Grinder Questions

[Pete Staehling]

I am in the market for a new grinder for sharpening lathe tools. How big of a deal is horsepower? Is a 1/2 hp 1750 rpm 8"x1" grinder adequate or will I wish I'd bought a 1 hp? I don't see where the power is a big deal. Am I wrong?

I like the looks of the Rikon model 80-805 Slow Speed Grinder because it looks like a good basic no frills model at a cheap price. The rests on the Jet look nicer, but I figure I'll probably either be using some shop made bench mounted ones or buying the wolverine system, so why spring for the more expensive grinder and not use the nice rests. I have been using a shop built clone of the vari-grind and a shop built tool rest with a cheap harbor freight grinder.

Am I on the right track or will I regret this choice?

[Steve Eure]

I have the 1 hp Rikon. I was going to get the 1/2 hp but decided to go for broke. It was only around $80 more. The people I talked with said the 1/2 hp is adequate for lathe tools. It takes around 7-8 seconds for it to ramp up speed before using. The 1 hp gets there in less than 2 seconds. You would be fine with either one. Great grinders, especially with CBN wheels. A good source for Rikon grinders is WoodTurnersWonders. Ken Rizza is who I bought from. He had the cheapest on the market for them at the time I purchased mine.
https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/rikon-grinders

[Steve Eure]

Pete, I forgot to mention that there is virtually no vibration in these grinders, at least not the one's I've used. I too went from a 6 inch HF grinder that I had to bolt down. If I didn't it would bounce off the bench, and could never rely on it for a good edge.

[Pete Staehling]

Pete, I forgot to mention that there is virtually no vibration in these grinders, at least not the one's I've used. I too went from a 6 inch HF grinder that I had to bolt down. If I didn't it would bounce off the bench, and could never rely on it for a good edge.
Yeah, my HF is pretty much junk hence my need for a new grinder.

Did you buy the Spartan 8" CBN wheels? The price looks attractive.

Woodcraft has the Rikon Model 80-805 for $109.99 ($50 off) this month. I haven't shopped around too much but suspect that price will be hard to beat.

[Thomas Wilson80]

I have a 3/4 hp “master force” from menards (around $110 on sale) and like it - it takes about 3-4 sec to get to speed.
Tom

[Robert D Evans]

The CBN wheels are a lot heavier that the standard grinding stone. If you plan on going with CBN wheels in the future, I'd recommend getting the 1 hp Rikon grinder. I have the 1/2 hp model and I give mine a spin by hand when I start it up. When the magic smoke eventually escapes mine, I'll be upgrading to the 1 hp model.

[CHARLES D Richards]

The CBN wheels are a lot heavier that the standard grinding stone. If you plan on going with CBN wheels in the future, I'd recommend getting the 1 hp Rikon grinder. I have the 1/2 hp model and I give mine a spin by hand when I start it up. When the magic smoke eventually escapes mine, I'll be upgrading to the 1 hp model.

Robert, you may want to look at replacing the capacitor on your 1/2 hp Rikon. My grinder took a little while to get up to speed and when I would spin the wheel by hand it would help but still look longer than it used to when new. When I replaced the capacitor ( 5 min. job) it works like new and only takes about 2-3 sec to get up to speed.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

I've been using the 1/2 hp Woodcraft grinder with D-Way CBN wheels for well over five or six years now with absolutely no problems. Does it take a little longer to start up? yeah, but I'm not in a particular hurry. I'll look into a new startup capacitor - that sounds like it could speed up startup times...
I've been planning to get another grinder for AO wheels and have been toying with the idea of going with the 1 hp since it will be the last one I buy and the cost differential is not that great.

[Robert D Evans]

I had to replace the capacitor right after I put a big CBN wheel on it. My grinder is one of the no name dual speed grinders that Woodcraft use to sell. I bought it used real cheap so I can't really complain. It did come with a Wolverine jig and a cast iron pedistal stand. It'll start by itself now but I still give it a spin before I flip the power switch.

[Steve Eure]

Pete, I got the 180 grit 4 in 1 wheel and a 600 grit Mega 8" CBN. Love this combination.

