But at that speed it can be a bit too fast for sharpening tools, ideally, a speed of about 1700 RPM is better. Finally, one feature on the Titan that we don’t particularly like is the use of a 16 mm spindle bore. Most consumer bench grinders come with a 12.7 mm spindle and the majority of grinding wheels on sale to the consumer tend to cater to this smaller spindle, either by having 12.7mm bore holes or by coming which bushes that adapt them to this smaller shaft size. This makes finding replacement grinding discs and other wheel types for the Titan bench grinder slightly more difficult and seems like an unnecessary complication. You can generally avoid this by using a rough grit wheel and slow rotation speeds, although this isn’t always practical. An integrated light isn’t essential, but it does come in handy for working in low-light conditions. Even if your workshop is brightly lit, having a light on your bench grinder will let you see the workpiece more easily. You do have to choose the right wheels for this grinder, as it can wobble a bit with cheaper wheels. But get some good quality wheels on it, and the performance is stable and reliable.

Makita - Product Details - GB602 150mm Bench Grinder Makita - Product Details - GB602 150mm Bench Grinder

The motor is of the split capacitor type, resulting in higher efficiency with reduced noise and vibration The BG150CX bench grinder from Sealey is the first member of a range of bench grinders from the company. The BG150CX represents their most basic model, which means it has the minimum of features but also the lowest of prices. Like many other budget machines, it belongs to a family of ‘generic’ machines that are often sourced from the same manufacturer, coloured and then badged with the insignia of the retail distributor, in this case, Sealey. Buffing is pretty easy once you know how, although you will first have to become familiar with how different surfaces react to the buffing wheel. Like most other bench grinders, other types of discs, such as wire wheels and polishing mops, can be swapped into the place of the bog-standard grinding stones. However, similar to other low-powered machines, this is not recommended as the limited torque means that the machine easily grinds to a halt if too much pressure is applied. Remember if a bench grinder is a brush-type motor you could use a rheostat or a dimmer circuit to control the speed on a pro-brand tool. Should you get a 6 or 8-inch table grinder?Dress the bench grinder periodically - Grindstone surfaces slowly wear down and often become clogged with metal filings during use. To rejuvenate the grinding surface, use a diamond-studded dressing tool to eliminate the metal filings and to expose fresh grit on the grindstone wheel surface. One way to be sure that you have dressed the wheel sufficiently is to draw a pencil line on the wheel and continue the dressing process until the pencil line disappears. Note, however, that the dust created from grindstone dressing is hazardous to your health so make sure to wear a dust mask!

Makita Bench Grinder 150mm 250W - Grinders - Power Tools Makita Bench Grinder 150mm 250W - Grinders - Power Tools

Pressing too hard could remove too much material and increase the possibility of overheating. Single-speed bench grinder comparison The Dewalt or a Jet bench grinder are popular choices, depending on if you want the best or the best value. One notably nice feature about the Makita bench grinder is that the housing over each wheel contains an integrated light that lights up the grinding area. However, it should be noted that these lights only come on when the machine is in operation whereas ideally we would have liked to see them have a separate control switch so that they could remain permanently on if desired.Essentially, once you have decided on the grinding wheel diameter to go for, usually either 6" (150mm) or 8" (200mm), it simply then becomes a matter of buying the highest-powered machine that you can afford, while keeping an eye out for the features that each offers. Those features include the ability to change out the wheels for different types of grinding wheels, wire wheels, or polishing mops, endowing the humble bench grinder with a whole range of capabilities.

Makita Bench Grinders | Total Tools Makita Bench Grinders | Total Tools

Bench grinders are power tools equipped with abrasive grinding wheels. Their primary function is to grind down various types of materials, typically wood or metal. Apart from the magnifying lens in the guard, this is a great grinder. My personal feeling is the magnifier is not useful and is distracting so it will be replaced with a standard one. The grinder is very quiet and well balanced. The built in lights are a great feature, more so if you have a dark shed.

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Work light. An onboard light will help you see what you are doing and spare you the hassle of setting up a lamp near your work area. As for build quality on the Titan machine, this can be variable from component to component. For example, the tool-rests on the Titan bench grinder are not of the best quality and can be deformed if enough pressure is applied. In addition, although they are adjustable in the horizontal ‘closer / further away’ dimension, they cannot be angled upwards making the consistent sharpening of tools, such as chisels and plane irons, more challenging. In other places, the build quality appears better, for example, when switching off the machine, the wheels take quite some time to come to a rest suggesting the use of decent spindle bearings. Without a variable speed control, you will have to constantly turn the motor on and off to slow the wheel down. In addition to placing undue stress on the starter mechanism, this can get very annoying after a while. The Makita GB602 bench grinder is the Makita Corporation’s contribution to the 6-inch bench grinder tool category and as expected from the Japanese company, the GB602 is a precision tool with grinding wheels that show little vibration and a motor that makes relatively little noise. The motor power in the Makita bench grinder is 250W, powering the grinding wheels to 2850 rpm, and making the GB602 effective at medium level grinding of larger tool blades and power tool bits. It is, however, not the most powerful 6-inch bench grinder on the market, and unsurprisingly, pressing too hard on the grinding wheels can slow or even stop their rotation. Fortunately, the slowing or stopping of the wheel rotation only occurs when excessive pressure is applied and is not really relevant to normal grinding practice.