Downwindtracker2
Ultra Member
I bought a Delta Toolmaker surface grinder at the mill closing down auction for $200 USD, about $300 CDN what with the fees, exchange and taxes. That was eleven years ago. By the serial #, it was a 1968. A surface grinder was used in the nail die shop. When they closed the nail department down they were on the third surface grinder that I knew about in the 22 years I was there. So in the early days of Titan, it must have gotten some work out. I think I might have been the only person to use it in the time I was there. When I hauled home , I split it in two and with three strong sons was able to put it in the shed. The shed was insulated and had power. The surface grinder landed under the hook for the chain fall, almost in the middle of the shed.
I needed a couple of 1/4" pins threaded Whitworth on one end. I guess it was time for me to learn single point threading on a lathe. But a Whitworth thread is 55* ,not the normal 60* . Hand grinding tool bits to precise angles can be tricky but I had a Toolmaker surface grinder. It was basically made for just that.So I'll push it up against the wall and level it. Not so fast, Alice. You are in the surface grinder rabbit hole. It needed work. The pinion shaft flopped around and the ways ran on Teflon tape which were missing. Both negatively affected surface finish .I named the Toolmaker, Skippy. I installed new bushings and replaced the tape . The tape raised the rack. .It's a rack and pinion cross feed, not the smoothest feed. Better ones use cable and the best, hydraulics. I had to replace the bushings and fit them, Princess Auto oilites, I cut the shaft to get it out so I made a new one. The rack had to be shimmed to get an acceptable gear backlash. I ground in the table and the magnetic chuck. The surface finish isn't mirror-like, but I'm not unhappy with it either. I think I need to balance the 7"x 1/2" grinding wheel to improve it.
I haven't ground that Whitworth 55* tool bit, yet. But I did have a couple of beers to celebrate .
I needed a couple of 1/4" pins threaded Whitworth on one end. I guess it was time for me to learn single point threading on a lathe. But a Whitworth thread is 55* ,not the normal 60* . Hand grinding tool bits to precise angles can be tricky but I had a Toolmaker surface grinder. It was basically made for just that.So I'll push it up against the wall and level it. Not so fast, Alice. You are in the surface grinder rabbit hole. It needed work. The pinion shaft flopped around and the ways ran on Teflon tape which were missing. Both negatively affected surface finish .I named the Toolmaker, Skippy. I installed new bushings and replaced the tape . The tape raised the rack. .It's a rack and pinion cross feed, not the smoothest feed. Better ones use cable and the best, hydraulics. I had to replace the bushings and fit them, Princess Auto oilites, I cut the shaft to get it out so I made a new one. The rack had to be shimmed to get an acceptable gear backlash. I ground in the table and the magnetic chuck. The surface finish isn't mirror-like, but I'm not unhappy with it either. I think I need to balance the 7"x 1/2" grinding wheel to improve it.
I haven't ground that Whitworth 55* tool bit, yet. But I did have a couple of beers to celebrate .
