Gramercy Custom Tuned 8″ Baldor Bench Grinders

I consider a good grinder to be one of the most important tools in the shop. In 2008 I was asked to write an article about hollow grinding for Fine Woodworking and so I took the plunge, and treated myself to the best grinder I knew: A Baldor, and man-o-man, what a difference!

Straight out of the factory in Clarksville, Arkansas Baldor grinders are top of the line. The motor runs nearly dead silent, and the models we carry come standard with rigid, heavy, cast iron tool rests, wheel guards and exhaust ports.

Stock Baldor grinders are designed for use in a machine shop. Over the years the Gramercy Shop has developed a few tricks to bring the Baldor grinders we sell that much closer to perfection for use in a wood-shop environment. We checked with Baldor to make sure that our “Gramercy Custom Tuned” Grinders still carry the standard warranties, and that our modifications met safety regulation. Baldor said YES THEY DO! so we immediately got to work putting together THE package of tune-ups to make our grinders the best Baldor Grinder money can buy. We even throw in a printed copy of “How to Grind” from the June 2008 issue of Fine Woodworking.

Note: Baldor has discontinued their 6″ grinder with cast iron rests and we are unable to supply 6″ grinders anymore.

Every Gramercy Tuned Baldor Grinder ships with the following exclusive upgrades:

Lever Knobs:
The stock grinder uses regular bolts to fasten the rests to the grinder body. Rather than have anyone hunt around for a wrench in a wood shop we have switched the bolts to metal handles so that you can adjust the cast iron work rests without tools. On the 8″ grinders we also include a wrench for adjusting the rest-arm bolts where there isn’t enough clearance for a turn a lever knob.

Cooler Norton 3x Wheels or Even Cooler Crowned CBN Wheels:
The stock grinding wheels that come with the grinder are good for rough and non-ferrous grinding. We replace one of the grinding wheels with a CBN wheel for edge tools and grinding of ferrous materials. The CBN wheels run cooler, so you can grind without burning.

Diamond Dresser:
We’ve always felt that a multi-point diamond dresser is critical for properly setting up your grinder. We include our popular, no frills, import dresser with every grinder.

Machined Arbor Flanges:
Extra precision makes for precise grinding, even with narrow wheels. To achieve this we machine both working surfaces of all four die-cast arbor flanges. We clean up the outer edge of the flanges, and properly chamfer the arbor hole.

Better Packaging:
We’ve upped our packaging game to include expanding foam inserts around the ends of the grinder. The foam expands inside to box to create a custom fit cradle around the casting, preventing movement that can lead to damage and disappointment.

The Baldor grinders are tools that you will want to purchase only once per lifetime. The Gramercy Tuning process takes the world’s best industrial bench grinders, and makes them in the world’s best bench grinder for Woodworkers.

The Gramercy Tuning process is only available from Tools for Working Wood. We perform the lathe and mill work on the flanges in the Gramercy Tools workshop in Brooklyn, NY. Baldor Grinders are made in Clarksville, Arkansas USA.

We have two versions of the 8-inch grinder, A turner’s or general version version with harder “K” grade wheels. “K” grade wheel run slightly hotter than “I” grade wheels but are also less prone to eroding when sharpening turning gouges. And a CBN version.

&nbsp	Model Comparison Chart
	8″ Low Speed CBN Grinder	Turner’s 8″ Low Speed Grinder
Base Baldor Model Number	8100W
RPM (No Load)	1800
SFM (No Load)	3766
Arbor diameter	3/4″
Horse Power	3/4 HP
Power requirements	115/230v 60 Hertz 4.6/2.3Amps
Application:	Shaping, Shallow Hollow Grinding, Faster Material Removal, Perfect for Chisels, Large Irons, froes, and turning tools.	Shaping, Shallow Hollow Grinding, Wheel choice favors HSS, and sharpening turning tools.
Grinding Wheel 1	80 grit crowned CBN wheel	46 grit K grade 3X cool Wheel
Grinding Wheel 2	Stock 46 grit Norton cool wheel	80 grit K Grade Norton 3X wheel
Import Diamond Dresser	INCLUDED
Flanges	Precision Machined Aluminum
Die Cast Lever Knobs	On the iron rest only. Wrench included for rear support bolts
OSHA and Safety Info.	Furnished with GA10 eyeshields Designed to comply with OSHA standards under normal conditions
Weight	103 lbs.

note: Grinders are shipped with rests, spark arrestors, and shields packed separately in the same box.

Cool-running precision of a CBN wheel on a custom-tuned Baldor? You can hear it singing already. We’re now offering all the best grinding options in one place: an 8″ Gramercy Custom Tuned Baldor Grinder with one 80-grit CBN wheel and one Norton 46-grit Stock wheel..

This is the setup you want if you’re covering just about all your workshop needs in one place. Use the stock wheel for non-ferrous materials, mild steel, and general workshop grinding, and switch to the CBN wheel when you’re giving your fine edge tools the treatment they deserve.

If you haven’t heard the good word about CBN wheels, check out the CBN link below to find out why you won’t want your tools touching anything else. Then imagine it humming on the best-tuned grinder in town.