Buying guide
Buying a used grinding machine: what to check
Published on October 12, 2026
Surface, cylindrical or centreless grinder: accuracy comes down to the wheel spindle, the slideways and smooth movements. The checks to make before buying.
A grinding machine is judged by the accuracy and surface finish it achieves. An old but carefully maintained machine can still be excellent; a recent machine that has been badly treated can disappoint. Focus your visit on these points.
The right type and the right capacities
- Surface grinding: table and magnetic chuck dimensions, travel, height under the wheel.
- Cylindrical grinding: diameter and distance between centres, whether internal grinding is possible.
- Centreless: diameter range, through-feed or plunge grinding.
- Conventional control, automatic cycles or CNC, depending on your batch sizes.
Wheel spindle and balancing
- No noise or vibration when running idle, even heating.
- Presence and condition of the wheel balancing system.
- Dresser (diamond) in good condition and correctly set.
Slideways and movements
The slideways are often hand-scraped: look for scoring and hollow wear, and check the lubrication. The table movement must be smooth, without jerks or noise, and without hydraulic leaks. Jerky feed shows up immediately in the surface finish.
Magnetic chuck and coolant
On a surface grinder, check the flatness of the chuck, the holding force and the demagnetisation of the parts. Coolant filtration (paper filter, magnetic separator) determines the surface finish: check that it is complete and working.
The proof is in the part
Have a test part ground and measure it: flatness or cylindricity, dimensions, roughness. If the machine has in-process gauging, check that it works.