Being a power tool with high speed rotating stones, I made this modification at my own risk and I showcase it here for demonstration only as an experiment. If you find this inspiring for your own uses please remember that what you do is not my responsibility and whatever you do with your tools is at your own risk.
2023 Update: there are several people criticising this video and its contents. To all them I say that perhaps you misunderstood my purpose. The purpose was to not have the sparks flying on one's face or body while sharpening blades. The wheel is spinning THE OPPOSITE WAY, UPWARDS FROM DOWN rather than downwards from top. The bottom exit is not directed at the operator's face but away from it since it has been turned upwards. No polarity is changed. I take the point that on one side there may be a need to block the gap. This is a cheap grinder for light home use and general sharpening, any of you professionals can carry on doing your heavy duty grinding for work as best you know, I am not here to tell you what to do. This is for those who are uncomfortable with a grinder that is facing and spitting debris and sparks towards them like I am. As for gloves, if I wish to protect my fingers from being accidentally grated I will use some dedicated thin gloves, and believe me I still have my grip and no risk of them being sucked in as you say. The stone has the same probability of exploding as in the standard configuration, but the wheel is spinning upwards and guards are oriented at 45° upwards so that any debris, including your "exploded stone", will go away from the operator towards the rear of the tool, look at where the opening is.
Finally, I have been doing DIY safely for decades and I never had the slightest accident, I am not as stupid, irresponsible or ignorant as some of you think. Others have appreciated my reasoning on this and I have used this grinder several times in this configuration with no issues.
P.S. The knives and blades I have sharpened like this are actually sharper. I am not a professional metal worker so I don't care about the final finish, just getting sharper blades at home for free is good enough.
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A bench grinder is a very useful tool for quick and precise sharpening and general grinding or sanding of various metals and hard materials. What makes a bench grinder more useful than an angle grinder or a mini-tool is that you move your item against the tool and not the other way around.
They can be quite cheap but they often are configured in a way that SOME, LIKE ME, find too cumbersome and ineffective, and in my opinion not that comfortable.
In this video I will demonstrate how you can safely, easily and quickly modify one of these cheap grinders to work much better for sharpening and precise work. No additional expense is required (unless you too buy a white wheel), nor sophisticated tools other than a screwdriver, and the change is non-destructive and completely reversible, so you can return the grinder to its original state should you change your mind or for warranty purposes.
Obviously whatever you do with your tools is at your own risk.
21 сен 2024
