Mist Coolant for the Surface Grinder (with Fusion 360 Tips)

Today we're installing a Noga Mini-Cool mist coolant system on the new surface grinder. We'll 3D print a bottle cap and hanging bracket to hold the soluble oil, install everything on the grinder, hook up the compressed air, and take it for a test grind.
Tools used in this video:
*This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
Noga MC1700 Mini-Cool Kit (Amazon*): amzn.to/2qgemiM
CRC SL2512 Soluble Oil (Amazon*): amzn.to/2qhWswk
General Tools Tap Wrench Set (Amazon*): amzn.to/2znrcOW
Starrett 4" Combination Square (Amazon*): amzn.to/3nadjjd
Bondhus Metric Hex Key Set (Amazon*): amzn.to/3eqZzwb
Bondhus SAE Hex Key Set (Amazon*): amzn.to/3h9bJLZ
Starrett Automatic Center Punch (Amazon*): amzn.to/3GWg6VV
Starrett 5m Metric Tape Measure (Amazon*): amzn.to/3XSvLvS
Milwaukee M18 Cordless Drill (Amazon*): amzn.to/3POpFte
R QIDI Technology Amazon Store*: amzn.to/3rQqhVn
1L Graduated Cylinder (Amazon*): amzn.to/40fmLCa
Astro Pneumatic Air Blower Nozzle (Amazon*): amzn.to/3oB5uE9
Milwaukee M18 Wet/Dry Vacuum (Amazon*): amzn.to/3oIcSwB
Raw Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
00:00 Intro
00:53 Planning the install
02:40 The Noga Mini-Cool
05:25 Testing the bracket fit
06:36 Modifying the bracket
14:43 Out of the printer
15:20 Installing the bracket
18:15 Mixing soluble oil coolant
20:45 Installing the system
22:58 Test grinding with coolant
25:21 Conclusions

[@aaro_n]

As a former tool grinder. Automate it if you can for sure! Manual grinders are great. Non manual ones are even better!

[@skypatrol716]

Sending it out is even better.

[@mariusj8542]

I have been thinking of making a little script for an arduino with a lcd display for a surface grinder, so yes would love to see that. I just thought of adding in speed of the grinder, length and “grinding depth pr grind” and total depth. I assume you could add a lot of controls up to modifying/ adapting grbl for a grinder, but anyway that would be a great little project to follow. Really like your videos, thank you.

[@PeregrineBF]

Robin Renzetti (Robrenz) has a great surface grinder automation system, though he hasn't gone into too much detail on it on KZbin.

[@jameshensley1095]

Automate, one of the reasons I follow!

[@mkosmo]

Automate with provisions for manual, anyhow. But continue practicing! It's hard to successfully troubleshoot automation of a process if you don't understand what it's doing wrong.

[@fakerfake1]

Hey, I’m a former tool and die grinder, make sure to let the wheel spin for 5-10 extra minutes after use every time you use coolant (yes even mist coolant) because the wheel will absorb it, and once it comes to rest that coolant will collect at the bottom of the wheel and make it off balance. So by letting it spin for 5-10 extra minutes (with coolant off of course) you will hopefully remove enough coolant to retain balance of the wheel.

[@petergamache5368]

I've been learning FreeCAD and the same rule applies ... fillets go LAST or you'll regret it when it comes time to make a change.

[@joshmyer9]

... and always save before you do, or alternate regrets! (Maybe I just have a knack for crashing the geometry engine with my designs.)

[@CobbettWilliam]

For safety when grinding small parts, you should place a piece of steel that is at least half the hight of the part you are grinding, after the part and against it this will prevent the part being moved by the wheel or thrown of the table.

[@PennerFab]

I'm all in for a short series on making the grinder automated 👌

[@junkdubious]

You'll definitely want to auto your grinder for surface finishes that can be tedious. For best results, I always dress the wheel. For testing purposes, your doing just fine! Thanks for the video!

