We appear to have a bench grinder in the metal shop that has a couple of issues, at least in terms of a use I (and at least one other member) have a use for. That is the grinding/shaping of high speed steel tool bits for use on the lathe.
The current grinder is even smaller then the normal 6", which is at the low end of usefulness for this purpose. That is because of the effect the radius of the grinding wheel has on the angles in question.
But perhaps of even more concern is the complete lack of any tool rests on the grinder. It is impossible to use the grinder at all in the current configuration for grinding tool bits, and I actually donāt know how it can be used safely for any grinding in that configuration (but admittedly have no real clue how it is currently used).
Which brings me to my points.
Should such a grinder be in the metal shop or the machine shop?
Is there an objection to having a decent 6" or 8" bench grinder with actual tool rests in the space somewhere for sharpening lathe tool bits (I donāt think the woodshop grinder is a good choice because of the custom woodworking lathe sharpening rests that it has installed)
I agree that we could use such a grinder. In my opinion it should go in the metal shop, but thatās Dannyās or Edās call. If they donāt want one there weāll add it to the list of things we have to figure out how to fit into the machine shop.
Iāve been thinking about this, too, and if you want my thought, putting it in the metal shop is going to invite āabuseā, which folks in the metal shop tend to think of as ānormal wear and tearā. It will end up just like the one in there.
Please realise Iām not bashing that, itās just that folks using welders, grinders, cutters, etc. tend to be in a different frame of mind than folks using lathes and mills, even if theyāre the same person.
So I say find space in the machine shop for best results.
Grinding of metal should be done in the metal shop.
There are three lathe tools with carbide inserts in the wood shop, but not everything can be done with those tools. The grinder in the wood shop is low speed and is for the HSS tools. It is used just to touch up the tools.
Any rate, I noticed last time I was in the 'Space there was another bench grinder sitting under the bench in the back. I did not note toolrests or not, but it seems like you could probably get/build some if needed.
Also noted that the wiki notes a Porter-Cable on loan with a photo of a lovely grinder with tool rests and eye guards. Iām guessing thatās a stock photo, but I wonder where that is?
Also, would overhauling the bigass grinder/polisher be an option, or is that unrealistic and/or ill suited for the purpose?
What about the belt sander that, it seems, needs to find a place in the machine shop? Could that be suited to this purpose? I suspect not, but I figured I would ask. It appears to have been alluded to here.
The ābigassā machine is a polisher not a grinder.
The grinder under the bench (which looks to be of somewhat better quality then the one on the bench) is what I presumed to be the one āon loanā. I canāt think of any reason it would be under the bench and unused if it were functional. Building the tool rests, is something I planned on, at least for one side.
Here are some photos of the grinding set-up I have at home that I use to grind my lathe tool bits. The DIY stand is based upon some plans I acquired a few years ago, and it works really well to grind bits to the precise angles needed for lathe bits.
