Introduction

Central to many manual machining operations are bespoke tools and cutters. While these are traditionally made from tool steel, the manufacture of tools and cutters from solid carbide blanks is something which has been intriguing me recently. To do so requires a piece of equipment call a tool and cutter grinder. Many of the commercial machines in this category are derivative of the venerable Deckel SO. Stefan Gotteswinter has an excellent video detailing operations on one of these machines.

The Quorn

In investigating my options for cutting tools I found, as one is likely to, the venerable Quorn Tool & Cutter Grinder. With the exchange rate between the USD and GBP at its best in several decades, I wondered if I would be able to order something from Hemingway Kits. I found that they had recently updated their Quorn kit to include many common modifications and methods, calling their version the Mk3.

My Quorn

After some quick exchange rate math, I decided it was in my interest to order the kit. It arrived in two dense boxes a few days later.

Included in the kit were these thirteen castings.

With many of my projects I try to keep some notes and documents. I recently started migrating much of this to a service called Notion. While compiling my notes on the subject I came across Tom’s blog on the subject which includes CAD models.
I began comparing these CAD models with the drawings and castings in the Hemingway Kit. It seems that I’ll be able to make use of these CAD models.

How to metrify?

As I run a metric shop, I was pleased to find that the hardware used in the kit is metric and that the drawings had metric dimensions. The kit is still planned around inch-sized shafting, stock, and dimensions. I definitely want all my dial divisions and scales to be metric, but I’m still trying to decide if I want to change out any shafting or, more unlikely, modify any dimensions.

More to come

I plan on mapping this path as I walk it. I’m excited for this project and excited to share it.