[@azenginerd9498]

A general CAD best practice: if the part is symmetric, create the features symmetrically about the origin/base planes. In your case, that makes the mirroring plane redundant. It also eliminates the plane's dependency on part geometry.

[@Robinlarsson83]

100% this :)

[@Sam_596]

I would _love_ to see you automate the grinder. Maybe in the same style as Tony's Maho, a sort-of "fly-by-wire" arrangement, so you could still do it manually if you like

[@joecnc3341]

I've thought about doing this to my grinder, too. It shouldn't take much in the way of stepper/servo torque.

[@kmet2000]

Hey James, Nice one agin 👍 Automation: just reprogrograme ELS Balancing: a whole cann of worms. I worked in a big company that had mold maintainance division. They used flood coolant for roughing, finishing they did dry. When I askef why - the aswer was interesting. For finishing they used wherls perfectly balanced, three weihts system on the hub and any drop of watter made imbalance. So - wet for roughing, dry for precision finishing.

[@nickcarr5724]

On a channel with so much extravagant over-engineering, I love the 2L bottle!

[@leslierhorer1412]

When I drill or tap cast iron, I always place a magnet near the hole. This has the effect of removing almost all the grit produced by the operation, including most of even the finest dust produced by the operation. Then there is no need to blow the grit all over the shop. It even removes most of the grit from the hole, if it s not too deep.

[@warsuper4681]

Hi James, A good rule when mixing coolant is to always add the oil to the water, this prevents a reverse emulsion from occurring. Probably less of an issue when poring by hand as you did but if you are using a hose it can be an issue. The reverse emulsion means the water is sticking to the oil rather than the oil sticking to the water and this can have obvious drawbacks. Keep up the good work.

[@vanguard6937]

remember OIL when mixing water and oil Oil In Last

[@joell439]

@@vanguard6937 - I Thank you 👍 - I think I might be able to remember that 👍😎👍

[@huevacho97]

Watching your channel has taken me to push myself to a next level of quality on my projects. and, of coarse, to be better on fusion360 as well as in my 3dprinting. thank you!!!

[@brianm9962]

Brilliant video James and I am learning a lot from the very informative comments people have written as well. Thank you everyone.

[@evbunke2]

When dimensioning the rib, it'd be better practice to dimension how far the end of it is from the bottle end. That way if you made the bracket hang out further, the rib would extend to match. And more importantly, if you make it shorter, the rib won't interfere with the bottle cap! :)

[@Clough42]

Excellent tip.

[@martinforrest3441]

Another super enjoyable video James, keep up the excellent work. Here in UK, Sunday mornings are now known as Clough42 mornings!! 😋

[@TheUncleRuckus]

Nice little project James and a great tip on saving the fillets until last. 👍👍 Idk about anyone else but hell yeah I'd certainly be interested in a video detailing the process of you automating the grinder.

[@MrRctintin]

Love all your content, but your cad work teaches me so much! Thanks 🙏

[@johnziebron4058]

Another good video James, thank you. This will have to be the next project for my grinder. I have an old 6-12 Boyar Schultz that I refurbished a few years ago and am just finishing up my automation because at 74 my coordination to control 2 wheels is not what it used to be. I used a Nema 23 stepper for the Y axis and a gear motor for the X axis all controlled by an Arduino Uno R3. The Y axis has settings for 1/4, 1/2 or full turns as well as continuous movement for positioning. The X axis travel is controlled by 2 limit switches and after one back and forth cycle there is a delay long enough for the Y axis movement. This project is so worth it, even though it didn't cost much, especially for larger parts. And I know from past videos that you can easily do this.

[@raymond_rayder]

Excellent video. Really enjoyed the detailed CAD breakdown.

[@Mike-ff7ib]

This is my absolute favorite youtube channel of all my subscribed channels. This is the only channel where I actually get excited to sit down and watch the latest episode. Definitely a reason to nuke some popcorn and enjoy! I think a cnc grinder project would give you more content for the channel and in the end you have a cnc grinder... a win win in my opinion.

