Conundrum? Decent benchtop surface grinder

Good grinders are usually not very expensive at liquidations and such. Expect to pay perhaps $50 (on a bad day) for a Baldor 1/2 HP grinder, smooth as silk.

i

Doubt it. The smallest one I've ever seen was small, about 1.5 ft wide by 2.5 ft long, but it had an integral base. It wouldn't take up much more room than a small stand model, though. I know it's older, dunno the exact model or manufacturer.

Hmm, the game's afoot, Mr. Holmes!

The lesser expensive models I've seen have been > >> Benchtop? Er, small stand-mounted model would do. Is there anything

Searching ebuy for surface grinder. Here's one in Wisconsin, but I think it would probably collapse the steps down into the basement, plus it's

230v/3PH.

Louis Ohland wrote:

So figure another $200 for a VFD to power it. You do not want to consider replacing the three phase motor with a single phase one as it's been reported that they don't run as smoothly as three phase and will create defects in the ground finish.

======== If you are open to "rolling your own" either the Machinist's Workshop" or "The Home Shop Machinist" had plans to do this. They may have back issues available or a reprint.

click on

for May/June 06 July/Aug 06 Sep/Oct 06

Lautard's Machinist bedside reader #2 also has info on a "spot" grinder that you can make. click on

for some discussion see ' George [George McDuffee] ============ Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.

Like this?

TECO FM50 AC Drive, 1 HP, 115V 1 PH > Louis Ohland wrote:

155V? i

Yes, though if you actually have 155V you've got a bit of a problem there. The VFD normally expects 200-240V input, and yes single phase in and three phase out. Visit

to look at some.

Pete C.

Something like that, though normally the input and output voltages are the same. Most drives are 240V input (or like 200-240V input), 115V input is not very common.

Pete C.

That's either too high for the ~115V or too low for the ~230V part of your service. Either way, it's well out of spec for US utility standards.

Pete C.

PS: I'm in TX where everything is indeed bigger, and we still have pretty close to the expected ~115/230V service. My UPS reports 119V at the moment.

Uh, SARCASM:ON The 115v in my house is standard. I was being cheeky about typing 155 instead of 115.

Thanks for the link.

"Do you want to fight, or do you want to surf?"

"I'll surf, Sir!"

Pete C. wrote:

1 HP 208/220 3 PHASE 2.8 AMPS

The FM50 shows 4.2 and I assume "Full Load Amps"

I _th>> TECO FM50 AC Drive, 1 HP, 115V 1 PH Input, 230V 3 PH Output, 4.2FLA, IP20

According to Louis Ohland :

Yes -- if you don't insist on the company still being around.

Look into the Sanford line of surface grinders. The smallest of them can be used as benchtop machines, as I use mine.

But apparently the company went under shortly after I got my manual from them. (The machine was quite old, and needed a bit of modernization of the power supply for the electro-mag chuck.

Enjoy, DoN.