[John Keeton]

Pete, I got the 180 grit 4 in 1 wheel and a 600 grit Mega 8" CBN. Love this combination.i agree with Steve, both as to his grinder and combo, and with his purchase from Ken Rizza. Great guy to do business with. My old Woodcraft grinder now has AO wheels on it and is used for all the various carbon steel tasks that come up - gardening tools, etc.

[Pete Staehling]

Thanks guys. I ordered the 1/2 hp Rikon model 80-805 Slow Speed Grinder while it is on sale at Woodcraft. I don't think the 1/2 hp will be a problem since I am in no big hurry when sharpening/turning. I'll probably order some CBN wheels from Ken Rizzo once I settle on what I want. In the mean time I'll get acquainted with the grinder using the supplied white aluminum oxide 120-grit and 60-grit wheels.

[Dave Bunge]

I don't think the 1/2 hp will be a problem since I am in no big hurry when sharpening/turning.

Pete, having a slightly under powered grinder doesn't have to slow you down much if at all. I have a less than 1 HP grinder that takes a few seconds to come up to speed. When it's time to sharpen, the first thing I do when I get to the grinder is to turn it on. Then I attach the Wolverine jig to whatever gouge I'm sharpening. By the time the jig is in place, the grinder is up to speed and ready to use, no waiting required.

[Reed Gray]

Well, as I have said before, and will say again, I prefer over built to under built. I want some thing that I can't wear out. I have 2 of the 1 hp Rikon, and 2 3/4 hp Baldor grinders. Both come up to full speed with the steel CBN wheels from D Way in the same amount of time, 3 seconds, +/-. As a former production turner, during a day of turning, the 5 or so second time difference can add up. You can buy 3 or more of the 1 hp Rikon for what you would pay for the Baldor. The Baldor is considerably higher over all quality, and the Rikon is a good grinder for the price.

robo hippy

[John K Jordan]

The 1/2 hp Rikon will work fine with 2 aluminum CBN wheels such as Rizza sells. Some people report slow startup with heavier steel wheels. I have both the 1/2 and 1 hp Rikons and some other grinders.

I've bought several types of CBN wheels and gave some away. Now I always buy the wheels without the rounded edges, useful for a specific type of sharpening which I don't do. I buy the wheels with 90-deg corners instead of radii and with 1"of flat grit down each side. I use the corner often to make and sharpen special tools, such as this recess and dovetail cutter.

425046


JKJ

[Jeffrey J Smith]

I agree with Dave...go to the grinder, flip the switch and the grinder is up to speed before the gouge is in the varigrind, stick out adjusted and the fixture is in the wolverine pocket. I timed my old (at least 10 years) Woodcraft no-name today - 4 seconds to full speed with two steel D-Way cbn wheels. While I’m certainly not a production turner, who needs more than that...

[David M Peters]

I used the 1/2HP Rikon with two of Ken's 4-in-1 CBN wheels and can confirm that it took about 7 seconds to spin up.. not really a big deal.

BUT, I then moved to 2 of the Mega Square wheels on the 1HP Rikon and am happier, not only with the square wheel (same argument as Mr. Jordan) but with how fast it spins up and how smoothly it runs. I got one of Ken's grinder + wheel packages with the wheels preinstalled, never even bothered to check the runout because of how nicely it runs.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Depends on your tools and job I suppose. I have a cheap chain saw sharpener. I have more than one chain. In fact I have four or five and I sharpen them all and go until all but one are dull. I see something similar in some videos about production turners. In the one about the Russian nesting dolls, in the back round next to the work station there is a bucket with about a dozen of those strange skew chisels ready to go. I have three old Craftsman skew chisels. When they are all dull, I sharpen them, use one until it is not as sharp as I would like and then use the next. Whether it takes 4 seconds or 30 seconds for the grinder to get up to speed, it makes little difference. If I were using just one gouge and had no spare in waiting, I suppose it would matter a great deal. I realize having a few backup $80 gouges isn't practical, but for something like a skew, or parting tool, no big deal.