[@rafaeldiegonavarro]

That organization system video was finger licking good man!

[@krazykyle0]

I look forward to your videos every week, keep on keepin on man.

[@n00blike]

Great video! One of my favorite things I enjoy making with my 3D printer are hole templates for mounting things. The template can be a thin quick print and saves some time. Just use the center punch with the template and you are good to go. You can also add a small lip to keep things level if you have a reference edge.

[@jimcollins9316]

Another excellent video! Your a genius with Fusion 360.

[@DK-vx1zc]

Great update. I use fog buster on my grinder, helps a lot. Automate

[@Focusfanatic242]

Automate the grinder! Your lathe lead screw project is what made me a subscriber.

[@Thayes1979]

Grinding tip when grinding small items like this. Either hold it in a tool makers vice or block it in with something. If the poles on the magnet are spaced to far when you grind small pieces you are not holding much and the wheel can grab and throw the part off.

[@davidtrump7598]

Thanks for another amazing video… I like the Fusion 360 explanation… I think you should automate the grinder… I would love to see how you go about the process

[@VYR1985]

+1 for automating the grinder. 😊

[@RobertCowanDIY]

Hey James, thanks for the mention! Nice work!

[@schnecks2180]

The right Idea!!!! I had to clean one of those coolant tanks after a few years of neglect. No fun!

[@mattholden5]

James, for me, closed loop hand wheel spinners is a no-brainer here. Too much at stake with too many repetition cycles. And the directorial quality is outstanding. I chucked so many times watching this. You're becoming very skilled at what to emphasize vs mute or omit. Thanks for sharing.

[@rcleveacp]

Automate the surface grinder! Thank you, great content!

[@Arthur-ue5vz]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@davidgay6675]

An opinion from 50+ years of grinding: practice your movement of the hand wheels a lot. At the GM plant where I apprenticed they called cranking the table wheel easily and smoothly without consciously thinking about the individual hand and arm motions your "swing". Of course you would be also coordinating Y &/or Z motion as well usually. It doesn't take that much practice to develop a decent swing and then I think it's like riding a bicycle in that you can pick it back up any time easily. I've been retired for over ten years so my only grinding is in my home's somewhat overly equipped shop. Usually months go by between grinding things for whatever somebody asks for or some project for myself that was inspired frequently by good old You Tube videos. But, no complaints about adding automation, you'll really come to appreciate a functioning auto feature when you need to grind the chuck back in again or any bigger item. By the way, particularly if surface finish is critical, I've found that lightly dressing the wheel helps no matter how well the wheel seems balanced and lightly used. I don't think the wheels ever spin outward at the exact same spot since bearing clearances and wear dictate a different "high" side a lot depending on what moved where at the moment of startup.

[@joecnc3341]

Another Great Tutorial, James! Definitely Automate the surface grinder! I've been thinking about doing this to mine for a long time. The good news is that it shouldn't take too large of a stepper or servo to do it. Maybe an Arduino based system?

[@michelecrown2426]

Heck ya, want to see you automate the machine. I didn't read the article, but the title was about these mist coolant systems putting nasty stuff in the air.

[@Clough42]

The fogbuster is better for this, but you can taste it after a while if you're not careful.

[@0ADVISOR0]

Automate it! Btw cool tricks you've got there in fusion, definetly going to use them.

[@HexenzirkelZuluhed]

Looking good! I wish I had space for a grinder.

[@grottyboots]

Love your videos! If you're taking votes, I say yes to automating your grinder. Cheers!

[@Ale_Lab]

I am planning to automate mine too. Only X and Y in my case. I would love to see that series.

