lot more, but a grinder does what they can't in my DYI environment.

 

[CumminsFan]

I currently own a mill, lathe, vertical and horizontal bandsaws, full suite of welders, plasma cutters. I am currently lusting after a CNC plasma table, hydraulic press brake, and a Hardinge HLV-H tool room lathe. You might say I have more than a passing familiarity with machining/fabrication. I have a fair amount of experience using surface grinders. My question really centered on what projects GJ folks were using surface grinders for, trying to rationalize my want. I am on the fence on owning one in my own personal shop. Very familiar with the dust/grit and the potential issues with my other machines, metrology, and surface plate. I’m just not seeing that the hassle is worth the benefit. Unfortunately, I like tools and have difficulty resisting when I come across a “deal”.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

At our shut down auction, that's where I got my Toolmaker, a almost new surface grinder went cheap. One jobbers we used said it wasn't worth it for sharpening.

In our maintenance shop we used the Toolmaker for spacers. I'll use it for high speed tooling.

 

[Riggerson]

Wipe your equipment off before use. Every shop I've ever been in had abrasive dust floating around to some degree. Most had surface grinders near other machine tools. It's typically not practical to have a clean room environment around machine tools.

If you have the space and own the equipment you'll find a use for it. Also surface grinders tend to go fairly cheap compared to mills or lathes. Most of the time I find myself needing one to turn down a drill bit or endmill in a pinch. Other custom tooling applications or just putting a nice finish on something.