I threw this together today. I'm quite pleased with how well it works.



The dust separator may not be totally effective but it can't hurt.



Moved a bit closer and lowered to table height.

I'm glad it works, but that thing has a coolant trough so why not use it?  A $25 aquarium pump, 5gal bucket and 1qt of coolant will make an enormous improvement in dust/spark collection.

Okay, serious question. What is the purpose of a surface grinder? I've wondered for years.  I get it makes stuff flatter and nicer than a mill. What needs that level of precision/finish?

Also, love your tooling rack. Very organized.

Lots of things, tooling like most parts of a mill vise, machine squares, 1-2-3 blocks, straight edges etc. As far as objects to be produced, anything that requires a very flat surface, or a certain thickness with tight tolerance, like a valve body in an automatic transmission. Sure it's usually milled flat first as that is much faster than trying to remove all the excess metal using a surface grinder, but the last couple of thousands is done on a surface grinder to remove all the machining marks and get a very flat surface.

The surface grinder can cut hardened steel. Much harder than can be practically milled.

Tight tolerances are important in literally tens of millions of products.

Thanks. Makes life so much easier.

I'm a hobby shop. Collant goes bad and I only run this grinder a few times a month. I hand spray on coolant when I want it but sparks and grinding dust still come off at high speed.

Nice...  Do you have anything in the bucket?  Any spark arrestor?

I really like that surface grinder.  I really need one, and that would be the perfect size for my shop.

I had a suggestion to put water in the bottom of the dust separator. I've only used it a tiny bit but I'm positive the dust particles aren't hot for long. I might try the water thing.

I've seen some cage like devices that go inline to kill the sparks.  I grind a lot of titanium.  Those sparks last alot longer.  I have burned up two shop vacs over the years because of it.  It gets smoky really quick.

Were you using a separator?

Aside from the hardness and flatness capabilities, they are also able to-
Produce an excellent surface finish
Create intricate profiles via wheel dressing
Take very small cuts, <.0001"
They make excellent cutoff tools
Parallelism is second to none

A couple times per month is fairly often, IMO.  Modern coolants will get you over a year sump life in a service like that.  Grinder coolant is mixed to ~2% concentration, 1qt will last about 5yrs in a 2-3gallon setup.

Cool thing about a small setup like this is that you can carry it over to the lathe, mill, saw, etc when needed.

No.  Just a shop vac...

Nice!  I'd love to find a good deal on a grinder that size!  Most of the ones I find around here are huge hydraulic ones that are way too big for my shop and occasional needs.

Not sure how far you're willing to travel, but 612s and 618s should be spilling out of closets in Michigan.

I have an older model Boyar-Schultz with a dust collector built into the base. By the time the swarf travels that far it is near room temperature, I have never felt any heat at all in the base. Reminds me I probably need to clean it out.

Surface grinders are one of the most used machine in a tool and die shop. They are used for sharpening cutoff blocks, punch, button blocks, etc. You can't machine/sharpen hared parts designed to stamp through/cut steel with a milling machine. Surface grinders are also used in automotive engine shops too. They are handy for grinding heads and blocks flat. As mentioned, they are great for when you need a precise flat surface or sharp edge.

In one tool and die shop I worked for, I spent more time using the multiple surface grinders than I did running milling machines or lathes. We were constantly having to maintain/resharpen the stamping and forming die. We were also working with thicker steel since we made a lot of parts for semi trailers.

To the OP, hook up the coolant system and you will get a much better finish on your parts. And it will cut down on the dust that you are dealing with. Mix the coolant per instructions and also add anti microbial/anti bacterial additives to it. The additives will help it last longer. It isn't so much the coolant itself that goes bad and starts to stink. It is the grinding dust and all of the bacteria and fungus that grows in it if not treated.

There is no coolant system. Never was.

Nice. I’d love to have a grinder like that

They make add-on coolant kits. Trust me, ou will get a much better finish if you use a good coolant.