I Tried All The Cheap Bench Grinders....Here's what happened.

GRINDERS!!!

Products I recommend (affiliate):
(Excellent for the money. Includes surprisingly good tool-rest.)
(Tiny, but it works.)
(A cheap but effective alternative for dressing grinder wheels.)
(Good value; works well.)
(Affordable; reduces vibration.)
(This style is so comfortable, I forget I’m wearing them.)

Other Products (affiliate):

(A weak and flimsy grinder…that will work in a pinch).
(A generally good tool that only takes 5/8” wheels.)
(Fits the narrow arbor of the Shopfox grinder, but not very well.)

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Wood Work for Humans Tool List (affiliate):
*Cutting*
(Winner of the affordable dovetail-saw shootout.)
(Needs tune-up to work well.)
(Works out of the box)
(My favorite affordable new chisels.)
(I use these to make the DIY specialty planes, but I also like them for general work.)

*Sharpening*

*Marking and Measuring*
(For marking and the built-in awl).
(Excellent, inexpensive marking knife.)

*Drilling*

*Work-Holding*

#woodworking #woodworkingtips #diy #tooltips

[shaynecarter-murray]

One thing i appreciate about this channel is that it has become clear over the years, when you suggest a popular brand (like this dewalt), we know you aren't shilling for them. You've suggested many cheap options over the years, so when you suggest using the popular brand we can be confident its entirely because its legitimately the better product

[misterhalleck]

Hi Rex! I've gone down the rabbit hole of trying to balance bench grinders. One thing I've found is that while stones can be balanced (especially with an adjustable aftermarket balancing hub like a OneWay), wire wheels basically can't be, and will always make a bench grinder shake like crazy. If stability is essential, you want to run two stones on the grinder and keep the wire wheels on a separate machine entirely.

[thomasslate]

My grinder is a 1973 Craftsman. It had a wobble problem, maybe as much as 1/8 inch. Got a replacement from Sears, same problem. I literally went through every grinder they had and the last one was true. Turns out the arbor was ground at an angle . Put a wire wheel on the fine wheel side and been happy ever since. Tool rest barely useable from new. It does have a water trough on the front and a light. Couple summers back I picked up two off the curb, a Craftsman and something else. Both worked fine, gave the Craftsman away, nobody wanted the other. It still works fine.

[dagorithe]

I don’t know if anyone mentioned it yet but for the safety, two items were missed. 1, stand to the side at start up in case the wheel is out of balance or damaged since last turning it on. Always perform the “ring” test before installing any wheel — if it rings, install it; if it thuds, throw it out.
We learned this at an adult education center, C-TEC, in Newark, Ohio.
I have three of various sizes: a 25 year old Harbor Freight, and two Chinese ones I inherited. I’ll set them each up with different wheels for both wood and metal work.
Great video.

[andrewj]

Great video! I recently inherited the Delta benchtop grinder that I gave my Dad back in the 1990s. It's heavy, has little vibration, and was very lightly used. I used it to sharpen my scratch awls and fix some damaged chisels and scrapers that I picked up.
16:10 When I use a wire wheel to clean small parts, I prefer to hold the part with pliers or vise grips so my bare hands don't accidentally get tagged. I NEVER wear gloves if my hands are anywhere near a spinning tool because the glove could get snagged and pull my hand into the tool.

[robbywright]

Good video. I have several of these grinders. One thing that happens to most Taiwanese and Chinese grinders is that because they use shielded, not sealed, bearings, they get rough after a year or two. The grinding dust gets past the shields and ends up inside the bearings, ruining them. The good news is that they are very easy to replace and are of a common size. To replace them, remove the wheels and guard shields. Undo the bolts/screws that hold the end bells onto the grinder and carefully slide them off. The armature will probably come with one of them - that is ok. Punch out the old bearings and get the part numbers. Order new SEALED bearings with the same number and replace them. Put the whole mess back together and viola! Problem solved. The sealed bearing should last for years.

[BillWanamaker]

I'm very excited for more woodworking related 3d printing content!

[pleappleappleap]

I just put grade-8 wing nuts off the shelf on the tool adjuster. I also put washers in between the two halves of the tool rest joint to make the adjustment smooth instead of the detents that are in there stock.

[johngaltline]

Have had a 1960's 5" Sears grinder that did all the work I needed it to growing up and until recently. Inherited a craftsman grinder of some larger size I've used lately, but the 60 year old Sears one still gets the job done. It was good enough for my grandfather, a machinist working large lathes and mills back in the day, and it's still good enough for me today.

