Wadkin surface grinder.

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Wadkin surface grinder.

This topic has 21 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 16 September 2018 at 09:05 by Martin Cargill.

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6 September 2018 at 15:39 #370672
sparky mike
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@sparkymike
I have been offered a small Wadkin surface grinder for around £100.00

I don't know the model but I should soon have photos.

It probably weighs around three or four cwt. and looks pretty sturdy but will need complete overhaul and change of motor to single phase.

Has anyone here had any experience of this make of machine ?

Mike.
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6 September 2018 at 15:39 #13286
sparky mike
Participant
@sparkymike
6 September 2018 at 18:31 #370699
larry phelan 1
Participant
@larryphelan1
Only know their wood working machines, top of the range,some of them 50 years on,still going strong.

No DIY stuff there !
6 September 2018 at 19:12 #370707
HOWARDT
Participant
@howardt
Have a look here. **LINK**
6 September 2018 at 19:48 #370713
Anonymous
So not a surface grinder as we know it? In which case changing to a single phase motor probably won't matter. If it was a proper surface grinder, as opposed to a cutter sharpener, then changing to a single phase motor would be a bad thing due to motor vibration.

Andrew
7 September 2018 at 22:44 #370879
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
A Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) could be used to drive the 3 phase motor, so avoiding a motor change? Other 3 phase converters are also available.
8 September 2018 at 08:29 #370909
sparky mike
Participant
@sparkymike
It looks to be smaller version than this one. Or the one shown below has larger control handles/wheels.
8 September 2018 at 17:02 #370958
Dave T
Participant
@davet19446
Hi Mike,

I sent you a PM a while ago regarding another matter – I thought you were'nt on the forum any more

Dave
11 September 2018 at 20:20 #371358
sparky mike
Participant
@sparkymike
I now have the machine home. Very heavy to lift so we stripped it down into manageable smaller lumps !!

Photos enclosed. Any more info on this machine/model would be very useful.

Mike.
11 September 2018 at 20:46 #371364
Rainbows
Participant
@rainbows
Looks like a steal if it polishes up
11 September 2018 at 21:02 #371368
Brian Oldford
Participant
@brianoldford70365
Now I'm jealous.
11 September 2018 at 21:03 #371369
sparky mike
Participant
@sparkymike
So far,all the nuts and bolts, bar one, have undone ok. Looks mainly like surface rust on the beds so am hoping to do a fast restore on this one. Could well be of use, as I often have to reduce thickness of hardened washers.

The paint is just flaking off, so that will save a considerable time. Being Wadkin make, I wonder if they included this machine in their range of woodworking machines, so that it could have been used for planer blade sharpening ?
11 September 2018 at 21:21 #371373
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Looks like a proper surface grinder from here…

Neil
11 September 2018 at 22:05 #371378
sparky mike
Participant
@sparkymike
One thing that mystifies me, is what does the "Test" figure represent on the machine lable in photo above ?

Mike.
11 September 2018 at 22:09 #371379
Mark Rand
Participant
@markrand96270
Don't worry about driving it from a single phase motor. The drive belt and inertia of the spindle/wheel will absorb the torque fluctuations for what you want.
12 September 2018 at 07:34 #371390
sparky mike
Participant
@sparkymike
Original 3 phase motor was around 2500 RPM, but luckily I have a single phase, same RPM, motor on the shelf ready to bolt on, that a friend gave me last year..

Some of the paint looks like battleship grey, but don't know if that is original.

I find that car engine paint comes up with a nice gloss but takes around three days to dry.

Mike.
15 September 2018 at 07:37 #371796
sparky mike
Participant
@sparkymike
The machine is now stripped down except for two parts, the pinion for the rack has a taper pin that refuses to move for the time being, and the rod that holds the collars for setting the travel , will not budge and as both are mounted in the casting I have to take care with both points if I need to remove them.

All the castings have a part number cast in then. Would it be of use to make a list of

all parts for future reference ?

All the castings seem to ring ok with no signs of any cracks.

The base pedestal is a two man lift , as is the middle plate, so not easy to move round the workshop. The base is now primed with a rust inhibitor paint and I will spray it first with a spray two pack filler, that sands easily and makes for a good undercoat for the top gloss.

Original paint seems to be a grey with a blue tint. Looks to be similar shade to Myford's.

I found traces of the paint under the name plate and warning plate. That plate informs owner to only grease bearings with motor running. ?

Due to heavy construction I had wondered if the machine, with suitable chuck, could be used for light milling as well as the grinding it was intended for.

Mike.
15 September 2018 at 19:52 #371886
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
Posted by sparky mike on 15/09/2018 07:37:11:

… That plate informs owner to only grease bearings with motor running. ?

Mike.

We all should be following that advice.
15 September 2018 at 20:28 #371892
Martin Cargill
Participant
@martincargill50290
Re "Test Number" Most older Wadkin Machines have this unique number stamped on the ID plate. It seems to be a factory reference number for the machines final testing
15 September 2018 at 21:10 #371905
sparky mike
Participant
@sparkymike
Hi Martin,

when you say older, any idea of date when they used this test number.

I have been searching the net ,but so far have been unlucky in finding any information on it.

A photo or drawing would be handy for ref. For example, the wheel guard has been "got at" by previous owners and it would be nice to get it looking how it was when new. I have a feeling it is from 1948 era.

The grinders supplied by Wadkin in later years were used to re-grind blades as used on their woodworking machines, and these were known as cutter grinders. This makes me think that my machine was used for same purpose.

Mike.
15 September 2018 at 22:31 #371929
Rainbows
Participant
@rainbows
RE: surface grinder as miller

Spindle will be too fast for horizontal mill blades. If you can somehow mount a chuck on it you could get away with small endmills but you would have some awkwardness because of the rack and pinion preventing fine adjustment in one axis. Not sure you would mount the chuck either.

If you want a mill I would swap you a denbigh for it
16 September 2018 at 09:05 #371951
Martin Cargill
Participant
@martincargill50290
The "Test Number" probably was an incremental series. We work with a lot of old Wadkin machines (I work for a company that sells, repairs and refurbishes woodworking machines) but we have never tried to decode the number sequence as it seems to be a factory log of final test results, without (and even with) the factory paperwork it is of no use to us.

The cutter grinder that you refer to is a completely different beast. It is for cutting profiles onto the blades of moulding machines (the type of machine that produces something like old style skirting boards or decking etc.) It copies a pre prepared pattern and grinds the blades to match it. The blades are held in the cutter block from the woodworking machine while they are being ground.
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