Hi dorim:
One of the most important things IMO, is whether the grinder has a roller table or a plain cast iron on cast iron slideway setup, and if it's a roller way machine if it has a functioning table lock.
I say so because that will determine whether the table needs to be clamped if you want to spin grind with your machine or if you want to form dress a wheel with a chuck mounted dresser.
Whether it's hydraulic or not is less important unless most of what you do is plate grinding, in which case the hydraulic grinder is essential IMO.
As other have remarked, it gets old real fast to hump a table back and forth by hand for a 6" wide plate.
I have Jones and Shipman 540.
It's a hydraulic machine but it has plain Vee and flat ways, so the table stays put when you spin grind with it or when you put a dresser on it.
If you can find something similar, you have the best of both worlds.
I've run a ball-way Kent and it was a PITA...I ended up replacing the hokey table lock with something home made and better.
The presence of the hydraulic table traverse on the J&S does not impede me in any way...I can grind anything on my hydraulic grinder that I can grind on my manual grinder.
So if you're only ever going to get a single grinder, a hydraulic one is very nice.
Noisier because of the hydraulic pump, but very nice.
You can get them with servomotors now for the table drive...Adam Demuth from Demuth Tool and Design in Ohio has a Parker Majestic that moves as though it has a servo driven table, and it looks like a good machine.
I know nothing else about it.
Tormach made one for a while too that I believe was stepper driven.
But if you're looking for a bargain machine, there are a gazillion used hydraulic surface grinders out there.
Get a plain CI way model or one with a good working table lock and you will be good to go for anything.
Cheers
Marcus
www.implant-mechanix.com
www.vancouverwireedm.com
