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Gramercy Custom Tuned 8" Baldor Bench Grinders

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Baldor | We Stock  Grinders Customimized for Woodworkers
Found in Departments: Baldor
  Capital Improvements
  Sharpening Stones, Abrasives, Wheels and Equipment
Gramercy Custom Tuned 8" Baldor Bench Grinders - 8" 3X Custom GrinderGramercy Custom Tuned 8" Baldor Bench Grinders - 8" 3X Custom Grindercancelleft arrowright arrow
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- 8" 3X Custom Grinder
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Quantity in Cart: none
Code: MS-BALD.XX
 Gramercy Custom Tuned 8" Low Speed Grinder with CBN Wheel (1800 rpm) ($1699.00) In Stock Shipping surcharges may apply
Quantity:
MS-BALD.XX
  • Main
  • Included Upgrades
  • Which Grinder?
  • New! CBN Grinder

I consider a good grinder to be one of the most important tools in the shop. In 2008 I was asked to write an article about hollow grinding for Fine Woodworking and so I took the plunge, and treated myself to the best grinder I knew: A Baldor, and man-o-man, what a difference!

Straight out of the factory in Clarksville, Arkansas Baldor grinders are top of the line. The motor runs nearly dead silent, and the models we carry come standard with rigid, heavy, cast iron tool rests, wheel guards and exhaust ports.

Stock Baldor grinders are designed for use in a machine shop. Over the years the Gramercy Shop has developed a few tricks to bring the Baldor grinders we sell that much closer to perfection for use in a wood-shop environment. We checked with Baldor to make sure that our "Gramercy Custom Tuned" Grinders still carry the standard warranties, and that our modifications met safety regulation. Baldor said YES THEY DO! so we immediately got to work putting together THE package of tune-ups to make our grinders the best Baldor Grinder money can buy. We even throw in a printed copy of "How to Grind" from the June 2008 issue of Fine Woodworking. Note: Baldor has discontinued their 6" grinder with cast iron rests and we are unable to supply 6" grinders anymore.
Every Gramercy Tuned Baldor Grinder ships with the following exclusive upgrades:

Lever Knobs:
The stock grinder uses regular bolts to fasten the rests to the grinder body. Rather than have anyone hunt around for a wrench in a wood shop we have switched the bolts to metal handles so that you can adjust the cast iron work rests without tools. On the 8" grinders we also include a wrench for adjusting the rest-arm bolts where there isn't enough clearance for a turn a lever knob.

Cooler Norton 3x Wheels or Even Cooler Crowned CBN Wheels:
The stock grinding wheels that come with the grinder are good for rough and non-ferrous grinding. We replace one of the grinding wheels with a CBN wheel for edge tools and grinding of ferrous materials. The CBN wheels run cooler, so you can grind without burning.

Diamond Dresser:
We've always felt that a multi-point diamond dresser is critical for properly setting up your grinder. We include our popular, no frills, import dresser with every grinder.

Machined Arbor Flanges:
Extra precision makes for precise grinding, even with narrow wheels. To achieve this we machine both working surfaces of all four die-cast arbor flanges. We clean up the outer edge of the flanges, and properly chamfer the arbor hole.

Better Packaging:
We've upped our packaging game to include expanding foam inserts around the ends of the grinder. The foam expands inside to box to create a custom fit cradle around the casting, preventing movement that can lead to damage and disappointment.

The Baldor grinders are tools that you will want to purchase only once per lifetime. The Gramercy Tuning process takes the world's best industrial bench grinders, and makes them in the world's best bench grinder for Woodworkers.

The Gramercy Tuning process is only available from Tools for Working Wood. We perform the lathe and mill work on the flanges in the Gramercy Tools workshop in Brooklyn, NY. Baldor Grinders are made in Clarksville, Arkansas USA.
We have two versions of the 8-inch grinder, A turner's or general version version with harder "K" grade wheels. "K" grade wheel run slightly hotter than "I" grade wheels but are also less prone to eroding when sharpening turning gouges. And a CBN version.

 Model Comparison Chart
  8" Low Speed CBN Grinder Turner's 8" Low Speed Grinder
Base Baldor Model Number 8100W
RPM (No Load) 1800
SFM (No Load) 3766
Arbor diameter 3/4"
Horse Power 3/4 HP
Power requirements 115/230v 60 Hertz 4.6/2.3Amps
Application: Shaping, Shallow Hollow Grinding, Faster Material Removal, Perfect for Chisels, Large Irons, froes, and turning tools. Shaping, Shallow Hollow Grinding, Wheel choice favors HSS, and sharpening turning tools.
Grinding Wheel 1 80 grit crowned CBN wheel 46 grit K grade 3X cool Wheel
Grinding Wheel 2 Stock 46 grit Norton cool wheel 80 grit K Grade Norton 3X wheel
Import Diamond Dresser INCLUDED
Flanges Precision Machined Aluminum
Die Cast Lever Knobs On the iron rest only. Wrench included for rear support bolts
OSHA and Safety Info. Furnished with GA10 eyeshields Designed to comply with OSHA standards under normal conditions
Weight 103 lbs.


note: Grinders are shipped with rests, spark arrestors, and shields packed separately in the same box.
Cool-running precision of a CBN wheel on a custom-tuned Baldor? You can hear it singing already. We’re now offering all the best grinding options in one place: an 8" Gramercy Custom Tuned Baldor Grinder with one 80-grit CBN wheel and one Norton 46-grit Stock wheel..

