Clausing Automatic Surface Grinder

[Pete Tonkin]

Looking at buying a new CSG1020ASDIII and looking for input on quality, accuracy and experience

 

[michiganbuck]

I haven't used a Clausing SG but all the clausing machines I have used were top quality.
Good to add a splash shield behind the chuck. Just a piece of 1/8 Plexiglass is ok.
I like to put a strip of masking tape along/overlapping the parting opening at the back of the long table (paint it and it will last for years). put a little grease or oil on the lower machine face so the tape does not stick there. *Take care tightening the magnetic church. If it comes with a chuck installed loosen it and tighten it properly with a one-arm swing from the elbow, not a shoulder pull with body weight. Make a peg board to hold wheels, covered is best. Best to not have an air hose that can reach near the machine. Tighten the wheel as tight as you can pull the standard wrench with one hand, then place the wrench on a block and make it just a little tighter. For the spindle nut place the wheel wrench on the nut and with a wrist twist on a 6" bar make it as tight as a hard one-hand twist.
A small surface plate or a steel plate next to the machine will make it more productive.
Angle plate, V block with clamp, set of 123 blocks. a bar diamond dresser basic Eq.
* Do grind the chuck wet, and even wet you can burn it, take plenty of caution.

Likely you know all this, but it is good for new guys to SG grinding

Ops, you missed posting your location.

 

[Milling man]

Best to not have an air hose that can reach near the machine.

 

[Richard King]

I just Googled "where are Clausing grinders made and got this.

" Last I knew Clausing grinders are made by Equiptop in Taiwan. As a opinion, very decent grinders. Clausing is now part of the 600 Group which also owns Pratt Burnered and Gamet bearings among others"
Here is the info on Equiptop. I also taught scraping classes in Taiwan and it says the grinder your buying has Turcite on it. I suspect that Grinder is super accurate and will last for years..

https://www.equiptop.com.tw/eng/company/company-profile.html

 

[Pete Tonkin]

I haven't used a Clausing SG but all the clausing machines I have used were top quality.
Good to add a splash shield behind the chuck. Just a piece of 1/8 Plexiglass is ok.
I like to put a strip of masking tape along/overlapping the parting opening at the back of the long table (paint it and it will last for years). put a little grease or oil on the lower machine face so it does not stick there. Take care tightening the magnetic church. If it comes with a chuck installed loosen it and tighten it properly with a one-arm swing for the elbow, not a shoulder pull with body weight. Make a peg board to hold wheels, covered is best. Best to not have an air hose that can reach near the machine. Tighten the wheel as tight as you can pull the standard wrench with one hand, then place the wrench on a block and make it just a little tighter. For the spindle nut place the wheel wrench on the nut and with a wrist twist on a 6" bar make it as tight as a hard one-hand twist.
A small surface plate or a steel plate next to the machine will make it more productive.
Angle plate, V block with clamp, set of 123 blocks. a bar diamond dresser basic Eq.
* Do grind the chuck wet, and even wet you can burn it, take plenty of caution.

Likely you know all this, but it is good for new guys to SG grinding

Ops, you missed posting your location.

Thanks for all your information this will be my first grinder just have a little experience with a Covell but that was 20 years ago.
I am in Willow Creek, CA

 

[Pete Tonkin]

I just Googled "where are Clausing grinders made and got this.

" Last I knew Clausing grinders are made by Equiptop in Taiwan. As a opinion, very decent grinders. Clausing is now part of the 600 Group which also owns Pratt Burnered and Gamet bearings among others"
Here is the info on Equiptop. I also taught scraping classes in Taiwan and it says the grinder your buying has Turcite on it. I suspect that Grinder is super accurate and will last for years..

https://www.equiptop.com.tw/eng/company/company-profile.html

Thanks for the information and the link its very helpful

 

[michiganbuck]

That is a pretty big machine, what plans do you have for it?
Post or private message me if I can be of any help
Be careful that you don't trip over any gold boulders rolling out of the Trinity River..

