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Why Tradesman DC Brief history Questions and Answers
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In the beginning:
We needed a reversing variable speed motor for a new tool grinder.
Jeff , was going to redesign the venerable old CUTTERMASTER The world had changed since 1972 and it needed some help.  In 2010 the Cuttermaster Professional was born using a Bodine Motor and control.

We bought one of every motor we could find and arrived at DC being the only thing that would work because of its smooth quiet yet powerful variable speed characteristics.

The control: We designed our own board, but landed correctly on KB electronics KBw16 and KBws25

The Wheels:  This is a good story we landed a contract to sharpen 100000 plus tools for Boeing Canada.  in 2007 (this started the Tolgrinder design project,I bought 2 Darex M5 drill sharpeners and soon was wearing out super abrasive wheels, so we designed our own in 2008 we now have 50 or so wheels that have been designed to be better than the ancient designs that were available.

Question and answers;
Lets start with this comment from one of our customers:
If an experienced woodturner had a choice of a variable speed lathe or a one-speed lathe, what would he or she choose?
1. What does DC give me, precisely?
a DC motor develops 5 times the torque of an AC motor.  In order to be useful through a range of speeds the motor needed to be DC.
2. What does variable speed give me in a grinder, concrete examples?
Higher torque means more material removal at lower speeds preventing excessive heat
3. How, in examples, does the Tradesman’s level of variable speed affect safety?
From a safety perspective having a super quiet controlled spin means you can tell exactly when the tool is in contact with the wheel and how much pressure is involved, The Tradesman spins Tradesman wheels so accurately that the wheel contact is uniform through the full revolution.
4. Who’s behind this grinder? Who’s the inventor? Why did he make what he made the way he made it?
 Jeff  Invented the Tradesman Grinder using the same DC motor he developed for the Cuttermaster Professional Tool and Cutter grinder, while on a trip to Florida with his friend Marty Rogers who wanted a better grinder for sharpening his Farm mower blades
5. What’s Tradesman’s level of support, coming from the mouths of those who have experienced it?
If your Tradesman ever needs work Our support is the best in the business 
6. Whom can I call who has a Tradesman DC Grinder, to get so-called straight talk from someone who isn’t selling them?
We are always happy to provide names of Happy Tradesman Fans we have a bunch.
7.  Super Abrasive wheels the facts
      CBN and Diamond Super abrasive wheels that are plated bond, have a layer of .002 to .008 depending on the grit bonded to the grinding surface Meaning the wheel need to run true or it will be destroyed, the flip side of that is when they do run true, at variable speed the grinding process is unrivaled.
8. The grinder is DC does it plug into an ac outlet.
Inside every Tradesman is a 130 Volt DC motor specifically built for out machines, it has a rather expensive Pulsewidth modulated board that converts 120 -240 volts to DC output. The PWM board is much quieter and produces cleaner power than the more common SCR type boards.
Our unique electronics combined with a great deal of engineering care and careful bearing selection is what makes our Tradesman the quietest grinder on the planet and a joy to use.
One of our customers suggested we say this (so we will) 🙂
The Tradesman reeks of “quality” and concern for excellence” and giving the user NEEDED CHOICES in speed.
Tradesman Grinders are uniquely designed to mount Plated bond CBN wheels  Inside every Tradesman there is a motor that was cherry picked from a batch of motors specifically for shaft straightness.  A 130 Volt DC motor specifically built for our machines.
Inside the Tradesman, a Pulse Width Modulated board converts the AC to DC and filters the noise out of AC current producing clean DC power.
Plated bond wheels are produced to a very tight tolerance because the shape cannot be adjusted once they are mounted. Shaft error and speed control are essential for long wheel life and good finish performance.
Our unique electronics combined with a great deal of engineering care and workmanship makes our Tradesman the quietest most unique grinder on the planet and a joy to use.
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Tradesman Cordless Grinder 8 inch Edge Belt and Edge 810
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This is the first trial in a line up of  Lithium-Ion Battery-powered grinders and Belt sanders new for 2020, Run all day long.

The Tradesman 8 and the Edge 810 Workstation are going Mobile (wireless) charge from any power source car or home 110 or 220V

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the good stuff on Grinding wheels
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Georgia Grinding wheel Article

Toycens’ Read on the benefits of aluminum body VS Steel core superabrasive wheels

Lighter  
lower transportation costs
store less kinetic energy 
better heat dissipation
same or better tensile strength that steel wheels
Better balance 
Better accuracy 
If the grinder has the torque and smoothness/accuracy of runout the result is longer life and a more accurate grind /finish
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Tradesman CR
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Smooth Super quiet Accurate with Corner Rads for Woodturners

 

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Tradesman DC 810 Geared Belt Workstation & New Necker Conical tip Grinder for carbide
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New for Summer 2019   Tradesman 810 Workstation , one of the Tradesman Geared Belt Units

These are Quite Powerful very quiet typically run between 200 and 2000 RPM

The 810 will mount 2 or 4-inch belts 6, 8 or 10-inch wheels

 

The Machinist with the necker tip grinder is a necks flats cut off and conical tip grinder for carbide end nills or rounds

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Tradesman Edge – Evolving – Blade Sharpening
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Jack Plane Blade set here 

Fits on all Tradesman grinders utilize that handy Tormek rail.

Worried about your angles? Do you use a felt wheel to cover angle mismatch

We think you should be able to repeat and angle within a few minutes, Grind at a speed appropriate for finishing, no risk of damage, and only need a strop type effort to debur a good piece of steel.

On our Twin Belt machine rough on the left 200 grit, exact angle  match on the right with a  600 grit, Debur minimal

With this enhanced freehand approach, the stroke is captive but you won’t get cornered by your set up when doing a long blade or a large curved tip. our supermagnets let you rotate the knife to follow a tip radius

With the Tradesman edge running a 600 grit edge grind at 150 surface feet on machined platens allows for perfectly straight hand-fed angles

With the DC whisper drive, in our shop you can hear the clock ticking in the background while running twin belts, this also means you can hear when the blade contacts the belt.

Just like our tool grinders.

Its a new day

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Thrust Flange for Toycen Tradesman 6 and 8
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We do like it when our machines are smooth and quiet, side to side run out is always a challenge

Eliminating the previous snapring and washer assembly (which is never flat)
This new flange protrudes thru the side plate using that normally unutilized shaft length to help govern wheel run out

Plus the larger diameter provides a large driven face to shoulder against.

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