I've been offered a surface grinder

[Mayhem]

I can Steve, but I'd like the graduations to be evenly spaced! Besides, Ken has a very nice dividing head sitting in his tool cabinet and desperately needs a project to use it on.

[Mayhem]

I got a few bits cleaned today and I also made a puller and a wrench for the wheel hub.  

First job was to remove the wheel hub from the spindle.  I used a 2 arm puller and was happy to see that the taper on the spindle was in good condition.  

   

I was a little surprised to see balancing blocks on the back of the hub.

   

I removed the rust on the hub and nut via electrolysis.  Ten minutes later and it came out perfect.  

Before:
   

After:
   
   

These also got zapped!
   
   

Smaller bits went into the tumbler.
   

Whilst the tumbler hummed in the background, I selected a lump of mystery metal that is the ruminant of a roller from a photocopier.  I'd love to know what it is, as it cut beautifully and the finish is straight off the lathe.  I set about making a puller for the hub.  The external thread is 1-16 and the internal 5/8-11.  It took longer to set up the change gears to cut the 16 tpi thread than it did to cut it.

   
   
   
   

Whilst I could have got the factory one from Chevalier for US$19.80 +P&H, it was a quick and simple project.

The pin wrench was a simple case of making the ring from a piece of scrap and then welding on a pin and a handle.

   
   

This was a bigger saving, as Chevalier want US$56.56 for their version of this.

Once I took the parts out of the tumbler, I noticed this interesting knurl pattern.  I've not seen one like it before and would be interested to find out how it was done.
   

What I didn't think to take pictures of was the cleaning of the grinder, saddle, table and cabinet, all of which were done outside with a pressure washer.  All ways have been oiled and covered, and the grinder now sits back on the cabinet.  Next weekend I am busy but I hope to find some time to put the rest of the major components together.

[EdK]

Very nice Darren.

It's coming along nicely. I'll have to try that rust removal process some time. It looks like it works quite well.

Ed

[Mayhem]

Ed - it is extremely simple, quick and doesn't damage the metal. The only issue is that it will remove paint and powdercoat. The parts you see in the pics above were given a single cycle of about 15 minutes. It is time that would have been spent on the wire wheel that I can be doing other things, like trying to figure out what thread I am cutting

[PixMan]

Nice work Darren! I'm very impressed with the puller, you got a better knurl than I could get with mine, though making my puller from a really short piece of 303 stainless steel may have something to do with that.

I see your wheel adapter has the balancing weights. That's all the more reason I believe your machine can handle 8" wheels because most wheel adapters for 7" wheels don't have those.

As for that odd looking knurl, that's simply the result of the operator using convex knurl wheels and not having them both aligned nor traversing all the way across the part. I can screw up knurls in a very similar way.

[Mayhem]

Am I imagining it or did someone post on here about the different types/grades of wheels and their applications? The super-duper search feature didn't turn up anything.

Whilst I am here, I thought that I would inform you that Jeff from Chevalier USA got back to me and said that he doubted they still carried parts for this grinder but had sent a request to the factory and would inform me when he had a reply. However, he was kind enough to send me a scan of the manual but it was for a newer version, which had ball bearing ways. It is much more comprehensive than the correct one I have and contains a info on wheels, technique, troubleshooting etc and turns out to be quite a handy reference. It also has exploded diagrams, where my manual has simple drawings.

I'll keep an eye on eBay for wheel adaptors but I may have a go at making some.

[TomG]

Darren,

I think I posted some info on wheel grades a while back, but I can't remember where.

That knurl pattern you were wondering about is caused by one knurl having more pressure on it than the other, which results in one diamond pattern being deeper than the other. The clamp knurling tool I'm currently making all but eliminates that problem and also helps prevent double knurls.

Tom

[TomG]

Here it is Darren:

Grinding Wheel Grades

Tom

[Mayhem]

I didn't get much time in the shop yesterday, as I was out and about for most of the day.  However, I did manage to get the saddle and table back on.  I also cleaned out the one shot lube pump and ensured that oil was getting to where it should.  

I'm a little confused as to how the elevation nut and screw get lubricated, as the oil outlet at the top of the column discharges onto the gears.  I must admit that I was surprised to see that these were plastic.  The large white gear has two holes in it, which allows excess oil to run out over the top of the casting.

   
   

Starting to look like a surface grinder again!

   

I do like the soft stops

   

[PixMan]

(12-04-2014, 08:06 AM)TomG Wrote: Darren,

I think I posted some info on wheel grades a while back, but I can't remember where.

That knurl pattern you were wondering about is caused by one knurl having more pressure on it than the other, which results in one diamond pattern being deeper than the other. The clamp knurling tool I'm currently making all but eliminates that problem and also helps prevent double knurls.

Tom

Tom.

I tend to disagree with you on the knurling problem. The way I see it there is cutting from both knurls, though one cut in deeper coming from the left, the other cut in deeper coming from the right because right in the middle it looks even.

I have no idea what caused it, but I'd be surprised if it could be duplicated.