Bench grinder.

If you own a lathe sooner or later you'll need a bench grinder, not only for sharpening existing tools but also for grinding up new ones. Living in a small terraced cottage with no suitable outbuildings to store and use such a tool posed a problem, temporarily solved by the lend of a small Wickes brand grinder from a woodturner friend (thanks Stuart). This was mounted on a plank (actually a shelf) so that it could be clamped onto a Workmate, which worked rather well as it could be used in the garden. So when the time came to return the borrowed grinder I had an idea of the size of machine that I wanted and had solved the problem of using it without getting grinding dust in the house. Of course using a power tool in the garden means that I can only use it on dry days.

A trip to Machine Mart in Sheffield saw the purchase of a 6" wheel Clarke CBG6RZ. I could have bought a less powerfull machine as my lathe only uses 6mm square cutting tools, but at some stage I might need to grind something larger;

The first job was to bolt it to a piece of 18mm plywood so that it could be clamped onto my Workmate;

Then the tool rest and gaurds were bolted in place. The eyeshield gaurd bracket is held in place with a screw and a washer;

I wasn't impressed with the supplied M5 washers, so for added security I've replaced them with penny washers;

I'll be swapping that crosshead screw with a cap head before long as well.

Here it is ready for use;

I've already got a few jobs lined up for it.

Paul.