Grinding Bench Design

[Larry Steinmetz]

Hello,

I am in the process of building out my lathe area and will have a wall to my back and to the head side of the lathe. I am planning on putting the grinding station in the corner at the head stock side but am trying to decide if it is worth the trouble to make a corner (triangular) bench for the grinder. The straight bench is only going to be 12" deep so the corner area won't be huge but should work for a grinder. I suppose the other option is to just make a 90 degree corner and put the grinder on the short shelf. I would appreciate anyone's thoughts on this. Thanks.

 

[Dennis J Gooding]

Whatever layout you come up with, I would recommend that you provide room for storage of frequently used utilities such as grinding jigs. V-bar, unused grinding platforms, etc. Also provide clearance to the back for the V-bar. I store these vertically through holes in the platform.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

Your present plan does not appear to have enough clearance to accommodate the Wolverine jig (or its look-alikes). Then again you may not use them or plan to use them.

 

[Dave Landers]

My grinders are on stands now. But for a while, in my previous/smaller shop, I had a grinder setup on a board, and I screwed that board down to my "bench" (an old dresser). I could move it around when I reorganized by unscrewing the board and screwing it down in another place. You might think about something like that, not as a permanent solution necessarily, but to let you experiment with what works best for you.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

Having the grinder on the corner may not have enough clearance for long handled gouges being ground on platforms.

 

[William Rogers]

My thoughts are it is a bad place for a grinder. When turning wet wood curls go everywhere. You can put a curtain, but to me that would be a pain for grinding. I have my lathe tools behind be and a shower curtain. Not that big a deal to get a tool from behind the curtain. My grinding bench is 24” deep along a different wall. On the other side of my lathe. I have a Z rack with peg board separating the grinding bench and the lathe.

 

[Lou Jacobs]

I would agree that you’ll need more “elbow room” to swing the gouges, in particular if you are using a Wolverine jig. I put my grinder on a platform that is on a 6x6 post imbedded in concrete in a 5 gallon bucket. It’s easy to move out of the way when not needed, but to pull forward for grinding tools with long handles or swept back grinds that require a wide swing.

 

[Randy Anderson]

As Dave mentioned, putting it on a platform that you can move is what I did for quite a while. I found over time it got moved to different spots around me until I found a place that really worked. Lots to consider - swing when sharpening, easy quick access, does it get buried in chips, does it get soaking wet when you turn a green log, etc. What I thought early on was a good idea would turn out not to be. Took me a number of tries before I settled on a spot and a configuration. Mine are currently on a bench directly behind me while turning.

 

[Larry Steinmetz]

Whatever layout you come up with, I would recommend that you provide room for storage of frequently used utilities such as grinding jigs. V-bar, unused grinding platforms, etc. Also provide clearance to the back for the V-bar. I store these vertically through holes in the platform.

I do plan to work in some drawers, cubbies and shelves to store tools and misc. things.

 

[Larry Steinmetz]

Your present plan does not appear to have enough clearance to accommodate the Wolverine jig (or its look-alikes). Then again you may not use them or plan to use them.

My drawing wasn't exactly to scale and I do have some room to move the lathe to both increase the head room as well as that to my back.

 

[Larry Steinmetz]

My grinders are on stands now. But for a while, in my previous/smaller shop, I had a grinder setup on a board, and I screwed that board down to my "bench" (an old dresser). I could move it around when I reorganized by unscrewing the board and screwing it down in another place. You might think about something like that, not as a permanent solution necessarily, but to let you experiment with what works best for you.

You make a great point about portability until I can truly figure out the workflow of my shop and where things end up finding their permanent homes.

 

[Larry Steinmetz]

Having the grinder on the corner may not have enough clearance for long handled gouges being ground on platforms.

This may not be the case for all gouges I own in the future but right now all I own has detachable handles (Carter and Son, Robust, etc.).

 

[Larry Steinmetz]

My thoughts are it is a bad place for a grinder. When turning wet wood curls go everywhere. You can put a curtain, but to me that would be a pain for grinding. I have my lathe tools behind be and a shower curtain. Not that big a deal to get a tool from behind the curtain. My grinding bench is 24” deep along a different wall. On the other side of my lathe. I have a Z rack with peg board separating the grinding bench and the lathe.

