Info on Mk1 Clarkson T&C grinder?

Thanks John, I've just contributed £7.50 to your "find the floor" fund ;-)

The one I've bought has the standard brackets with parallel centres but nothing else - however I've had the Darex M3 parts lying around for a while so maybe I can adapt them - anybody else done this?

Dave

Dave, I also have a Clarkson Mk1 and can recommend John's CD. With only the two centres, you are limited and need something which will do lathe tools as well. Again, you should be looking for a magnetic table- cos they add immeasurably to the versatility. Right! The Clarkson 'goodies' are expensive but the CD will show you what was/is available and can be replicated. The Toolholder for lathe tools can be damned near anything. I made my first out best B&Q 2"X2" and bolts and wing nuts from 'Wilkinsons' The two recommended abrasive discs are standard items at Cromwell Tools. You do need the extension nut and I would make it a first job and left hand threading!!!! I haven't got round to Darex but any holder which is capable of being tilted with work. I have seen Stent, Quorn and Kennet stuff working on the table. John's CD has Boxford stuff included and again, reference to Boxford goodies may be clearer than the Clarkson instructions included. My experience!

In a fairly recent MEW, there is a reference to graduating the Clarkson. Worth a look! One of my mates graduated his table to improve things.

Sorry, it is becoming a history lesson and not really intended but i would suggest that you join the YahooGroups Quorn-Owners group for added interst and there are still bits left which you might find useful. Somewhere, is the reference to 4 facet drill grinding to add.

Hopefully, this will keep you busy to the weekend!

Cheers

Norm

Pictures of our unit at:

March Engineering handbooks were on ebay up to a week or so ago, I haven't done any Clarkson searches recently but they should still be there.

Also recommend that CD of John S's

We have the drill/reamer sharpening attachment on ours, and have picked up some odds and sods in the way of fittings/tooling since we acquired it, but the fittings tend to be expensive on ebay, despite most of the older machines being scrapped.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web:

Dave, I deliberately left out comment of what accessories that I have for my Clarkson but I have a 'full set' minus a few bits from the radius turning attachment- although it works. In addirion, I have a full set from my homemade Quorn and Kennet. But!!!! Since the days of all the aforementioned, things have moved on to a point where carbide is commonplace hence the demise of many horrendously expensive tools. I suggested Quorn_Owners because some of the additional fittings for air spindles is on file and whilst I haven't got round to it, unquestionably this can be readily adapted from the Quorn- which is a thing for home constructors. Again, the Clarkson changed to two speed- and for good reason but we need a low, low speed to hone carbide tooling with diamond pastes which are now readily available. Again, John did a thing- call it a mock up- using collets and a 3 way 'vice' and cheap DE grinder- which would have proved successful. I did it with the latter 2 items earlier.

Tool and cutter grinding for amateur workers has moved on beyond the orthodox ;manuals. My comments were designed to open up the subject- and suggest moving on to what is now possible in the home environment.

In the past few hours, I have a copy of July's MEW with improvements- thank God- on the Worden. Another Round to It!

Norm

Thanks Norm. Have you kept yours on its pedestal? I'm wondering whether it would make sense to mount it on a wheeled trolley so it can be trundled out of the way when not needed - or even on a (strong) shelf.

I'm pleased you didn't say which weekend it would keep me busy to - there are so many other jobs on the list that this will have to wait for a while before the right tuit arrives.

Dave

Is everything on John's CD (already ordered) or do I need the handbook as well?

Dave

Now I'm going to really expose my ignorance - what would an air spindle be used for?

Dave

subject-

improvements-

spindle

Grinding the flutes of reamers, slot drills and endmills. The silky smooth travel allows the object being ground to follow the toothrest without jerks.

(If anyone has any Clarkson air spindle collets please get in touch as I only have one with my spindle!)

AWEM

The March handbook is the official book for the machine and is not on John's CD (or at least, I haven't seen it there!)

The book is a useful reference for the machine, but not on how to use it IMO

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web:

Dave, Do accept the quips! First, mine is minus the pedestal because I couldn't lift the bloody thing in and out of the car. Mine fits nicely on a worktop and is so solid that I haven't bothered to bolt it down. Put it on wheels- if you must( funny fellow, this) Frankly, I think that you would be OK with John's CD and I would be heading for Quorn_owners 3 sites which will explain all sorts of things but will do the Deckel and the Quorn handbook- not the words and music one but enough in operating instructions to should set ups which you can modify for your machine.

I have no idea of what else is on the March book but might I continue to teach you to suck eggs- sorry, mate! So here goes. Since the Mk1 there has been a change to double pulleys which adds to versatility. however, with the increase in carbide tooling, diamond wheels are fairly cheap and available. Again, diamond lapping with paste was unheard of in home workshops until fairly recently but you will require a very slow speed. The Clarkson is perfectly capable of coping with the new demands. It does mean that you will have to make your own laps- but that is part of the challenge.

