Part 5-5 Harbor Freight Carbide Tool Grinder Review and Modifications

[Surfacesofie]

Thank you very much sir....most informative and valuable. Dave

[ghostses]

@Surfacesofie Thanks Dave! Glad you liked it. G.

[trainedtiger]

magnets... just kidding.



[ghostses]

@trainedtiger Abracadabra!!!

[Shankb777]

very impressive. Impressive in that everything you did was very simple and  simply stated. Not at all rocket science but with a little effort you ended up with a now highly functional tool. I have done some of my own mods to HF tools and just wanted to let you know what a great video you made , well worth the time it took to watch it!

[ghostses]

@Shankb777 Thanks for the post and compliment. Too many folks are bashing anything HF sells, and tons of them are junk for sure. But, like you said, with a little work- a good tool can come from some things they sell- this being one of them. G.

[aperioguitar]

Great work. Impressive!

[ghostses]

@aperioguitar Thanks for the post. G.

[TitusLivy777]

Great videos! Thanks for taking the time to make them! Just wish I had a lathe that was big enough to turn that shaft. Oh, well!  The vids were still entertaining.

[ghostses]

@TitusLivy777 Perhaps you could get the shaft out, marked and ready for turning, and take it to a local machine shop for the turn. It's such a simple turn, it may not cost too much. Just a thought. Thanks for the post! G.

[TitusLivy777]

@ghostses Good idea! Thanks for the suggestion!

[ghostses]

@TitusLivy777 No problem!

[TheStevieoo]

Great video, enjoyed watching!

[ghostses]

@TheStevieoo Tanks! G.

[rgsparber1]

After living with the improved grinder for a day I have to admit that it has made a noticeable improvement to the vibration problem but I did not get the results that ghostses attained. I was inspired enough to do a similar fix on my old bench grinder. It too runs better but not perfect. I am going to buy new wheels and see if that helps.

[ghostses]

@rgsparber1 Thanks for the follow up post. Feedback after new wheels with your results. Thanks again, G.

[rgsparber1]

@rgsparber1

A friend pointed out that when the nickel is placed on the motor and power applied, the spindle speeds up rather quickly. Later in the video, power is removed and it slows down quickly. This implies that the wheels were not installed. I have found that the wheels are the major source of vibration so leaving them off would not be a fair test. I do think that the suggested improvements are worth doing.

[ghostses]

@rgsparber1 thanks for the comment. and you're friend is correct- the wheels were NOT installed when doing the nickel test- it's not implied. I did state there were no wheels on it when performing the test- watch again. A major source of vibration could be, and was in fact, due to the stock wheels for sure. You're correct that the improvements are worth doing. Purchase one out of the box, remove the wheels to see how it runs, and try to adjust the tables to see how they operate. Thanks again, G.

[rgsparber1]

@rgsparber1

It took two tries with the supplier, but new wheels did the trick and I now have it running very smooth.

[rgsparber1]

I performed the rebuild as specified and all went well with one nasty exception. The roll pins that key the aluminum platens was fit into a blind hole and cut to the correct height. I guess this lets the manufacturer use one roll pin for each machine. It was a nightmare getting the pin out. I eventually drilled a hole from the opposite side and drove it out. One recommendation - before you tear down the grinder, remove the grinding wheels and see how it runs.

[ghostses]

@rgsparber1 That is nasty for sure. I did not remove the roll pins on my grinder. I left them in place as well as the spacers behind them. The spacers were indexed with a mark to the pin, the back plates tightened up and I then turned the back plates on the lathe. The runout was bad on mine- without the wheels on, so I did perform the turning. For sure, anyone looking at theirs should test the runout of the back plates to see where they are at- but removing the pins should not be required. G.

[rgsparber1]

@ghostses I though I had to remove the pins to get the bell housing off but on second thought, maybe all that hassle was avoidable.

I do have one wheel that is true and the other is way out. I'll look at it again tomorrow.

[ghostses]

@rgsparber1 Unless they've change something, you shouldn't have to remove the pins to get the bells off. There should be enough clearance for the bell to pull off the shaft. Meaning, over the spacer bushing and the roll pin. At least, that's that way it worked on my grinder. Check it out and let me know what you find. Thanks, G.

[101numlock]

man i wish i knew how to do machine work. That is really impressive!

[ghostses]

@101numlock I just hobby around with machining for fun. It is an expensive hobby though. Thanks for the post, G.

