Budget Grinder Advice (NOT a sharpening thread!)

[HowdyNeighbour!]

Hello all, looking for advice for options on budget bench grinders or any other similar tool for my purposes. Have a few old chisels and plane irons that have a few pits and out of square edges and can’t bear the thought of having to tidy them up by hand. I was thinking of getting a cheap 8” bench grinder that would also be useful for tidying up the ends of threaded rods and any other bits and bobs of metal thingey-me-jigs. Not really looking for a wet n dry grinder/sharpening system unless the advice is that it is worth the investment for the future. Not sure if belt n disc sanders are up to the grinding task, and belt grinders/linishers are just too out of my budget and available space.

I’ve been stalking FB marketplace for the last 6 weeks and in my area it’s all just rusty Aldi/Lidl 6” grinders with abused stones.

Was thinking about getting the £40 titan one from Screwfix, alongside a veritas grinding jig (£25?) and a diamond wheel dressing block (£5), but I’ve read the titan needs a fair amount of fettling out of the box.

On the top end of my budget, Axy have a similar grinder for £109 and one with a wide wheel and in built lamp for £130 which they say is powerful enough to take a CBN wheel if needed/wanted.

On eBay you do see tormek supergrind 1200s for sale and occasionally they go for under £100, not sure what they are like and not sure if they are useful for general purpose or just specifically for sharpening.

Appreciate any advise or wisdom, friends!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A crepe grinder with a first class wheel is better than a first class grinder with a crepe wheel.

 

[HowdyNeighbour!]

A crepe grinder with a first class wheel is better than a first class grinder with a crepe wheel.

Not going to say how many times I’ve had to re-read this before I figured out the forum has a naughty word filter! (Surely crepe wheels will be too soft, and you’d get syrup everywhere!)

So...cheapest thing which has a working motor, ditch the stones and replace with a good wheel. Any recommendations for first class wheels?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My last ones came from Abrasive Distributors & Suppliers | Midland Abrasives

Not cheap, but I've bought cheap too often.

 

[Jameshow]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18542229...tixoXeJTeO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Be quick looks same as the £100 record one!!

 

[heimlaga]

Secondhand is my suggestion. Shifting the bearings and mounting new wheels is always worth the cost on a good grinder.

 

[Linus]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18542229...tixoXeJTeO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Be quick looks same as the £100 record one!!

Brand new, variable speed at under £20 - I don't think so!!!!!!

 

[Jacob]

A flat disc sander could be much better than a round grindstone, for your purposes.
I've got a 12" dia on my lathe headstock, is brilliant.
Also good for woodwork.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18542229...tixoXeJTeO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Be quick looks same as the £100 record one!!

It has only 16mm wheels.

 

[D_W]

Anything with a rest and a wheel will be fine as long as it turns on.

Coarse on the wheel is more important than good quality or high cost. A 24 grit toolroom wheel here cuts better than my worn 80 grit CBN wheel and realistically, it cuts better than the CBN wheel did within a month of the CBN wheel being new. 24 grit toolroom wheels that aren't the "soft friable type" are a different animal - the grit size itself makes the wheel shed particles like a better wheel.

the tormek is a well made tool, but it won't be as good for an experienced user as the cheapest of dry grinders.

 

[rogxwhit]

The Tormek type of grinder can be very good for everyday tool sharpening but it isn't a general purpose grinder by any means. The grind is sweet but slow, and the wheel is soft. It's merits are a fine finish and total freedom from burning (drawing the temper of) the the cutting edge. It wouldn't be my first choice for taking out nicks.

A bench grinder is a simple affair, and much of its nature is determined by the wheels that you install, being specified by grit type (normally Alox), grit size, hardness of bond and grit density. So there's the quandary - specifying the wheels.

And when you're at the cutting edge you need a light touch.

I struggle to see the advantage of an 8" grinder here - its peripheral speed will be higher and that isn't necessarily a good thing. A 6" wheel's grind will be a little more concave but I don't find that detrimental. It isn't producing the finished edge, which is done afterwards on stones (other choices are available).

