Po' Boy's Blanchard Grinder

Not having the coins for a surface grinder, I tried this affordable alternative today and I'm happy to say "That'll do, pig".

I bought a Dewalt cup grinding wheel and made an arbor for it to mount in my mill and it works.

I spent a little time surfacing this piece of mild steel and while it doesn't look like a high dollar surface grind finish (it's a Blanchard grinder after all and they never do) it did produce a surface that's as flat and smooth as I could hope for and it will work just fine when I need things to slide over each other smoothly and accurately. It's a better surface that I've ever milled with my carbide surfacing cutter.

Everything on the mill must be covered to catch as much grit as possible but plan on spending some time afterwards with an air nozzle and a brush, and make double certain that all of your covers will stay in place as the table travels and watch them closely anyway. I had a bit of trouble getting my cooling mist completely under the wheel's surface and so had a couple of spots that are heat discolored but I think I can solve that issue with more practice using it.

That test piece (which has had only soap and water cleaning after grinding) is absolutely smooth and flat as I run my finger nail across it so I know it will work for my purposes. All in I think I've got less than $30 in this experiment and I've added another tool to my repertoire. If you need a surface grinder and can't afford one, this technique is worth trying.




Attachment 34877 Attachment 34878

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Thanks Crusty! We've added your Blanchard Grinder to our Grinding category,
as well as to your builder page: Crusty's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-blanchard-grinder-2"> <img src="/uploads/233124/homemade-blanchard-grinder-2.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-blanchard-grinder-2">Blanchard Grinder</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/Crusty">Crusty</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/grinding'>grinding</a>, <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/mill'>mill</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>
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And for people who don't know, don't blow any air AT any sliding joint or bearing. You'll just embed grit in the joint. Only use a brush or vacuum around the ways or the old tool maker will appear to slap you with the air hose.

I remembered after the first surface that I hadn't dressed the wheel face true so I clamped my diamond point in the vise and made the wheel perfectly flat and tried it again on the opposing face and I discovered why Dewalt made the wheel with the face angled a slight bit. With the stone face exactly parallel there's no clearance for dislodged grit and the wheel jammed frequently on it, so I'm going to have to put a relief angle back into that stone's face. I was able to solve the heating problem with lots more coolant (but it didn't wash the grit out of the grinding area).

Years ago I made an anvil out of 2 " thick plates then hard surfaced the face of it with 5/32" Stoody 35 electrodes after I used a 5" cup rock to grind it flat I clamped it on the table of an old 3horse power bench mill that wasn't really much good for much any more. The table had more hole in it than a 2x6 wood block you might find on a drill press but the spindle was still solid. After about 5 passes I had a nice flat face on the anvil

I've got some 1" plate that I'm thinking of welding to some rr rail to make myself an anvil. I might use my cup wheel on it to surface it afterwards.

Crusty,

This is one way to grind a surface and it looks like it worked.
Be very careful using compressed air when cleaning machines. The air can and will drive grit into everything and that can and will cause increased wear on sliding parts.

I only use air to clean out my table grooves, everything else gets brushed out and wiped off. If I remember to wipe everything down before I start so loose grit doesn't stick to anything then my shop vac does a pretty good job. I'm also gonna cut up an old shower curtain for a drape so that no grit can get through it.

It makes really flat surfaces but since I can't rotate the work too like an actual Blanchard the surface doesn't look very uniform but maybe that's a good thing because it should hold oil better than a slick surface.

My little mill is a vertical/horizontal combination mill so I'm going to find a wheel that will go onto the horizontal arbor and try some actual surface grinding. It'll be slow but I'm not on any clock. It'll probably be a while before I go down that road though because the VFD and ¾ hp 3 phase motor that I bought will get here first and I'm rarin' to get on to that project and give my mill some low rpm balls.

What kind of rpm's are you turning. Just wondering as my mill turns 2200 max. Not realy shure what would be a minimum rpm for grinding this way. Suppose I could make a holder for my die grinder.
Thanks for the post

I want low rpm torque for milling with larger end mills - tired of picking steel splinters out of my hands for three weeks because I have to run the rpms faster than it should be and making clouds of tiny needles. I think right now with the anemic ½ hp universal motor I top out around 2000 rpm.

