Bench Grinder Replacement - Choices and Recommendations?

[Timberwolf]

As I am not satisfied with the quality of the Asian clone-of-a-cone-of-a-clone grinders I have bought all my grinders secondhand except one which I built from scratch.
I have 4 grinders in use and 2 awaiting rebuild. It is very practcal to have several for different purposes.

As I live in Finland I don't know which brands you can find secondhand where you live but those that were made for industrial use are usually good. Even old belt driven ones may be useful.

........................
Always a few locally on Craigslist..very reasonable.

[daddo]

They're all pretty well the same, as in they make the wheels spin. The two exceptions are the tool rests and the motors physical size. If the motor diameter is too big, it gets in the way of running a long blade or object through without having to tilt it off of 90 degrees to the wheel (An 8" grinder helps a lot with this.). Sometimes the rests are usually too small or cheap or non existent.
I've have no problem with HP, as long as you don't bare down too much on your work, which you shouldn't do anyway- keep the wheels cleaned. If you need to remove a lot of material, a belt grinder is better anyway.

[wrb]

For the same reasons you mention, I purchased a used Baldor with 7” wheels off of Craigslist for $250 if I recall correctly. It looks it had minimal use. I was going to get one of the Rikon units mentioned above if I could not find a Baldor.

[Timberwolf]

For the same reasons you mention, I purchased a used Baldor with 7” wheels off of Craigslist for $250 if I recall correctly. It looks it had minimal use.  I was going to get one of the Rikon units mentioned above if I could not find a Baldor.

...................
LIL
One thing I do with a bench grinder that has a motor diameter that interferes with grinding long pieces {Or edges} is use your diamond tool to reconfigure the grinding edge on a slight angle so the working face of the wheel is angled away and not parallel to the motor. It wont take much of an angle to give you plenty of clearance. This works on a grinding wheel that is worn badly, making it almost useless...

[Timberwolf]

They're all pretty well the same, as in they make the wheels spin. The two exceptions are the tool rests and the motors physical size. If the motor diameter is too big, it gets in the way of running a long blade or object through without having to tilt it off of 90 degrees to the wheel (An 8" grinder helps a lot with this.).  Sometimes the rests are usually too small or cheap or non existent.  
I've have no problem with HP, as long as you don't bare down too much on your work, which you shouldn't do anyway- keep the wheels cleaned. If you need to remove a lot of material, a belt grinder is better anyway.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I've have no problem with HP, as long as you don't bare down too much on your work, which you shouldn't do anyway- keep the wheels cleaned.

Good advice!!!.. and one should keep the wheel "sharp" by dressing it..A star dressing tool will make a wheel cut much faster than one trued with a diamond dresser...I use both at times as the need arises...The diamond dressed wheel will leave a smoother surface than the "star" on the material. Bearing down hard can result in a wheel going out of round or even breaking ..Use consistent pressure...Let the speed of the wheel do the heavy lifting...A little "finesse" can work much better than too much force.

[stonefox]

I would like to add that I would look at the slow speed (1725rpm) grinders rather than a normal bench grinder ( 3450 rpm) if you are going to be sharpening plane irons , chisels, and other tools that require a sharpened edge.

[Admiral]

Given not many grinders are still made in the US, the recent tariffs might raise the price of the chinese made goods by 25%, so pull the trigger now on stuff that is already in inventory in the US.....

[rwe2156]

The Delta you have pictured is a honing machine, not a grinder. Personally, I would not give it away there are ww'ers out there who will buy it.

Reviews aside, outside of industrial ($$$) bench grinders, I don't think you'll find much difference in any of them. They are all made in Taiwan or China and as such, will have inferiorities.

I have several ranging from Craftsman to Ohio Forge, to one with no label. They all "work". The difference is the arbor runout/trueness. Every one I've seen has useless tool rests, so plan on building/buying something.

IMO variable speed is worth the extra cost, 8" not necessary or worth the expense.  I like the depth of hollow grind bevel I get from a 6".  The issue with just about any bench grinder is getting wheels balanced and getting the right bushing.

[mike4244]

...................
LIL
One thing I do with a bench grinder that has a motor diameter that interferes with grinding long pieces {Or edges} is use your diamond tool to reconfigure the grinding edge on a slight angle so the working face of the wheel is angled away and not parallel to the motor. It wont take much of an angle to give you plenty of clearance. This works on a grinding wheel that is worn badly, making it almost useless...

That's a very good idea. I often need to grind a piece that will hit the motor because of the length. I use a shop made 1 x 42 belt sander for this now. I'll bevel the 60 grit wheel and give it a try.
mike

[richtes]

I had a bit of a grinder fetish and sold off a couple on CL last year. One was an 8" stanley that weighed about 80lbs as well as a big red baldor. Both were 1750. I don't think I sold for more than $60 or $70. Both very solid with tool rests that don't move around. The 12" was 3 phase and really heavy, but smooth. 

Sometimes you see the 10", but not as often as the 8". 

Rich