Newbie grinder stand question

Grinders tend to vibrate, walk across the floor, plus you want to be able to push on them without tipping over. They also produce large quantities of sparks, dust, abrasive dust, and general crud.

so good)

A nasty dust collector plus it is likely to vibrate

Ok but takes up a lot of space on the bench. Mount it right at the front edge.

The grinder can go flat up against a wall, you don't need any space behind it. Side clearance depends on what you are doing. I usually need a couple of feet on both sides to be able to grind a lawnmower blade or similar. It should be located where the grinding dust can be easily swept up, and should NOT be next to anything high precision. It is not a "friendly neighbor" in the shop.

The following is my experience with bench grinders. I wonder why they are called "bench grinders."

I find that if I mount it to the floor, it is much safer, and I can apply greater pressure to the work. BUT, it's in one place unless I make the bolts where I can take them out and move it to another location.

If I make a moveable pedestal, I can always seem to topple it or tip it. If I make the base heavy enough to be stable, it's like moving a dead horse by yourself. If I make the pedestal large enough that I actually stand on the pedestal, it's about the same thing, as you have to mount it in the middle of the pedestal, or it is tippy.

So, it's a difficult thing. For some types of work, a bench mounted grinder is best. For others, a solid mount to the floor. For others, a moveable pedestal.

So, do the obvious thing, and have all three.

A guy just can't have too many tools.

Steve

I have two grinders and a belt sander. None of them is mounted on a bench. The biggest one is mounted on something I made from a truck wheel rim, some 4 inch pipe, and some steel plate. Not too bad to move as you can rock it over and then roll it.

The second one is mounted on a wood stand I built from scrap wood. The sides are tapered. It is about 9 inches by 12 inches on the top and about 14 by 16 inches at the bottom. The grinder is belt driven with the motor inside the wood stand and the belt going up from the bottom to the pulley on the grinder. So the center of gravity is lower than it would be if the motor was part of the grinder. I also hung a disk brake rotor on the back of the stand to make it heavier.

The belt sander is mounted on a stand originally made for a power hacksaw. It is made of wood with vertical sides. The top is 13 inches by 29 inches and is 3/4 inch plywood. The legs are 4 by 4 wood and it is braced with some 2 by 6 lumber.

So I guess my answer is a question. What do you have at hand? Weight can always be added.

Dan

I have found four types of stand work well for me. The first is a stout stand bolted to the floor. These work great if you have lots of room. The second is a heavy pedestal. They tend to stay in place but will move around some with heavy pressure. They can also be dragged around without too much trouble if you have a smooth floor. For grinding I like these the best and use them. The third type is a 3/4 piece of plywood about 18 inches wide and three feet long. Bolt the grinder to the plywood at one end. When grinding you are standing on the wood so the grinder doesn't move. Thes can also be dragged around if you have the room. The fourth is a stand with three feet made from pipe and square tubing. I use these a lot for mounting buffing motors and motors with nylon impregnated wheels used for deburring. They are light enough to be carried easily wherever they need to be for deburring operations. The stand is described below. You will need:

1 ea. 1/4" thick steel plate the same size as the bottom of your motor. 1 ea. piece of 2" black iron pipe cut to the length that puts the grinder at the height you like minus the length of the feet. If you have the pipe cut at the hardware store on the pipe machine the ends will be square enough. 3 ea. pieces of 1" square tubing with 1/8" wall, 7 to 12 inches long. These make the legs. 3 ea. 1/2 inch carriage bolts 2 1/2" long. These fit inside the feet. 6 ea. nuts for the carriage bolts. 3 ea. rubber feet, like crutch tips, that fit snugly over the heads of the carriage bolts. These are the feet. Drill a 1/2" inch hole through each piece of square tubing about 3/4" from one end. Drill the hole pattern in the steel plate that matches your motor. Weld the plate to one end of the pipe. Weld the three pieces of square tubing to the pipe equally spaced. One piece needs to be perpendicular to the motor shaft axis. Be sure the drilled holes will be perpendicular to the floor when the thing is done. Thread a nut onto each bolt far enough so that the bolt sticks through the square tubing just as far as the nuts are thick. Tighten the remaining nuts onto the bolts to hold them in the square tubing. Push the rubber feet on. You will find that the feet are just the right length to bottom out on the bolt head without touching the tubing. When using the stand you can put a foot on the square tubing that you welded perpendicular to the motor shaft axis. I have made four of these. Three have three feet because they hold either buffer motors or a 1" belt sander. One has four feet because I have mounted a filing machine on it which doesn't get much side load. I usually sit on a stool when using the filing machine. I like these stands so much that I will be welding up two more when I get the time. The one that has the belt sander has 12 inch long legs because the sander is a little too tippy with the shorter legs. These stands are the best portable stands I've used for a shop with limited space. They are cheap and easy to make. ERS

One of the best places to mount such a grinder is ON a wall, where it doesn't collect dirt and garbage, and is totally out of the way. Shop space is usually at a premium, so that way you don't waste any of it. It's also far more convenient to use.

