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Is a Sanford SG-10 a quality machine ?

Jojo118

Plastic
Joined
Apr 27, 2021
Hi everyone,
I spotted a used Sanford sg-10B on EBay a few days ago.
Asking 2500., local pick up only.
Any advice ?
Thanks
 
That is a typical Ebay "asking price" situation, ask for the moon and see if they can get it. Probably bought at auction for less than a third.
Here is one that sold at auction in Michigan for $410 last year. Depends on how badly you want it. I have the larger version, the Sanford MG. It required a lot of work to get it in shape.


Sanford2021.JPG
 
Seriously overpriced.
Are you constrained by size and weight? Power requirements?
A small K.O. Lee might be an option.
Thanks
I don’t have much space and have serious limits on weight. The weight and size of the
Sanford surface grinder seems just right.
 
you should be happy with a Sanford grinder, I got my sanford MG about 15YO. hate to tell you $450.
 
Around 1970, I visited Campbell Tool in Springfield, OH. They were doing a mail order small tool and steam engine kit business out of a basement shop. I was impressed by the tiny Sanford surface grinder in their tiny shop.

Around 1980. I owned two of the little Sanfords, not at the same time. In both cases, they did not work when I got them, but they were cheap. After getting them home, I was not willing to start tearing into them to do a proper rebuild and make the missing parts. I ended up selling both for a small profit over the $100 or so that I had paid for each. I was not impressed with the design or quality, though both had probably been abused.

I ended up with a Brown & Sharpe No. 2 surface grinder, a 6 x 18 that weighs around 1200 pounds. I did a complete rebuild on it and it has proved to be an excellent grinder.

I was in another small shop in Chicago around 1985 that was full of Hardinge Cataract lathes and mills. The owner was using one of his little Cataract horizontal bench millers as a surface grinder. The travels and weight were kind of similar to the little Sanford. The milling machine's ways were not suited to that use, but he probably treated it as a disposable machine, since there were still a number of them in Chicago for low prices back then.

At $2500, I would expect an absolutely perfect Sanford complete with magnetic chuck and extra wheels. And I would not expect an old Sanford to be in anything close to perfect condition.

Larry
 
Around 1970, I visited Campbell Tool in Springfield, OH. They were doing a mail order small tool and steam engine kit business out of a basement shop. I was impressed by the tiny Sanford surface grinder in their tiny shop.

Around 1980. I owned two of the little Sanfords, not at the same time. In both cases, they did not work when I got them, but they were cheap. After getting them home, I was not willing to start tearing into them to do a proper rebuild and make the missing parts. I ended up selling both for a small profit over the $100 or so that I had paid for each. I was not impressed with the design or quality, though both had probably been abused.

I ended up with a Brown & Sharpe No. 2 surface grinder, a 6 x 18 that weighs around 1200 pounds. I did a complete rebuild on it and it has proved to be an excellent grinder.

I was in another small shop in Chicago around 1985 that was full of Hardinge Cataract lathes and mills. The owner was using one of his little Cataract horizontal bench millers as a surface grinder. The travels and weight were kind of similar to the little Sanford. The milling machine's ways were not suited to that use, but he probably treated it as a disposable machine, since there were still a number of them in Chicago for low prices back then.

At $2500, I would expect an absolutely perfect Sanford complete with magnetic chuck and extra wheels. And I would not expect an old Sanford to be in anything close to perfect condition.

Larry
Thank you for sharing ,
The machine had a 4 by 6 magnetic chuck and extra wheels. It looked as if all the
important parts were present.
I will keep looking, and maybe get lucky.
Thanks
 
Here's a link to several sales brochures on the Vintage Machinery website.

Sanford Manufacturing Corp. - Publication Reprints | VintageMachinery.org

As for the grinder I believe it's referred to as an SG 48 (surface grinder 4"x 8"). They seem to be popular with the knife makers set although I believe the MG is a much better machine. I looked at several SG48's before purchasing an MG. The MG seems to be a much more capable machine with a small footprint. The SG's also seem to go for ridiculous prices compared to the MG's. I bought an MG in like new condition about 10 years ago for less than 1/4 the asking price of the SG48 you're looking at.
 
