UNIT 1I.

CUTTER AND TOOL GRINDER

A universal cutter and tool grinder is designed primarily for the grinding of cutting tools such as milling
cutters, reamers and taps. Its universal feature and various attachments permit a variety of other grinding
operations to be performed. Other operations that maybe performed are internal, cylindrical, taper and
surface grinding; single-point tool grinding; and cutting-off operations. Most of the latter operations
require additional attachments or accessories.

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Lesson 1: Cutter and tool grinder construction, accessories, and attachments

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, the students are expected to:
1. Identify the different parts of a cutter and tool grinder.
2. State the function of the different parts of a hydraulic surface grinder.
3. Identify the different cutter and tool grinder accessories and attachments.
4. State the purpose of the different cutter and tool grinder accessories and attachments.
 PARTS OF THE UNIVERSAL CUTTER AND TOOL GRINDER

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1. Base – boxlike construction that provides rigidity. Its top is machined to provide the ways for the
saddle.
2. Wheelhead – mounted on the column at the back of the base and maybe swivelled through 360o.
3. Wheelhead handwheel – used to raise or lower the wheelhead and is located on either side of the
base
4. Wheelhead spindle – mounted in antifriction bearings and is tapered and threaded at both ends to
receive grinding wheels collet. Its speed may be varied by stepped pulleys to suit the size of the
wheel being used.
5. Saddle – mounted on the ways of the base and is moved in and out by the crossfeed handwheel
located at the front and back of machine.
6. Table unit – composed of the lower and upper table. It may be locked in place laterally and
longitudinally with locking screws.
a. Lower table – mounted on the upper ways of the saddle, rests and moves on antifriction
bearings.
 b. Upper table – fastened to the lower table and may be swivelled for grinding tapers.
7. Table traverse knob – moves the table unit longitudinally.
8. Slow table traverse crank – traverses the table slowly
9. Stop dogs– control the length of the table traverse
1. Tailstock (right and left) – mounted on the upper table and support the work for certain grinding
operations. They may be placed at any point along the table.

Attachments and accessories

1. Tailstock (right and left) – mounted on the upper table and support the work for certain grinding
operations. They may be placed at any point along the table.
2. Universal workhead (headstock) – mounted on the left side of the table and used for supporting
end mills and face mills for grinding. It may also be equipped with a pulley and motor and used
for cylindrical grinding. A chuck may be mounted in the workhead to hold work for internal and
cylindrical grinding, as well as cutting-off operations.
3. Centering gauge – used to align quickly the tailstock center with the center of the wheelhead
spindle. It is also used to align the cutter tooth on center in some grinding setups.
4. Adjustable tooth rest – supports the cutter tooth and may be fastened to the wheelhead or table,
depending on the type of cutter being ground.

VARIOUS SHAPES OF TOOTH REST BLADES

a. Plain tooth rest blades – used for straight-tooth milling cutters.

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b. Rounded tooth rest blades – used for sharpening shell end mills, small end mills, taps and reamer.

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c. Offset tooth rest blades – a universal type suitable for most applications, such as coarse-pitch helical
milling cutters and large face mills with inserted blades.

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d. Hook or L-shaped tooth rest blades – used for sharpening slitting saws, straight-tooth plain milling
cutters with closely spaced teeth, and end mills.

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e. Inverted V-tooth rest blades – used for grinding the periphery of staggered-tooth cutters.

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6. Cutter grinding mandrels and arbors – used when grinding milling cutters so that they are held in
the same manner as they are held for milling. Shell end mills should be sharpened on the same arbor as
that used for milling. Plain milling and side facing cutters which are held on the standard milling arbor
should be held on a grinding mandrel or a cutter grinding arbor. A grinding mandrel rather than a lathe
mandrel should be used to hold the cutter. This is necessary since a lathe mandrel will hold the cutter at
one end. The straight length of a grinding mandrel is a sliding fit into the cutter, and the slightly tapered
end will hold the cutter securely for grinding. Where considerable cutter grinding is done, a cutter
grinder arbor will be useful.

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Lesson 2: Safety Precautions in operating cutter and tool grinder
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, the students are expected to:
1. List necessary safety precautions required to operate a cutter and tool grinder.

1. Always wear goggles on all cutter-grinder work.

2. Under no circumstances is to be started unless the grinding wheel is adequately guarded. Use a guard
of the proper size and adjust it closely to the wheel, allowing the minimum amount of wheel exposure
with which to work.
3. In mounting wheels on cutter grinders, use standard wheel bushings and safety washers. Use paper
washers on large wheels.
4. When hand-dressing wheels, be careful to allow ample hand clearance between the wheel and the
table or other parts of the machine.
5. Hand-dressing operations should be performed with light pressure, especially when dressing thin
wheels. A slip of the hand or a broken wheel may cause severe lacerations.
6. Any changes of guards, dogs, centers, set-up, tooth rests, or other parts of a machine are not to be made
while the machine is running.
7. When grinding spot-facers, counterbores, and so forth in a draw collet, use a special, automatic safety
guard, or shut the machine down to remove the work.
8. In backing of drills, spiral reamers, and so forth, see that the tooth rest is properly adjusted in relation
to the wheel and work, to prevent slippage and consequent spinning of stock. Ask the instructor about this
adjustments.
9. Care should be taken in handling sharp tools such as reamers, drills, cutters, and counterbores because
severe laceration may result from stock slipping through the hands.