I made a holder for my Foredom hand carver on my lathe toolpost and it works fine as long as I take shallow cuts since it's hp limited but a die grinder mounted on the tool post could be a poor boy's toolpost grinder. A die grinder mounted to the quill on a mill is an interesting concept for grinding but I generally prefer to run my mill at low rpm and take out bigish chips with end mills.

Actually I'm not really sure why I'm thinking about trying surface grinding because planing in horizontal mode leaves a beautiful flat finish (here's two 1" thick triangles pinned and planed together) and it's a lot faster than grinding. To speed things up I ganged two cutters onto the arbor for the roughing cuts and then finished with a single cutter to level the surface. It's certainly flat enough for anything I might make.

Attachment 34940

The entries about compressed air and machine ways are correct; many toolrooms have no compressed air lines at all, just vacuums.
But dry cloth is not going to stop the finest grit and material; they migrate farthest. I use heavy trash bags cut open to make sheets, especially for wet grind or turning. Dry work, I use newsprint or rosin paper, lightly wet with used oil. Even turning cast iron, cleanup is a breeze.

Wondered if this was the grinding wheel you used? https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW4961...ustomerReviews

This is the one that I used. It's advertised for metal grinding.

Thanks, Crusty. What RPM were you running?

I really appreciate your comments about compressed air. I use a vacuum and brush and sometimes magnets for steel. I hadn't thought about putting down newsprint with a little oil to catch the worst of it. Anything that makes clean up easier is good to know.

I used oil wet blue jean rags for a shield but my plans include using an old shower curtain underneath to stop any grit that might get through the denim. If you wipe the oil from all surfaces before you begin so that any grit won't stick then a shop vac will get nearly all of it.

A big retrieval magnet is a frequently used item in my shop. The first time I used it hanging on paracord to swing over the floor in my gunsmithing area I found enough parts to pay for the magnet.

I used this same method several years ago on some hardened pins that needed to all be ground the same height. I used a shoulder bolt for the arbor. Here&#8 217;s a link to the article at Poor mans surface grinder on the Hobby machinist website
Thread starterPhilco Start dateNov 24, 2013
P
Philco
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I am making a fixture to rebuild a component inside an automatic transmission. While making the fixture, I had to grind off some hardened steel pins to an exact height. I grabbed a tool that I had made by "accident"for another project an thought someone else may benefit from it.
Take a 3/4 diameter shoulder bolt an cut the head off. This leaves you with a arbor to mount a grinding wheel on. Run the machine at the highest RPM an move x & y. Take light cuts an be sure to cover up the machine to protect from the dust.
I hope this tool will help some one else
Philco

image.jpg image.jpg
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Charley Davidson
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You're one of the smartest guys I know & thrifty, Great job & idea.


xalky
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I love it. I've been thinking about how to implement something similar. I never thought about using a hand grinding wheel. I just don't have the room in my garage right now for a surface grinder, I wouldn't use it much anyways. My original thought was to use a right angle head with a surface grinding wheel mounted to it, but I don't have right angle attachment for my bridgeport....yet:lmao:
GK1918
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Philco, another step further, check out some of the stones they use for marble and such, many styles and grits. Thats what I use on my
shaper ''surface grinder attachment".
xalky
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GK1918 said:

Philco, another step further, check out some of the stones they use for marble and such, many styles and grits. Thats what I use on my
shaper ''surface grinder attachment".

Link please!
C
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Phil, You should just come & buy one of my grinders, either the surface grinder or the DoAll T&C grinder. I'll keep the other.
george wilson
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I'd really hate to do any grinding on my milling machine. Be sure to completely cover everything with plastic ,like a garbage bag. I suggest masking tape or duct tape to hold it in place. When finished, CAREFULLY remove the plastic, folding it in on itself,making slow movements to not stir up dust. An extra wipe down afterwards with an oily cloth would also be good.
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If you ran a diamond across the face and O.D of the wheel... I'm sure it would work much better. Why not just use carbide on the hardened pins? As mentioned, I would not want to grind on my mill.


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12-10-13, 08:19 AMgeorge wilson
Re: Poor mans surface grinder

I'd really hate to do any grinding on my milling machine. Be sure to completely cover everything with plastic ,like a garbage bag. I suggest masking tape or duct tape to hold it in place. When finished, CAREFULLY remove the plastic, folding it in on itself,making slow movements to not stir up dust. An extra wipe down afterwards with an oily cloth would also be good.


12-10-13, 12:56 PMjamie76x
Re: Poor mans surface grinder

If you ran a diamond across the face and O.D of the wheel... I'm sure it would work much better. Why not just use carbide on the hardened pins? As mentioned, I would not want to grind on my mill.


I totally agree with both statements about grinding on the machine. I stated that in my OP. I don't make this a habit of using this set up on my machine. I only use this method in an " emergency" type of set up. In fact I had used a hand grinder to grind the pins down to within a few thousands of the desired height.The pins all had to be the same height for the project to work out as I had planned. I couldn't see sending this part out to a grinding shop for a few thousands. I didn't show my true set up in the picture, I actually had a drape of oily rags hanging down close to the 'out- spray' which catches any grinding dust produced. Jamie, I used this method because I could have better control of the outcome by raising the knee of the mill by 1/2 thousands at a time.
If there are any newbies reading this post, be aware of what damage you can do to a machine by using it as a grinder. If you do use this method, be sure to take George's advice & cover up good.
Phil


pjf134
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Do not use diamond to cut steel as it would tear up the diamond. I seen a shop guy take a $500 diamond blade and cut some steel angles and the blade got wasted in a matter of minutes.
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Zip cut wheel on an angle grinder to cut them close and then put it on the mill to finish height with carbide. (Duct tape around each one as to not nick the surface)
pestilence
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pjf134 said:
Do not use diamond to cut steel as it would tear up the diamond. I seen a shop guy take a $500 diamond blade and cut some steel angles and the blade got wasted in a matter of minutes.
Paul
He meant use a diamond to dress the grinding wheel. You could throw a diamond in your vice to dress the wheel perfectly true to the spindle.
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For way-guards I've started using "pan liner" intended for going under the shower bases. It's thick vinyl, stays flexible, and isn't bothered by oil. Find it at your home improvement store.

You can see the gray liner between the table and column of my old mill

https://durandinterstellar.com/photo...s_Complete.JPG

Now that's an interesting material. I was already thinking along the lines of finding a scrapped waterbed that I could cut thick vinyl panels from.

+1 on the shower pan material

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Oatey-Showe...-Liner/3127069

Works great, very cost effective.

My thought on shielding for where it is missing on my mill was epdm, but I realised from reading this thread that I need to do some oil testing....

I use EPDM "ranger bands" to keep things bundled together. Most of them get an oil covering in pretty short order and I haven't seen any deterioration. I'm a fan of EPDM, it's strong and durable stuff.

For you materials guys, there's two other materials that I want to mention. The first is Kydex, a thermoplastic sheet commonly used to make handgun holsters and it's useful stuff. Heat it with a heat gun, bend it to the shape you want and hold it there until it cools and you've made an object that's surprisingly rigid and tough. Didn't like that last forming? Then just reheat it and try again. If you need to join pieces of it superglue works fine. For me the .090" thickness seems to be a good choice for both strength and moldability.

Another useful material is Insta-Morph moldable plastic. Heat it in boiling water, finger press it into your mold and you've got a tough, custom molded object. I use it to produce positives from internal volumes that I can't easily measure. I press it into a space, pull it out when cooled and then use it as a model to make a copy in metal which will fit into that space, but it might also be tough enough to fix some broken thing that otherwise isn't fixable.

Another source for thick vinyl is unwanted backyard swimming pools. I see them often on Craigslist for free and one old pool would probably provide you with a lifetime's worth of durable draping shields.

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Thanks jdurand! We've added your Lathe Way Guard to our Lathe Accessories category,
as well as to your builder page: jdurand's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-lathe-way-guard"> <img src="/uploads/233200/homemade-lathe-way-guard.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-lathe-way-guard">Lathe Way Guard</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/jdurand">jdurand</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/lathe'>lathe</a>, <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/chip-guards'>chip guards</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>
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Another source of big synthetic sheets are billboard covers, aren't wallpaper anymore. That's an outgrowth of the vinyl wrap industry, such as used for vehicular advertising.
And I think www.repurposedmaterialsinc.com deserves some recognition here. Not only for materials as mentioned above, but all manner of industrial excess. Energy consumed to reprocess material is better spent on new production; why make something when over-runs/ over-bought are taking up space and capital? With the urge to reduce off-shoring at un-beneficial 'trading partners', this makes more sense than ever.

I have the same on my mill for way covers. Been there for at least 6-7 years. No issues.

Congratulations Crusty - your Blanchard Grinder is the Homemade Tool of the Week!

We had another big week around here with many high-quality tool builds, but this was the rare clear winner.

Some more good builds from this week:

Hand Knob Press by Kovanca Polock
Clevis Jig by thehomeengineer
Drill Press Truing Method by Philip Davies
Bandsaw Outfeed Table by Karl_H
Knife Straightening Plates by JKeetonKnives
Specialized Angle Blocks by Karl_H
Multi-function Crosscut Sled by Make Things
Tap Handle Grips by rgsparber
English Wheel Outrigger Leg by tony b
Spring Loaded Center Finder by bouboulas
Massage Tool by HandmadeCreativeChannel
Vacuum Pump by Mr.DK DIY
Lathe Stops by celsoari
Metalworking Drill Lathe by Kovanca Polock
Lathe Way Guard by jdurand
Double-Ended Wrench Marker by rgsparber
Motorized Plasma Circle Cutter by Captainleeward
Bar Stock Bender by Kwandotechnic
Bearing Puller by fawabros



Crusty - you'll be receiving a $25 online gift card, in your choice of Amazon, PayPal, or bitcoin. Please PM me your current email address and gift card choice and I'll get it sent over right away.

This is your 2nd Homemade Tool of the Week. Here are both of your Homemade Tool of the Week winning tools. Congrats again :thumbsup:


<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/my-rifle-brass-annealer-73219#post134783"> <img src="/uploads/224062/homemade-rifle-brass-annealer.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/my-rifle-brass-annealer-73219#post134783">Rifle Brass Annealer</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/Crusty">Crusty</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/heat-treatment'>heat treatment</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/po-boys-blanchard-grinder-79437#post158470"> <img src="/uploads/233124/homemade-blanchard-grinder-2.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/po-boys-blanchard-grinder-79437#post158470">Blanchard Grinder</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/Crusty">Crusty</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/grinding'>grinding</a>, <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/mill'>mill</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Well slap my butt and call me Nancy! I never expected my grinding experiment to get much traction. Thanks Jon and all you other interested folks.

I'm in the middle of another project that looks like it could shape up to be a good one and now I'm more anxious to get it done. For a teaser, I scored an old military tanker desk and I just took the top off and am welding the two pedestals together vertically to make my own roll around tool chest. Gonna try to TIG it so I need to make some sort of sacrifice to the Welding God for a non-hideous outcome.

And in other news, I got the 3 phase motor from Ebay and the VFD from Amazon in so I wired them together this morning, gave it a try and everything works as expected. This project to give my mill some low rpm balls is more complicated and I expect it to be a while before it's done but it should be interesting.

You need a cup wheel guard, some are adjustable to allow the user to change the depth as the cup wheel is worn away. Or fabricate your own clear shield similar to a lathe shield. I was once grinding with a cup wheel without a guard (couldn't find one), when it exploded like a grenade. I was really, Really, REALLY, lucky to get away totally un-harmed!

I know that I am a bit late chirping in but I just saw the link on Pinterest.

One thing that is often forgotten or not realised is that the vast majority of the "grit" when grinding steel or iron is steel or iron not grit from the wheel. So I mount an enclosed magnet right in the spark path and it captures the vast majority of the "grit". If you watch the sparks you can see the tracks bend towards the magnet. Of course this does not apply when truing the stone when all of the grit is grit.

I tried this type of grinding on my mill. I had a 5" cupped wheel that I use on my T&C grinder but that was a bad mistake. It was a CBN wheel which have a thin layer of CBN on an aluminium cup. What does aluminium do well when it warms? It expands. So as it warmed whilst grinding the depth of cut increased, raising the temperature even more rapidly and quickly becoming a runaway condition. It quickly locked the spindle and that has a 5 hp motor.

Now I use an Al-Ox cupped wheel and the problem is non-existent. Flood cooling the CBN wheel may have been a practical way to solve the problem also.

Look at this chap's precautions against grinding grit on his milling machine. On a par with the quality of the surface finish.

could you tell me about your arbor that you made ?

I tried a similar setup for grinding with a CBN wheel. The grinding material was on an aluminium cupped wheel. That was a bad idea, even a small amount of heating would cause the aluminium to expand increasing the DOC which would cause more heating eventually jamming the wheel. Once the heating cycle started it was over in one or two seconds. A normal solid grit cupped wheel would be much more tolerant.