Shop Assembled Cutter Grinder

[ncollar]

JR
to make it more versatile you could remove the lead screw and replace it with a hand lever to get that quick transverse.
Beautiful build
Nelson

[Toolmaker51]

Another method of traverse; possibly more common than pfredX1's rack and pinion is a drum/ spool and aircraft/ motorcycle controls type cable.
Some are plastic coated, and occupy 1 or better 2 full turns around the drum.
Drum's shaft is lever operated, with transverse rotating handle, nice ones can vary the levers' length. Some 'levers' are crankwheels, I like the inertia of them over a plain lever. Shaft can run bushings or bearings. One end tied to underside of table, a wire clamp is fine. Other is also, but terminates in an extension spring and turnbuckle arrangement; to set lightest possible tension and positive driving traction. Rather like a level wind fishing reel or winch, but physics does the level wind job not a mechanism. As cable pays out and returns both under consistent tension the wire wraps directly against the previous turn. A scored drum is not required.
Very smooth arrangement whether conventional ways or ball bearing. This allows zero backlash control and quick table movement in X. That will greatly improve finish at right and left edges.
A small motor will grind, the limitation is amount of crossfeed per pass. A decent 6 x 12 grinder and wheel will grind .003 to .020 deep, depending on material and crossfeed. If you can get finish passes .0005-.001 deep x .150-.200 across, and conventional pass [transit to right] looks like the climb pass [to left] you are losing little to nothing against genuine surface grinders.
If anyone'd like a drawing I can, but not tonite. I get up for 11 hour shifts at 04:30.

jjr2001, Email me. I'll prep you on first tooling builds supplementing the grinder...small, convenient, and you'll maximize [or at least elevate] it's potential.

[Raytonian]

I had this XY table for the past 30 years and only used it on the drill press.
But then I purchased a small mill and no longer needed the table.
Well now that I have a mill I needed to sharpen some cutters.
Works well for Lathe tool bits as well.

The column is just a hunk of heavy steel tubing. Riding on that is the mount for the grinder.
That would be all aluminum except for the 1/2-10 Acme Lead Screw. Used for positioning the
height of the grinder which is then locked by the two rather large knurled aluminum lock bolts.

The XY table has variable positioning so it may be located for various setups. The column may be relocated
to several fixed positions. Right now the grinder seems a little under powered. I am going to replace the grinder with a larger model and see if I can get enough power for some surface grinding. That should make this a very useful tool in the shop.

So far it has been used for lathe tool bits and end mill sharpening.

Several accessories are shown which include a multi angle fixture that can hold just about any tool at almost
any angle. It's main use if for lathe tool bits.

The spin indexer along with the shop made index pointer is used for end mills. With the index pointer it can sharpen the flutes as well as the ends.

I will post the new motor and report on how well it can be used for a simple surface grinder.

Cheers, JR


I added a fine feed to improve its use as a surface grinder:

http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/u...2517#post72517

Wonderful, thank you.