Anyone with surface grinder knowledge......question about a balancer for a Harig

jonnymac44

jonnymac44

Joined
Sep 27, 2007
Messages
7,680
Hey guys,
A while back I found and purchased a Harig Super 612 surface grinder. Got it in the shop and then it sat for a while since i was busy with knife orders. I slowly ordered the parts I needed to get it powered up on a KBAC 24 VFD and just this past week got it all wired and running. Everything is running nice and smooth but I really can't do any grinding because I don't have a balancer for the wheels.

A belt conversion is in the works but it's wheels for right now and I can't grind until I can balance the wheels. I've searched around but can't find a source for a Harig wheel balancer. One originally came with the machine but it's long gone at this point.

Anybody know of a source for one or a good way to balance my wheels some other way? Lots of grinders seem to have a flange that mounts to the wheels with balancing weights and then the wheel and flange are mounted to the spindle shaft on the grinder, but the Harig machines don't seem to be set up that way. There is no room for a flange.

Any ideas?
 
Jonny, try contacting Ed Rodinson in Brownsville Texas. He has a tremendous background in this sort of stuff. Frank
 
When I got my Boyer Shultz 6X18 I also believed I needed to balance the wheels before use based on my college machine shop class for engineers. I went to the Practical Machinest forum and ask the experts for their advice. Basically, they all agreed that although wheel balancing was generally beneficial, it was really only needed for the bigger wheels used on large machines. Mine uses 7 to 8 inch diameter, 1/2 inch wide wheels and I get quite good results without balancing. Probably more critical is doing a proper job of dressing a newly mounted wheel to get the roundness true. I do have a Harig balancer I got on Ebay and have used it. From my perspective, the results I get on my machine simply do not justify spending the time to do it. You can get a balancer from MSC but they are expensive and require a special arbor for every wheel you wish to balance. I am definitely not saying don't do it, I just don't feel the very minor benefit on these smaller machines is worth the time and expense.
Randy
 
First of all, thanks for the input guys.

I got in touch with the company that services and maintains Harig these days after a bit of searching. They have balancers in stock.......for about $1100!! :eek: I could look for a used one but don't really want to spend the time waiting for one to come around. Looks like I'll be going forward with a 2 x 72 belt conversion on this machine sooner than I expected. Going to order a contact wheel ASAP.

Randy,
I not only wanted to balance the wheels for performance but also for safety reasons. continued use of an unbalanced wheel can increase the chances of having it explode on you, and is not something I want to chance. I'm by no means an expert and don't want to imply you're doing anything wrong, but the machinists I've talked to say it is a good way to have a wheel fail so I'm nervous about running my machine without balanced wheels. All in all, wheels seem like they can be a pain in the butt, so I'm just going to do the belt conversion. Too many top notch knife makers stand behind surface grinding with belts for me to not give it a try at this point.
 
I think the conversion to belts deserves a WIP.

Just a hint...........................

Syn
 
Jonny Im sorry but the guys you are getting you info from are being a little critical. I know many many guy running then un balanced with out any issues. Look how many bench grinders out there that are not running in balance and most of those are running very cheap wheels. My 2-cents
 
I have run stones on my SG for over 10yrs without balancing them and have never had a problem. My machine shop teacher never even mentioned it. I am more concerned with getting close to the thickness I need and a decent finish. I always leave around .002 for cleanup after HT. If your using a small wheel, say 7in in diameter and 1/2in thick then dress it properly and often and it should work fine. Your only taking off .001-.002 at a time and should be more concerned with the wheel staying round.
 
Jonny,
I am definitely not experienced enough to debate your friend's input, but the guys I discussed it with said nothing about danger of exploding. I do know that a wheel will show definite unbalance when it starts to crack but I have never heard of unbalance causing a crack or anything else except for potential finish issues. Just my take based on using my machine for a few years.
Randy
 
I've been grinding with my SG and stone wheels for over 15 years and never balanced a wheel?

I also like the stone wheel much better than belts for surface grinding.

Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be. ;)
 
I used your post to start my search for my own Harig 612. I found one on Craig's list and have been working with a guy out of Illinois to set it up properly. He is knowledgable and nice to work with. Ill post his info in case you ever need anything.

JDS Technical Support
Jim Seyller
P# 847 683 0476

www.harigtechsupport.com
jdsserv@aol.com
 
I've been in the Tool & Die trade for 24 years and have worked in 4 different shops and have not yet seen anyone balance a grinding wheel. If you check the wheels by tapping them with an Allen wrench(some people do some dont) when tapped a good wheel rings and doesnt thud. Then give it a good dressing and your in business.

Jay
 
ring test stone, if it does not sound dull mount it,,,stand to the side when you start the grinder up,, if its still ok then dress it and your good to go
I worked in a grinding/machine shop for 15 years and we did not balance any grinding wheels,,,
 
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