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Author Topic: Quorn Tool & Cutter Grinder  (Read 490 times)

Hero

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Quorn Tool & Cutter Grinder
« on: June 23, 2020, 07:38:38 am »
Now here's something that I don't see every day:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/quorn/

I belong to a model engineering society that owns this grinder, whose provenance is unknown to the current membership. It has been sitting unused for some time, so I signed it out just to see what it will do.

It's an amazingly complex machine, with more knobs and dials than a WW2 submarine, and it's supposed to be able to sharpen just about any tool bit or milling cutter a model engineer could ever want.

I'm beginning to figure it out. I sharpened a 1/4" square tool bit today, and it certainly looks better than anything I could do freehand on a grinding wheel. Next task is to try a horizontal milling cutter....

Does anyone else have one of these?

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Bob

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Re: Quorn Tool & Cutter Grinder
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2020, 10:16:18 am »
I once worked at a place that had a whole room full of such tool & die grinders. It was a custom injection molding house that had their own mold making shop staffed with journeyman and master mold makers, thus needed full custom tool making capabilities. They also had a well equipped EDM shop and full tool tempering kilns.

Alas, though I occasionally did make some personal use of a lot their equipment, I only did very minimal tool sharpening on the grinders and diamond cone wheels, so never really learned much about their advanced capabilities. I was always afraid that I'd screw something up for the mold makers who did truly depend on such equipment.
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Hero

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Re: Quorn Tool & Cutter Grinder
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2020, 03:16:56 pm »
Well, at least if I screw up here no one will know but me.
Bob

Tony Bird

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Re: Quorn Tool & Cutter Grinder
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2020, 07:18:54 am »
Hi Bob,

It might still be possible to buy the castings for this cutter grinder they used to be available from Model Engineering Services who I bought castings to make a milling machine many years ago, I was going to build a Quorn but our model engineering club bought a Clarkson tool grinder so I never did; a lot of work for occasional use.  There was a book written on its use by its designer which is still available.  You might find it useful.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0852428324?tag=sa-symuk-21&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

Take care and stay safe.

Tony.

Hero

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Re: Quorn Tool & Cutter Grinder
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2020, 08:13:32 am »
Thanks, Tony.

Chadwick's book came to me with the grinder, so I have the benefit of it for free.🌞

As for making my own grinder, I'm nowhere near as good a machinist as is necessary, so I'm glad the club has this one.

I've been following your work on the new layout and am suitably impressed. Keep up the good work!

Bob