Joe, I hope you don't get mad but I'm going to offer a little different perspective on what you have stated, -with the exception of your last paragraph which I think is true.
(1) I'm not sure how the grinder squeezed the crankshaft too much but I'm sure you would agree that a Model-A crank can/will sag just under its' own weight. That is why we all use a steady-rest when we are grinding the crankshaft. (BTW, I own a Storm Vulcan 15 grinder) This steadyrest actually picks up from the bottom side of the journal pin and places forward pressure on the pin on the opposite side of the wheel. That alone should have placed the centerline in the correct location for grinding.
If the 'Grinder' was causing mental stress for someone when he was straightening an A crankshaft, then he was doing the process incorrectly.
We will even check/re-straighten a crank after it comes off of the grinder, and from my experiences, this does not affect the finish whatsoever. When an A crank is straightened properly, almost never will you find the flange needing any machine work. If it does, then IMO the machinist missed his set-up on indicating the centerline. If the measurement was greater than the indicated wear, then the crankshaft was not correctly straightened. The flange is just not in a wear area, so it really should not be having a problem.
(2) Most local engine machinists these days are setup for doing performance crank work since that is about the only market that will pay for the service. Performance RA finishes are much superior than the needs of a cast bearing finish. Since most grinders use a method called plunge grinding, there will generally be some post polishing needed. Cork belts are what most shops use now, -which again produces a better finish than what the OE surface finish was some 75+ years ago.
(3) I am not sure where the "egg shaped" is coming from but I typically don't find that as an issue on mains. The main journals surfaces do wear however the rotation forces are constant which generally makes the wear pattern consistent. Even if the journal were worn in an "egg shape" (non-concentric), we/I do not use the journal to indicate centerline on, ...so grinding on the high side first to bring the concentricity of the journal pin back within specs is no big deal. Most cranks that we grind will have an interrupted touch-off & cut for the first thou. or two anyway as this is being done. We even have the ability to grind to less than a tenth of a thou., and can place finger pressure on the steadyrest if I only need to take an additional 0.0001" or so. On a side note, I am probably going to put a DRO on my machine just so I can plunge with repeatability however even then I must contend with minute stone wear and compensate for that. If your machine is tight and you take the extra time to allow the stone to finish sparking, then you can hold very exact tolerances across the entire pin.
The same applies to the rod journals which can be "egg shaped" on the low side however our chucks are calibrated where we can offset them at 2.1250" and fine-tune from there. A machinist that can read a mic can measure at 90° and determine the difference (wear) and then do the math to determine the proper centerline even with an out-of-round worn or tapered journal pin. From there, all four journal pins will be ground on the same offset, and if the machinist missed the exact centerline measurement by say 4¼ thousands, that is a tenth of 1 percent of the overall stroke, ...which will never ever be noticed in a running engine.
I cannot speak to what Herm has experienced but I think where the biggest issues with substandard crank work comes from is, from a lack of budget and worn equipment. It is hard to find a
quality crankshaft grinding machine for under $20k, -and new ones are well over $100k now. Over the years that grit from the stones wreaks havoc on ways and gibs, and bearings too which causes a machine to no longer hold tight tolerances. And, to completely restore a Model-A crankshaft takes near 3 hours to do it properly. It is hard to pay for a machine and the labor to operate it when typical customers only want to pay $150.00 to refurb a crankshaft.
Not sure if any of this answered Russ' question or not, but feel free to ask specifically if I didn't.
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