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HF Universal Cutter Grinder?

Forrest Silas

Aluminum
Joined
Mar 31, 2005
Location
Clanton Alabama
I recently traded off a T&C grinder, because I did not use it enough to justify the space it required. Since it left I have needed it a hundred times.:rolleyes5:

I am wondering if anyone here has any experience with the HF grinder here:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=45707

What are its capabilities? Will it sharpen endmills? I downloaded the manual, but it does not even give a hint at what it actually does.

I don't expect much from HF, but is it made well enough to be useful?:skep:

Thanks,
Forrest
 
It is a good clone of the Deckel SOE.

It includes the twist drill sharpening attachment and the lathe tool sharpening attachment, among others.

The machine comes with an additional manual to the one which is on-line at Harbor Freight.

The Deckel manuals, which are on-line, somewhere, are probably good mauals for the machine, too.
 
Such a provocation! HF and general run of the mill, er mills, is one thing but to utter THAT sacrilege in the new home of all that is holy and precision oriented. I hope you are comfortable in fireproof underwear.

I can feel a sticky coming on ( sung to the tune of an earlier famous beer commercial).
 
Good Choice??

Hi Forrest:
This is a single lip engraver cutter grinder.
It is of limited usefulness for sharpening endmills, but can be adapted to grind the ends of endmills and gives reasonable results with a bit of care.
There is no practical way to grind the flutes of endmills with one of these though.
They can make the point of a drill concentric, and can grind 4 flat grinds on drills with acceptable precision but only if you make a set of sleeves, one for each size of drill you're planning to grind.
I have no idea what the drill grinding attachment for this machine looks like or how it works, so I can't comment on its capabilities.
Ditto for the turning tool attachment.
I have seen Chinese clones of the Deckel SO before, and have handled them.
I was not impressed!
These cutter grinders need to be very smooth in order to do a serviceable grind.
They're lightly built, so any jerkiness in the motion translates to very poor ability to work accurately...there's just not enough mass in them to soak up the deflections resulting from having to force them to move.
You really need to be able to move them with fingertip pressure with no humps in the whole range of motion.
The spindle bearings need to be first class for similar reasons, and the grinding wheels need to be balanced, otherwise they don't do anything worth a crap.
You can get this machine if you choose, but I wouldn't expect to be able to do precision work with it.
So, Damien...your prediction has come true!!
Cheers

Marcus
 
Thanks Guys

PeterH, I found sales literature on the Deckle SO and SOE on the net and marveled at all the neat things it can do, and had to keep reminding myself that I was buying the HF, not the real deal. :drool5:

implmex, That is the kind of critique I was looking for. I would mainly use the machine for grinding lathe tools. I find myself cutting Acme threads fairly frequently, and have trouble getting the bit just right free hand. The ability to sharpen the ends of EM's would be handy too. I don't need the kind of super precision the Deckel claims, just better than what I can do by hand. It sounds like the HF version would probably satisfy my needs, but would be frustrating to use. Still haven't made up my mind.:crazy:

Forrest
 
"I don't need the kind of super precision the Deckel claims, just better than what I can do by hand"

Precisely why I bought the HF T&CG (Deckel wanna-be T&CG).

Now, after I bought the HF, I discovered that someone is making improved clones of SBL's grinding jigs, improved so as to accommodate 1/2" tools.

Some of the usual angles are built into the jig, but the tool holder may rotate to accommodate special needs.

Obviously intended for HSS lathe tools.
 








 
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