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Glass grinding bit in drill press

Instead of purchasing a dedicated glass grinding machine, is it possible to chuck a glass grinding bit into a drill press and use it to grind glass edges for stained glass work? I can get my drill press down to 570 RPM and am sure I could rig up something for water cooling and flushing.

Also, how do glass grinding bits typically fastened to a dedicated grinding machine? Set screw on the bit tightened onto a shaft affixed to the motor, or is a shaft chucked into a holder on the motor like with drills?

Reply to
MPost
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5/16" shaft, with flat surface to tighten bit to it, no need to get down to 570, run that sucker at 1750+, in fact I bet they run close to 3500 rpm, but don't take that to the bank. Diamond works better at slightly higher speed so as not to "load up" the debris on the surface of the bit.

BUT>>>> most drill presses are steel or iron, do you not care about the rust? are you only doing one project so the purchase of a grinder is not budgeted? What makes you think you NEED a grinder at all? Given the cost of a small grinder, why would you want to ruin a more expensive drill press?

Just a thought....

Reply to
Javahut

drill presses aren't designed for side forces. you'll wear it out, cause undue runout in the bearings, and generally do bad things to the quill.

Reply to
Charles Spitzer

A good grinder can be purchased for about $100 or less. I don't think a drill press would be very good at achieving what you want. Also, you'll need some water to keep the grinding bit cool and to keep glass dust particles from floating around. Additionally, I would think the drill press may have too much torque for grinding glass and you could be easily injured if a piece of glass were to be grabbed by the bit more than you anticipated. Personally, I don't think its a good idea. I'd recommend going to ebay and find a good deal on a grinder.

Charles Spitzer wrote:

Reply to
John

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