Home made electrode grinder from the scrap bin,

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I recently received my new Dynasty 200 DX, which is replacing a 1 year old Longevity weldall 256pi. I will post my first  impressions in a separate thread.To honor the new machine I decided to build an electrode grinder similar to the piranha which costs 700+ dollars. I have a couple of 1/4 hp DC motors I had bought from a surplus store in Montreal (ADDISON) and never used and an old burnt out Pace soldering station in a very nice and solid aluminum case. I also have a couple of 4" diamond wheels I bought from HF:   http://www.harborfreight.com/replace...ner-98862.htmlI started by turning an aluminum bushing to hold the wheel to the motor shaft. Then I cut and drilled two pieces of aluminum angles to hold the motor to the gutted soldering station. The motor is 95 V DC, so I simply connected the field and armature in series with a 10 amp diode to the power line, and it draws 1 amp and runs cool.Finally I cut three aluminum bars to form an adjustable electrode support, with a couple of holes in the horizontal bar for 1/16/and 3/32 tungs. The support rotates on an axis aligned with the wheel's center, so that the electrode always grinds perpendicular to the diameter of the wheel.The masking tape on the front is temporary to block some holes until I cut a new Lexan front panel, and the last picture shows the possible range for the grinding angle.I ground more than fifty tungs, and it took less than fifteen minutes. I am very happy with the results. If I had none of the components, I figure I could buy them from the surplus store for maybe 50 $, and 5 or 6 hours on the lathe and mill. Attached Images
Reply:Very nice and congrats on the new machine.
Reply:nice work. that diamond disc fits perfectly into that box! I've got a little bench grinder I plan on making into a tungsten grinder, when I finally get into tig welding properly. well, at the very least, I'll use it as a tungsten grinder, maybe flip it around, make a tungsten guide or something. I was having pretty good success freehand though, so I'm not sure if I'll go overboard with it.
Reply:How do those diamond wheels hold up compared to regular grinding wheels?? Nice little grinder BTW!!Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:D SI've already ground more than fifty electrodes, and the wheel seems unaffected. It is two sided, and only costs 10$. I am sure I'll get good mileage out of it.
Reply:You know that's a great idea, but I'm thinking of buying the whole blade sharping tool from HF.  I want to try and see if I can sharpen some Evolution blades, and I'll make up a fixture to slide my tungsten in as well.CR