[@DavidHerscher]

Hey James, I have a similar system on my mill. However there’s one, pretty useful, difference. I used a cheap radiator overflow tank from amazon. It’s airtight and comes equipped with multiple connections and fittings. This allows the entire tank to be filled with coolant and then pressurized with air. Both air and coolant are fed to the mister from the tank. With this set up, you can get; just air, air + coolant, or just coolant, aka pressurized flood coolant. It’s a neat setup, works very very well.

[@Clough42]

That's a great idea. I've seen adapter caps for 2L bottles that allow pressurization, but I hadn't thought of automotive parts.

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

Lee Pedin automated his surface grinder and so I think you should do it too. Thanks for the video keep on keeping on.

[@guyfranks4354]

Yes, I think you should automate your surface grinder. I 'm a new subscriber and I like your content.

[@jscancella]

Conversion of manual machines to CNC/automatic seem cool, so yeah please make a video!

[@BeefIngot]

Just a Fusion tip, for a part like this where you dont really care, and are unlikely to care enough to go back and modify things, the quick and lazy way to do this is just by creating a new sketch based on the old one and extruding into your part such that they join at a part further than the fillet.

[@I_ammm_mojojojo]

25 years ago I worked in a precision machine shop doing tool & die, press tools, injection & blow-molding molds, where we did a lot of CNC, NC & Manual surface and cylindrical precision grinding.. every tolerance was tiiiight, as near every piece being ground, were parts near completion/after heat treatment and were just being ground to final spec. (providing further hand polishing wasn't required). We typically applied "machinist's blue" on the surface then slowly & manually "touched down" the abrasive wheels to the work piece, as usually, seeing "sparks" or feeling/hearing grit, could have taken away too much material or affected the the wheels (especially as the wheels were typically pre-dressed with the finished shapes, curves and/or angles in them). At the first sign on thinning of the "blue" (not complete break thru to base material), while oscillating the table in x & y (as the piece allowed), it was set as "0 datum" Another method, was to put a piece of paper between the wheel and workpiece and lower the head while turning the wheel by hand until you could barely move the paper, mic the paper and uses as a guide touch down to the work piece with acquired relative datum. The method you showed, we'd used for non critical items (which we very rarely had the luxury of) lol Most of the equipment back then was manual and I miss the luxury of access to the machines when I have thing to do.. but damn, not the stress of constant perfection .. lol What I see guys doing now in a couple hours if Fusion and exporting, took us days/weeks of converting manual drawings into G Code and then inputting it line by line.

[@tentotwo8290]

Went back to a regular coke video…. Wow, you have got yourself into good shape 💪💪💪

[@Clough42]

Thanks! I feel better, too.

[@peirossmallhomemachineshop5364]

Great project. I was suspicious with a mist coolant system in a home machine shop. But I now consider seriously to go ahead with one. What is typically the consumption of concentrated soluble oil let’s say per hour of use? I guess there is no need to recuperate it; some rag is enough. Many thanks for sharing and for these weekly always outstanding videos.

[@alexwbakker]

As a fellow dweller in the mountain west, the best part of water based mist is the free humidification. The downside is that you NEED to drain your compressor daily once you run mist for more than an hour or so.

[@RichardBetel]

I just want to point out that you *could* mark fluid levels on the 2L bottle, and never need the graduated cylinder again. Also you can use the original cap to mix more aggressively... unless too much aeration is bad for the mix....

[@satguy]

Actually I was surprised when the machine wasn't automated. But then we are talking about you and knew you'd get around to it.

[@joell439]

Cool. I’m certain I know less than you when it comes to surface grinding, but I’ve heard there might be an advantage to run the wheel a while after you turn off the coolant so that any that may have been absorbed by the wheel is flung off.

[@TheQuantumFire]

Hell yeah we want to see an automated version. @ShadonHKW had cool PLC based project with a HMI from a Seimens system a few years ago.

