Grinders

I'm having trouble with my Wizard grinder. I have the large model, and although I very much like the embedded tool tray, water collects in the recess and eventually drips out. Water doesn't get into the tray itself, so at least all the tools are dry. But my grinder sits on top of a piece of MDF, and standing water is going to degrade the surface, even if it's only a little. Disassembly of the grinder top to remove this water under the tray requires emptying the normal reservoir and taking the bit off the spindle.This is another annoyance, because if you use a gel bit it increases the chance of cracking the bit if you over tighten the set screw when reassembling the top.

Let me describe my grinder setup. II have two grinders, the Wizard mentioned above, and a Glastar. They both work fine, though I have a slight preference for the Glastar. On the Wizard I have a coarse grid gel bit, and on the Glastar I use a fine grit. This allows me to make quick rough-ins to approximate the shape, and with the fine bit I have more control and can sneak up to the edge exactly. This also leaves a nice smooth surface for good foil adhesion. I find this setup makes for faster, easier, and more accurate work.

My back hurts if I bend over the grinders for long, so I prefer to work standing up. The work surface of my grinders is about 49" high. I have one bright light over my left shoulder, but a second light on my right would be an improvement when working with small pieces. I have a pair of goggles next to the grinders that I always use when grinding, and the goggles are only used for grinding. Since grinding is hard on goggles, the pair I keep for cutting stays clear. I have another pair I use only for soldering.