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.
Very informative and really appreciate the info. I researched your machines throughly before ordering a Tradesman 3DC an hour ago. I own several other grinders, Delta, Tormek. I have never really been that impressed with the Tormek and have searched for a good solution and found the Carter & Sons blog about the Tradesman very helpful
Everyone that I could find that has experience with the Tradesman give it a mark of “excellent”. The only negative comment was the cost, but I submit to the old adage, you get what you pay for, especially when it comes to high quality machines. I’m an architect and details really do matter.
Really looking forward to receiving my grinder and thanks for producing such a beautiful tool !