Grinding Reels

Yesterday was spent grinding reels to get them ready for the season. The machines that we have at The Nursery are a Foley 388 relief grinder and a Bernhard Express Dual 3000 spin grinder. We do not have a bed knife grinder, so in the winter, we put new knives on the reels. They usually last the whole season, aside from the greens reels, which normally get one regrind, and a new bed knife mid season.

Mid season I keep reels cutting paper without contact by using a Bernhard Rapid Facer 1000, and then backlapping. The rapid facer puts a nice edge on the front face of the bed knife, which does the cutting. Backlapping after then matches the reel to the bed knife. I use 120 grit for greens reels, and 80 grit for tee and fairway reels.

Bernhard Rapid Facer 1000

There is a lot of talk regarding backlapping and how grinding is better. I totally agree with that statement. But we do backlap reels a lot. Why? There is no mechanic, and a small crew here, so I am part of the crew to get things done. For our clientele and the standards at this course, backlapping and the rapid facer work wonders. If done properly, backlapping should not cone your reels.

In the winter months when I have time, I will measure all the reels' diameter with a Pi Tape. I put all the reels on the Foley 388 grinder and remove any cone that may be present. If there is no coning present, I still put a relief angle on all the reels regardless. I believe in using relief and not just spin grinding. I have noticed a huge difference in cut by using the relief, and backlapping also works a lot better with the relief angle. 

Foley 388 relief grinder

Once the reels are done on the Foley, I then put it on the Bernhard Express Dual 3000. This grinder puts on a flat grind to the reels and it also confirms that all the blades are the same length, ensuring a great cut. It is very easy to use once you get the hang of it. 

Bernhard Express Dual 3000

Once the reels are finished on both grinders, here is the finished product. A flat grind with a  relief grind. It is the best combo in my opinion. It is how the OEM ships their new barrels out. 

Plugs Update

On Monday, January 28th, I went out to greens 1, 4, 7, and 8 to take some plugs using the hole saw. The reason I took these plugs was because of ice that formed on them in November due to rain on top of snow. Most of the ice was cleared off in November from those 4 greens, but I wanted to start planning for the spring (seed if needed etc.) It has now been 7 days since I took the plugs. They are looking good! One and a half more months of snow cover.

Checking Greens with Ice

Today I went around to our 4 worst greens (1, 4, 7, 8) that had ice on them in November. We cleared what we could in November, but I wanted to see how they are doing currently.

The snow is pretty deep across the course, with high spots barring off a bit. For the most part, the snow depth is about 8-12 inches. Due to the snow depths, I had to take the tractor to get around the course.

Using the tractor to get around

Upon arriving at 1 green, the whole green was covered with snow which was a good thing to see. I walked out onto the green and cleared away a spot so that I could take a plug out of the green. It was all "fluffy" snow right down to the turf. Always a plus at this time of year.

"Fluffy" Snow down to the turf layer

I used a hole saw attached to the cordless drill, and this worked well. Once the hole was cut, I then used a screw driver and a hammer to pry out the plug, as the ground is frozen solid.

8 green removing a core

Once the core was removed from all 4 greens, I then brought them inside the shop and put them on paper plates by the window. The reason for the paper plates is so that any ice on the plugs will melt and not leak all over the wall. I used some pin flags cut down to write what green each plug was taken from so that I could see the process in the next week or so.