I had thought about this before and remember reading forum posts here and other places saying that it would be a mistake not to have your grinder only a few steps away from your headstock. I guess this kind of goes to the point of portability that Dave mentioned earlier.

 

[Larry Steinmetz]

As Dave mentioned, putting it on a platform that you can move is what I did for quite a while. I found over time it got moved to different spots around me until I found a place that really worked. Lots to consider - swing when sharpening, easy quick access, does it get buried in chips, does it get soaking wet when you turn a green log, etc. What I thought early on was a good idea would turn out not to be. Took me a number of tries before I settled on a spot and a configuration. Mine are currently on a bench directly behind me while turning.

Hi Randy...how much room do you have between your grinder and your lathe? Currently I have planned for about 45" from my lathe to the bench behind me.

 

[brian horais]

Hello,

I am in the process of building out my lathe area and will have a wall to my back and to the head side of the lathe. I am planning on putting the grinding station in the corner at the head stock side but am trying to decide if it is worth the trouble to make a corner (triangular) bench for the grinder. The straight bench is only going to be 12" deep so the corner area won't be huge but should work for a grinder. I suppose the other option is to just make a 90 degree corner and put the grinder on the short shelf. I would appreciate anyone's thoughts on this. Thanks.


View attachment 39535

Larry, I have my grinder mounted on a rectangular benchtop near the end of the bench. One thing I found out after installing it was that I had mounted the grinder too far back and some of the long handled tools hit the edge of the bench as I was sharpening them. This was particularly true for my negative rake scraper, which requires me to move the handle nearly perpendicular to the grinding wheel. One thought would be to 'fit check' your layout by setting up the grinder on a surface with the dimensions laid out and then trying out each of your grinding setups to make sure there is clearance for the handle 'swings'. The other thing to check is to make sure you have clearance behind the grinder setup for your sliding grinder pivot base to move freely in and out. This is probably only relevant for the Wolverine style grinding setups. P.S. my solution for solving the handle interference was to cut away some of the front edge of the bench.

 

[Randy Anderson]

Larry, it's about 48" from the bedways to the grinding wheel faces but with wolverine jig, banjo, etc the effective "space" is less. Your 45" should be plenty. I've attached a couple of pics showing how it's set up. I really like the ability to just turn around, no walking, sharpen, and turn around to turn again.

 

[William Rogers]

I had thought about this before and remember reading forum posts here and other places saying that it would be a mistake not to have your grinder only a few steps away from your headstock. I guess this kind of goes to the point of portability that Dave mentioned earlier.

Larry, my grinding is 8 steps from the lathe. I don’t consider that unreasonable. It is on the opposite side of the lathe. Chips/curls go behind you.

I had to remove every tool and wipe it down with WD40. After this I installed a shower curtain. I wouldn’t want this mess on my grinder station.

 

[Randy Anderson]

William brings up a good point. Pay attention to where your chips "mostly" go. I think it can depend on how you turn and where you position your headstock, do you turn at the end of your lathe, do you mostly rough large items with gouges, scrapers, carbide tools, etc. I know I have a distinct pattern of where most of my chips go - underneath of course, toward the tailstock and out behind the lathe mostly toward tail stock end. If I core a bowl then the pattern changes a lot. If I use carbide tools they end up more scattered than with gouges. Where they are now my grinders get very few chips on them.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

My grinder is a few steps from the lathe and I actually prefer the "short walk". When I stop turning to sharpen I want to change my mental focus from one activity to the other, and taking a few steps to a "different space" helps do that.

 

[Joe Kaufman]

I find metal dust, especially with CBN wheels, a real aggravation. Wet oak and some of the eucalyptus have an affinity to develop black dots where steel dust contacts the wood. Once turned bowls take quite a bit of sanding to remove the dots. I hone 6-10 times before grinding and grind multiple of tools at one time then vacuum the area. For awhile I did the grinding outside. Turning is a hobby for me and I find it beneficial walking 8-10 feet to the grinder. On the return trip I can look and ask - why am I rough turning all these bowls to the same basic shape?

