Brown and Sharpe No 2 Surface Grinder information needed

Hello!
I recently acquired a Brown and Sharpe no 2 surface grinder, and am wondering if someone can tell me which model it is, as I am seeking operating and repair manuals for it. It appears to be in great shape considering it's age (like me)
It seem there are a bunch of "No 2's" out there, and they do not all resemble mine. The only numbers I have found on the machine are stamped on the left side of the spindle as shown. If anyone has information, I would appreciate it!

See:

14089 is about 1942

Thank you, Allegheny!
Thank you too, John! The number is actually 14039, but that is pretty close. Is there a database of some sort one can find some history on, such as the South Bend one?

I purchased a reprint of the B&S #2 from
https://ozarktoolmanuals.com. Well done, being lazy I have a hard copy in my machinery manual file so it's available when needed.

I have B&S No. 2 surface grinding machine serial no. 8515, built in 1929. I have all the documentation provided by B&S for two No. 2B machines, serial nos. 17783 and 17784 sold in October, 1945. That designation was all that B&S used to describe the machine. The style was surface grinding machine and the size was No. 2 or 2B. The No. 2 had power table feed and the No. 2B had only manual feed. They also required the serial number if you were asking for parts or other particular information because of options and continuing design and feature changes to these models. At some point after 1945, they came out with a new model 6 x 18 surface grinder and it was called a 618 Micromaster. The new model is easy to recognize by the vertical feed crank on the base instead of at the top of the column.

The serial number should be on the right side of the table, normally covered by a chuck clamp, in addition to the number on the spindle housing, covered by the wheel guard on my machine. The picture is from the parts list and shows a machine just like mine, before I converted it to a motorized spindle.

Larry

I did find another serial number stamped on the table under the clamp, and it matches the one on the spindle housing, which is nice...
As can be seen in my photo, mine has a wheel cover without the vac hookup. Does anyone have this or any of the other accessories which would be with a machine like this "laying around"?

Pierre of South Dakota?
That is a world-high-class machine.
Are you new to surface grinders? Take care mounting the chuck to about less than 20-inch pounds*. Grinding in the chuck take the most care to wet-grind it with No Heat.
Don't wire brush the numbers on the hand wheel, but pick off any paint. fine file just to take the top of dings and finish with very fine abrasive paper backed with something hard/ or fine flat hone them.

(17 to 20 on the right bolt and 12 on the left bolt might be good and be sure the hold down is toward the inside of the chuck lip)

South Dakota, yes.
Pierre, unfortunately...
I have used surface grinders in the past, but not extensively. I will disassemble and clean/inspect everything before I use this one, as I have done with all my used "toys" so I know what it really is before I begin. I have a cheap import at work, and have trouble getting a decent finish, even though it is quite new. I suspect the balancing system may be sub par, unless something else is going wrong with it. What is the best way to balance the wheels in the real grinding world?

QT (I have a cheap import at work, and have trouble getting a decent finish,)
Could be all kinds of things from technic, wheel selection, quality of travel design, quality of spindle, and balance.
Often a 7" name-brand wheel will give a good finish without balancing, but nothing wrong with balancing. Likely you can make a balance arbor if you have a lathe at work and can turn it between centers,

I knew in the early 1970's that I wanted to do surface grinding on some of my projects. I took some night classes at the local vocational school and learned to use their surface and cylindrical grinders. There was no class work, just a shop full of machines and an old machinist that would show you how to turn them on and answer questions. I also could visit the machine shop at work and watch and learn from the surface grinder operator. I watched for a chance get my own grinder, built a gantry and bought a truck as I expanded my material handling ability. Grinders are heavy. I got my grinder in 1979 and took it apart to the last screw. I have had time to forget a lot of the neat design tricks I found in the power feed stuff, but it was pretty complex. I got a 30" Starrett granite straight edge and scraped the 50 years of wear on the ways. After painting and putting it back together, I noted the table was hard work to hand crank left and right. The original belt drive spindle bearings did not want to adjust to eliminate chatter marks. I bored out the spindle housing and installed a motorized spindle that works well. To prevent wear on the freshly scraped table ways, I installed a Dunbar roller bearing kit in 1980 and have been very happy with it. The table cranks so easily that I have not used the power feed in a long time.

I have never balanced a wheel, though I did pick up a pair of balancing rails. I did not get the required balancing arbor with the rails, so I have not used them. It has not seemed worth the effort to make a balancing arbor. You do need to use a rigid base wheel truing diamond each time you install a different wheel and after the wheel wears a little. That helps keep the surface finish good. I have several wheel hubs and keep the most-used wheels on dedicated hubs. I have found an angle dresser is useful for special work like grinding dovetails. My dresser also does radii, but I have never needed that function.

A shop vac hooked up to a hood by the wheel guard is a very good thing. I had to modify the original wheel guard on mine. The hood needs to be adjustable for different wheel diameters and to accommodate wheel wear.

Larry

I have never used a Dunbar roller way so can't say anything much about them, but have used many oil-scraped way grinders and think that they are not that hard to crank by hand.
The massive double crossways on the B&S #2 are likely a lifetime of high-quality light grinding once scraped and flaked.
Many of the newer grinders having ball and roller ways are/get full of grinding grit in ten years of use.. I suspect the Dunbar system would be much the same, perhaps worse.
Agree some of the old-school ball and roller machines had greater concerns for keeping out the grits and so went a good long time with little worry.
The only fault with the B&S #2 is the high up down feed hand wheel, so one has to look up and away from the work. Yes I have a B&S #2 in my shop

I have a circa 1928 No 2 (serial #8046) that is almost identical to L Vanice's

I got mine for less than scrap price; it went through a fire in the owner's garage/shop and the insurance company wouldn't let him touch it for over a year, so it was a MESS of grinding dust and rust -- it got stripped down to the very last screw, cleaned, repainted, and works very well -- full mechanical automation of both table directions; it's a hell of an engineering marvel for nearly 100 years old, in my opinion.

DrHook said:

I did find another serial number stamped on the table under the clamp, and it matches the one on the spindle housing, which is nice...
As can be seen in my photo, mine has a wheel cover without the vac hookup. Does anyone have this or any of the other accessories which would be with a machine like this "laying around"?

Click to expand...

Any chance you have a manual for this older model
Regards
[email protected]

nelsonk11 said:

Any chance you have a manual for this older model
Regards
[email protected]om

Click to expand...

This one is c. 1946, but almost 100% applies to my 1929 #2

Mikalius said:

This one is c. 1946, but almost 100% applies to my 1929 #2

Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co. - Publication Reprints - No. 2 & 2B Surface Grinder - Manual | VintageMachinery.org

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Thanks Mikalius, My machine is circ 1929 and the bronze spindle bearing is different. I need adjustment info for spindle. Any idea how hot is too hot for bearing?

that is the same reprint manual I have.

An old B&S #2 can be scraped (if needed) and then be better than almost any new surface grinder one can buy.
The only fault is reaching up to the down dial because that takes more time than looking down...but it is likely more accurate that way.