Re, Overtightnong the chuck is very bad as the can bow the table and so begin to wear the centermost of whatever way design you have, bad for scraped, roller or ball ways. Possible some hack guy might poorly install a chuck on a new machine.

 

[Pete Tonkin]

Don't have a specific use in mind yet and starting a small tooling / fixture business. It's a one person shop so the auto cycle is very important to me. My main business is building high end custom pool cues. But being a machinist by trade with over 40 years experience ( Manuel and CNC ) I still have the desire to work with materials other than wood and do high precision work and a grinder is a necessity.
Attached a picture of one of my cues. The inlay work was done with .010 end mills.

There is lots of gold in the Trinity river but dredges were banned over a decade ago.
Had a friend who was getting 1 1/4 oz a day by him self.

 

[Pete Tonkin]

That is a pretty big machine, what plans do you have for it?
Post or private message me if I can be of any help
Be careful that you don't trip over any gold boulders rolling out of the Trinity River..

Re, Overtightnong the chuck is very bad as the can bow the table and so begin to wear the centermost of whatever way design you have, bad for scraped, roller or ball ways. Possible some hack guy might poorly install a chuck on a new machine.

Thanks that's a good tip on the chuck. If it's all ready installed I'll remove and stone everything and install correctly.

 

[michiganbuck]

*Let us know how tight the chuck was, if not over-tightened then it should be fine, if overtightened then set it to correct torque. If about 20lb or less that should be Ok.
I would likely just feel hold-downs with a torque wrench and not remove the chuck. look to see the clamp bars are not pushing at the very edge of the chuck.

Good to level a grinder and let it settle for a couple of weeks before grinding the chuck(overkill perhaps). Only use a bigger new condition fine flat hone on a grinder set pad to hone the whole pad lightly. Make even figure 8s with it being oiled.
The same with chuck top only use a bigger hone with figure 8s the whole chuck /not spot honing a small hone in small spots.

Here is the walker method; ( I just swing my arm from an elbow twist)
Rectangular Chucks Clamps provided with rectangular type chucks should initially be tightened only enough to prevent the chuck from moving. Then the chucks should be aligned with the table and the clamp bolts gradually tightened in an alternating sequence to a torque of 10 foot pounds. Then only the bolts on one end of the chucks should be tightened to 15 foot pounds. This will allow for expansion without distortion along the chuck length as the chuck and machine reach their normal operating temperature.

Normally a decent grinder hand will have a certain wheel for grinding a chuck, and never use a "whatever wheel" some guys use a "popcorn wheel ' which is a wheel that has very wide spaces between grits and looks like popcorn, some guys go to a 32 or 36 grit wheel, some have just found a certain wheel they like and keep that wheel in a covered place and save it for chuck grinding. I have a 46L carboundrum that is my currant favorite, Burning a chuck top can put permaniant stress in the chuck that may never come out/even after a no burn clean up.
*It is common for an apprentice, or first time chuck grinding-try to burn the chuck.

Some guys put a coat of grease on the set pad / some a sheet of plastic / some a smear of way oil / some metal to metal, and likely other methods.
For grinding, don't put every part at "On the bump rail center " -> but set work all about the chuck, you might map your chuck and use a different section/area each month.
If you often remove the back rail, Tighten it with a two-finger push at 6" or less wrench length.

 

[michiganbuck]

QT Op; (Had a friend who was getting 1 1/4 oz a day by himself.)
I have an invention that gets way more gold, but in Michigan, there is little gold to be found.

 

[michiganbuck]

Learn to dress a 45* on a wheel edge, and then go around a part top to add a perfect bevel at the part edge using the touch and take method, Grind a double V in two mating parts (like parallels) so with adding ball bearings you have made a ball slide table. Practice making a part dead square and dead on to size to 50 millionth or less. Side dress a wheel and make a perfect slot to exactly fit a Jo Block.
Practice so to be able to make fixtures that will help make your ques.
*Take care to not breathe a lot of grinfing grits.

