Crank Grinder Disassembly

[Gabe Shackle]

Recently picked up a Carborundum 2-75 crank grinder and I'm having some issues with getting the main gear out for cleaning. The casing came off no problem but I can't find any obvious ways of popping the large gear off the shaft. Anyone had any experience with this style of grinder?

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[David Keller NC]

Can't speak specifically to your grinder, but generally you need a tool called a gear-puller to take gears off of a shaft. Here's an example:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00946906000P

[george wilson]

There may be no room behind the gear to get the jaws of the puller behind the gear. Suggest drilling a small hole through the center of that steel key. Then,if your hole is accurate,drill the rest of the dowel out. Without drilling a small hole first,there would be a strong tendency for the drill to wander off into the softer cast iron.

[Gabe Shackle]

It is pretty tight behind the gear, probably around 1/4". I kind of suspected that the metal dowel might what's creating the tension to hold the gear on the shaft. I'll give that a shot and see what happens. Thanks for the info!

[Gary Herrmann]

Are you just cleaning it or doing a complete rehab? I've got a similar looking Pike grinder. I just cleaned mine up. I couldn't get the large gear out either, so I just cleaned around it.

[george wilson]

Could be that it is rusted in place. After you drill the dowel out,try heating the center of the axle,then let it cool. That might break the rust bond. Don't get too hot,there is possibly a bronze bearing behind the axle. It could just be a cast iron bearing bored out of the solid,reamed smooth,and left that way. We have no way of knowing.

After you hat the axle and let it cool off,can you make sone short hardwood wedges to place under EACH spoke. Then,using a drift of some kind,drive each wedge in with EQUAL TIGHTNESS behind every spoke. If you don't use equal pressure,you will cock the gear sideways a tiny bit,and that could make it tighter to get off the axle.

P.S.: Just a crazy thought,but check that the gear isn't threaded onto the axle. It is possible that it is,and the dowel just serves to keep it from unscrewing. Wire brush the crud off cleanly,and examine the end of the shaft to see if you can see any threads. They may be FINE threads,so look carefully.

There may have been some oil in the hollow casting when the grinder was new. If you put any in there,use a NON DETERGENT 30 wt. motor oil. But only put in enough for the teeth of the big gear to pick up as it revolces. It will carry the oil around the small gear. You will need a good gasket unless you want oil leaking onto your floor. I used Permatex to seal the carriage on my Hardinge HLVH,as recommended by the factory. Get the mating edges of the grinder casting and its cover clean and free of oil. Apply a small bead of Permatex sealant all around the edges of the casting,going around the OUTSIDE of any screws(or the oil will leak there). I'd recommend laying the grinder on its back,or clamped in a vise so it's nearly horizontal. Put in a few tablespoons of oil. Have the casting tilted down a few degrees so the oil can't leak out through the big gear's axle. It should not be enough oil so that it can get up to the area around the perimeter where you are applying the sealant. After applying the sealant, screw the cover on,and let it set a few days to dry before taking the grinder loose. This would be easier,and possibly better than trying to make a gasket from gasket material. I think the screws wouldn't hold tightly enough against an old fashioned gasket to stop it from leaking.

Finally, is it really necessary to take the gear off just for cleaning? Why? Maybe you'd be better off just soaking it in "Gunk" or carburetor cleaner. That gear rotates at such a slow speed,it will outlast you and the next generation if you just keep the shafts oiled.

[Andrae Covington]

Are you just cleaning it or doing a complete rehab? I've got a similar looking Pike grinder. I just cleaned mine up. I couldn't get the large gear out either, so I just cleaned around it.

Funny, I just got a Pike #5 the other day. It was not very rusty, and cranked ok, if a little stiff. As soon as I stopped cranking, it would stop immediately. I opened up the case and the gear looked pretty clean, but dry. After putting the case back together, I unscrewed the oil port and squeezed in some 3-in-1 oil while turning the crank. I also put some lithium grease on the shafts. Now it spins more smoothly and after I let go of the handle, it continues to spin down for a while.

