Delta 8" VS grinder -- owners?

[Jamie Donaldson]

Most of the wheel wobble on any grinder can be tuned out by carefully HAND rotating the wheel a bit with the nuts and flanges hand tight, but loose enough to hand rotate the wheel on the motor shaft. I mark an index reference on the side of the wheel, hand rotate about an inch, then hand rotate to see it the wobble is better or worse. This run error is mainly due to the cheap plastic bushings as well as stamped flanges and cheap wheels, but I have tuned up many Woodcraft 8" grinders to eliminate any wobble before dressing the wheels to round.

[Don Geiger]

Your grinder is most likely fine. I have used the same grinder in the past and with a little tune up they work well. Many other turners use the same grinder and have benefitted from the following recommendations:

Many grinding wheels come with plastic bushings to make up the difference between the inside diameter of the hole in the wheel and the outside diameter of the axle of the grinder. If this is your case, I suggest ditching the plastic bushings that come with the wheels and replacing them with 1" o.d X 5/8" i.d. X 1" long steel headless drill bushings (available from McMaster-Carr, p.n. 8491A562 at: $9.60 each). The steel bushings provide a more solid mounting and position the wheel more perpendicularly to the axle.

When you install any wheel: you can use 3/4" o.d. paper sticky dots as shims placed between the edge of the cup washers and the sides of the wheel to correct for side to side wobble. First determine where the apex of the wobble exists by using a pencil to make tick marks on the both sides of each wheel about ¼ from the edge. Use these marks to determine where to place the sticky dots between the edge of the cup washer and the side of the wheel. Place them 180 degrees apart on both sides of each wheel until you correct the wobble (Note: I usuall start with a stack of 5 or 6). I've done this to many grinders and it takes me about 15 or 20 minutes.

Then use a wheel truing device (not just a hand held wheel dresser) to make the wheels truly concentric to the axle, flat across the width and also making the aggregate very level.

Do these few things and the side to side wobble will be corrected, vibration in the grinder will be significantly reduced and your tools will not bounce on the surface. You will see an improvement in the condition of the bevels and cutting edges of your tools. It will also eliminate the need purchase and install a wheel balancing system because you've corrected to excentriciities of the wheel.

It is a practice that I've used for quite some time and I first suggested it on SMC quite about a year ago. Many people have tried it and reported that it worked well for them. If you try it, please report back on SMC to let us know how it worked for you. Also let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Good luck!

Don Geiger

[william croninger]

Thanks Ron!

[william croninger]

Thank you Jamie

[william croninger]

Thanks Joe

[James Combs]

I got one from Lowe's a couple years back. It has a similar wobble but not enough to concern me. I did got through the dismount remount routine trying to mitigate it but to no avail. In the process I did note that it ran smooth as silk without the wheels. However, when I replace the wheels I will be going to premium or hopefully metal/diamond or metal/CBN wheels.