 

[John Jordan]

That is a very good point, metal dust is not good on green wood. My grinder is in the next room, the 3 second walk doesn't bother me. I like to stand at the left end of the grinder so I'm to the side of the handle and don't have to stand some weird way.

John

 

[Larry Steinmetz]

Some very good comments here! I might actually consider a different part of my shop on the tail stock end of the lathe where I had already considered setting up a grinding station for my Work Sharp and another general purpose grinder I have.

 

[Larry Steinmetz]

Larry, my grinding is 8 steps from the lathe. I don’t consider that unreasonable. It is on the opposite side of the lathe. Chips/curls go behind you.

I had to remove every tool and wipe it down with WD40. After this I installed a shower curtain. I wouldn’t want this mess on my grinder station.

View attachment 39573

Yeah...I'd hate to have my grinder buried in a mess like that! Shower curtains are already on my list.

 

[Tom Gall]

I had thought about this before and remember reading forum posts here and other places saying that it would be a mistake not to have your grinder only a few steps away from your headstock. I guess this kind of goes to the point of portability that Dave mentioned earlier.

If you aren't a production turner ("time is money") and turning for a living, I think that statement is totally irrelevant.
Besides, I consider the walk to my grinder (about 15ft.) as beneficial to my body. At my age, and after many leg surgeries, if I don't move my legs at least every 5-10 minutes I will suffer. I believe it was David Ellsworth that recommended a "walk" to your grinder many years ago - and back then I really didn't need to.....but now I do!

Also, there is always a remote chance of sparks igniting dust or dry shavings.....remote chance - but why take that chance?

 

[robo hippy]

Well, my grinder is 180 degrees from my lathe. It does get some shavings on it, but not to the point of being covered. I learned a long time ago that when turning green wood, I wipe off my hands and the tool before doing finish cuts. There are always lots of green wood shavings handy and they get almost all of the dust off. Those metal spots come off with concentrated lemon juice. Finger prints as well.... If you get them while the wood is wet, it takes seconds. If you let the wood dry, it can take an hour or more. On dry wood, the lemon juice can bleach out the wood. Lime juice does not seem to work. If it does work, it is much slower....

robo hippy

 

[Larry Steinmetz]

If you aren't a production turner ("time is money") and turning for a living, I think that statement is totally irrelevant.
Besides, I consider the walk to my grinder (about 15ft.) as beneficial to my body. At my age, and after many leg surgeries, if I don't move my legs at least every 5-10 minutes I will suffer. I believe it was David Ellsworth that recommended a "walk" to your grinder many years ago - and back then I really didn't need to.....but now I do!

Also, there is always a remote chance of sparks igniting dust or dry shavings.....remote chance - but why take that chance?

I can't argue with this philosophy...I have had five back surgeries starting in 2009 and two TKRs so, you are probably right on the money... more steps are better than fewer!

 

[JeffSmith]

My grinder sits at the headstock end of my lathe on a rolling cart with a couple of drawers for storage. the space diirectly below the grinder is both filtered and ventilated with a small computer fan and houses the vac pump. I find the placement avoids most shavings and is readily accessible if you've got the room.

 

[RichColvin]

My grinder sits at the headstock end of my lathe on a rolling cart with a couple of drawers for storage. the space diirectly below the grinder is both filtered and ventilated with a small computer fan and houses the vac pump. I find the placement avoids most shavings and is readily accessible if you've got the room.

That looks like a beautiful place to turn!!

 

[JeffSmith]

That looks like a beautiful place to turn!!

Thanks Rich - it is. We moved here (small island in the extreme upper left hand corner of the Pacific Northwest) when I retired 6 years ago. built the shop with the turning space up front where I can open the doors, watch the forest and listen to the creek while turning...

 

[Dean Center]

Someone mentioned that distance to the wall behind the grinder is important with the Wolverine V-arm, which is a very important consideration in placement. If you are using the full length of the V arm, but are not sharpening by putting a tool butt in the V pocket, it's possible to eliminate the distance problem by cutting off some of the excess length of the V arm.

