Anyone have this grinder long enough to report on it? I’m very tempted. My 6″ ginder seems small — stone is only 3/4″ wide and the 6″ curve yields more hollow grind than I’d like…..
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Replies
I have it, and am pretty hapy with it.
I didn't even know that such a thing was available, so obviously I haven't any experience with it. But, I really like the idea of variable speed. Anything that helps keep things cool is a good idea. And, you really need an 8" wheel. Six inch is too small.
You'll need to enlarge the rest on that grinder. The standard rest is made for utility work. You gotta have one that will support the tool as it sweeps through a wide arc.
I have had one for a couple of years. I works OK. Seems to be some run-out but it may be the wheel is out of round. Max. speed is 1800 RPM. Rarely turn it down below that. Unless you need a slower speed, you may get more for your money on a fixed low speed grinder.
"Max. speed is 1800 RPM. Rarely turn it down below that. Unless you need a slower speed, you may get more for your money on a fixed low speed grinder." Mmmmm, you lost me there. The range of the grinder is 1725-3450, so I'm sure you're referring to something else. My brain cells aren't figuring it out. Help? forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Maybe you are right. Just shows how little I have adjusted the speed. Maybe I have it set to the lowest speed. In any case, I haven't found the variable speed that useful. FWIW.
I just wanted to be sure I wasn't being dense about what you wrote -- trying to do a self-conducted crash-course in turning, including the sharpening, has turned my brain to mush!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
What? No laser guides or dust-collection ports? For $200+ youdda thunk. ;-)
I agree that 8" is way better than 6", and the concept of variable speed is nice. But the 1750-3450 range strikes me as less than optimal for sharpening purposes. I'd rather that it slowed down even more.
As an aside, my great uncle had the ideal grinder. 3" wide wheel, 24" diameter, peddle-powered with a tractor-style metal seat. Gosh, I wish I had snagged that monster when I had the chance.
I'd love to have one of those peddle-powered stone!
As to speed, I've been sharpening on a regular 6" 3450 grinder, so 1750 sounds great. These are all high-speed steel, so burning isn't an issue.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
"...I've been sharpening on a regular 6" 3450 grinder, so 1750 sounds great. ..."
Remember 6" dia v 8" dia, and issue is tip speed, not RPM. 8" @ 1750 rpm is equivalent to 6" @ 2600 rpm. Still less than 6" @ 3450, but not half.
FYI - 6" VS 2000 rpm - 3400 rpm, $90, Garrett Wade - no experience with this brand
http://www.garrettwade.com/variable-speed-grinders/p/20A01.06/
Edited 12/10/2009 3:49 pm ET by Spotcheck
Yep, you're right, Spot. Looks like roughly 25% difference. Well, that'll help. The Wolverine instruction DVD features a Delta 2-speed grinder, which doesn't seem very available right now, but still the lowest speed is 1750.
Thanks for the link, but I definitely want to get a 8" grinder when I upgrade. They feature an 8", but with the lowest speed being 2000, as you point out, it's going to be high "rim speed."
I haven't really looked around yet, you're providing a little push to do that. ;-)forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Yeah - there's others out there - I couldn't remember where I'd seen them, so did a quick check on a couple favorites tabs till I hit one, then stopped. I am not a grinding wheel expert, but I'm pretty certain that if you get an 8" down to 1750, you're fine, but the important point, of course, is the correct wheel material/type.
"...but the important point, of course, is the correct wheel material/type." Yep. I'll be giving up a $45 pink wheel when I go from a 6" to an 8". I checked with the turner-guy at Woodcraft with whom I've made friends over the last $300 I spend, LOL, he said the wheels on the VS Delta are pretty OK. Of course, he uses diamond wheels he gets from a lapidary supply house, but I think that's a little over-the-top for me.
Anyway, I could use the stock wheels for awhile, 'til I get flush enough to buy a better one or two if needed.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
"..... Delta 2-speed grinder, which doesn't seem very available right now..."
Looks like Rockler's got 'em
Hi forestgirl,
I have it and really like it. To be honest, though, it's probably been turned down to the lowest speed since the day I got it.
Slow is good. I'm patient. I have a home-made wolverine-like jig for my turning tools and it works great.
Frank
I just picked it up and am very pleased with it. I'm making some modifications so it will fit the guide to my Tormek.
I like having the light right there and the slow wheel really is great as not burn the steel. It takes only a minute to grind an initial bevel anymore.
Thanks for the info, Jercarp. I'm getting more and more tempted ($$ is short -- have dumped a ton into turning in the last 2 months). I have the Wolverine sharpening jig set-up, which I really like so far, but my old Craftsman grinder has body parts that interfere with the gouge jig, and the parts are not removeable.
I think I'll check with Santa and see if he'll pitch in for half of it!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Yeah, I hear you about the $$. I'm looking into getting a mini or midi lathe these days but gotta watch it because it can go real quick.