 

[D_W]

The Tormek type of grinder can be very good for everyday tool sharpening but it isn't a general purpose grinder by any means. The grind is sweet but slow, and the wheel is soft. It's merits are a fine finish and total freedom from burning (drawing the temper of) the the cutting edge. It wouldn't be my first choice for taking out nicks.

A bench grinder is a simple affair, and much of its nature is determined by the wheels that you install, being specified by grit type (normally Alox), grit size, hardness of bond and grit density. So there's the quandary - specifying the wheels.

And when you're at the cutting edge you need a light touch.

I struggle to see the advantage of an 8" grinder here - its peripheral speed will be higher and that isn't necessarily a good thing. A 6" wheel's grind will be a little more concave but I don't find that detrimental. It isn't producing the finished edge, which is done afterwards on stones (other choices are available).

Some of the low powered 8" wheel grinders may be annoying to wait for, too.

I guess if one is 350W and it's low speed, it may not be that big of a deal, but a good 6" grinder is about that power and doesn't have nearly as much wheel mass to turn.

Trying a couple of different wheels on a 6" grinder is also cheaper,

 

[HowdyNeighbour!]

Thanks all for the helpful considerations. The bauker one is very cheap but 16mm wheels and the spindles are 12mm. I also am not too keen to have to deal with postal returns and refunds if there are any problems.

In the end I got the titan from a manager’s special Screwfix had for £35, in my experience Screwies take returns easily without fuss and it’s only down the road from me. Some vibration out of the box, but certainly not walking around the bench or rattling tools off onto the floor. Took the wheels off and runs without vibration.

I’ll probably order a white alox wheel from the site @Phil Pascoe linked to and in the meantime practice truing and balancing the wheels with the stock stones to try getting the hang of it.

I was thinking of the Veritas jig and rest as it seems the easiest way to grind square once the grinder is set up, but everywhere is out of stock of the tool rest, is there anything else of similar features? Not a turner (yet!) so don’t need anything super fancy like the Wolverine

 

[rob1693]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22253564...h7_YregSMS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=MORE
I have one of these or or Keith Rowley had plans for a wooden version in his book

 

[clogs]

good used ones are out there ....dont be in a rush....
this was £20....and used odd bits to make the stand...
ps the bottom plate is 1" thick....

 

[HowdyNeighbour!]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22253564...h7_YregSMS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=MORE
I have one of these or or Keith Rowley had plans for a wooden version in his book

Thanks! That looks pretty damn solid and a decent price too! I'll try and look up Keith Rowley's version as well. The other option I had thought of was to just buy the veritas grinding jig and tack on some blocks of wood onto the existing tool rest to create a channel for the jig to ride along.

 

[HowdyNeighbour!]

@clogs Oh for sure, if something decent comes along the marketplace I probably will snap it up, can't beat solid bits of old cast iron. I was just finding it frustrating as all I could find was pretty beat up aldi/lidl grinders. Not sure why, the second hand tool market in my neck of the woods is pretty dire.

 

[Sachakins]

Good luck with triton!
Make sure you put 2 new better quality wheels on, to improve balance.
also the flange washers on these and other cheap machines or notoriously not flat and parallel.
Try and source a machined aluminium pair for each wheel.
I did all that on my old triton and improved it massively, but still ended up replacing it 18 months later, with an 8" axi model with wide white wheels, million percent better now.

 

[rogxwhit]

Dunno why you want a jig. What does it do that a toolrest doesn't? How've I managed to grind all my handtools for years without one?

 

[HowdyNeighbour!]

Thanks @Sachakins I will keep an eye out for upgraded flanges.

Dunno why you want a jig. What does it do that a toolrest doesn't? How've I managed to grind all my handtools for years without one?

@rogxwhit
One of my primary needs at the minute is wanting to get edges back to being square. My thinking is that a jig would be the easiest way to ensure the tool is being held square to the wheel. I know your second question is rhetorical, but I've highlighted what I think is the answer in your quote. My only previous experience of any sort of grinding is with a dremel; I don't have the years of muscle memory yet to naturally feel out when things are square or a bit off. I'm sure it won't be long before I get the hang of it though!