 

[Larry Steinmetz]

My grinder sits at the headstock end of my lathe on a rolling cart with a couple of drawers for storage. the space diirectly below the grinder is both filtered and ventilated with a small computer fan and houses the vac pump. I find the placement avoids most shavings and is readily accessible if you've got the room.

Wow...beautiful shop!!!

 

[Larry Steinmetz]

Thanks Rich - it is. We moved here (small island in the extreme upper left hand corner of the Pacific Northwest) when I retired 6 years ago. built the shop with the turning space up front where I can open the doors, watch the forest and listen to the creek while turning...

I spent 3 years in Brookings, OR, 2 years in Newport, OR, and 5 years in the Portland area (lived in Battle Ground north of Vancouver, WA). It is hard to beat the beauty of the PNW (and the craft beer scene).

 

[Tim Tucker]

I spent 3 years in Brookings, OR, 2 years in Newport, OR, and 5 years in the Portland area (lived in Battle Ground north of Vancouver, WA). It is hard to beat the beauty of the PNW (and the craft beer scene).

The PNW has been displaced for craft beers: Asheville NC and the surrounding communities have been crowned as the new "Beer Capitol". Matters not much to me as I prefer bourbon, but just a point of local interest.
You however have achieved living in the last real free state...TEXAS. Congrats!

 

[Larry Steinmetz]

The PNW has been displaced for craft beers: Asheville NC and the surrounding communities have been crowned as the new "Beer Capitol". Matters not much to me as I prefer bourbon, but just a point of local interest.
You however have achieved living in the last real free state...TEXAS. Congrats!

I got to Texas because of the Coast Guard (twice). The last time we stayed and will not leave!

 

[Tim Tucker]

Larry- you are a lucky man. I am from Texas, and miss the people, food and freedoms....

 

[robo hippy]

Well, can't really get into the beer discussion here, sober 33 years... We do grow our own hops here, and they are highly sought after. It does seem to me that we have about the same number of wineries, coffee roasters, and brew houses, and that is a lot of them. Now seeing alcohol distilleries too.... I love the wood, madrone specifically, and the weather, cools down to mid 50's most nights in the summer....

robo hippy

 

[Larry Steinmetz]

Well, can't really get into the beer discussion here, sober 33 years... We do grow our own hops here, and they are highly sought after. It does seem to me that we have about the same number of wineries, coffee roasters, and brew houses, and that is a lot of them. Now seeing alcohol distilleries too.... I love the wood, madrone specifically, and the weather, cools down to mid 50's most nights in the summer....

robo hippy

I absolutely love the weather along the I-5 corridor and hate the Houston summers but like the mild (normally) Oct through April period. One disadvantage I see as a woodworker in this part of Texas is there is not the same variety of lumber as other areas of the country. That said, we do have pecan, live/water/post/pin oaks, various types of hackberry, way too many Chinese tallows, and other odds and ends but little-to-no walnut, maple, hickory (pecan is from the same family), cherry, etc. Thinking more about it, we do have a pretty diverse catalog of trees in Texas, just different than other parts of the country...you work with what you have!

 

[Tim Tucker]

Larry - make friends with some N. E.Texas turners.... lots of different woods in that region.

 

[Randy Anderson]

Larry, I grew up not far from Alvin. Santa Fe / Alta Loma. All my family lived there and most still do. I went to Alvin Comm College for a year out of HS then graduated from Texas A&M. Yep, lots and lots of tallow trees. My yard was full of them and always got in trouble for throwing the hard green berries at each other as kids. Have you tried to turn any of it? My all time favorite wood to turn is mesquite. My nephew still lives in Santa Fe and gets it for me when I can get down there to pick it up. If you can get your hands on some mesquite then suggest you snatch it up. Hard to get in big pieces for blanks but it's great to turn, sands and finishes well and has a really nice feel to it when done. Great stuff.

 

[Tim Tucker]

Randy...hello there Aggie! The Dixie Chicken was still alive and kicking' last time I was in College Station.....