unhappy grinder experience

Carol Reed

In Memoriam
Messages
5,533
Location
Coolidge, AZ
A few weeks ago I bought an 8" Woodcraft slow speed grinder. I had read many good reviews.

Mine was a clunker. It had a dual side to side wobble of nearly a 1/4". By that I mean that both wheels wobbled in a duet.

I returned it. Likewise that was an unhappy experience as well. To say that the store (I bought it from a brick and mortar) was ungracious about the return would be a gross understatement. But that is another rant.

I was told that the manufacturer was out of business. They would not be getting anymore grinders in and I was basically on my own.

NOT!

I have my friends here. I am not alone.

So, I need a slow speed 8" grinders.

Let's hear the suggestions and deals.
 
Hi Carol

You sure have friends here, Sorry to hear of this experience you should be naming names so we let them live in shame at how they treated a customer.

Ok I cannot remember what you bought but mine is a variable speed Delta.
Been good to me so far but i changed the standard wheel for a 80 grit from Lee Valley so all in all it cost a pretty penny by what i see today.

I also got the balancing kit for it and it made a huge difference.

Best of luck in the search, i got mine at a woodworking show so i am no help in finding a reputable source for this.
 
Carol, can you tell if the wobble is in the wheels or is it the motor shaft itself? Is there any slop between the holes in the wheels and the shaft? Also, have you tried talking to the Woodcraft corporate offices? (I don't know if they are any recourse on a local sale, but I figured I'd ask.)

I know, lotta questions and no answers. :dunno: Maybe there's a way to get the one you have working right.
 
Carol,

I have the Woodcraft slowspeed grinder.

Mine had a wobble in one of the wheels.

It turned out that the nut that holds that wheel on.....the drilled and tapped hole through it wasn't perpendicular to the flat surface on the outside of the nut. Thus, the face of the nut was not seating flat against the washer that stabilizes/captures the grinding wheel.

A quick trip to a local Ace Hardware store produced a new nut and my grinder has been in service for about 4 years now.

Good luck!
 
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Carol, mine wobbled badly too, but I got the Oneway balancing system and new wheels, and it is smooth as silk.

One day I'll spring for a good Baldor grinder and just be done with it :rolleyes: :D
 
Carol,
If I read your post correctly, they store did take the grinder back.

I don't use a slow spead grinder, but I'm think I got an email from one of our suppliers that they had theirs on sale this month... problem is, since I'm not in the market, I just deleted the message and now don't remember who.
 
Unhappy grinder experiance

Carrol,I don't know where they got that grinder,but it is made by Steel city and they are not out of business.I would call Woodcrafts custumer service and let them know about that poor service and I believe that they are BS'n you because they don't want to deal with it.Then call steel city and they should help you out.I had the same problem with mine and they called the woodcraft store where I got it and woodcraft gave me a new one.The folks at Steel City were really nice to deal with.I hope this helps out.Customer Service 1-800-225-1153 Product Support 1-800-535-4486

Steel City Tool Works (USA)

P.O. Box 10529

Murfreesboro, TN 37129

Toll Free: 877-724-8665
 
Carol,
Mine was good right out of the box.

Woodcraft has free shipping right now - Use Code: 11525 - so call them, let Customer Service know all about your experience with your local store, then order one from them. You could even ask them to check out the new one before they ship it to you.
 
Mine was just fine out of the box.
Ken's advice seems to be right on track.
Methinks the franchise stores are up against some hard times right now and don't always put customer service ahead of short term losses.
 
Carol... if you still have that grinder (if they didn't accept the return), that's FIXABLE, with relative ease. Those wheels can be hand-trued to run very straight... it's a common misalignment, and it's USUALLY due to no more than slop between the bushing & the shaft. Only a tiny bit of misalignment at the bushing translates to a very large misalignment at the rim.

If you don't still have it, then when you get the next grinder you should expect some degree of the same misalignment. The monkeys who put these things together at the factory don't spend much time lining up the wheels - they put holey things over axley things & tighten stuff down with air tools. Wham, bang, out the door.

Typically, when we buy these things, we change out the wheels to wheels of our choice, then when we put the new wheels on we carefully align 'em to run true before we dress 'em the first time. It's just part of the way it IS, much like swapping out the factory (usually junk) blade on a table saw, then cleaning the arbor washer & making the table-saw blade run true.

Without that alignment, the grinder will run badly off-balance. It's an important step in setup, and the difference it makes is tremendous; a grinder that hops like a rabbit can nearly always be trued to whir like a top.

Once in a LONG while, one of the shafts is bent, though... THAT is a hard fix, and usually not worth taking on.
 
Carol,
Not much can be added to what has already been said but I will comment on the woodcraft store. It is just not the same since it cahnged ownership. The new guy running it is a real jerk. I buy as little as I can from there. The only problem is the Rockler store is clear across the valley from me.
 
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