[@ChazzC]

James, your adventures always make me consider getting Fusion 360 (and I see that Autodesk is "real close" to having native support on M1 Mac's), but can't justify the cost. Plus, even though Fusion would make using my 3-D printer easier so that I would use it more often, I'm sure that I with Fusion I would soon outgrow my LulzBot Mini and invest even more for a larger platform that I don't have a place for. All that said, I do appreciate the details you include on using Fusion. However, I am somewhat disappointed that you did not use the tip I shared with you about capturing cast iron dust while drilling & tapping into machines. Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait for your next acquisition/modification. Regards, Charlie

[@CraigsWorkshop]

Great solution James. PS: I have at least one machine in my shop with a piece of tap in it too 👎

[@princessharold]

I'm pretty tall and don't have my own surface grinder, so I generally consider manual surface grinders a way to sell me more Advil. You've art just got yours at a decent height, but there are some parts where it's just really awkward to get into a rhythm. You've got the means and a good excuse to do it, so I say go for it.

[@pixmooo1]

good job... from iraq

[@dcviper985]

I think rather than making sure you fillet at the end, the better takeaway is not to dimension off of cosmetic features.

[@mrt6399]

I would recommend getting a dmag machine for after grinding, parts can pick up magnetism after being on the chuck for a while, as well as a wheel dressing diamond if you don't have one already

[@Clough42]

It's on my list.

[@MyLilMule]

Automate it! I think that would a pretty cool project.

[@edishergiorgadze4413]

Automating grinder? what kind of funny question is that... OF COURSE ! GL !

[@anmafab]

Lathe taken apart for a future project? Sounds like you need a second, larger lathe! On the automation of the SG, I think that's a great idea. Haven't seen much of it in KZbin either so that's a plus

[@jfl-mw8rp]

Great video James. I'm currently designing a stepper drive system for my grinder. I'm using the discontinued Tormach Personal Grinder as model. They have 4 modes of feeding the z axis. It would be awesome if you do yours!!!😊

[@troyam6607]

best ventriloquist ever!

[@sky173]

Great video. Hope to get a grinder one day. I'm curious if hard water would make a difference. I'm out in the country and would rather use what I have whenever possible.

[@harolddunn8395]

Computer controlled surface grinder, Clough42 style... Count me in!

[@EZ_shop]

🥇Automate. Ciao, Marco.

[@donfoster1832]

Automate it. First it would be cool. Secondly, you have the talent to build and explain a fundamental system that other people could then alter and apply to other situations. Did I mention cool?

[@damongarber2014]

Definitely automate!!!

[@Hossimo]

100% CNC the grinder. Actually was my first thought when the video started.

[@Bob_Adkins]

You can get split 10th accuracy with servomotors. Well, theoretically at least. There's also the opportunity to compensate for backlash, which can sometimes be a pain.

[@mikebroom1866]

I feel the same way about my CR6-SE. First printer i've gotten that I can just send it and know it's at least going to complete.

[@Pest789]

I'm sorry, but the flight attendant demo thing is kinda hilarious

[@petergamache5368]

It might be nice to throw a couple cheap steppers on those grinder handwheels. It might even be fine running open loop, since the load is pretty low...

[@I_ammm_mojojojo]

if you are looking into automating it.. take a look and "NC controls" rather than CNC and see what you think of it. I personally preferred the NC control of precision grinding.

[@mkegadgets4380]

Interesting video with great content. You should’ve swapped out the coke label for your own. Maybe 3D Printer something with your logo on it. Keep the Contant coming.

[@joshmyer9]

When you went back to measure out 50ml more water, I thought "Oh, clever! He's going to use the last 50 to rinse out the cylinder." And then you explained the actual motivation. 😅

[@LikeFactoryMade]

I plan to automate mine in the medium term future. For now I only have Rob Renz as an example, so please do it, I could use some ideas :D

[@simoncleret]

Definitely should make it a CNC grinder.