[1Lumpylou]

I'm wondering if you were a teacher by profession.  Your videos are very well done. The smooth flow of your commentary, without any 'ahs' or 'uhs', is a pleasure to listen to. Can't see how they could have been any better.

Thanks a lot for taking the time and effort.

I've had difficulty finding wheels for this machine. Am I correct that it needs type 50 wheels? Could you perhaps suggest a source for diamond, and or fine grained wheels, that would fit?

[ghostses]

@1Lumpylou I'm not a teacher- I just like to teach. Thanks for the compliment on the videos. I still have the stock wheels on my machine. I don't know if they're type 50. I will try to PM you a couple of links. G.

[1990notch]

I bought one of these grinders a couple years ago. the first thing I noticed out of the box was the runout of the shaft nuts. That and the vibration as it came up to speed. I'm going to replace the shaft nuts for sure. Seems solid otherwise. I figured I would tear into it when I had the time. Thanks so much for the excellent videos!!

[ghostses]

@1990notch Thanks for the post and compliment. Truing up the back plates on mine took out the vibration as it ran up to speed. The nuts on mine seemed OK, or not bad to the point i thought they were causing any problems. Post back with your progress as you make it. Thanks, G.

[YoungJim409]

A couple hours' work sure, but how much experience to make those few hours so productive? The results speak for themselves!

[ghostses]

@YoungJim409 LOL.... Thanks for the post!!!! G.

[gohuskies583]

Interesting to hear how much smoother it runs when you compare the sound in part 1! Nice video.

[ghostses]

@gohuskies583 Thanks for the post! It is unreal the difference the work made on the grinder in the whole. It still runs great. I don't use it all that much, since machining is a hobby- but it should last my lifetime unless the motor burns out for some reason. But for the price- i can justify purchasing a new one if needed. Thanks again, G.

[Surfacesofie]

Thank you very much! It was very informative. You are a great teacher. Dave

[ghostses]

@Surfacesofie Thanks!! G.

[lospeligrosospage]

Thank you for posting this video . It was easy to understand and follow. can you show some common uses for this grinder. thank you ..

[ghostses]

@lospeligrosospage The primary purpose for this type of grinder is to sharpen or grind your own metal lathe turning tools. Since you are grinding on a flat face of the wheel, you get straight sides unlike a standard bench type grinder where you grind on the rounded surface of the wheel which makes a hollow grind. I do have plans for the future to make videos related to making your own tools on each type of grinder. As time permits, I will begin my series. Thanks for the post!!

[MGARestoration]

Very nice series of videos. I am looking to purchase a tool grinder but have been shying away because of the cost of a good unit. I think now I will go your route. You are a very good instructor. Keep the videos comming!!

Many thanks-

[ghostses]

@MGARestoration Thanks for the compliment and good luck!! If you get one, post back with your progress and what you think about the grinder after working on it. Be sure to look online for a 20 percent coupon you can print. They're not too hard to find.

[rossbagley]

Trued up the trunions tonight. Taped some sandpaper down to the surface plate and lapped the side, then squared up the big sander and sanded the top square and flat.  The table edges were already smoothed on mine, though the stud holes could use some deburring. Also, the paint is already starting to come off the casting where the trunions are supposed to slide, so I'm going to strip that off before putting the tables back on.

[ghostses]

@rossbagley Sounds like you're on the right track. The sander is a great idea. I don't have a tool like that, but i see how that would make for some fast work. The holes where the pins go should be easy to smooth out with a small file. I had problems with the tool bits sticking as you probably do. Once you get the paint cleaned off- you'll be surprised on how well they start working. Remember to leave the lock washers off of the lock down bolts. Thanks for the update on your progress... G

[ghostses]

@rossbagley Thanks for the post and good luck!

[ghostses]

@rossbagley I don’t know what happened to your original post. For some reason it disappeared after I posted a reply.

“I did enjoy the videos. I've got a new grinder sitting in the hallway and it desperately needs wheels and setup. Your videos have been very helpful and I'll be following quite a bit of your process now that I've seen it.”

[rossbagley]

@ghostses, it looked like I had posted it multiple times, so I clicked "trash" on one of the duplicates. Guess YouTube was wrong. Anyway, I took the grinder drip trays and tables down tonight and will take the tables to shop class tomorrow night to square up the trunions. I'll work on the spindle another evening.

[ghostses]

@rossbagley That’s cool, keep me posted on your progress. It's good to know my efforts will benefit someone. I really like this grinder after I did everything to it- and it only took a few hours. It's a pleasure to use now, and for not much money you can’t beat it for a home shop on a tight budget.