Grinding Room

[Itsnick]

So i’ve about had enough of the constant layer of metal dust on EVERYTHING around my small shop. Ive cleared a small corner to build a simple grinding room (closet in this case) and I have a few questions for those of you with such luxury’s. 
 

What is the smallest area you’d feel comfortable with around your grinder? I’ve cleared about a 5x5’ area in a corner, and that’s about the max I could go. Is hoping to squeeze a 2x72 and myself in there a bad idea? I don’t frequently work on anything long enough to bump walls. Tbh I don’t even forge knives all that often, but I find myself using the grinder for all sorts of odd tasks. It’d be really nice to squeeze a vice in there aswell for the angle grinder but im not sure I’ll have the room. I think just controlling the 2x72 will make a massive difference. 
 

anything I’ll missing/should be aware of? 
 

thanks! 

[George N. M.]

I'd be concerned about 2 things:  (1) Like a paint booth, the atmosphere in a restricted grinding area will get pretty toxic pretty quickly.  You do NOT want to be breathing abrasive dust (can we say silicosis, aka miners' consumption?).  So, you will need a good respirator and change filters often.  Also, the dust will get into your hair and clothing.  You may want to consider a hooded coverall when grinding.  (2) If the grinding area is too small you may increase the probability that you will bump into the moving belt while moving around and catch you clothing or flesh and letting out the red stuff inside.  Not a good situation  I'd want about 3' between the machine and any wall or curtain.

You may want to have some sort of air handling system to pull air and dust out of the grinding area and blow it outside.  That would help mitigate the problems in (1) above.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Daswulf]

I agree and was thinking of a vacuum collection or at least a hood to suck out fumes and dust in a small area.  Think of what all accumulated in the bigger area and condense that into a small area. Respirator And vent hood. If not also a vacuum collector under the grinder. 

Also, make the inside area flame proof or resistant. You don't want trapped in a small enclosed burning building.  Think of safety for yourself in any way you can then google more you wouldn't think of. 

Might be able to mitigate the dust issue with just the things you would Need in an encolsed room without the enclosed room. 

[Itsnick]

Valid concerns for sure. Yes a good working fan and duct work to pull the dust out of the space would be a part of this for sure.

I’m envious of the space some of you have. Unfortunately I have to make do. My shop doubles as storage space and I’d really enjoy not having not blow an inch of dust off the camping gear every time we want to use it. 

I thought about putting the grinder outside, as I have a lean-to structure off the side of my shop where I’ve situated my coal forge. Unfortunately, I’m in a pretty dense neighborhood and my grinder (home-built) is rather obnoxious.  Then again, so is coal smoke and I’ve yet to have complaints. So maybe that’s a better option. 

I see guys like Alec Steele who have grinding rooms. They seem to make it work. He wears a full hood with respirator. Atleast in his videos.
 

How do you guys control the mess? A bucket of water under the grinder seems to catch maybe half of it in my experience. 

[George N. M.]

I suppose that a lot of it depends on how much grinding you do as a percentage of your time in the shop.  I am a blacksmith who makes the occasional knife, not a cutler who focuses on making blades.  This is because I prefer to spend my time hitting hot metal rather than all the bench work, grinding, filing, polishing, making guards and pommels, leather work for sheaths, etc.. And I only have a 1x42 belt grinder.  So, I do not have that large a problem with metal and abrasive dust.  Also, I have a 12x24 shop with a couple attached storage areas (former 12x12 horse stalls.  So,  there is pretty good ventilation and the fall out area is pretty small (a couple of feet around the grinder).

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[M3F]

My shop is well ventilated. Nothing special just crosswind but at the end of the grinding session I take the time to blow the shop out. I also have a big floor fan running to help.  The grinder is near the overhead door so it's an easy clean up.

[Itsnick]

We are one in the same. I’d rather be at the anvil than in front of the grinder any day. I too loath hand sanding and file work. However, I try to keep this hobby as self sustaining and possible and unfortunately clients just love a Damascus chefs knife. Until it rusts in their knife block since they refuse to dry it properly anyway. 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Our 2X72 grinder is on a cart with wheels. If I have a lot of grinding to do, I just wheel it out the overhead garage door, wheel it back in when done.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.
Semper Paratus

 

[Frosty]

How much do you charge careless customers to polish the rust off their knives? I'd make it hurt enough to remind them to wipe and oil them before putting them in the butcher block. Maybe you aren't charging enough in the first place.

A dust comp isn't hard to make if you can find one of the old shop vacs that fit on a steel drum and build an open box around the grinder with the vac hose in the rear. The box will restrict the flow so it passes the belt more and carries the crud of with it. When I say "box" I do NOT mean a cardboard box! If you use cardboard and burn yourself out don't look at me

Another trick an old body and fender guy I knew used grinding and sanding was to wet the floor. Any grinding debris that contacted the floor stayed and the increased humidity tended to help it settle. 

Myself, I open the close door and put the window fan behind the grinder facing the door and it clears most of the grindings. I also discovered by accident welding magnets on the grinder frame cause a LOT of the steel grindings to stick to the frame so I put a magnet directly under the platten / bottom wheel and it catches lots.

Makes me think maybe connecting a ring shaped electro magnet to the grinder switch might collect it all. Being an AC magnet the field goes away when you turn it off. Hmmmm.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

[jason0012]

I have been thinking about this. I would like to find some good input but haven’t heard many suggestions about size. Dust collection and air supply is a given. I have a collection of various grinders but plenty of floor space. My original plan was to use a room in the shop that is 8x14, but with 4-6 grinders I think it might get cramped. I am sure someone here has already gone down this path. 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

1 hour ago, Frosty said:

welding magnets on the grinder

You just reminded me that my brother would put a couple of magnets in a large zip-lock bag turned inside out to catch grinding dust and lathe chips. Then he would turn the bag and pull the magnets off to have a bag full of steel chips.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.
Semper Paratus

 

[Frosty]

I KNEW there was something more! Magnet in a baggie is how we collect iron from the Matanuska River.

Frosty The Lucky.  

[Dabbsterinn]

good lighting is one thing I don't think has been mentioned yet here, I haven't experimented much with different light fixture positions but I think somewhat close to directly above the grinding wheel would work pretty well 

[Frosty]

Lighting is a personal thing but in general I like it aimed straight down i line with the wheel or belt. I've worn my head light and that worked well and light from one side is good in some instances. I have a 4' LED tube light I hang crossways over the platen and I like it quite a bit but it's an in the way PITA if I'm not grinding.

Frosty The Lucky.