YL82
Perpetual Restorationist
I've read several threads on bench polishers/bench grinders and preferences for Harbor Freights 3/4 HP units, etc.
I don't have a bench grinder or any type of polishing system aside from a Dremel tool. I like the idea of having a grinder for sharpening lawn mower blades and one that I can polish with.
Lowe's carries PORTER CABLE 6" (2.5 AMP) and 8" (5 AMP) (dually) Bench Grinders with a Max. of 3450 RPM.
Can't seem to find HP ratings for these and Lowes can't tell me either, so I set out to calculate HP for the Porter Cable 8" 5 AMP unit to compare it to HF's 8" 9.6 AMP Bench Grinder which has a Max of 3583 RPM.
Assuming an Efficiency of 48.6% (I back calculated to get this), and 120V and using the following formula:
HP= (Volts X Amps X Eff.) / 746 = (120 X 5.0 X 0.486)/746 = a wimpy 0.4 HP or 2/5 HP.
LOWES PORTER CABLE 8" Bench Grinder: $119 + TN Sales Tax (9.5%)=$130.31.
HARBOR FREIGHT 8" Bench Grinder: $54.99+$6.99 S&H+ $5.73 Tax = $67.71.
On paper (or Ipad) looks like I can get a higher spec grinder from HF for about half the price in a color that's TN Volunteer Orange.
Is the HF 8" Bench Grinder easily convertible to use polishing wheels by taking off all of the annoying Safety guards?
I don't have a bench grinder or any type of polishing system aside from a Dremel tool. I like the idea of having a grinder for sharpening lawn mower blades and one that I can polish with.
Lowe's carries PORTER CABLE 6" (2.5 AMP) and 8" (5 AMP) (dually) Bench Grinders with a Max. of 3450 RPM.
Can't seem to find HP ratings for these and Lowes can't tell me either, so I set out to calculate HP for the Porter Cable 8" 5 AMP unit to compare it to HF's 8" 9.6 AMP Bench Grinder which has a Max of 3583 RPM.
Assuming an Efficiency of 48.6% (I back calculated to get this), and 120V and using the following formula:
HP= (Volts X Amps X Eff.) / 746 = (120 X 5.0 X 0.486)/746 = a wimpy 0.4 HP or 2/5 HP.
LOWES PORTER CABLE 8" Bench Grinder: $119 + TN Sales Tax (9.5%)=$130.31.
HARBOR FREIGHT 8" Bench Grinder: $54.99+$6.99 S&H+ $5.73 Tax = $67.71.
On paper (or Ipad) looks like I can get a higher spec grinder from HF for about half the price in a color that's TN Volunteer Orange.
Is the HF 8" Bench Grinder easily convertible to use polishing wheels by taking off all of the annoying Safety guards?