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Recent Bios FAQ

271421 Joshua Clark <jclark@h...> 2020‑07‑06 Re: Hand-Cranked Grinders [WAS: tapered plane irons ]
It was indeed Tom Thonton. That's a name I haven't heard in a while. I
recall a couple of times bringing him several grinders at the PATINA
meeting in NJ to donate to his collection. Back then it was hard to give
them away.

A few years ago demand surged for hand-crank grinders. The better models-
the Railroad Grinders and Pike Peerless models still sell well, but not for
as much as they used to.

I owned a nice Millers Falls treadle grinder with the water trough. It was
fun to use, but not very practical for the amount of grinding I do in the
shop. It also took up a lot of my limited floor space so I sold it a few
years ago. I'll regret that some day I'm sure.

Earlier this year I added a grinder with CBN wheels to my shop. That has
literally revolutionized my grinding work. I'll never go back to a standard
grinding wheel, except for soft metals which the CBN wheels won't handle
according to the manufacturer.

 Josh

Recent Bios FAQ