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Hi BobI have one that I purchased from Shars last fall, it is like the one that Robin Renzetti has. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELTL9qTJg-oI don't plan to make all the modifications to mine that he did to his, but I have made a few.Stefan Gotteswinter also has some videos featuring his d-bit grinder, you probably know this but if not, they are worth watching.To see what these two guys do with these machines is quite an education.Over all I'm pretty happy with my machine but like lots of Chinese machines there are areas that leave a little, or a lot to be desired. I haven't had much time to work on mine except to make a better Loc-Line light mount, Vacuum nozzle mount and the Renzitti tool to remove the wheels; I can post some photos if you are interested.It is quiet and smooth and for the most part all the adjustments all work pretty well. The dove tails on the tool head don't fit very good and could be improved on. One of the first things that I need to fix when I have some spare time is to make a new draw bar for the 5C collets, the threads on the one that came with it re pretty awful. The tool head doesn't swing a full 90 degrees so I need to set it up and lengthen the track so I can get the tool head in alignment with the spindle axis.I hate to sound like a broken record but this machine is a good starting point and with a little tuning can be made into a good usable tool. The accessories that come with it probably won't get much use from me, I have a nice drill grinder, and I won't waste my time attempting to sharpen end mills. The lathe tool holder has some possibilities but would also need some mods to be very useful.I looked at the machine form Grizzly but at twice the price and all the accessories were extra, I decided that the made in Taiwan wasn't worth the extra cost. Also I really wanted the 5C machine for the increased versatility from the range of available 5C collets. The Grizzly machine was if I remember only available with the Deckel style collets. Keep in mind that the 5C machine uses the internal thread for the draw bar.If you would like to chat more about this send me a PM or we can do it here; and if you would like to see the mods that I have done so far to my machine let me know and I will take some photos.Dave
I have an Alexander but only a couple collets and no source for more. I have thought about fitting some kind of ER holder. Gerrit, could you explain a bit more about how you did that please.
Gerrit: Those AliExpress wheels are very reasonable. With those prices it's worth making a few arbors and not worrying about wearing them out. I'll wait on additional wheels, but order a few arbors, until I get the machine and try it out. Thanks.
Do you use the diamond wheels for HSS?