[vpmark]

As a toolmaker for 25 plus years who has precision ground all tool steels, from H-13 to A-2, even on a bench grinder, you need to dress grinding wheels often to prevent load up of your wheel, and to remove from the wheel, imbeded steel particles. This helps clean and true your wheels, and let's them grind cooler...

[peteseddon]

I bought a used Baldor 6 inch grinder from the 60’s for $100. It runs as smooth as glass and takes close to 2 minutes to spool down. Vintage is the only way to go.

[liquidrockaquatics]

I kept two grinders attached to a piece of 2x12 with about 24” in between and put pull handles centered next to each grinder to pick up the board and move it to where it was needed. I had a fine wheel and buffing wheel on one grinder and two coarse wheels on the other. One side didn’t have a tool rest to get in at odd angles. The dressing wheel and cords will wind up and shove under the carry handles and the whole thing will stand up at a 30 degree angle or so.
I did find out the hard way not to use your dressing stone backwards because it will unscrew the shaft that retains all those little hardened star things and they will come flying off and stick into your safety glasses. Never forget the safety glasses. Those little metal things are hardened, and sharp as hell

[lokinya]

I bought a Creusen for 20 bucks and restored it. It looked terrible, but after a paintjob and some new bearings it ran like new. I have another one that was my grandfathers that got the same treatment. If you want to put the work in it, it might be worth it. There is not much that can go wrong with grinders.

[Psittacus_erithacus]

Fantastic content, genuinely useful. Contained all the things my old brain ever thinks to mention when asked about grinders and some additional details I wouldn't have thought of as well. All with clear visuals. I haven't bought a new grinder in years so the info about current budget models is also something my own advice would fail to cover.

Overall a top notch introduction. Perfect for passing on to anyone interested in setting up a solid basic work area for life's tasks.

This is the kind of straightfoward, practical stuff that really helps a community. Deep appreciation to Rex & the patrons. It may not be as exciting as a new wondertool or fancy project; but this is absolutely quality stuff.

[steamrll]

I have a WEN grinder but it is a few models up - heavier, better tool rests, variable speed, 2.5 amp and came with a light. It was about $130 i believe and is actually pretty good! I have other options for wire wheels and buffers and whatnot where the guards aren't as critical. Good video Rex!

[walterrider]

thank you Rex . if i may ( background ) navy trained machinist work on sub-tender. at the trade 10yrs. yes grinding wheels will explode ! if the grinding wheel is clogged up the glue that binds the grit will release . wheel blow up . use a wood handle ( i use the wood handle of one of my files tap and listen for a clear ring . if it just thuds then the wheel is bad do not use it, it will have a good chance of blowing up not good .hope that helps

[garydargan]

For a specialist application my lab needed a precision diamond saw and grinder. The available models started at around $30k and went up.. we decided to build our own starting with modifying a bench grinder. Had the same problem with vibration and wobble and the speed was too high for the blade and wheel. Eventually found a guy who had tried the same. He used a motor used in machines for sharpening blades on fleece shearer combs. More powerful, the right rpm and less vibration. To get the precision grinding needed he inserted a large nylon pad and used three adjusting screws to true the wheel after it was bolted on. He was selling them for $15k and still making a profit and they were better than the $30k competitor because he addressed all the faults in it making it much easier to use.

[enchantedwooddesigns]

One thing that helps with a grinder that vibrates is that you can improve that a bit and it is not hard to do. If it is new and has some vibration put a pencil line at the center loosen the nut and turn it a bit clock wise or counter clockwise and retighten the nut. Start it and see if it vibrates less or more than before. You can find the best spot that runs better. You do this again when you replace the wheel. As a woodturner I use the 8 inch soft wheels mostly sharpening the gouges and other turning tools. If it needs reshaped again I use the coarse ones.

[basr]

been woodworking for years, keep coming back to your basics to brush up on my knowledge and learn new things. Thanks for the continued effort Rex. Keep em coming!

[foxfire]

Another option to get a bench grinder for even cheaper is to give to a trade day event. For those that don't know what that is, it basically is a large group of people who have their own booths and sell stuff. Those people may be just trying to get rid of stuff, or they may actually make the stuff they sell. I got a central machinery drill press for $20 and it works perfectly fine, despite the chuck being broken (it actually does work, I'm not being sarcastic or anything). A lot of the stuff may be antiques or vintage items, but generally it's mostly great quality stuff. I was given a bench grinder for Christmas and it doesn't even have the original motor but it is a perfect tool for me. My step grandfather bought it for (I think) $15.