Tool and cutter grinders

[TomkParticipant @tomk39956]

[TomkParticipant @tomk39956]

Hi

 

I am looking at purchasing a tool and cutter grinder. I am looking for one that is capable of surface grinding over a 6″ x 4″

 

I have identified 2 that is able to do this

1) Boxford G 200 Tool & Cutter Grinder

 

The other one I looked at is the

2) Chester Tool & Cutter Grinder.

http://www.chesteruk.net/store/tool_and_cutter_grinder.htm

 

The boxford one is a solid built machine I have seen one of these in use.

And if fits my requirements

But are hard to find second hand and are more expensive

 

My Question is has anyone had any experience of the  chester machine.

Is it capable of surface gringing over the size I am looking for.

Looked on the web but cannot fined any information other than what is on the chester web page.

 

Thanks

Tomk

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

You need to define what you want to do Tom. Tool and cutter grind OR Surface grind, two different aminiles.

 

  Regards  Ian.

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Although all traversing table style T&C grinders are, in principle, capable of surface grinding you need to look very carefully at the specific machine in question to decide if it will be able to do a safe, useful, job.  You really have to go and look at the machine. I expect that you have already taken a careful look at things but the way I see it is:-

 

Things to pay attention to are accuracy and quality of the vertical movement, in surface grinding you are dealing with tenths so the method of setting the cut has to be up to this.  In general basic T&C grinders fall down here.  The work envelope tends to be smaller than you’d expect, even worse than small mills in this  respect.  I’d not be surprised to find that the true work envelope of the Chester machine when used as a surface grinder is of the order of 1/4 of the table travels.  As usual the devil is in the engineering details, especially when using for secondary purposes rather than what the machine was designed for.  Table traverse needs to be really smooth, arguably longitudinal traverse by lever is better on a basic & inexpensive machine.  One point I really don’t like about the Chester machine as a surface grinder is the direct drive to the grinding wheel.  The wheel needs to stop rather than burst if an excessive feed is inadvertently applied.  With a belt drive system you can easily slacken the belt so that the grinding wheel is lightly driven ensuring that it will stall under excessive feed.  A T&C grinder of this type really needs a more “aggressive” drive which may well be in the danger zone if an error is made.  Lastly the Chester machine is a, relatively, inexpensive device and there is a limit to how much constructional quality can be got for that cost.  Minimum standards for a surface grinder are higher than those for a perfectly adequate T&C grinder.

 

If you need an inexpensive dual purpose machine you may well do better considering machines designed more as basic surface grinders with T&C capability rather than the other way about.  Some of the Union machines for example, however the more advanced T&C capabilities probably won’t be possible without a good deal of accessory fabrication.  The Astra AR-5 is impressive if you can find one with all the bits and is very much a dual purpose machine.  Large by T&C grinder standards and somewhat uncommon tho’.

 

Clive 

 

 

[TomkParticipant @tomk39956]

Circlip / Clive
Thanks for the reply.

My main use would be surface grinding but I also have a need for a tool grinding so a TC machine that can surface grind over 6 inches by 4 would be OK

If I could find a small surface grinder I’m sure I could grind tools OK. I don’t have space for both a TC and a surface grinder.

The footprint of most surface grinders is to big for the space I have. The only one I have seen on the web that would fit is a Sanford which is a US make and I have not seen one for sale in the UK.

 

Clive

You mention a Union machine are these a small footprint surface grinder as I cannot find any information about them on the Web.

The information you supplied about the Chester has convinced me it would not be suitable.

The Boxford machine is the best I have seen so far and the space it requires is a Meter Square The Astra is just to big. The manual for the Boxford shows that it is capable of surface grinding as there is a mag chuck accessory available for the machine. The wheel feeds down onto the work but the only draw back is the down feed is not as fine as a surface grinder. But I’m sure I could live with it.

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Tom

Sorry I have no more details on the Union machine.  All I know comes from seeing one in a shop, asking what it was and how much then running the tape over to decide that it was too big for my shop.  Double decade (ish) old memory suggests that it was of similar size or a bit bigger than the Astra but a simpler machine with fewer accessories.  Astra is too big for me as well or I’d have sought one out even though a Clarkson needing a very good bath turned up at next to no money.

 

Concerning the down feed problem it might be a good idea to mount a dial gauge so you can see what’s going on.  Alternatively we had a piece of scientific equipment at work with an internally geared handle which could be locked up to give a quick movement for preliminary setting then released for fine adjustment.  I imagine that there was some sort of epicyclic gearing inside.  Perhaps there is an affordable supplier of such things.

 

Clive 

[Flying FiferParticipant @flyingfifer]

Tom,

Buy your cutter grinder & make your own surface grinder. See MEW issues 45 & 46. It did the job for me!!

 

Alan B

[Author]

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