Fig. 2058.
[Fig. 2058] represents a polishing device used to polish the surface of engravers’ plates. It consists of a spindle d, carried in bearings b, and, having no collars, it is capable of end motion through those bearings. The spindle is pressed downward by a spring a, carrying at its end a piece c, which is capped to receive the end of the spindle d and the piece e which threads into the spindle, thus making a sort of universal joint. The spindle d is run by the pulley p, and carries a piece of stone s, the work w resting upon the plate or table t. The stone being set to one side of the centre of the spindle, each part of its surface describes a circle, the centre of which is outside of the stone, thus making the effectiveness of the centre of the stone greater by increase of motion. To raise the stone from the work the spindle is raised by means of the chord f, or the table t may have a simple lever motion. The work is moved about and around and beneath the revolving stone. Water, oil, benzine or alcohol is used to keep the stone clear and wash away the cuttings. The device saves a good deal of hand work in the preparatory stages of grinding, although it can be used only with soft stones.
Grindstones and Tool Grinding.—The general characteristics of grindstones are as follow:—
For rapid grinding a coarse and an open grit is the most effective. The harder the grit the more durable the stone, but the liability of the stone to become coated or glazed with particles of the metal ground from the work is increased. With a given degree of coarseness a soft grit stone will grind a smoother surface than a hard grit one.
The finer the grit the smoother the surface it will grind. In all stones, however, it is of prime importance that the texture be even throughout the stone, because the soft or open-grained part will wear more rapidly than the close or hard grained. All grindstones are softer when water-soaked than when dry, and will cut more freely, because the water washes away the particles of metal ground from the work, and prevents them from glazing the stone. It follows from this, however, that a stone should not be allowed to rest overnight with its lower part resting in water, as the wear of the stone will be unequal until such time as it has become equally saturated. Furthermore the balance of the stone is destroyed, and if run at a maximum speed, as in the case of stones used to grind up large edge tools, the unbalanced centrifugal force generated on the water-soaked side may cause the stone to burst. The following stones are suitable for the class of work named:—
The flanges for grindstones should be trued on both faces, and should pass easily over the grindstone shaft, and there should be between these collars and the stone an elastic disk, as of wood or felt, which will bed fully against the surface of the stone. It is preferable also if the under faces of these collars be recessed to within an inch of their perimeters so as to confine the grip to the outer edges of the faces.
The process of grinding large surfaces is entirely distinct from that of small ones, because of the difficulty in the former of getting rid of the cuttings. As an illustration of this point it may be remarked that a stone that has become dulled and glazed from operating upon a broad area of surface, as say a large plate, may be both cleaned of the cuttings and sharpened by grinding upon it a roller of, say, 1 or 11⁄4 inches in diameter. This roller is laid across the “horn” or rut of the stone, and pressed firmly against it, the bar being allowed to slowly rotate. What is commonly termed grinding is the class of grinding that is followed as a trade, such as file grinding, saw grinding, plate grinding, edge tool and cutlery grinding. In all this class of grinding the speeds of the stones is very much greater than for machine-shop tool grinding. For all the above, save cutlery grinding, the stones when new are of a diameter from 5 to 8 feet, and of a width of from 8 to 15 inches. The stones used by cutlers are about 15 inches in diameter, and from 1⁄2 inch to 3 inches thick. The average speed of grindstones in workshops may be given as follows:—
| Circumferential speed of stone. | ||||
| For grinding | machinists’ | tools, about | 900 | feet per minute. |
| „ | carpenters’ | „ | 600 | „ |