Mist Coolant for the Surface Grinder (with Fusion 360 Tips)

Today we're installing a Noga Mini-Cool mist coolant system on the new surface grinder. We'll 3D print a bottle cap and hanging bracket to hold the soluble oil, install everything on the grinder, hook up the compressed air, and take it for a test grind.

Tools used in this video:
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Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

00:00 Intro
00:53 Planning the install
02:40 The Noga Mini-Cool
05:25 Testing the bracket fit
06:36 Modifying the bracket
14:43 Out of the printer
15:20 Installing the bracket
18:15 Mixing soluble oil coolant
20:45 Installing the system
22:58 Test grinding with coolant
25:21 Conclusions

[aaro_n]

As a former tool grinder. Automate it if you can for sure! Manual grinders are great. Non manual ones are even better!

[fakerfake]

Hey, I’m a former tool and die grinder, make sure to let the wheel spin for 5-10 extra minutes after use every time you use coolant (yes even mist coolant) because the wheel will absorb it, and once it comes to rest that coolant will collect at the bottom of the wheel and make it off balance. So by letting it spin for 5-10 extra minutes (with coolant off of course) you will hopefully remove enough coolant to retain balance of the wheel.

[petergamache]

I've been learning FreeCAD and the same rule applies ... fillets go LAST or you'll regret it when it comes time to make a change.

[CobbettWilliam]

For safety when grinding small parts, you should place a piece of steel that is at least half the hight of the part you are grinding, after the part and against it this will prevent the part being moved by the wheel or thrown of the table.

[junkdubious]

You'll definitely want to auto your grinder for surface finishes that can be tedious. For best results, I always dress the wheel. For testing purposes, your doing just fine! Thanks for the video!

[PennerFab]

I'm all in for a short series on making the grinder automated 👌

[Sam_]

I would _love_ to see you automate the grinder. Maybe in the same style as Tony's Maho, a sort-of "fly-by-wire" arrangement, so you could still do it manually if you like

[azenginerd]

A general CAD best practice: if the part is symmetric, create the features symmetrically about the origin/base planes. In your case, that makes the mirroring plane redundant. It also eliminates the plane's dependency on part geometry.

[nickcarr]

On a channel with so much extravagant over-engineering, I love the 2L bottle!

[warsuper]

Hi James,
A good rule when mixing coolant is to always add the oil to the water, this prevents a reverse emulsion from occurring. Probably less of an issue when poring by hand as you did but if you are using a hose it can be an issue. The reverse emulsion means the water is sticking to the oil rather than the oil sticking to the water and this can have obvious drawbacks. Keep up the good work.

[kmet]

Hey James,
Nice one agin 👍
Automation: just reprogrograme ELS
Balancing: a whole cann of worms. I worked in a big company that had mold maintainance division. They used flood coolant for roughing, finishing they did dry. When I askef why - the aswer was interesting. For finishing they used wherls perfectly balanced, three weihts system on the hub and any drop of watter made imbalance. So - wet for roughing, dry for precision finishing.

[leslierhorer]

When I drill or tap cast iron, I always place a magnet near the hole. This has the effect of removing almost all the grit produced by the operation, including most of even the finest dust produced by the operation. Then there is no need to blow the grit all over the shop. It even removes most of the grit from the hole, if it s not too deep.

[martinforrest]

Another super enjoyable video James, keep up the excellent work.
Here in UK, Sunday mornings are now known as Clough42 mornings!! 😋

[johnziebron]

Another good video James, thank you. This will have to be the next project for my grinder. I have an old 6-12 Boyar Schultz that I refurbished a few years ago and am just finishing up my automation because at 74 my coordination to control 2 wheels is not what it used to be. I used a Nema 23 stepper for the Y axis and a gear motor for the X axis all controlled by an Arduino Uno R3. The Y axis has settings for 1/4, 1/2 or full turns as well as continuous movement for positioning. The X axis travel is controlled by 2 limit switches and after one back and forth cycle there is a delay long enough for the Y axis movement. This project is so worth it, even though it didn't cost much, especially for larger parts. And I know from past videos that you can easily do this.

[kensimolo]

Great Video. I always like how you take the efort to explain why you are doing things.

[brianm]

Brilliant video James and I am learning a lot from the very informative comments people have written as well. Thank you everyone.

[Thayes]

Grinding tip when grinding small items like this. Either hold it in a tool makers vice or block it in with something. If the poles on the magnet are spaced to far when you grind small pieces you are not holding much and the wheel can grab and throw the part off.

[evbunke]

When dimensioning the rib, it'd be better practice to dimension how far the end of it is from the bottle end. That way if you made the bracket hang out further, the rib would extend to match. And more importantly, if you make it shorter, the rib won't interfere with the bottle cap! :)

[mattholden]

James, for me, closed loop hand wheel spinners is a no-brainer here. Too much at stake with too many repetition cycles. And the directorial quality is outstanding. I chucked so many times watching this. You're becoming very skilled at what to emphasize vs mute or omit. Thanks for sharing.

[TheUncleRuckus]

Nice little project James and a great tip on saving the fillets until last. 👍👍 Idk about anyone else but hell yeah I'd certainly be interested in a video detailing the process of you automating the grinder.