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LeBlond No 1 Tool and Cutter Grinder C$600

Cranbrook BC

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I'm not enthusiastic on this machine. a little rough, and it looks like the machine has seen better days. T&C grinders see a lot of abuse from grit, and lower hour machines are a better bet.

-- still might be worth 600$, but mostly to someone that likes to fix stuff and can afford a bed regrind.
 
A very versatile machine. I have one that is in line for a proper restore and came well-tooled.

I've been sniffing around for a few years for a manual for it to no avail.

Here's an idea of all the tooling and accessories that was available for this machine at the time.

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Dabbler said:
I'm not enthusiastic on this machine. a little rough, and it looks like the machine has seen better days. T&C grinders see a lot of abuse from grit, and lower hour machines are a better bet.

-- still might be worth 600$, but mostly to someone that likes to fix stuff and can afford a bed regrind.
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Yes, it does seen beaten up a lot. But as someone that wanted to tool up T&C grinder I can tell you its hard to find cheap tooling for these - especially in the same make and model.
 
I had the Cincinnati version of this for a few years, sold by AR Williams in Toronto. At 600 that is a worthwhile machine. Make an offer, likely can get it for less.
Mine was from 1920's and definitely didn't need a bed regrind. Just because paint is missing doesn't mean it is worn out.
 
The one does look a little beat up....but as Gerrit says, doesn' mean its worn....althought outward appearance is a good hint at how hard a life the thing has had. If it is worn, thats why they invented scraping :) or if too beat up scrapping.

I scraped mine in, bottom up, and its not hard to a hold a tenth on it when using it as a cylindrical grinder.

The only thing that dissuades me from thinking this would make a great project, is it would be hard to add flood coolant. Probably the most common use for mine is cylindrical grinding and that needs flood.
 
gerritv said:
bed regrind.
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I agree that a fair amount of time a 'diamond in the rough' can be found under grime and chipped paint. The overall look, including what looked like dings in the bed raised some yellow flags for me.

I agree that the Leblond is a very good machine - way better than my Keller. I was trying to suggest that this particular machine is best suited for a guy that wants to rebuild stuff. I worry that there will be much to do.

By being too succinct, I sounded extreme. my bad. :(
 
The problem is when we make judgements based on photos. Were someone interested in a very good grinder, in need of some work, then an in-person visit can determine the actual condition. And sometimes we just need to take a chance :-) and be pleasantly happy with it.

In my Ferrari ownership days and the search leading to that there were lots of nice looking examples, some however used tricks like olive oil to shine up the paint for the photos. Until you saw in person. It turned out a not-quite-so-lovely looking one was actually the better buy.
 
Unfortunately distance plays into this for most of us to pop by and have a look see to assess the condition....... And, since I know absolutely nothing about tool and cutter grinders I would know nothing about it when I got there....... So, I think we have struck a deal on it and I will try and retrieve it in a couple months, when I have cleared the three big projects I have on the go right now from my plate.
Somewhere along the line I picked up a Harig grinding fixture, so, you know..... I needed something to try it on. I'm not expecting miracles, just hoping to learn a little more with minimal cash outlay. At this point, no matter how worn out it might be, it's still going to be more accurate than me. :p

How's that for needs Craig?:D:D:D
And, no, it's not going to fit in the presently available space.....:rolleyes:
 
Congrats.. They're a handy machine and the dollars small so minimal downside and lots of upside. Keep your eyes open for an air bearing....end mills are likely the most common tools needing sharpening and you need an air bearing for them. Well, ok, some would argue you don't absolutely have to have an air bearing....but you need an air bearing :). It takes it from a an unpleasant struggle to being a breeze.

The other thing I'd say with them if you just using for cutting tools, provided the spindle are in good shape, even quite worn they can do a good job. Wear usually transitions over some distance and the distance of travel for grinding a tool is usually short (big slab endmills would be an exception). That limits to some extent how wear affects things - what might be a lot of wear over then isn't much over one. Also, unlike grinding parts you don't need 10ths accuracy. All you really need is a good spindle and the table moving in a straight line relative to it; thats all you need. No one is milling to better than thou on the best of days so end mills, lathe tool bits etc don't have to be ground to super fine tolerances. Besides, if you get an air bearing, truly all you need is a good spindle.

The one thing I see that I don't really like, is that that is not the orginal motor. No doubt done to get around needing 3P is the pre-vfd days. See if the OEM is avaible....its going to be better quality, i.e. better balanced = less vibrtaion = better finish. Even then, the finish needed on a cutting tool is forgiving compared to grinding parts.
 
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I wish I had the headroom and space for a complete lineshaft, that would truly make my day..... However, I have learned that putting spinning bits on the walls and ceiling really resonates through the house. Doesn't sound too bad in the shop, the rest of the house is another matter. Lol
 
Well, 1900 km's later, hundreds of litres of fuel and three full days of driving, it is sitting in the driveway.
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Just as I was taking this picture a pickup towing a boat lost its trailer at highway speeds........ Damn near got killed in a boating accident a 1/2 mile from the lake.... Lol. The people were all safe, but the truck and boat took a pretty good beating........
 
140mower said:
Well, 1900 km's later, hundreds of litres of fuel and three full days of driving, it is sitting in the driveway.
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Just as I was taking this picture a pickup towing a boat lost its trailer at highway speeds........ Damn near got killed in a boating accident a 1/2 mile from the lake.... Lol. The people were all safe, but the truck and boat took a pretty good beating........
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Did you offer to sharpen the tool driving it?
 
Tom O said:
Did you offer to sharpen the tool driving it?
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I never said that I was the sharpest tool in the shed. :p
Considering that I drug the old truck out of a field last fall, the 300 six ran like a top, the propane doesn't help the power any, but I was happy to pay the 1.10/ltr and if I stayed under 80kmh the fuel economy was pretty good. One just has to pay attention to the traffic coming up behind you and don't hold them up any longer than necessary.
 
140mower said:
I never said that I was the sharpest tool in the shed. :p
Considering that I drug the old truck out of a field last fall, the 300 six ran like a top, the propane doesn't help the power any, but I was happy to pay the 1.10/ltr and if I stayed under 80kmh the fuel economy was pretty good. One just has to pay attention to the traffic coming up behind you and don't hold them up any longer than necessary.
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We had several old farm trucks with 300 sixes in them, they had good lugging power for their displacement but they were not the speediest things around that's for sure. I loved their simplicity. I can imagine that would have been one very long trip.
 
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