I'm thinking of buying the plans for this sharpening jig. Has anyone used anything like this. It reads good, should be a valuable addition to my remote location. 
duh, forgot to say what it is.
Guy Lutard designed machine.
Tinker
Make sure you post the build. I'm very interested.
Chad
I haven't built mine yet, but I bought the plans and castings a few years ago. I can tell you that the plans are pretty well done and they are plans, not just drawings. When I ordered there was also a supplement showing some of the ingenious devices others came up with that could be used with the Tinker.
GsT
I made castings for a friend.I have a couple more that I tossed back into the box to melt back down for casting something else..You can have'em Nevada if you'll pay $8.50 for postage.I can show you pictures of what these are, certain concessions were made to have ample draft for sandcasting......I had thought I would build a Tinker but I swamped with too many things that I want to do..
ok, cool! Thanks Alphawolf. I'll get the money in the mail. PM sent. 
That looks really really cool! I've always hated grinding tools (not that I've done that much of it ...) and something like that looks like it could help ensure the angle accuracy and precision I've been trying for.
One question though (about to reveal my extreme naiveté regarding bench grinders): isn't it considered bad to ever use the side of a bench grinder wheel? I seem to have had it thumped into my skull very early in life that using the side of the wheel was considered a BadThing™. (Weakens disc leading to potential disc shattering, imbalance, etc. etc.) Is that incorrect?
Rndmnmbr,
Yes, yes, and yes. That was/is my one reservation about the tinker, but I think you'll be fine for home use. Note that you can also use it with a proper cup wheel and avoid the aforementioned perils...
GsT
OK, I would love to see the plans for that. I hate hand grinding , my eyes are not that accute. I am sure that things are not as complicated as they seem ... It would be especially nice if it had a hollow ground feature . Last week I sharpened a drill bit... sharpened on the same side before I caught my mistake. I hate to look at an object that I can not sharpen right as everyone brings me thier knifes before deer season and scissors when there is a need . And I refuse to buy a drill dr or one of the other new fangled devices.
| Quote (GeneT @ July 01 2007,00:52) |
My piece of crap bench grinder wobbles the wheel nearly .060 side to side yet I do grind on side regularly..occasionally I will use a diamond dressor across the periphery but I dont bother with the side..The typical Chinese POS bench grinder is only good for rough work , If I didnt already have a surface grinder and a tool and cutter grinder I would invest in a good Baldor bench grinder, then add a wheel constructed for grinding on the side...
I didnt get it said....that Tinker dont grind an endmill on the side of the wheel but on the face as the wheel was intended..
This was how I made the castings- aluminum ..I still have the matchplate pattern that I made and used to pour these..So Nevada, if you require additional castings then just say so I can pour some more....These two I sending you have surface defects but they good enough that I saved them for my own use- they'll be fine to use..
NEAT! I'll get the plans coming this week. One of the things I see as necessary to be able to afford this hobby is to be able to sharpen the milling cutters. This thing should also be able to sharpen reamers. This should be a good addition to the shop. Thanks again, Alphawolf. 
I've heard all the warnings also and I don't do any heavy grinding on the sides of a wheel. I see no safety problems with light pressure resharpening of drill bits and similar tools on the sides of the wheel and do it fairly often with HSS lathe bits when they need touching up. I'll grind them to shape on the edge of the wheel.
My HF green wheel grinder could be more useful with one of these fixtures.
fullbull_223
Sometimes you HAVE to use the side of a bench grinder wheel, to generate a really heavy top rake in a lathe tool, for example. I don't think it hurts the wheel. A lot of these shop "truisms" come from a time when the quality of the stuff was a lot lower. Way back then, they were probably binding the aluminum oxide grit into a wheel with rendered hog feet and ground chicken feathers, with maybe some cow squeezin's tossed in. Nowadays, the binders are pretty advanced, and the wheels are much stronger.
If you hate grinding and are using a 6" wheel, make the jump to an 8" wheel. They are cheap from Lowes or Home Depot, and make a huge difference in material removal rate. My Delta has been a good one for many years.
That Tinker looks like a cool machine. With all the work that goes into the fixture itself, be sure the grinder has a good bearing set and is a decent quality unit to start with.
Here's a pic of the iron Tinker castings that Guy Lautard sells. You could also make a weldment to do the job.
GsT
Many years ago Home Shop Machinist had an article about making a "floating" end mill sharpener . The spindle was floated on air and was the smoothest running spindle possible. Picture is from " The Shop Wisdom of Philip Duclos" and a complete set of plans are in his book along with plans for a lot of other neat stuff.
That's what I need, endmill sharpening capability, that looks like a good setup. I'll have to get that book.
Thanks for the link John. I ordered the book from here... Yesterday's Toys
they take paypal
nevadablue- When you get the book look at the fire eater engine. That will be my next engine to build.
Look at the Mini Tinker and the Tangential toolholder on this site.
http://www.gadgetbuilder.com/
Lots of shop projects.
graydog
I just stumbled across this set of notes about building the Tinker, for anyone who might give it a go: Tinker
GsT
Thanks for the links, guys.