[@squelchstuff]

Automate it? That was a rhetorical question wasn't it? If not, who are you, and what have you done with James? Seriously though. Getting a nice rhythm going once your co-ordination kicks in is rather satisfying. Almost zen like once a mirror finish is achieved. True the wheel, even if it seems fine for the finish pass has always worked for me. Oh, and either some beefier backstop material, or a toolmakers vice for those small work pieces to prevent mishaps.

[@Skyliner_369]

You could do the basic automatic system with table stops and such... or you could CNC the whole machine. Either works.

[@tablatronix]

OMG mini-square

[@lwilton]

I recall seeing an automated grinder on some channel about 6 to 8 years ago. It obviously used stepper motors, and the motion was incredibly clunky. I've always thought, since seeing that, that it should be possible to make one that is as smooth and fluid as a hand-operated grinder. Or at least as smooth as a mechanically automated grinder from the 1950s. Having ways to set the limits by just moving the table by hand and pushing a Set button, and selecting the grinding pattern with a push button (or the like) and a knob for motion speed would also seem to be pretty useful. Maybe an ELS-like thing. Hum, EGC?

[@pyrobeav2005]

Most automated grinders use hydraulics for this reason. I don't think pneumatics would work because of the stick-slip behavior and spring loading inherent to pneumatics. A servo motor might be a good choice, something with a good constant torque mode.

[@subuser9627]

Yes, automate the machine. 😁 And use a small cup to collect the drops after used.

[@EnergySeeker]

how did you setup the print such as taking off the first layer like that was that in cura or superslicer what is called ?

[@michaellehmann280]

I would love to see you automate the machine!

[@samcivi9326]

automation nation!!

[@charlvanniekerk8009]

id feel really sorry to see you continue to work with the surface grinder manually so would love to see you automate it!

[@larrybud]

I would use extra strong double sided tape to mount the bracket, and have the bottle's weight rest on the machine. Or just zip tie the whole thing around that column. 10:50 unless I missed something, you could have dragged the fillet operation to the end with your other fillets.

[@cristianconrads9109]

I like to see you automate the machine

[@RNMSC]

Saw something on Tim Hunkin's "Making Holes" secret lives of... episode from this week that I'm thinking of integrating into drill/tap guides. When he was drilling into a square tube, below the hole he had placed a couple fo neodinium magnets to catch the swarth. I can see that being useful on Cast Iron as well, and it would also mean that the drill guide would become one less thing to try to hang onto while drilling. (Also thinking that designing the drill guide to have a hole leading into the center of the guide, with a magnet in a baggy there, might be a good way to collect the chips from drilling and tapping. When done, pull the baggy with all the chips on the outside, invert the baggy around them and put the magnet(s) into a new baggy, dispose of the baggy of chips, etc. I know it's not perfect, but if it's better than what we work with already...

[@patchvonbraun]

A few weeks back I had to drill/tap 4 holes into some 1/4" steel (the wall of a motor/gearbox cabin in a large satellite dish). NATO apparently used some funky alloy steel in those walls, and I broke 3 taps in the process of getting 4 tapped holes. Not a good day.....

[@ThatGuyThatThumbs]

Would love to see the automation of the surface grinder.

[@75keg75]

9:22 - can’t you set the fillets to a zero radius in fusion? In autocad if you change radius to 0 it goes back to a square edge. Or does fusion still think there’s a radius element even though it is 0mmR

[@nighthawk2k3rsx]

Id say automate it, mostly because your leadscrew and cnc router projects have been executed at such a high quality id be curious to see what you would do to the grinder.

[@Ratheon1075]

I have noticed that you often print utilizing rafts. Curious as to why. I used them in the past when I had a machine that had a wavy bed but since I have better machines with flatter beds I have found I don't need them. The QD looks like it has a quality bed so it peaked my interest when I saw you peal off the raft.

[@Chromevulcan]

I was wondering how long it would be before you automated the grinder. Should be able to do that one with an Arduino.

[@75keg75]

14:15 to avoid the funky fillet that interacts with the bottle radius would it have been nicer to put in a 38mm fillet? And have a clean circle?