I did have quite a challenge getting the original grinding wheel off. This was the only part of the grinder that was fairly rusty. I clamped the grinder case in a vise and with some effort, managed to remove a flanged screw on the end of the upper shaft. That allowed me to slide the shaft out of the case. Then I wrapped a rag around the gear teeth on the shaft, clamped it in the vise, and used a wrench to back off the nut. After some head-scratching, I realized the threads were left-hand. I cleaned the rust on the threads as best I could, and now it seems to work fine.

[Tony Shea]

George's advise sounds very sound, BUT i don't understand why it is neccessary to get that gear off. It actually looks to be in great shape other than a bit of rust that would be easy enough to scrub off with the gear in place. If it were my grinder i would think twice about drilling anything as long as I didn't absolutely have to get the gear off. The best stuff I have used lately to clean rust off is Boeshield's rust remover or just general degreasing I've had great luck with Action Blaster intended to get the carbon out of the bore and action of a gun.

[george wilson]

Leaving it on was my final thought too,Tony. It doesn't look bad as is,and it isn't going into a high speed machine.

[Tony Shea]

I agree george. Looking closely at the gear, its actually in fantastic condition really. I see no chips, cracks, or anything of the sort anywhere on that gear. I've seen many gears in much worse shape perform fine for their intended purpose. And as you say george, how fast can you actually get the going anyway.

[george wilson]

It will outlast the user. Personally,I don't like those little hand crank grinders. That's all we had when I was young. Not quite the same as using hand tools to actually work the wood. And,I spent the afternoon making parts for one !!! Not for me,but for a creeker.

[Gary Herrmann]

I picked mine up at a garage sale. A Pike no 6. Someone had even put a 6" norton wheel on it at some point. A little rusty, but it cleaned up well. The painted on(?) pike fish is even visible. Like Andrea I did 3 in 1 and some lithium grease. It does take a bit for it to spin down. The gear on mine is pretty large - 7".

I've used it on one chisel. Not as efficient as a powered grinder - maybe not even a stone, but for $15 it was a fun find.

[Gabe Shackle]

Well, I listened to reason and gave a thorough cleaning a try. I let it sit in an electrolysis bath for about 6 hours then popped it out and washed it up with mineral spirits. Low and behold, the gummed up area of the gear turned like a top. All that's left for the internal cleaning is some flash rust from the bath and that should come off no problem. I think I just need to lube it up properly and it should be good to go! I'll post more pictures as I get it completed. Thanks a ton for the help!

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[Gabe Shackle]

What would you folks recommend for lubrication? 3-in-1?

[george wilson]

At the low speed it runs,anything will do. I recommended NON DETERGENT 30 wt. motor oil inside the case,BUT grease as someone else mentioned,will work fine. It might be better as it won't leak out.

[Tony Shea]

I would say maybe some white lithium grease, if you can possibly get it where it needs to go. I've had incredible results with the product SiliKroil, made by Kroil. I used to be a kroil fanatic for use on my guns. But while I was working (electrician) some plumber's on site had a thing of Sili-Kroil laying around and I gave it a try on a couple pair of pliers that were a bit sticky for my taste. The stuff free'd them up like nothing I've ever used before. So I had the plumber's pick me up a couple cans at their plumbing supply and I absolutely love it. The silicone addition really gives this stuff some great lubrication properties, while the kroil seems to clean out gunk and does some lubrication as well.

[Gabe Shackle]

I'm not sure I'd be able to get the grease all the way in to where it needs to go. The grinder has what looks like two ports for oil, just next to the crank handle and above the smaller gear that attached to the grinding wheel, and it would have be a fairly thin liquid type material to get in there from what I can see. The large gear itself is fully exposed though so I could probably put the grease on that with no problem.

[Andrae Covington]

I'm not sure I'd be able to get the grease all the way in to where it needs to go. The grinder has what looks like two ports for oil, just next to the crank handle and above the smaller gear that attached to the grinding wheel, and it would have be a fairly thin liquid type material to get in there from what I can see. The large gear itself is fully exposed though so I could probably put the grease on that with no problem.

Although I used both lithium grease and 3-in-1 oil, I think oil is the best bet. If you put a little into the port near the smaller gear, it will oil both the little and the large gear teeth, and some by the crank handle should take care of the large gear axle. I used waaaaaaaaaay too much and now have a grease spot on the floor where it has oozed out of the case.