tool post grinder

anyone have the plans for a good cheap tool post grinder to fit a mod 700 logan lathe or have any good ideas on how to make one

Be advised that a tool post grinder produces lots of persistant abrasive dust. It's pure hell on an unprotected machine with exposed ways like an engine lathe.

Tool post grinders can do cool stuff on hardened work but you have to actually tent the lathe under plastic leaving only the work, the chuck, and the tool post grinder exposed while your hands reach under to work the controls and handwheels.

I get flack from those with tool post grinders every time I post this. "You don't ave to be so fussy" they say. Yes you do and my experience in rebuilding machine tools has demonstrated the need I assert. I have a tool post grinder and I've used it many times taking the precautions I listed. My lathe bought new in 1971 still passes its factory acceptance card.

In answer to your question, a tool post grinder will be no better than its spindle bearings, and the smoothness of your lathe's headstock drive. Be prepared to spend some money in this department. You can get good results using a die grinder if you build a simple bracket to attach it to your compound. A pro level tool post grinder like a Dumore or a Themac with their interchangable pulleys and spindles are far more versatile but require far more work to build. I think there was an series on making a tool post grinder in Home Shop Machinist a few years ago.

Here is the cover from the January/February 1999 isue of HSM.

Here are a couple pics of the one my Dad made. I think it was taken from the afore mentioned HSM plans, plus a few of his own mods. He said it works well for small short run grinding jobs.

Gary, Scroll down this link for piece/part images of another router based grinder.

http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net//Forum1/HTML/011047.html

Tubal, That looks like a nice setup, rigid and powerful. Good use for a router that is collecting dust too

All, Forrest's persistent warning about grinding dust is advice well taken. If you have a precision machine in good shape, and hope to get the same results out of it for years to come, heed his warning well !

Liberal use of way oil (my favorite stuff) makes things even worse as it will create an abrasive slurry while the larger particles embed themselves into the under belly of your carriage, acting like a lap.

This, and putting any body part into the chuck of a 3HP driven spindle, are the only things I get freaky about

I thought about making one for quite a while, but finally decided to haunt eBay to see what I could find. Took a few months, but I was able to score a very clean Themac for about 1/4 MSC's price. . .

How about this



Contact me if you think you might need drawings

Heh! Forest. I even cover my ways if I am going to use sand paper. I think anyone who has ever repaired ways respects them like no one else ever will. My grinders and belt sanders are in another world and will never see my lathe. I have several Dumore toolpost grinders for the sole purpose of sale. I mount pneumatic grinders such as Roto or whatever in my boring holders for my Aloris and have at it. I have never had a large use for this situation but I have shaved a few tenths off offending chuck hard jaws to my satisfaction.