10. Towels are not to be used to hold small tools such as spot-facers, counterbores, and similar tools,
which become warm while grinding. Ask the instructor how to take care of work of this class.
11. Exhaust hoods are supplied as a safe-guard for the health of grinder operators. See that they are
properly adjusted at all times and that they are not abused.
Lesson 3: Wheel specification and application in cutter and tool grinder
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, the students are expected to:
1. Identify the different types of grinding wheels used in cutter and tool grinder.
2. Discuss the applications of grinding wheels used in cutter and tool grinder.
3. Select proper grinding material for each type of work material.

Note:
For general-purpose cutter grinding, select a soft, free-cutting wheel and take very light cuts so that the
temper is not drawn from the cutting edge. Wheels of grain size 30 to 60 and J or K bond are best adapted
for high-speed cutters. The shape of the wheel depends on the shape of the cutter to be sharpened.
Lesson 4. Milling cutter nomenclature.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, the students are expected to:
1. Identify the different parts of a milling cutter.
2. State the functions of the different parts of a milling cutter.

To grind the cutters correctly, the cutter parts and their functions should be understood. A brief
description of the various parts follows:

MILLING CUTTER NOMENCLATURE

 Primary clearance is the clearance ground on the land adjacent to the to the tooth face. It is the angle
formed between the slope of the land and a line tangent to the periphery. Primary clearance is the
clearance ground on the land Primary clearance prevents the land behind the cutting edge from
rubbing on work. The amount of primary clearance on a cutter will vary with the type of material
being cut.
 Secondary clearance is ground behind the primary and gives additional clearance to the cutter behind
the tooth face. When grinding the clearance on a milling cutter, always grind the primary clearance
first. The secondary clearance is then used to control the width of the land.
 Cutting edge is formed by the intersection of the face of the tooth with the land. This angle formed
by the face of the face of the tooth and the primary clearance is called the angle of keenness. On side
milling cutters, the cutting edge maybe on one or both sides as well as on the periphery. When the
 teeth are straight, the cutting edges engages along the full width of the tooth at the same moment.
This creates a gradual buildup of pressure as the tooth cuts into the work and a sudden release of this
pressure as the tooth breaks through, causing a vibration or chatter. This type of cutter produces a
poor finish and does not retain its sharp cutting edge as long as a helical cutter does.
When the teeth are helical, the length of the cutting edge contacting the work varies with the helix
angle. The number of teeth in contact with the work will vary with the size of the surface machined,
the number of teeth in the cutter, the cutter diameter, and the helix angle. Helical cutters produce a
shearing action on the material being cut, which reduces vibration and chatter.
 Helix angle or sometimes called the shear angle, is the angle formed by the angle of the teeth and the
centerline of the cutter. It may be measured with a protractor or by bluing the edge of the cutter teeth
and rolling the cutter against a straightedge over a sheet a sheet of paper. The marks left by the teeth
can easily be measured in relation to the axis of the cutter to determine the helix angle.
 The land is the narrow surface behind the cutting edge on the primary clearance produced when the
secondary clearance is ground on the cutter. The width of the land varies from about 1/64in.(0.4mm)
on small cutters to about 1/16in (1.5mm) on large cutters. On face mills, the land is more correctly
called the face edge.
 Tooth angle is the included angle between the face of the tooth and the land caused by grinding the
primary clearance. This angle should be as large as possible to provide maximum strength at the
cutting edge and better dissipation of heat generated during the process.
Lesson 5. Cutter Clearance Angles
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, the students are expected to:
1. Determine proper cutter clearance angles when grinding milling cutter.

To perform efficiently, a milling cutter must be ground to the correct cutter clearance angle. The
proper clearance angle on a milling cutter may be determined only by the “cut-and try” method. The
clearance angle will be influenced by factors such as finish, the number of pieces per sharpening, the
type of material, and the condition of the machine. Excessive primary clearance produces chatter,
causing the cutter to dull quickly.
A general rule followed by a large machine tool manufacturer for grinding cutter clearance angles
on high-speed steel cutters is 5o primary clearance plus an additional 5o for the secondary clearance.
Thus the primary clearance is5o and the secondary clearance 10o is for cutting machine steel. Carbide
cutters used on machine steel are ground to 4o primary clearance plus an additional 4o, or a total of
8o, for the secondary clearance.
Table 1 below provides a rule of the thumb for grinding cutter clearance angles on high-speed steel
milling cutters. Table 2 gives the angles for cutter carbides. It should be remembered that this is only
a guide .If the cutter does not perform satisfactorily with these angles, adjustments will have to be
made to suit the job.

Table 1 Clearance Angles for High-Speed Steel Cutters

Materials to be machined Primary Clearance Angle Secondary Clearance Angle

High-carbon and alloy steels 3-5o 6-10 o

Machine Steel 3-5 o 6-10 o

Cast Iron 4-7 o 7-12 o

Medium and Hard bronze 4-7 o 7-12 o

Brass and soft bronze 10-12 o 13-17 o

Aluminum, magnesium, and plastics 10-12 o 13-17 o

 Table 2 Primary Clearance Angles for Cemented-Carbide Cutters
Type of Periphery Chamfer Face
Cutter Steel Cast Iron Aluminum Steel Cast Iron Aluminum Steel Cast Iron Aluminum

Face or side 4-5 o 7o 10 o 4-5 o 7o 10 o 3-4 o 5o 10 o

Slotting 5-6 o 7o 10 o 5-6 o 7o 10 o 3o 5o 10 o

Sawing 5-6 o 7o 10 o 5-6 o 7o 10 o 3o 5o 10 o