Depending on how you intend to use the grinder, height is important. If you will be grinding HSS toolbits for machining, I recommend mounting the grinder at chest height, so you can sharpen cutters without leaning over. I grind without a tool rest, so if you use one, that height would likely not work too well.

Harold

Personally, I made a rolling grinding table. It has a bench grinder (1/2 HP 7 and 8 inch Baldor), chop saw (no name cheap saw), vise, and a small wet grinder for knives etc.

The table itself is an old kitchen cabinet with a particle board top, on casters.

Works well for me, as I can drag it out away from sensitive equipment, to do dirty grinding, and stow away when not needed.

i

Exactly. A special tool for a special need.

One size does not fit all, and size really doesn't matter anyway.

Steve

I dislike bench grinders, don't get one unless you need it, and have room for it. They require very secure mounting, and are dangerous. They can't be beat for polishing / buffing tasks

A belt or disk sander would probably be more useful. I prefer hand held right angle grinders, and securely clamping piece to be ground.

A small wheel,chucked into an electric drill, makes a good grinder, when put in a fitted stand.

Depends on one's needs. There's nothing better than a wheel for grinding cutting tools for lathes, shapers and fly cutters. An angle grinder would be pretty much useless, and belt sanders should be avoided for such use due to edge rounding. It's the nature of the beast. The well equipped shop likely has all of them.

Harold

Paul, I would like to know, why do you not like bench grinders? Why do you find them particularly dangerous?

i

I've seen too many cases of Bench Grinders snagging and throwing small parts. This is mostly operator error, and setting tool rest too far from wheel, or not keeping up with wheel wear. The other thing I don't like is Hot Sparks that could be a fire hazard. In my shop, the grinding is done outside, no spark hazard. Friend had grinder fire earlier this year. Went back in shop to get jacket, unknowingly fanned glowing embers.

I could be foolish and or prejustice, but I dislike bench grinders.

I'm in a Phoenix suburb. I do have a covered rear patio with a good flat cement floor that I could put it on. Temperature is never a problem except a couple horrible summer months. And rain/humidity is not that often either - mostly in August monsoons.

One problem with anything outside around here is dirt and dust. It's a desert and a lot of weather systems kick up wind storms. Even inside the garage, I get a good layer of gritty dust on flat surfaces. It just gets driven into any gap or crack. I'll probably make some kind of cloth cover/tarp for the machines in the garage.

First project is making a detailed drawing of the floor plan, un-movables, and then trying to make a rational layout. I have a two car enclosed garage but that is just about my entire household storage space so it's got to be tightly designed.

-- W§ mostly in m.s -

Thanks for the replies. I didn't give enough thought to the junk it would spew out, but now I'll put it off by itself. And try to figure out some way to easily move it outside for use and inside for storage.

I also wouldn't have thought of the idea of standing on a platform which mounts the grinder. Not at least until I had some grief. Brilliant ! I'll get the heavy pedestal next sale and mount it on a heavy plywood platform and try to figure out how to make that moveable. Maybe a couple wheels that touch the ground when it's tipped and the grinder is the handle to tip it. I'll work on it.

Thanks again, everyone.

-- W§ mostly in m.s -

some people weld grinder stands to truck wheels.

i

Mine goes up from two stacked brake drums. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Wall-mount is good. My plan is to put a couple of unistrut rails vertically on a wall and make bolt-on shelves for my grinder(s) and buffers. I'm usually only using one, but having it shift during use (or dedicating space on my heavy bench) is not acceptable. A floor stand only works if you bolt it down, which is inconvenient.

the unistrut makes it easy to make height adjustments or remove the unit to storage when I get a better grinder... or match the height to my sawhorses when some 10' rods need ends trimmed.

Very good idea, the adjustable height with unistrut. How about a report on how well it works when you get if done?

Harold