Just pulled the trigger!!

Bill Vining

Bill Vining

Well-Known Member
Just ordered an OBM Surface Grinder attachment for my KMG. I used to have access to a fully automated surface grinder where I used to live. Well, I still have access to it but it's 2 hours away. I'll tell you that machine spoiled the crap out of me. Set it up, push the button and go have a cup of coffee. I wish I could get a full size surface grinder into my shop but it would take some professional riggers to make that happen. I know the OBM does not compare to an actual surface grinder but I truly believe it will do what I need it to do. I will post some pics and maybe a video when I get it.
 
You gonna LOVE that SGA - Well, you already know how good a surface grinder is and perhaps the SGA won't be as good as the automated SG, but compared to not having a SG, you gonna LOVE that SGA.
 
cool. I just received a couple linear rollers in to try and make one.
 
I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing about it also. I sent them several questions via their contact page a while back and didn't receive a response.
 
The surface grinder arrived the other day. The idiot FedEx driver left it directly in front of the garage door. When the wife went to work, she backed into it and crushed the box a little. Fortunately, the box was well packed. Everything inside was unscathed.

It arrived fully assembled and ready to go. Well almost. First thing to do is dress the chuck. An 80 grit blaze made quick work of that. Cleaned it up with a 220. Now it's ready to go. Started with a test piece of 410 stainless. A few small passes on either side cleaned the piece up nicely. Measured the thickness all around and found nothing but consistent measurements. Now on to some real stuff!! CPM 154 slipjoint blades and springs. I have to say, I'm impressed. This is the best purchase I've made in years.
 
Thanks for the report, Bill. Could you possibly post a picture of it installed on your KMG? And also comment on the angle/ergonomics/biomechanics (it almost seems as though you'd have to stand on a step ladder and/or pull at a rather awkward angle in order to use it). These were some of the concerns I had about it and haven't been able to find any of this info anywhere.
 
The tool has several holes which allow you to change the angle of the attachment. Here it shows the angle right out of the box.
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There are 4 holes so you can change the angle.

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Using the last hole will change the angle so it's almost horizontal. I don't have the clearance (yet) so I cannot use this setting right now.

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This is where I have it set for now. I am planning on making some clearance to drop it a bit more.

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Thanks Bill! I was unaware that it was adjustable.

Can you estimate the amount of capacity of this attachment? I.E., how thick of a piece could be ground or how much space can there be between the belt and magnetic chuck face?

Also, what sort of tolerances does it seem to hold? I've used a friends TW surface grinder, and half a thou to a thou along the length of a blade seems pretty easy to obtain on that machine.
 
Judging by the adjustment screw, I would say 1" to 1 1/4".
I do shorter folder blades that are around 3 or 4 inches and the blades come out within .0005. If the chuck is dressed properly, I see no reason you could not hold those tolerances throughout the length of the chuck.
 
I used the SG yesterday to clean up some titanium liners for a folder I'm working on. I tried different ways to adhere the liner to the chuck and finally settled on carpet tape. It's very thin and very strong. Downside is that you need to avoid heat by taking very small passes. All I needed to do was clean them up and apply a nice finish. Worked great!
 
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