Karstens cylindrical grinder

Discussion in 'Other metal working projects' started by DavidF, Mar 28, 2023.

  1. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Found this old beast on Facebook marketplace, and the price was right. Going to take a bit to get it up and running again as it has been sitting a long time and has some issues.
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    Its a rusty beast but with a little time and elbow grease she'll be a prom queen..
    Derusting begins...
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    That's one big grinder!!!
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    I'll be tearing into the headstock tomorrow as there seems to be an issue with it. There is no positive engagement of the spindle drive, but the speeds do appear to work.. I'm hoping nothing too serious, but the machine has seen some abuse...
     
  2. Al2O3

    Al2O3 Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    An oldy but a goody!

    Best,
    K
     
    DavidF likes this.
  3. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    This would have been super useful to have for my drill press shaft remake to grind the taper lol.

    Super nice find! And lots of work to rebuild it wow.
     
    DavidF likes this.
  4. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    It's not that bad. I'm only in it for about 3 hours so far. That headstock though... it scares me..
    Guess I'll find out tomorrow...
     
  5. Petee716

    Petee716 Gold Banner Member

    What method(s) are you using for derusting?

    Pete
     
  6. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Eastwood afterblast, spray on and let sit for a minute, scrub with a scotch brite pad, wipe off, repeat. Then buff with oil and a scotch bright pad, wipe off, then oil again.... It's quicker than it sounds.....
     
  7. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Phew we!!
    I had concerns when I bought this thing that there was an issue with the headstock as there was no positive engagement... Well my fears are at rest now... Belts!!!! Oiley worn out belts!!! Yippie!!! Well, there is 2 bearings that do need to be replaced, but nothing major :cool:
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    Petee716 and Mark's castings like this.
  8. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Well....
    I can order the SKF bearings here in the US for $125.00 each and have them in less than a week..
    Or I can order the same SKF bearings from China for $31.00 each and get them in 3 weeks..
    I can wait.....
     
    Tops likes this.
  9. Yes but are the Chinese ones really SKF?. What kind of bearings are they, roller or ball type?, they got any hand engraved marking to indicate better than normal precision?.
     
  10. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    These bearings go on the faceplate and do not need to be high precision. The spindle uses split bronze bushings and the spindle shows no evidence of ever being run. Looks like all the grinding was done between dead centers..
    The spindle is engaged by putting a bolt through the faceplate and into the spindle to drive it. It was hidden by the bolt holding the dog on. Feeling the bad bearings on the faceplate and not seeing the spindle turn made me fear the worst... But I see how it works now.. lol
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  11. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Just about got it ready to run. I'll worry about painting it later..

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    DaveZ and Tobho Mott like this.

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