Sharpening station setup question

[cody michael]

I bought this mobile workbench with drawers from harbor freight to put my grinder on. I also bought the grizzly version of the wolverine jig to put with the grinder. Would I be better off getting a nicer board to mount the grinder to so it's easily removeable, or mount it directly to the workbench so it can't move?

[Christopher Herzog]

I for one hate drilling holes in my bench tops. Instead, i mount things like this to a board thick enough to hold it securely and clamp to the bench when i need it. Attached is a recent addition to my collection. Used a scrap of butcher block top for the base.

My two cents,
Chris511002

[Bill Howatt]

It depends on a couple of things, as usual. If you plan on using it a lot, then fasten it down. If you need the space, then don't fasten it down.
Since there isn't a lip on the top it may not be easy to clamp.
I don't get overly wound up about drilling holes in what I consider to be utility furnishings that are there to do a job easily - it isn't the dining room table top.
I also find that if things aren't convenient then they don't get used as often as they should.

[Reed Gray]

My grinders are all mounted on plywood so they are mobile. The plywood can then be screwed down to a bench top. I think most of them are on 2 pieces of plywood so I can bolt them down to the plywood so every thing stays in place. They are pretty heavy, so don't move around much. If I am pushing too hard, they can move though, but that is pretty much never because there is a difference between grinding and sharpening. The Wolverine base needs to be screwed down, so being on plywood will allow you do keep the set up mobile.

robo hippy

[Dave Bunge]

I've got my grinders mounted to boards so they are portable if I want to use them elsewhere. They are stable, don't slide around on the table where I set them when sharpening.

If you are going to attach it permanently, put it near the front of the cabinet, not the back like in your picture. You'll need space for the handles to hang below the cabinet if you sharpen on a platform.

[Thomas Wilson80]

I’m also a fan of mounting to a separate piece of wood. Better for potential mobility and easier to position for maximum comfort. Here is my grinder from my old shop. It is very stable but easy to move (I moved a couple years ago and carried it to the new shop but kept the same setup).
Tom


511051

[cody michael]

Thanks I think I will go with screwing to another board. I plan on it living in this spot but always nice to have options. If I screw to a good sized board if it moves I can always put a few small screws to hold it still, with how heavy it is it shouldn't move much.

[Earl McLain]

As noted by Dave Bunge, closer to the front would be my choice for location on the bench. I've got a few short-steel specialty tools (my dovetail tool being one) that wouldn't work mounted as Tom Wilson80 shows.
Regarding mounting on a board--the best thing about the Wolverine system for me (or about any other system for that matter) is consistency of positioning, not an absolute of angles. So, mounting to a plywood board makes sense to me if/when i ever move it. Don't plan on moving mine, but if i did disassemble it, i'd never get it back to exactly where it is now. Made it worth investing in about one square foot of quality plywood to me so i could just move it all as one unit.

[Thomas Wilson80]

As noted by Dave Bunge, closer to the front would be my choice for location on the bench. I've got a few short-steel specialty tools (my dovetail tool being one) that wouldn't work mounted as Tom Wilson80 shows.
Regarding mounting on a board--the best thing about the Wolverine system for me (or about any other system for that matter) is consistency of positioning, not an absolute of angles. So, mounting to a plywood board makes sense to me if/when i ever move it. Don't plan on moving mine, but if i did disassemble it, i'd never get it back to exactly where it is now. Made it worth investing in about one square foot of quality plywood to me so i could just move it all as one unit.


Mine is at the very front too - in my prior shop I was very limited on space and would push the grinder back whenever I needed to use my workbench for other projects (like in the photo) but it is fast and easy to move up, and heavy enough that it doesn’t move while in use. I also screwed in rubber feet on all four corners so it doesn’t vibrate or make additional noise.

tom

[Earl McLain]

Mine is at the very front too - in my prior shop I was very limited on space and would push the grinder back whenever I needed to use my workbench for other projects (like in the photo) but it is fast and easy to move up, and heavy enough that it doesn’t move while in use. I also screwed in rubber feet on all four corners so it doesn’t vibrate or make additional noise.

tom

I see the feet now--i like that!! I may be setting up another station in the basement--if so i'll do it with feet.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

I built a cabinet with drawers to hold my grinder, with casters so it can move easily - basically stays near the headstock end of the lathe. Only one thing to suggest - a little advice from Mr Ellsworth - mount the grinder high enough that you don’t spend your sharpening time bent over - your back will thank you.
I seem to recall mention that the arbor should be at elbow height (like your lathe) - don’t remember the source, but mine sits atop an enclosure for my gast vac pump that has filtered venting to keep particles from entering. The drawers are below. The combined height of the cabinet, casters and enclosure puts the grinder shaft at just about elbow height. It’s comfortable for me…
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[Neil Strong]

As noted by Dave Bunge, closer to the front would be my choice for location on the bench.

Also to the front of the bench with the slide(s) hanging out free from the bench so any tools that still have handles attached can swing freely around when grinding the wings.

Some like to be able to lean over and look down to see the contact area on the wheel the way Jerry Glaser began doing it...

511130


My preference is to have the grinder spindle at the same height as my lathe spindle. Once I have my jig settings right I don't have to sight the grinding area.

[cody michael]

Thanks everyone I just got installed. Played with grinder on of my tools, I have a little research to do on how to set it up for different grinds but the hardware seems really well built. It's the grizzly version. I mounted it on a peice of Ash I had, it was free, convenient and looks great.