Ps let us know what wheels come with the machine, brand - grit size - and hardness letter. Manufacturer-selected wheels may be best suited for production work, but not best for short runs, gauges, or few ups.

 

[michiganbuck]

Qt Op: (Don't have a specific use in mind yet and starting a small tooling/fixture business.) Special fixtures for making pool cues would be a nitch business.
If you have any "how to do this" questions private message me and I will offer some advice.

 

[Pete Tonkin]

*Let us know how tight the chuck was, if not over-tightened then it should be fine, if overtightened then set it to correct torque. If about 20lb or less that should be Ok.
I would likely just feel hold-downs with a torque wrench and not remove the chuck. look to see the clamp bars are not pushing at the very edge of the chuck.

Good to level a grinder and let it settle for a couple of weeks before grinding the chuck(overkill perhaps). Only use a bigger new condition fine flat hone on a grinder set pad to hone the whole pad lightly. Make even figure 8s with it being oiled.
The same with chuck top only use a bigger hone with figure 8s the whole chuck /not spot honing a small hone in small spots.

Here is the walker method; ( I just swing my arm from an elbow twist)
Rectangular Chucks Clamps provided with rectangular type chucks should initially be tightened only enough to prevent the chuck from moving. Then the chucks should be aligned with the table and the clamp bolts gradually tightened in an alternating sequence to a torque of 10 foot pounds. Then only the bolts on one end of the chucks should be tightened to 15 foot pounds. This will allow for expansion without distortion along the chuck length as the chuck and machine reach their normal operating temperature.

Normally a decent grinder hand will have a certain wheel for grinding a chuck, and never use a "whatever wheel" some guys use a "popcorn wheel ' which is a wheel that has very wide spaces between grits and looks like popcorn, some guys go to a 32 or 36 grit wheel, some have just found a certain wheel they like and keep that wheel in a covered place and save it for chuck grinding. I have a 46L carboundrum that is my currant favorite, Burning a chuck top can put permaniant stress in the chuck that may never come out/even after a no burn clean up.
*It is common for an apprentice, or first time chuck grinding-try to burn the chuck.

Some guys put a coat of grease on the set pad / some a sheet of plastic / some a smear of way oil / some metal to metal, and likely other methods.
For grinding, don't put every part at "On the bump rail center " -> but set work all about the chuck, you might map your chuck and use a different section/area each month.
If you often remove the back rail, Tighten it with a two-finger push at 6" or less wrench length.

Thanks so much for the information this is all stuff I had no idea of

 

[Pete Tonkin]

Qt Op: (Don't have a specific use in mind yet and starting a small tooling/fixture business.) Special fixtures for making pool cues would be a nitch business.
If you have any "how to do this" questions private message me and I will offer some advice.

 

[Pete Tonkin]

Learn to dress a 45* on a wheel edge, and then go around a part top to add a perfect bevel at the part edge using the touch and take method, Grind a double V in two mating parts (like parallels) so with adding ball bearings you have made a ball slide table. Practice making a part dead square and dead on to size to 50 millionth or less. Side dress a wheel and make a perfect slot to exactly fit a Jo Block.
Practice so to be able to make fixtures that will help make your ques.
*Take care to not breathe a lot of grinfing grits.

Ps let us know what wheels come with the machine, brand - grit size - and hardness letter. Manufacturer-selected wheels may be best suited for production work, but not best for short runs, gauges, or few ups.

Yes these are the type of things I want to learn to do and build some cool tools mostly for my own enjoyment.

 

[michiganbuck]

A very open wheel running dry can do a nice job of grinding wood. If you have a bow in a piece of wood to remove, you can place the concave bow down, slip a shim in the open space facing the chuck and grind one side true flat, flip to the opposite and grind the other side, with the part clamped at one end to a steel parallel with a C clamp or the like.
Q: Did you get the overhead dresser?