Don't buy a grinder where someone has robbed the chuck off it. Extra wheels mean little if they are used (diamond wheels are the exception). Some auctions will try and sell the used wheels, other's will give the potential killers away.
 
Here's a link to several sales brochures on the Vintage Machinery website.

Sanford Manufacturing Corp. - Publication Reprints | VintageMachinery.org

As for the grinder I believe it's referred to as an SG 48 (surface grinder 4"x 8"). They seem to be popular with the knife makers set although I believe the MG is a much better machine. I looked at several SG48's before purchasing an MG. The MG seems to be a much more capable machine with a small footprint. The SG's also seem to go for ridiculous prices compared to the MG's. I bought an MG in like new condition about 10 years ago for less than 1/4 the asking price of the SG48 you're looking at.

Thanks,
So this Sanford sg-10B is a sg-48 ?
 
If you are not familiar with the Boyar Shultz 612,
I for sure would recommend one. Sanford is kind of
home shop grade of grinder. The Boyar Shultz is
a bit more industrial and very well designed.
I have one that I bought from a school shop and
took all apart and refurbished. I made a little
better upgrades to the oiling system, because I
believe that was important. Anyhow, even though
I have recently bought an Okamoto 820 machine, I
really would never get rid of the B-S. It is just
so handy for a lot of things.

--Doozer
 
Don't buy a grinder where someone has robbed the chuck off it. Extra wheels mean little if they are used (diamond wheels are the exception). Some auctions will try and sell the used wheels, other's will give the potential killers away.

Do you mean the mag chuck or a mechanical chuck ?
If it doesn’t come with a diamond dresser to sit on the mag chuck, how does one dress the wheel.
Thanks
 
Around 1970, I visited Campbell Tool in Springfield, OH. They were doing a mail order small tool and steam engine kit business out of a basement shop. I was impressed by the tiny Sanford surface grinder in their tiny shop.

Around 1980. I owned two of the little Sanfords, not at the same time. In both cases, they did not work when I got them, but they were cheap. After getting them home, I was not willing to start tearing into them to do a proper rebuild and make the missing parts. I ended up selling both for a small profit over the $100 or so that I had paid for each. I was not impressed with the design or quality, though both had probably been abused.

I ended up with a Brown & Sharpe No. 2 surface grinder, a 6 x 18 that weighs around 1200 pounds. I did a complete rebuild on it and it has proved to be an excellent grinder.

I was in another small shop in Chicago around 1985 that was full of Hardinge Cataract lathes and mills. The owner was using one of his little Cataract horizontal bench millers as a surface grinder. The travels and weight were kind of similar to the little Sanford. The milling machine's ways were not suited to that use, but he probably treated it as a disposable machine, since there were still a number of them in Chicago for low prices back then.

At $2500, I would expect an absolutely perfect Sanford complete with magnetic chuck and extra wheels. And I would not expect an old Sanford to be in anything close to perfect condition.

Larry
Looking at the magnetic chuck prices alone are over $1300. at Travers tool co.
Came with 6 extra white wheels of 4” diameter.
Might I BE wise to jump on another when it shows up, even at $2500.
Thanks
 
You are going to buy a used machine and not look around for a used chuck? I got a nice one for $100. Save the money to fix the grinder. For example, the Sanford MG has adjustable gibs in one direction only. I assume the baby brother is the same. The other direction is iron on iron, poor lubrication and uneven wear after years of use takes out a lot of accuracy. Just to explain, this direction is if you lift the spindle up and down from the front (this would be pitch in an airplane). If the machine has wear here, you have lost any accuracy and vibration will be unavoidable, resulting in a poor surface finish. If the seller can demonstrate a beautiful surface finish with the material you are gonna use, and it had a chuck, IMHO the asking price is still very high.
 
Yes, these machines are really for space constricted shops or table-top. They are lighter-built than an industrial model. My ideal machine would be a Brown and Sharpe 5x10, with that "spotting" handle.
 








 
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