Accusize 5C tool cutter grinder

[PeterT]

I haven't really followed when the switch occurred but now they sell the 5C collet version like Shars & other sellers have offered for quite some time. It used to be R8 only. I ran into a dead end trying to buy the 5C work head separately only because I have a full set of 5C collets. Oh well, I can use R8's in my mill too. Unfortunately the price on these machines has increased dramatically.

5C SINGLE LIP CUTTER GRINDER DECKEL STYLE PERFECTLY BUILT

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accusizetools.com

 

[Former Member]

I have the Shars Version, bought it last year.

 

[Tom Kitta]

Wow, well over 2000??? Why? I think this was called D bit grinder or something due to its limited nature - i.e. this is not a real tool cutter and grinder.

 

[PeterT]

You are right, they are more commonly referred to as D-bit grinders or Deckel D-bit lookalikes or Single lip grinder (which I've never understood, what is a lip?)
OTOH a D-bit is a pretty simple shape, probably at the bottom of the list of what it's capable of or used for. Maybe by 'real' you mean those grinding workstations more orientated to fluted cutters & the like. You have to be careful there as well. Some are very confined to what they can & cannot do, often at 2-3X the price. So it all depends....

 

[Dabbler]

due to its limited nature

With a few attachemnts, it can capabably sharpen any milling cutter - end and flute, as well as making custom milling cutters and HSS lathe tools.

Yes, it cannot do everything, but almost anything a hobby shop needs. But the new price is *very* steep, probably because of their popularity.

As usual, best value is in the used market.

 

[Former Member]

From Shars about CDN$1350.00.

With 5C collects because of the pass thru allows you to do just about anything, the trick is getting the right grinding wheels to grind center cutting.

 

[PeterT]

Your post beat me to it. Shars is 982 USD = 1325 CAD. Add say $250 shipping to border. Not sure if duty applies? Still seems healthy difference vs Accusize FOB eastern Canada pre taxes. I'm guessing its not a Taiwan mode or anything special.

Universal End Mill Cutter Drill Bit Grinder Sharpener

www.shars.com

 

[Tom Kitta]

Shars indeed would be much cheaper - I assume shipping would be less than 250 as this is not that heavy of a machine, but I could be wrong, maybe prices went up.
Standard GST in Alberta applies. I.e. same as Accusize - you need to pay GST.

For crossing the border you need to pay someone to do the duty for you or you can drive and pick it up yourself. If you stay a weekend in the US you can even skip most of the GST (!)

Price is still very high for what you are getting. I have a T&C G and as usual main cost is in the attachments. But the machine itself was just around $700 used and there are some that can be had for like $500 or less. Depending on model here, a lot of things "tilt", table tilts, head goes up and down, has two stones, spins around, table goes side to side and back and forth. I am sure there are ones that have even more movement.

 

[PeterT]

With 5C collects because of the pass thru allows you to do just about anything

That's another reason I was interested to convert the work head. I've even seen them on AliExpress. At least I 'think' I've seen them. The sellers themselves didn't understand what the collets were about & i didnt feel like gambling a couple hundred bucks. Maybe now that Accusize has standardized I can get one through them by defining a PN. But my guess is it wont be cheap. So my focus is use it as-is. There is enough work just using it properly & I imagine replacing parts.

Re your Shars, have you made a conversion to accommodate extended length parts straight through the spindle? If so show me some pics please. I'm guessing a new hand wheel with a center hole? I assume the barrel must be like a tube & engage inner threads? What is max diameter you can accomodate?

 

[PeterT]

not that heavy of a machine,

60kg=132 lbs. DYK would work like so landed in Calgary. I think 'tools' like this are duty free?

 

[Susquatch]

I can't seem to find the ones that I was looking at on Ali & Bangood. They were WAY less than the Accusize - around 250 is what I remember (but my memory sucks). I'd already have ordered one if the shipping wasn't something like 600.

 

[Former Member]

They didn't ship to Canada, I had them ship it to my US address and did the import myself. If anyone needs the duty codes let me know if you want to do your own commercial import. No duties, just taxes.

 

[Janger]

It’s hard to tell by the pictures but does the accusize one have a better quality head? Seems like maybe it does? When I was trying a similar model a member bought from Ali it seemed the accessory head had a lot of slop in it. Maybe 5 or even 10 thou. Really hard to accurately grind a tool with that much slop. This was the flute grinding head not the regular end one.

 

[Former Member]

Shars unit includes all the heads, I called them before I ordered. The heads have adjustment gibs.

The biggest thing I found the various instructions online do not clearly define how to grind center cutting endmills. I had to think long and hard and realized you need a special cutter and then its possible. I haven't done it yet too busy and no need yet, but shortly. I will take photos and post it as it needs to documented to make it easier.

The only other comment is that the light is in a very poor position to be useful.

 

[Janger]

Shars unit includes all the heads, I called them before I ordered. The heads have adjustment gibs.

The biggest thing I found the various instructions online do not clearly define how to grind center cutting endmills. I had to think long and hard and realized you need a special cutter and then its possible. I haven't done it yet too busy and no need yet, but shortly. I will take photos and post it as it needs to documented to make it easier.

The only other comment is that the light is in a very poor position to be useful.

are you grinding flutes successfully Degen?

 

[Former Member]

Haven't had the need to try yet as most of my wear is on the ends. One of the reasons for that is endmill wear has greatly decreased since going to CNC and Carbide.

 

[PeterT]

the trick is getting the right grinding wheels to grind center cutting.

What do you mean by the right wheels?

 

[RobinHood]

It requires a really thin section width wheel to grind the face of a center cutting end mill as at least one of the edges extends past the center ,or if none do, then there is a very narrow center web which only a really thin wheel can grind.

 

[RobinHood]

Here is a decent video explains how to cut the face of a center cutting end mill.

 

[Mcgyver]

A few thoughts, worth at least what you paid for them:

- you get several sharpenings out of the end before need worry about grinding the gash deeper.
- unless you are plunging, you're not cutting on the end. Indeed the end is relieved a degree or two toward the centre so it doesn't rub. Unless you are plunging, the wear maybe all toward the end, but its still on side of the endmill.
- I stopped bothering grinding the end. Its a PITA (even without worrying about the gash) and 95% or more of what I do is not plunging so when an end mill is worn, its the helical side that needs grinding not the end. grind the sides a go back to work
- yes you can sharpen the sides various ways, but it's a royal PITA without an air bearing...and is soooo easy with one.....one of the reasons the usefulness of these is a lot less imo than you might think if haven't ground end mills before.
- imo, something like a Chevalier FCG-610 would give about 20x the bang for the buck. They do come up for similar dollars. A few weeks ago one appeared in Quebec for example. I would diligently watch for something like that and pounce when you see it.
- Accusize used to be a guy in an industrial unit in Richmond Hill selling the same made in China tools everyone else did. One day, in a stroke of genius, he slapped a brand on them and doubled the price. There may be some new advanced QC function he's started to provide , but I doubt it. Knowing the background (just a reseller, not a manufacture or designer) I'd be challenged to pay a premium.