How to Choose a Bench Grinder – A Complete Guide

How to Choose a Bench Grinder

As the market has become an extravagant place full of expensive product, many consumers are now turning to the do it yourself style.

Some have found that the DIY lifestyle costs less, gives you the opportunity to explore through your own modality and split away from the mainstream.

The most important gear to own as a DIYer is a bench grinder, it is easy to find a bench grinder but it is hard to pick one from the what the wide market offers.

In this article, we will lead you to what to focus on while you are on the search for the best bench grinder, we are going to point out the most important factors to consider in your grinder:

How to Pick a Bench Grinder for You

We will start with the most important part of the bench grinder and it is the grinding wheel:

A grinding wheel comes in different types, but no bench grinder can fit all of them. You should pick the grinder’s wheel according to the purpose of use.

The dilemma is that not everyone knows which wheel to use for which metal or how to care for the wheels so here some pointer; you should use an aluminum oxide wheels for ferrous metals, and a silicon carbide wheel for all the others such as brass, copper, and aluminum.

Moreover, you must dress the wheels regularly to remove clogged grains which will help keep the wheel live longer.

Note that you can keep using your wheels until they slowly decay or disintegrate to the label, however, it is better if you replace them when they start to get too small to use with the tool rest.

Moving on to the next factor which is the grinder’s motor; basically it is the power capacity of the tool.

The power is important depending on the kind of task you will do; for example, if you want heavier tasks such as processing large and harder metals, then you need to select a bench grinder with a more powerful motor.

On the other hand, if you need the grinder for the lighter tasks, any model with lower power will do.

Keep in mind that bench grinders typically have an rpm range between 2000 RPM to 4000 and up, it depends on the model and its power, we believe it is better to choose one with adjustable speed settings to help you regarding any task.

Another necessity of the wheel is its size, it is mostly based on what type of tasks you will use it for.

The normal range starts from 6 to 8 inches which will allow you to do most of the tasks, so if you are planning on using it for a lot of jobs, then pick a bench grinder with a wheel size that lies in between that range.

Now let us turn to the body and design; a good machine is reflected upon its premium quality and reliable body, a solid build quality can ensure it to stand up to being used often without breaking down.

It is recommended to look for a bench grinder that adorns a cast iron base as it will prevent it from wobbling while it is working.