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Chevalier FCG-610 Conversion

mpoore

Plastic
Joined
Oct 16, 2019
I got a deal on a well running Chevalier FCG-610 Universal Tool & Cutter grinder. The reason I bought it was it was small enough to fit in my shop and seems to have a lot of potential. It has about 6" x 10" of bed movement.

With that in mind, I am trying to figure out if I could use it as a small scale surface grinder? The only hitch I see is that the grinding wheel only reaches half the y axis of the bed. I would have to either make a motor shaft arbor extension or a bracket to move the motor assembly about 3.5 inches. Either option would be removable for sharpening work.

Anyone ever do something similar?

MP
 
Years ago we did something similar on a KO Lee t&c grinder. We mounted a magnetic chuck to the table. The chuck was ground flat and // on one of our larger surface grinders prior to mounting. It was used primarily for precision slotting. Believe or not, we were able to hold better than .0005" on depth and position over 15".

You might be able to do something similar with a small magnetic chuck (maybe with magnetic 123 blockS) or a grinding vise and an extended hub (Sopko) for the wheel.
 
I have what looks like the identical T&C grinder, though mine was sold by Enco back around 1980 or so. Research via Google suggests that a number of companies sold it under private label so accessories might be a little easier to find if you are looking for any. Gromax sold the same machine under their label and list accessories on their web site if you want to see what might be available. They also sell a manual if you are looking for one of those.

Mine has dovetail slides on X and Y and neither is well protected. Even after cleaning the X-axis slide, mine is pretty hard to move smoothly and I'd hate to spend much time using it as a surface grinder, though my heart would probably appreciate the effort.
 
Just noticed that you are Indiana. If you decide too surplus the FCG-610 to buy a surface grinder, I have a friend in Illinois who might be looking to buy one.
 
Hi MP.

I just brought home a used FCG-610 from Germany (quite a long, exhausting trip - 1500 miles).

I bought it because it's small enough to fit on a tool cabinet in my (very) small and crowded shop.

Do you happen to have an American manual for it? I don't have a lot of info on it. And they seem to be rare.

I have been thinking of using it for all that I can adapt it to.

Mills, both end and shell. Drills as well. And I'll have to find a small magnetic chuck and extend the axle some.

But first I have to clean it and check it out.

Cheers
Erik
 
MP,

I just picked up what looks like the same grinder at an auction. I had the same idea of using it for a surface grinder. Were you able to get yours going?

MLMaker
 
I'm not MP, but the FGC-610 clone that have has a lot of friction in the x-axis, probably from grinding dust working it's way into the inner surfaces. It gets a little easier to move in X with cleaning and re-oilg but gets stiff pretty quickly. I've thought about converting the dovetail ways to a HiWin linear slide-type system but suspect that won't be too practical. I'd be doing it just to make X easier to operate. If you need a small surface grinder you might consider a used Rockwell tool grinder or one of the old, smaller SG-48 Sanford surface grinders.
 
Thanks for the reply. I was originally bidding on a Reid 618V surface grinder but got out bid. I see a lot of surface grinders come up for auction but hardly ever within reasonable driving distance from me. It came with a Drill Masters Eldorado Tool Model “B” Gundrill Sharpening Fixture. I only paid $50 for both so I may try to sell in and use the money to bid a little higher on the next surface grinder is find.
 








 
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