Myths about Spin GrindingThere are a lot of myths out there about grinding. In this issue we tackle two common myths with Express Dual and Anglemaster user Peter Fletcher, owner of PMG Consulting Services in Alicante, Spain.
The self-confessed “miserable old codger” is anything but miserable or old. Peter has been travelling the world recently helping to prepare some of the world's best golf courses for major tournaments.
In May and June of 2007, Peter has travelled around the world providing tournament support at the Volvo China Open, the BMW Asian Open, The Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open, the Open de France and the Italian Open. Along with an impressive amount of air miles, Peter has a tremendous amount of experience using spin grinders and here he helps us set the record straight.
Myth: Blade thinning keeps blades sharper, longer.
Fact: “Blade thinning, or relief grinding as it is commonly referred to, has no effect on sharpness at all. Relief grinding is carried out on the back edge of the blade and serves only to “relieve” the drag caused by contact between cylinder and bedknife. It is the front edge of the blade where cutting takes place.”
Myth: Quality of cut is guaranteed with a sharp reel and bedknife.
Fact: “The most important element to ensuring quality of cut is a sharp bedknife. A sharp bedknife (faced bedknife) will cut grass cleaner with mediocre sharp reel blades vs. a rounded edge bedknife and very sharp reel blades.” 
Previous Myths about Spin GrindingThere are a lot of myths out there about grinding. In this issue we tackle two common myths with Express Dual and Anglemaster user Stephen Tucker, Equipment Manager at The Ritz Carlton Members Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.
Stephen Tucker is a man on a mission. A dedicated equipment manager, Stephen is the driving force behind the International Golf Course Equipment Managers Association (IGCEMA) – an organisation whose mission is to bring higher educational and professional development standards to golf course equipment managers around the globe. Stephen has a real passion for his profession and here he helps us set the record straight on a few grinding myths.
Myth: You must have contact between cylinder and bedknife.
Fact: “You do not need contact between the reel and bedknife to cut turf grass. Contact between the reel and bedknife will generate heat which will have many effects on not only the turf grass, but also on the traction unit. The heat generated between the reel and bedknife will tinge the leaf blade. Also that heat can cause the bedknife to expand which will tighten the cutting unit up even more. The tighter the reel - bedknife contact, the more strain this puts on the traction unit which can cause hydraulic hose failure and premature failure of the hydraulic system”.
Contact between cylinder and bedknife causes drag requiring greater effort to turn the reel and in turn this greater effort has an adverse effect on drivelines and engines. This drag also leads to rapid wear and loss of sharp edges, as well as a poor quality of cut. With contact you have the undesirable “scissor” action instead of the desired “scything” action. It is the scissor action which damages the turf plant and can prolong the healing process.
Myth: New bedknives are “true” and don’t require grinding.
Fact: “New bedknives are certainly not true coming from the factory. Every bedknife that gets installed on a bed bar needs to be ground properly in order to achieve a consistent quality of cut. The bedknife is the single most important factor in achieving a great quality of cut. The bedknife’s job is to position the grass before the reel blade cuts it. Depending on where the position is will depend on how clean and consistent your turfs after cut appearance will look.
Bedknives will take the shape of the existing bed bar once tightened. By grinding the bed knife properly it will give you a smooth surface that you will then align to a reel that has been ground to a true cylinder. Once this is complete you will have 2 perfectly aligned surfaces that can achieve the quality of cut that everyone is looking for. It is very important that the bed knife is ground to its proper angle (manufacturer’s recommendations) in order to maintain high quality turf grass.
Imagine this, let’s say you purchase a set of golf clubs from a pro shop and your wedge states that it is 53 degrees. A majority of everyone believes that because it states the degree on the club that it is actually correct. Let’s take a Tour player that gets the same club he will then take it to a custom builder and make sure that not only his wedge has the right degree but all of his clubs do because he knows that if the angle is wrong it will affect his game. So the Tour player wants to verify that what he is using is double checked so he knows when he hits a shot it is going to fly a specific yardage. It is no different with bed knives. We are the Tour players and we need to make sure that our cutting units (golf clubs) are set up correctly each time they go out. Why you may ask? It’s because that’s what we get paid to do. If we were paid by performance like the Tour players how many of us would be getting our clubs checked?”
Good quality OEM bedknives are manufactured to high standards, but when they are fixed to a bedbar they will follow the shape of the bedbar, potentially making them “un-true”. Always grind new bedknives so they are tuned to the bedbars.
Lesser after-market “will-fit” bedknives often take more grinding to achieve a good standard of cut and as a result they do not give the same life. So in fact, a good quality OEM bedknife will often be more cost effective overall.
After 20 years experience with turf equipment, Cal Callaby at The Celtic Manor Resort has seen it all. Preparing his equipment for the annual Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open has given him an opportunity to separate fact from fiction when it comes to turf equipment.
Here, Cal gives us his opinion on spin grinding.
Myth #1: Relief grinding causes less wear and tear on your mower than spin grinding.
Fact: “If spin grinding is carried out correctly and cylinders are not allowed to “spark out”, but finished with a fairly heavy grind and then set up with no contact between cylinder and bedknife, then spin grinding for me is the better, quicker and more accurate option.”
A spin grind will give a more accurate grind because it grinds to a circle. All mowers need relief from the drag of contact between reel and bedknife, so why not set the cutting units with no contact and take the brakes off.
Myth #2: Backlapping is easier than grinding.
Fact: “Backlapping removes the angle of ejection from the bedknife and increases contact between cylinder and bedknife. It should only be looked at as a “get you out of jail” measure if there is no other option. At the end of the work period the bedknife should be ground and the desired angles restored.
You have to be sure that backlapping is going to be quicker than grinding before you start because once you have started and then decide that it is an inappropriate course to take, then the unit must be washed before you can grind it - the whole exercise turning into a waste of time.
At Celtic Manor we use all Toro grass maintenance equipment. Most of the units are 21" and only slight adjustments are needed for grinding a fairway unit with the grinder set up to accept a Flex 21.”
Express Dual is so fast to use, there is no need to back lap. Many golf courses find it faster to grind than back lap. Sharpening on Express Dual is more accurate, easier to control, and produces sharper blades. Get rid of the messy practice of lapping!
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