8" Variable Speed Bench Grinder

[Donnie]

I am in need of an 8" Variable Speed Bench Grinder. Of all the research I have done, most of what I read is that it is sort of "luck of the draw" (from any brand) that does not have bad vibrations due to the grinder wheels being mounted off-center slightly. The wobble can be side-to-side or concentric problems.

I have also watched a few videos of this wobble fixed, but I really do not want to go through all that much trouble. I understand a little vibration goes with the unit as it is spinning at a very high rate.

Some of the fixes ( and even noted by Rikon - according to one user) is to rotate the large washer a little at a time until vibrations are minimized.
Another fix is to take a dressing wheel or a fixed dressing tool and hold it up to the wheel as you have the unit on and slightly press in as what this does, is it will "dress" the grinding wheel until it runs concentrically. (which I did not think of doing).

Now, with all that being said, does anyone here have any experience with your Grinder and can suggest one that you think is the best in your opinion as far as an "out of the box" experience?

Thanks

 

[rtibbs]

Donnie,
I have the Rikon 8” slow speed grinder. I purchased it for sharpening chisels, tool bits etc. As far as smooth it is very smooth running compared to some of the higher speed units which would walk around the bench.
This one however, is not the variable speed you stated you were looking for.
There are grinders sold for tool sharpening both wet and dry which can get a little pricey. Maybe some of the woodworkers out there will chime in.
I believe Tormek has a line of grinders which are slow speed and sold for precise sharpening. Of course they also come at a high price point.

 

[Donnie]

Well, all of those "reviews" that I or anyone else reads, there will always be someone that has a complaint about any product - and - for the most part some of those complaints are from people that do not understand their product. I will look into the Rikon brand more.

 

[Stevedownunder]

Hi Donnie,
What sort of grinding are you thinking of doing, sharpening cutting tools or shaping steel or are you going to polish sometimes?

IMHO all new grinding wheels need to be dressed before use.

Cheers,
Stephen.

 

[Donnie]

Stephen,
I have HSS (high speed tool steel) which are nothing but Lathe Cutting Tools. It really doesn't take much pressure or speed to grind the tip to a better cutting edge. This is basically all that it will be used for. The 8" size is really preferred as the large wheel vs the small area, it produces a relative straight cut. If I go 6" or smaller, then the tool will start to get an "arch" to the sides.

 

[Stevedownunder]

Stephen,
I have HSS (high speed tool steel) which are nothing but Lathe Cutting Tools. It really doesn't take much pressure or speed to grind the tip to a better cutting edge. This is basically all that it will be used for. The 8" size is really preferred as the large wheel vs the small area, it produces a relative straight cut. If I go 6" or smaller, then the tool will start to get an "arch" to the sides.

Hi Donnie,
I agree 8" is a good size. If you are only sharpening tooling then a wet-stone grinder as suggested by rtibbs although a Tormek brand one is not really needed, there are lower cost options that would do well enough, I have a Scheppach branded one that does the job well enough, the really good thing about the wet-stone grinder is you are never going to overheat the HSS tool which is so easy to do also there is no dust, I have sharpened Crobalt tools without problem.
The only down side for the wet-stone is it doesn't remove a lot of material quickly but it is not that slow either depending on how the wheel is dressed.

Cheers,
Stephen.

 

[Uwek]

I know, that Oliver alias @Olivers Historic Shipyard has a Tormek grinder, he showed it to me during my last visit in his workshop.

Maybe he can give already direct feedback

 

[Van]

Baldor makes very high quality grinders. Expect them to run true with negligible vibration. I've had mine more than thirty years and it's still great

 

[Don Case]

Just spit ballin' but wouldn't most of the runout/wobble come from the quality of the stones. Grinders are a pretty simple devise, and it doesn't take a lot of quality control to make a straight shaft. So maybe buy a cheap grinder and then get good stones?

 

[Philski]

Stephen,
I have HSS (high speed tool steel) which are nothing but Lathe Cutting Tools. It really doesn't take much pressure or speed to grind the tip to a better cutting edge. This is basically all that it will be used for. The 8" size is really preferred as the large wheel vs the small area, it produces a relative straight cut. If I go 6" or smaller, then the tool will start to get an "arch" to the sides.

The choice of abrasives will make a difference. I use pink wheels on my 8" grinder (Norton) as they are semi-friable. Wobble and vibration is very dependent on setup and wheel balancing. But...I mainly use a Tormek for my turning tools. The stone turns only at 90 RPM and is in a water bath - the tools do not get burnt which would remove the temper. And the Tormek employs different jigs for the many different edge configurations. Baldor makes great motors but you will pay more for them.