Grinder Upgrade

[Richard Findley]

Hi all,

I thought I'd post regarding an recent upgrade in grinder.

My old machine (roughly 2x older than me :wink: ) does not comply with current H&S legeslation:

So I decided to buy a new one, what with me going into tuition and all!

I could have simply bought like for like - 6" standard grinder - but I thought, if I'm buying anyway, I might as well upgrade to an 8" slow running grinder with 35mm wide wheel:

Cost around £100 from Axminster and I am very pleased with it. As you can see I have fitted my platform/jig to it:

and it all works very well. Dave L had a go when he visited this week and I think he was impressed too. As a "teaching aid" I think it will benefit as well as it doesn't remove metal as harshly as a normal grinder.

Hope this helps and is of interest to some of you.

Cheers,

Richard

 

[wizer]

Very nice Richard. I assume you sharpen freehand?

 

[Richard Findley]

Hi Wizer,

I guess it's pretty much free hand. I just use the platform to keep the angle. Skews and Roughing Gouges are simply presented and moved evenly across the stone as necessary. Spindle Gouges and Bowl Gouges are rolled and the handle brought round to the side as you roll, leaving a fingernail type profile.

It's pretty much the technique described in Kieth Rowley's "Bible"

Cheers,

Richard

 

[DaveL]

I had never used a white wheel on a slow grinder before, much more controllable than my high speed grey wheeled cheapy machine. :?

Richard, did you have to give the old grinder back to the Science Museum? Could have taken it along to the antiques road show to have it valued. :wink: