Home Built Surface Grinder

My parts came from China in 4 days except the wheels that came in 2 days.
currenthill said:
The linear stage sliding table was a little less precise than I wanted. If I were to build it again I would probably get this one instead:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/GGP...4-Ball-Screw-Linear-Rail-CNC/32806395029.html
Click to expand...
If you ordered this rail be prepared for a little surprise. It's a around 2 inches or a little more in height and will require some alteration to the tooling bar. But it seems to well made with no play but I wish it was half as tall.
 
previous reply corrected, was for the wrong part.

I have a question about this part though. I can move the platform by hand, so wenn I push it, I can push it back with very little effort. Is that the same with yours?
 
Jesse Latham said:
My parts came from China in 4 days except the wheels that came in 2 days.

If you ordered this rail be prepared for a little surprise. It's a around 2 inches or a little more in height and will require some alteration to the tooling bar. But it seems to well made with no play but I wish it was half as tall.
Click to expand...

My wheel came in 3 days. The table is shipped the rail has not been shipped yet. Kind of surprising, as you and I are both in the US. The waiting is the hardest part- Tom Petty

Thanks to the drawing current hill sent me, I don't think I'll be that surprised. I am a bit worried about my ability to accurately make that rabbit cut in the tooling arm that I need to lower the assembly. I plan on cutting it on my table mounted portaband, a little shy of finished and draw filing to finished dimensions. My kingdom for a mill!
 
Kevin, or others that built the SG. For the wheel did you get a 90 durometer or just whatever hardness they come at?

Thanks,

Paul
 
Kevin McGovern said:
rabbit cut in the tooling arm that I need to lower the assembly
Click to expand...
Looking at my build, I think I'm needing to cut the tooling arm and off set the front portion under and maybe have to have a spacer between. With the wheel sitting on the arm and the ball screw rail stacked up with the slide rail the mag chuck is above the top of the 3 inch wheel. :eek:
 
Jesse Latham said:
Looking at my build, I think I'm needing to cut the tooling arm and off set the front portion under and maybe have to have a spacer between. With the wheel sitting on the arm and the ball screw rail stacked up with the slide rail the mag chuck is above the top of the 3 inch wheel. :eek:
Click to expand...
I'd actually be happy if mine worked out this way, as I could A. Use the wheel separately by removing the bar below. and B. it would remove the variable of me not notching my tooling arm accurately.
 
Jesse Latham said:
My parts came from China in 4 days except the wheels that came in 2 days.
If you ordered this rail ( https://www.aliexpress.com/item/GGP...4-Ball-Screw-Linear-Rail-CNC/32806395029.html )be prepared for a little surprise. It's a around 2 inches or a little more in height and will require some alteration to the tooling bar. But it seems to well made with no play but I wish it was half as tall.
Click to expand...

Jesse, I take it you ordered that rail? You mention it's 2" high, how wide and how long?

Thanks for any info.
 
Did anyone actually measure the flatness and parallelism obtained by this kind of setup?
What is making me wonder is you don't have a transverse movement of the wheel over the piece width, which is the key point of a surface grinder.
 
stezann said:
Did anyone actually measure the flatness and parallelism obtained by this kind of setup?
What is making me wonder is you don't have a transverse movement of the wheel over the piece width, which is the key point of a surface grinder.
Click to expand...
First point: These aren't designed to be as accurate as a real surface grinder Second point: Using a 3" wide belt and 3" wide wheel means that the entire surface is ground in a single pass. there is no need to move the wheel across the piece. Once the mag chuck is installed and ground flat to the wheel, they are parallel. So even if you tracked a narrower belt across a wider wheel, it will still be parallel. Keeping in mind that it is not designed to hold the tolerances offered by a true surface grinder.
 
Ken H> said:
You mention it's 2" high, how wide and how long?
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Ken, it is 2 3/16" high x 3 1/8" wide x 7 1/8" long not including the wheel and crank which add 2 3/4". It does present some issues concerning the relationship between the wheel and the chuck.
 
Jesse Latham said:
Ken, it is 2 3/16" high x 3 1/8" wide x 7 1/8" long not including the wheel and crank which add 2 3/4". It does present some issues concerning the relationship between the wheel and the chuck.
Click to expand...
I believe current Hill took about an an inch off of his tool arm to make clearance
 
Kevin McGovern said:
I believe current Hill took about an an inch off of his tool arm to make clearance
Click to expand...
Well, my rail is the smaller one. So I didn't have to take so much material off of my tool arm. With the larger one I would choose another design and mount.

Edit: I now realize this picture is from one of my earlier test mounts, it's still somewhat high. My final version is even lower, i.e more material was taken off of the tool arm.

jg0c1Pp.jpg


c1PygkC.jpg
 
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Kevin McGovern said:
I believe current Hill took about an inch off of his tool arm to make clearance
Click to expand...
I looked at doing that but I have two Bader 3s which use 1.25 inch arms. One Bader can go horizontal but the other doesn't and I want to use my surface grinder on either one. So I put two pieces on tool bar stock side by side under the slide table. Those mount under the main bar that goes in the grinder with a .5 inch spacer between (drops the chuck 1.75 inches) at a 45 deg angle which will allow use in the vertical position. Once I get or make spacers to get the wheel 3/8 inch or so above the tool arm the chuck will be pretty much centered on the wheel. I'd of posted but imgur won't let me on right now.
 
Jesse Latham said:
I looked at doing that but I have two Bader 3s which use 1.25 inch arms. One Bader can go horizontal but the other doesn't and I want to use my surface grinder on either one. So I put two pieces on tool bar stock side by side under the slide table. Those mount under the main bar that goes in the grinder with a .5 inch spacer between (drops the chuck 1.75 inches) at a 45 deg angle which will allow use in the vertical position. Once I get or make spacers to get the wheel 3/8 inch or so above the tool arm the chuck will be pretty much centered on the wheel. I'd of posted but imgur won't let me on right now.
Click to expand...
Post pictures when you get a chance please
 
MCI16m8.jpg


Unfinished and missing the 1/2" spacer between the tool bars. And of course the wheel is not mounted. The wheel will cover the chuck when it is spaced 3/8" above the bar and with the addition of the 1/2" spacer.
 

I do not have any experience with these kind of rails, but I was surprised to be able to move the table by hand. I could build a stop on it, how would you guys proceed? (I have a backup rails wenn this one is not working out).
 
Toni Oostendorp said:

I do not have any experience with these kind of rails, but I was surprised to be able to move the table by hand. I could build a stop on it, how would you guys proceed? (I have a backup rails wenn this one is not working out).
Click to expand...
I got the same table that current Hill got. So I'm not familiar with yours. Is there a screw that will put some resistance on the table or screw that you can tighten?
 
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