This is the setup you want if you’re covering just about all your workshop needs in one place. Use the stock wheel for non-ferrous materials, mild steel, and general workshop grinding, and switch to the CBN wheel when you’re giving your fine edge tools the treatment they deserve.

If you haven’t heard the good word about CBN wheels, check out the CBN link below to find out why you won’t want your tools touching anything else. Then imagine it humming on the best-tuned grinder in town.

Customer Reviews:for an average rating of:
Absolutely Fantastic Tool
By: Kevin (Feb, 2021)
I am very much a hobby woodworker, and I have very little time to dedicate to the craft. I have a job that takes a lot of time and two small kids, so my limited time in the shop needs to be maximized. I bought a water cooled sharpening system, and it works great, but it takes forever to sharpen my HSS. I inherited a high speed, 6 inch grinder, and I kept burning my tools and have to regrind. I spend inordinate amounts of time either regrinding or using my wet sharpener. I invested in this thing and it works amazingly well. I was able to get a good edge quickly, without burning my steel, and use the time in my shop to actually woodwork. It ran super smooth, and the thing just oozes quality. My only complaint is that it's so solid and heavy, carrying it down the stairs to my basement was a bit of a challenge. It's a pricey investment, but you really do get what you pay for.
I own this product.
One of those tools you just love to use.
By: Randy Hermann (Apr, 2018)
Once you have used a quality tool you can never look at any other tool in that category the same way. This grinder will do that to you, make you think, "Why is this grinder so LOUD, why are the tool rests so flimsy and hard to adjust, why does it vibrate so much? Mine doesn't do any of that..." This is my first grinder, having previously done everything with files or on a borrowed grinder. I use it on a weekly basis and still just love to turn it on and listen to it run. If it were destroyed I would replace it with exactly the same model.
I own this product.
Woodworker
By: Mike Forbes (Nov, 2014)
I just tried out my new Gramercy 6" low speed grinder today. The holes in the base were spaced just perfectly to be clamped to my Festool table from underneath. I turned it on and it was smooth and quiet! I was amazed at how quiet it was, the spin up was very smooth. You get what you pay for, well put together! From the unpacking, this sucker was custom foamed and double boxed. No problems whatsoever with shipping. The quick release toggles on the tool rests made setup easy. I reground 6 chisels today and then took them to the water stones. Quick and easy, the hollow ground makes sharpening without a guide so much easier. Thanks Joel for a great product and some great instruction on how to use it with your included article.
I own this product.
World's best 6" grinder.
By: Karl Fife (Jun, 2014)
I bought the 3600 RPM, 6" grinder. It is essentially a Baldor 632e, but buying it at TFWW, ends up being cheaper and better. Baldor makes a dizzying array of variations on these grinders. There are variations in guard material, guard type (exhaust vs. non-exhaust), exhaust port positioning (center vs. bottom), abrasive stone & wire-brush variations, eye guard type (lit vs. not lit), and tool-rest style (cast vs. stamped). In my opinion the grinders you see here have the preferred option in ALL categories, the most important being the cast-iron, exhaust-type guards and the cast-iron tool rests (instead of the cheesy stamped ones). The reason to buy the grinder here, rather than buy from Betty Mills or elsewhere (and do the upgrades yourself), is that if you buy it here, you don't end up buying and paying for the factory-installed Baldor stones that you don't want. Buying it here you get the Norton 3x stones to begin with, effectively saving money. Plus, it's a lot more convenient than chasing down the other upgrades. Other thoughts: Lever Knobs: Essential. Allow you to totally reposition the tool rests without reaching for tools. They're worth seeking out if you don't have them. I keep my shop-made angle setting guides (90, 25 deg etc.) right by the grinder. I can move the tool rest, and move it back to 25, hitting the previous grind angle dead-nuts with no other tools. Machined Flanges: Non-essential. I observed that there is a great deal of inherent variability in the positioning the stones in terms of being centered (round) and true (no run-out). You can adjust the position of the stone by gently tapping it as you barely begin to snug the arbor flanges. This is a FAR greater determinant of proper stone positioning than any small imperfections that may be present in "stock" un-machined arbor flanges. That's why I consider them non-essential. Vibration: The only way to make a grinder run without vibration, is to balance your stones. Period. Even perfectly balanced grinders with high-end Norton 3x friable stones do not run perfectly balanced because even fancy stones are not balanced. There are grinder (stone) balancing patents that date back to the 1800s and early 1900s, suggesting it's an old problem. Out of the box, this grinder is balanced better than anything else off-the-shelf, and it's certainly good enough, but absolute perfection requires a wheel-balancer that you make yourself or purchase. Here's a video of my grinder running perfectly smoothly after installing a modified wolverine wheel balancer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0_LaI3QQeA
I own this product.

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