I did mention tool interchangeability and it gets a bit exciting with a Quorn head- with collets, on a Stent tilting bracket with a set of depth stops to do very fancy stuff. Only last night I had a mate phoning about making new depth stops on a baby Clarkson- the Stent.

So I did try to open the matter more fully in the hope that you will get more and more benefit. It is only a beginning- you have a nice machine!

Cheers

Norm

Well, it's sort of half useful - and, IMO, somewhat in the opposite direction to what Peter said. It has a list of all the accessories (standard and optional extras) and instructions on how to sharpen the common types of cutters - but it is rather lacking in basic instructions on how to use the machine itself.

Most of these things can be found by inspection and trial and error. I know I had this experience when I acquired a March Mk2 a couple of months ago (that is the same as the Clarkson, just rebadged).

David

Had a quick scan through my own book, what is probably most useful is the list of available tooling, and there 'are' sections on how to sharpen tools etc.

My book also came with another 6-page brochure inside called "Tool & Cutter Care" also by March engineering.

Price for a Mk1 T&C cutter grinder (in 2001) was £364.50 plus VAT Price for the drill/reamer jig was £1344.00 plus VAT Price for the Air Bearing Flute Grinding Attachment was £1190.00 plus VAT

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web:

Dave, At no time do I want to criticise or amend other valued comments. Presently, you are stuck- well, not quite, with having no lathe tool holder. It is the classic thing of 'wanting to see the wheels turn' with simple lathe/shaper tool grinding. From this, if you have the right wheels, you should be able to see your reflected finger nail in the finished tool Weeeeeeeeee! Take all the lads out for a pint.

I have nicked a set of drawings for a basic tool holder which will do this. OK, whilst you may not have the metal- yet- you can buy a few bits of B&Q best and use a chopsaw to do the angles. I shall be away for a longish weekend but I have some will scanning to do for another chap. If I can get the bloody scanner to work, will do this for you. So E-Mail me- and face East to await the next miracle.

Thanks Norm, I'll watch the sunrise for the next few days.

D

In article , NoSpam writes

Dave,

For sharpening lathe tools, a 3-way vice is the best option, for example:

or:

I got one of the latter for my Mk2 T&C grinder, the quality is excellent. The 2" version should be plenty large enough. If you want to sharpen round tools, a simple holder from a piece of square steel bored out to fit is simple to make (and essential). Do take very light cuts -

2 thou is a very heavy cut on a grinder, and the tools get very hot.

For sharpening the ends of milling cutters, a universal head is used. You could get by quite well with a universal vice (as above) with a rotating holder (square block of steel, bored to take a cylindrical holder with some collets).

The tooth rest, used to align each tooth in turn for presentation to the wheel, is easily fabricated.

A pair of centres for holding milling cutters to present the side flutes can be found if you look around, or fabricated if you prefer.

When you look at the instruction books etc. you will see other bits and pieces, most of which can be made.

The drill sharpener is very rare, but I reckon a suitable set-up could be arranged using the above bits; I am still working on this.

For TC tools you will need a green grit wheel or (I suspect better) a diamond cup wheel. Eternal Tools sell very good ones, recently reviewed in MEW.

BTW, I assume you have a cup wheel, they are all but essential for many of the tasks.

Finally, on my Mk 2 the wheel arbour has a LH thread; I nearly broke my wrist trying to get it off until AWEM kindly pointed out this (obvious in retrospect) fact to me!

The recent book by Harold Hall in the Workshop Practice series on Tool and Cutter sharpening would be a good place to start; Amazon or Camden Miniature Steam Services should have it.

Hope this helps; do get back with more specific questions. I am also on the learning curve, just a few weeks further along it. If the CD does not give you the handbooks, get back to me as I have copies of the Clarkson and March ones.

David

... snipped

I've already exposed my ignorance so a little more exposure can't do any more damage ;-) For regular lathe tools, what's the advantage of using this grinder over a regular bench grinder, and what's the advantage of using a relatively expensive vice over making a simple jig?

I've had the parts of a Darex M3 for quite w while - I'll see if I can adapt them

Fortunately the centres were with it.

I should be able to use the Darex M3 bits

Can diamond be used for both HSS and TC?

No, I've never used a cup wheel - what are the advantages (more exposure :-( )

I didn't know about it but I'll investigate.

That's useful info, and a very kind offer David. I'm told that John's CD doesn't have the handbooks so I'll send you an email.

Dave

David, the email bounced - can you suggest what to put in place of nospam?