DIY surface grinder

[tonyfoale]

I wonder what the disadvantage/dangers are to using the wheel directly on the spindle.
One advantage I saw was it really highlighted how much my tram was off.

Ralph

Ralph,

It depends why you mount a wheel directly to the spindle. In your case it sounds like you were using a cupped wheel for blanchard surface grinding. that generally puts more load on the wheel than conventional surface grinding.
I my case I used a flat wheel, grinding on the periphery in effect like a normal cylindrical grinder stood on end. I did this to be able to use the CNC features of my mill to grind an irregular profile.

Dangers are like any grinding, wheel explosion is the worst. Strong covers are good if they do not interfere with the required work. If wheel covers are not possible then a barrier between the wheel and operator is well advised.