Knuth KSW 200 Universal T&C grinder

While I already have a very basic tool and cutter grinder in the form of my d-bit grinder and also a surface grinder which can do a lot of toolgrinding setups, I wanted a universal t&c grinder that has a larger work envelope, a sturdy dividing head, a set of tailstocks and a motordriven headstock.

Not to replace my surfacegrinder, but as an addition – The t&c grinder can do a bit of surface grinding, but its no match to the surface grinder.

I was shopping around for used industrial machines, but the marked for small, sub 500kg machines is very narrow, things get very expensive very quick, and accessories are almost never included, a lot of things are missing. Or the machines are in poor shape to begin with.

What I found in the end was a small Knuth t&c grinder, built 1999 in China, sitting around unused since then for a very reasonable price.
I bought it and got it delivered via truck to my house, within a week, across Germany. The machine was indeed unused but hat collected about 19 years of dust and dirt from sitting in a shop.

It came with a bunch of attachments:

  • Motordriven headstock, MT4 spindlenose
  • Dividing head, MT4 spindlenose
  • Drill sharpening attachment, MT4 spindlenose
  • A pair of tailstocks, MT2 quill
  • Arbors with 16, 22, 29mm to hold cutters with a bore between centers
  • Arbor with bushings for 16, 22 und 29mm with a MT4 shank
  • Lathe tool holder (Like a very basic vise) with a MT4 shank to go into the universal dividing head
  • Adjustable Cutter toothrest
    • And a bunch of handtools, grinding discs (all 19 years old and not safe for use anymore..)

    Overall quality of the machine is descent, what you would expect from a import, made in China machine.
    But it’s a very good base to be modified for my needs. I will probably add a high speed spindle for ID g rinding and general use with small diameter grinding tools.

    More detailed articles on different aspects and modifications on the machine:

  • Delivery, teardown and moving the machine into the shop
  • Modifying the spindlenose
  • Fabricating a more practical wheelguard
  • Adding rubberbellows and a axis lock to to the vertical column
  • Modifying the Dials on the accessories and other minor improvments
  • Scraping the table ways and adding cable drive to the table
  • Building a working toothrest

    • And here the very old advertisment out of an ancient Knuth brochure - The price was primarily still shown in "Deutsche Mark", not Euro, which tells that its roughly from year 1999/2000.