Seated or Standing? How to Grind

AVigil

AVigil

Adam Vigil working the grind
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Feb 17, 2009
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I have been thinking of trying out grinding from a seated position.

How do those who grind from a seated position like it and do you have any suggestions on how to set up a grinder for it?

Standing and grinding for hours is getting a bit tiresome and so I would give it a try.

What say you?
 
I know im no "expert", but iv been griding for about a year. Since I started, iv actually always been sitting. And on the ground to be honest. No table or nothing, just plop the grinder onto the ground which gives me a "birds" eye view and allows me to see where the belt contacts with the blade. It is quite comfortable too.
 
The trick is not so much sitting or standing, but getting "locked in" so that you are not making divots with the edge of the platen or wheel. That is the primary cause of the dreaded "2 Inch Disease" IMO.
 
I got a barstool for Christmas a couple years ago and use it all the time for handwork. Machine work, not so much... I've tried grinding (and drilling, for that matter) seated and only like it if I'm doing a lot of repetitive stuff like profiling or knocking holes in a bunch of blades. Otherwise I prefer the mobility of being on my feet... I tend to sway and look at the platen/wheel from different angles when I'm doing bevels or tapers.
 
I think your work station should be set up for both, Adam. Heavy grinding requires force. If you are standing, you can lean into it, using your whole body as opposed to the limited muscle groups available while seated. During finish grinding, there is no need to push and you can avoid expending the energy needed just to keep you standing. If you do choose to sit, make sure your positioning doesn't have you over extending your arms or back... you would be defeating the purpose and putting yourself in danger of injury.

I had the great idea of forging from a seated position(like the great Japanese smiths).... that lasted about 3-4 sessions... lol. I guess I needed to be raised in that culture to be comfortable in it.



Rick
 
This discussion came up about a year ago so I tried to grind while sitting but it just didn't work out for me. I couldn't get the positions that I'm used to, so now I do all my hand sanding while sitting but everything else while standing.
 
I grind from both positions. Most of my detail work is done seated. I'm a taller guy so I have my grinder set up on a taller bench and I use a tall bar stool for the seated position.
 
seated on a bar stool one foot wedged in the grinder table the other foot on a short stool
 
J. Oeser said:
I'm a taller guy so I have my grinder set up on a taller bench and I use a tall bar stool for the seated position.
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That's a great point! As Ron White said, "I'm somewhere between 6'2" and 6'8" depending on which convenience store I'm leaving," and every normal job I ever had left me in pain by the end of a shift, because most surfaces are built for "normal" people. Conversely, a person 5'8" would be really uncomfortable working on my benches.

If you have to lean over, bend your spine, reach forward or hunch your shoulders to work on pretty much anything, it's going to injure you eventually.
 
Keep in mind, grinding while sitting is more likely to give you a lapful of hot sparks. :eek:
 
When learning to grind and a few absent minded times since, I have caught the tip of the blade on the belt and it threw the blade down with force. If I was seated I fear I would have been castrated. I have tried sitting on a stool a few times and like it but cant seem to get comfortable with the idea of the blade possibly flying into my crotch.
 
I tried sitting down to grind. Once. Two things bothered me. One was I was totally uncomfortable being that close to the grinder with my face. Second was I felt I didn't have as much control over the operation as I did standing. I suppose I could start messing around with grinder height and stool height, maybe add a back to the chair, but honestly I do not want to start messing around. My grinds are getting better - I even had a 'holy s&*t' moment Monday- so I do not want to mess with perfection at this point :p
 
Ray Ennis told me a story about a knifemaker who was sitting while polishing a blade. The cloth wheel caught the knife and threw it into his lap and severed an artery. If he didn't have some medical background or knowledge he probably would have bleed to death. I can't remember the guys name but i think he was fairly well known. I realize polishing is different but i think it could still happen while grinding.
 
sykes3170 said:
Ray Ennis told me a story about a knifemaker who was sitting while polishing a blade. The cloth wheel caught the knife and threw it into his lap and severed an artery. If he didn't have some medical background or knowledge he probably would have bleed to death. I can't remember the guys name but i think he was fairly well known. I realize polishing is different but i think it could still happen while grinding.
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It really depends on how you sit at the grinder. If you snuggle up to the thing and put your pelvis under the platen or wheel, you are asking for trouble. Check out the link that AVigil posted of Gil Hibben. He sits high and rests his arm on his knee. He is well away from the wheel, relaxed and well supported. I think if I were to try sitting again, this would be the position.

Here is a pic of a Mike Carter using the same technique Gil uses.
Grinding.jpg
 
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I grind sitting when possible. It takes a load off my bum leg, and saves my old back. A bar stool that I cut to size is what I sit on.
Hogging is usually done standing.
 
I use a Tommy Lee Motley Crue style revolving setup, 6 point harness for when I am upside down. It's just more fun that way.

When I'm not doing that I grind standing, elbows locked square, platen in the middle of where my hands end up.

I watched that Gil Hibben video a while back and learned a lot, I like his laid back approach. His sit down method looks like a good one to learn.

I was standing at the KMG all day yesterday, sitting down would be nice!
 
I stand if the platen is vertical; sit if the platen is at 45 degrees. Different pressure is being used with the two positions.

My sitting chair is a swivel unit with a foot rest ring all the way round the base. Very comfortable.
 
Fred.Rowe said:
I stand if the platen is vertical; sit if the platen is at 45 degrees. Different pressure is being used with the two positions.

My sitting chair is a swivel unit with a foot rest ring all the way round the base. Very comfortable.
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I can't bring myself to stand infront of anything that points at me from a 45 unless I have a barrier. Even my vertical grizzly has a 4ftsq piece of plywood infront, that I lean against my legs while working.
 
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