Ugrading Craftsman 2 x 42 tool rest. Looking for sanity check/material recommendation

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groy87

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Feb 11, 2016
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I am replacing the stock tool rest that comes with the craftsman grinder with a larger, more stable alternative. I am currently planning on using 1/4" aluminum flat stock as the tool rest surface but I am worried that the material may be too soft and will not be able to hold up over time. Is this a legitimate concern? For those who have or have made their own grinder, can you recommend steel alloy and plate thinness that would be a good alternative to aluminum?

Current design: Al plate (1/4"T x 5"W x 11"L) bolted to a "L" bracket that is then bolted to the aluminum housing surrounding the 2x42 belt.

Thanks in advance!
 
1/2" a36 mild steel if you wanted it to be solid as a rock and last forever. I'd probably build the tool rest separate from the grinder though. You could mount it to a work bench and then just slide the grinder up to it. The side cover that the tool rest mounts to is part of the problem as it's pretty flimsy. You could make it adjustable fairly easily and verify the angle with a level and angle finder.
 
the aluminum will probably gouge out and wear away after some time making it hard to slide the blade smoothly across.. i think 1/4" mild steel would be plenty thick. if you cannot bend it with your hands, it should not flex as a work rest.
 
I used 1095 for mine. 1/4" thick. I hardened them because I didn't want them to scratch and gouge. That may have been overboard but they should last forever.
 
Thank you both for the input! This is more of a temporary improvement from what I currently have with the craftsman grinder as is while I save up for a 2x72" grinder. I'm currently making an adjustable bevel grinding jig similar to what PEU made (thanks kuraki for the recommendation) so I'm mainly looking to make a larger/flatter tool rest that's perpendicular to my platen. I'll see what mcmaster carr has in those materials and modify my design to make a rigid base.
 
groy87 said:
Thank you both for the input! This is more of a temporary improvement from what I currently have with the craftsman grinder as is while I save up for a 2x72" grinder. I'm currently making an adjustable bevel grinding jig similar to what PEU made (thanks kuraki for the recommendation) so I'm mainly looking to make a larger/flatter tool rest that's perpendicular to my platen. I'll see what mcmaster carr has in those materials and modify my design to make a rigid base.
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Call around locally. It's just mild steel that you need. It's not anything special. There's probably a metal supply house somewhere near you. All those metal fabrication places in OC and whatnot. As far as using a jig and sliding it across the tool rest. You can use basic duct tape over the bottom to prevent scratching and gouging. You can clamp a blade to a piece of angle iron for a simple jig too FYI. A long time ago I read a thread that Adventure Sworn posted up in the Bushcraft Forums about how he grinds all his Scandinavian blades. If you've seen their blades, you know they're very nice. They're a pretty successful company. Here's the thread:

http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threads/scandi-grinding-jig-tutorial.81426/

I'm Creature7 in that thread and posted a few pics of my knives and my jig on the 2nd page.
 
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