My "investment" was steep right from the get-go, because I didn't feel comfortable teaching myself to turn. Took a 2-day class at the Puget Sound School of Woodworking with Bonnie Klein. Fee was only $300, but of course I had to splurge and get a hotel room rather than drive home and get up early the next day. And suffice it to say I didn't pack a brown-bag lunch, LOL.
I took the low road on chisels, figuring they'd get some abuse at the sharpening wheel. Boy was I right about that! The two biggest outlays for accessories were the Wolverine jig and the Talon chuck. The chuck came with 4 DVDs for $204, a special at Hartville tool. If it hadn't been for the DVD bonus, I might have gone for a cheap chuck from Grizzly or something. But getting a really fine chuck plus Raffan and others to help me out was too good to pass up. That Talon chuck is gorgeous! Really well-made.
This turning stuff is addictive, I find myself wanting to be out there all the time!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
This low speed idea for grinders often gets oversold. The wheels are designed to cut metal at in a certain speed range. That's speed, not RPM. The grains of the grinding wheel have to travel at a certain speed to cut metal well. As Oneway says about their low speed wheels "We don't make a 6 inch wheel because it would be going too slow to cut". Your tool doesn't get hot because of your grinder RPM, it gets hot because you're cutting off metal too fast. the heat generated is directly proportional to the work done on the tool steel. You'll be pleasently surprised if you get a suitable 8" wheel, balance it, true it, spin it at 3450 RPM and cut gently. You'll get a better edge and remove far less metal making your tools last much longer. You just touch the wheel taking a few thou off as you get the shape you want.
An old tool engineer.
Edited 12/12/2009 4:40 pm ET by EdgeGrain
"You just touch the wheel taking a few thou off as you get the shape you want." I have a little trouble with that part, LOL. Fine motor control has declined alot in the last 10 years. Fortunately, the low end of this variable speed Delta is only about 25% slower at the cutting edge than the current 6" wheel I'm using. That should be enough to help with my comfort level. But I understand what you're saying above.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Good! Thanks for the recommendation.
Why not move the lathe into the living room? ;-)
I used to do production turning another lifetime ago, and after a while it wasn't much fun really. I would have to take breaks during the course of the day to do stretching exercises because so much of the task was repetitive muscle use. I never did bowls or anything really artistic except once in a while some fancy spindles would have to be made and that was ok.
I don't really have room for a full size lathe at the moment. I just want to get back in the saddle with it, (I probably haven't turned anything in 15 years!), and I think a midi lathe would be just the thing. Jet makes a pretty good one.
We used Jet midi's in class, and I really liked mine. If I were buying my lathe now, I might even get one of those instead of the old Jet 1236 floor model that I picked up on Craig's List a year or so ago.
Hope you do get back into it and get to enjoy it. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Forestgirl:
Sorry not to have responded sooner, just now saw your post. I upgraded about 5 years ago from the Delta 6" to the Delta variable speed 8". The grinder is great, no problems at all with it. Mine runs smooth and true with no perceiveable runout. You do need to regularly dress your wheels with any grinder. My only complaint with any of them is that they all come with worthless tool rests. You will want some aftermarket tool rest for the grinder.
I purchased the Oneway Wolverine tool rest system not long after buying the 8" grinder. Also bought the turning tool jig for it so I could do a fingernail grind without chewing up half the tool trying to freehand it. Worth every dime I spent on it. Since you are now into wood turning you will find your time spent in front of a grinder will go way up so you might as well spend the money to put together a decent system instead of just trying to get by.
gdblake
Thanks, GD. I have the Wolverine system. The V-arm and the tool rest are great. The Veri-grind doesn't work with my old Craftsman grinder, part of the grinder frame interferes. Since I have to get another grinder anyway, I figure the VS from Delta would be a good fit. Thanks for the feedback on yours.
PS: Some of us are having trouble with the small size of the font in your replies. Are you using Internet Explorer? If so, there are formatting options at the top of the box you're typing in. If you select "2" for your font size, it'll be easier.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Forestgirl:
Thanks for the feedback on font size. I have used size 1 for longer messages and 2 for shorter. I'll stick with 2 from now on. I didn't use to have to pick a font size, whatever the default was worked. Now the default is so small I can barely read what I type until I up size it.
I don't have any clearance issues using the Wolverine tool rest with my Delta VS 8" grinder.
gdblake
Wish I knew how to help with the default font size, but can't find anything these days. The forum platform will change this week anyway, so it's a mooooooot point!
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Sorry to get in on this late but I have a 8" Delta VS grinder. I bought it in March of this year and I've had some problems with it. There is a long post on another wood working site about this grinder. My issue and the one discussed on the other site is that the wheels develop a wobble after using it. When I first got mine it ran true but I removed the wheel to put on a buffing wheel and when I reinstalled the wheel the wobble was very apparent. I readjusted the wheel many times but couldn't get the wobble out. I just sent mine off to get fixed. It has a 3 year warranty so I hope they can fix it "under warranty. On the other site there is a guy that explains why this happens. I can't explain it but it has something to do with the inner flange that won't seat properly. I should get mine back the first two weeks of January so I'll let you know if Delta stands behind the warranty.
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