Bench Grinder With Beall Buff System - Hot, Burning Oil Smell Help

[Peter - CCB]

Hey all.
So when I got into restoring, I didn’t know a lot about anything machine or repair related.
I went for cheap since it was a new hobby and got an 8” bench grinder from Wen for $150 (variable speed down to 2k) and the Beall wood buff system.

I used it for 2 years for buffing and waxing as well as a sanding disc attachment for shaping pipes.
I probably did 2-300 pipes on it as far as buffing and waxing.
The last 6 months I was really smelling some burned oil and it was hot. I always did it outside and not in the sun.


Finally it conked out and lost all torque. I called Wen and they surprisingly were really cool. A guy from the Midwest answered and sent me a new one within a week, no issues. We even chatted for an hour on pipe stuff.
The new one came and I’m immediately getting the oil smell.
I posted on Reddit and answers are: heat is death, only the really old grinders are worth anything, not made for use like this etc.

Seems this new one is worse than my first one before it started acting funny.
I’m trying to find what to do next. I’ll call Wen of course as this is happening right off the bat. I’m not doing 5 pipes in a row like I was and taking breaks after 5 minutes and have a fan on it. While it is already outside. I only run it at lowest speed ever.


I don’t have room for a lathe which is why I don’t have one. So I’m looking for a solution where I’m not nervous the entire time im using it.
Recommendations, thoughts etc appreciated very much!
I’m guessing find a higher end 8” but would need to see if Wen would refund me under warranty … I cannot find old motors where I live easily.
It’s odd the first worked decent for a year and a half.
I’m usually buffing and waxing a few pipes a week and want to keep busing the disc for shaping as well. I am pretty inexperienced with shop stuff except what I’ve learned over the past 2 years.

oh, also,… does having a buffing wheel on one side and a disc on the other cause more stress as the weight is different? I bought another adapter sleeve to put a wheel on both sides but realized it’s threaded so it will loosen up when pressure applied. Lol. Doh. Didn’t think of that until I was about to put it on.

Anyway, thanks for reading. - Pete

 

[georged]

Hey all.
So when I got into restoring, I didn’t know a lot about anything machine or repair related.
I went for cheap since it was a new hobby and got an 8” bench grinder from Wen for $150 (variable speed down to 2k) and the Beall wood buff system.

Putting a voltage-reduction type of controller (think dining room light dimmer) on a 2 phase AC motor is a bad idea with no exceptions. It will result in motor burn-out every time. How long it takes depends on a number of variables, but the outcome is unavoidable---exactly what you are experiencing.

There is no "fix" without changing your setup.

If you stay with a 110v/2-phase motor, speed control is not an option. Wire it straight and it'll live a long time; put a dimmer in the circuit and you'll cook it.

If you want speed control, you'll have to move to a 220v/3-phase motor and get a small computer box to go with it called a VFD (variable frequency drive).

 

[sasquatch]

Find a used drill press, turn it on it's side. Speed adjustment via pulleys... live forever. Yeah I know, spindle bearings blah blah blah. I've buffed 700 pipes on a 35 dollar drill press.

 

[georged]

Find a used drill press, turn it on it's side. Speed adjustment via pulleys... live forever. Yeah I know, spindle bearings blah blah blah. I've buffed 700 pipes on a 35 dollar drill press.

That there's "brute forcing" the problem so crudely AND effectively that the result can only be described as elegant.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

For jewelry, I buy a new bench lathe (same thing as your grinder except with tapered mandrels) every Three to five years. And, I don’t use a controller. Never had a problem with balance because of different weights on the sides. These small motors run for lengths of time just crap out.
I’ve gotten new motors for lap wheels (same types of motors) that came just about ready to crap out as well, right out of the box. Inland sent me three before I got one that performed close to the one it came with. Maybe your company will be as patient.

Small motors…. they just aren’t what they used to be.

 

[ssjones]

From what the OP wrote, I don't think he added a variable speed controller (that would the death knell), but rather the Wen had that function, right?

On the other hand, I can't imagine what else would kill a motor that quickly.

An electric furnace motor (1325, 1 HP) works great for general buffing, wire in an switch add a long pad arbor from Jestco or Caswell.

 

[georged]

Small motors…. they just aren’t what they used to be.

It's more a case of cheap imports flooded the market and created that impression.

Real Stuff is still made and widely available. The catch is it's spendy compared to the LQAJ (Low Quality Asian Junk). But... it always was. After cpi index adjustment, on average, good tools cost no more today than they ever did.

40 years of casual (i.e. non-professional) consumers shopping almost exclusively by price when it comes to tools---and dismissing the quality factor---though, leaves them shocked when a situation comes along that's best addressed with pro-class gear:

Catalog

 

[sasquatch]

Speaking to that, I just bought a tile cutting blade for porcelain, the brandless one I got from a tile supply shop 4 years ago finally having worn out. And no, even the best "Rigid" from Home Depot doesn't cut it. I wound up at a flooring supply shop, the guy had two brands I've never heard of, and he said of one "These guys run their own foundry, they literally make the steel for these." Yes, that's the one I want. 150 bucks, whatever. And yes, it's like a frickin laser.

Running most ac motors with a voltage drop will make them overheat. They are designed for full voltage and are self-cooling at that voltage and that RPM, and anything else will fry them.

 

[sasquatch]

PS I have a Baldor on my table saw in the shop. It cuts through schools.

 

[georged]

An exact economic parallel to the tool situation is shoes.

Real Deal stuff is still available. Quality leather (leather runs from gummy crap to practically indestructible), solid stitching using quality thread, time-tested re-soleable design and construction, skilled workers, and so forth---meaning the way boots & shoes were ALL made once upon a time---is now considered "premium product" is all, while cheap Asian junk is 98% of the market.

Why? Because as long as boots and shoes LOOK the same to a casual shopper, price wins every time.

Ask any forest fire fighter, ranger, or serious outdoorsman who actually needs something that won't disintegrate in a matter of weeks what they think about molded soles glued to gummy-soft uppers, though, and they'll just laugh. Not only won't they do the job, but the need for constant replacement will end up costing considerably more than getting the Real Deal to start with.

Even Red Wing finally caved to the economics of it. They still make quality stuff in the USA using quality materials, but it's a specialty line which has a separate, stand-alone display in their stores, and must be selected for in their online catalog:

Men's | Heritage | Red Wing

Our Men’s Boots and Shoes are built with traditional construction and timeless design. Premium leather, durable stitching, and resoleable welts create... | Red Wing

www.redwingshoes.com

 

[Smoke dog]

Some times these motors need to be ran at top speed so the built in fan cooling system provides the needed amount of air actually cools the motor. Like how a 2 stroke motor needs to run full tilt to keeps the spark plugs clean