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Posted by on May 7, 2008, 4:13 am
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> On Tue, 6 May 2008 11:29:44 -0700 (PDT), jontom_...@hotmail.com wrote:
> >> On Tue, 06 May 2008 18:21:49 +0100, Mark Rand
>
> >> >Ebay:-
> >> >Get them while they're hot
>
> >> >http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3D160237880071
>
> >> >Mark Rand
> >> >RTFM
>
> >> Fifty?? 'kin 'ell , thats a lot of dust flying around!
> >> Could do with a dust extractor for mine.
>
> >> Pe
>
> >Peter/Mark
>
> >I'm still "thinking" about a smallish surface grinder would one of
> >these be a good general machine? I had thought about a little manual
> >Eagle or something similar. These 540s seem to be a bit variable in
> >price how much should I think of paying for an average one.
>
> >Regards
>
> >Keith
>
> Keith,
> The 540s are an excellent machine, pretty much the archetypal british
> surface grinder. Once upon a time if you had a Bridgeport, a
> Colchester, and a J&S 540 you had a toolroom.
>
> Price varies with age condition and accessories as always. An
> optidress is nice to have but only if you need to dress wheels for
> form grinding. =A0Much more useful is a 'pick feed' where you will get
> an automatic downfeed and shut off of the wheelhead in minute
> increments, and the 540 will grind to a tenth of a thou quite easily.
>
> Machines with a sealed for life ball bearing spindle (factory option
> extra =A3=A3) are preferable to the standard plain bearing machine,
> although these are still very good. You can usually tell the ball
> bearing wheelhead machines by the flat surface on the spindle housing
> and lack of a sightglass for the oil level. Machines with a power rise
> & fall for the wheelhead also come a bit dearer.
>
> As for price? Well some very early models (I think these were first
> built during the War) still make a couple of hundred quid, whereas a
> dealer will sell a late 70's/early 80's model for =A33-4K.
> Mine is a 1980 model with power rise & fall, =A0and ball bearing head,
> and I paid a little under a grand for it, but from people I knew and
> had previously put an awful lot of business with.
>
> I believe that both Mark Rand (who has a J&S 1400) and Mark Jones (who
> has the full works on his 540) both got very good deals on their
> machines, much cheaper than mine I think, so it may be a matter of
> being in the right place at the right time.
>
> *Added bit* I just had a quick look at some online dealer pages, and
> it seems the price of 540s has gone through the roof since I looked
> last year! Just take a look here:http://www.andmar.co.uk/grinding_machines=
.html
> On that basis alone, I think the =A3450 starting price on e-bay is a
> bargain.
>
> Peter- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Peter
Thanks for taking the time to provide such an informative reply. I
guess I now understand why I have been "thinking" about a grinder
rather than buying a small manual one. It certainly sounds as if a 540
would be a more useful machine if I can find room for one and of
course locate a decent (affordable??) machine. I have been thinking
about reducing the number of lathes I currently store (no time!!) so
may be able to find the room. You have raised concerns though as I
don't feel qualified to run a "toolroom" as I've only just made the
move from "shed" to "workshop" in my own mind. :-))
Thanks again, fine food for thought.
Regards
Keith
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> And I had money on Mark posting to point out that with a Colchester,
> Bridgeport and a J&S you had a workshop, not a toolroom.
>
> He must be getting soft in his old age <bg>
>
> Charles