6 in with CBN wheel or 8 in rikon

Hi All,

Finally got to purchase a used lathe to practice woodturning. With the lathe I got a 6 in grinder for $10 but now I have to decide how I'll sharpen the turning chisels.

Option 1: Buy a 6 in CBN wheel to use with the grinder (craftsman)
Option 2: Buy a Rikon 1/2 hp grinder at lee valley and use whatever wheels they come with.

I will buy the wolverine grinding attachment to use with whichever sharpening method I go with. My lathe is a cheap beginner one (Delta midi non variable speed) and I have 3 sets of chisels (1 marples and 2 cheapies). I'm going to primarily doing spindle work and hopefully focusing on pens or bottle openers. Right now I'm using birch as blanks as it's cheap but I also want to eventually do some exotic woods.

I'm leaning towards option 1 simply from a cost perspective and if I really get into wood turning I can upgrade in the future at a small loss (I figure I could sell the CBN wheel 50% off so it's low risk).

Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

This is another, "it'd be better if I had a crystal ball", case. In other words, how confident you are that you will be getting into turning and are there other uses you will have for a good grinder.
If minimum expense is your primary goal then option 1.
If you want to get a good grinder setup for turning and whatever else then option 2. If you are getting the Wolverine now then there is a little benefit in setting it up with a permanent grinder - the Rikon.
From what I see, the LV Rikon offering is a 1 HP, 8", low-speed grinder that takes 1" wide wheels. It also comes with Aluminum oxide wheels rather than carborundum which is better for tool sharpening. This is a good grinder for using with CBN wheels because it is 1 HP. Steel CBN wheels are heavy and need good starting torque ideally - not totally necessary because if needed you can give them a little spin by hand when starting. My 1/2HP labors on startup with just 1 CBN wheel so that's what I do just to make life easy for the machine.
If I may say so, there is no need at your stage to jump to CBN. All sharpening is just the removal of metal and anything that does that will sharpen - even the much maligned gray carborundum wheels. A nice wheel, IMO, is the Norton Blue for turning tools - it wears well and runs cool and is a lot cheaper than a CBN wheel.

Or... Buy a 6" ~120 grit AlOx wheel for your 6" grinder if all it has is the gray wheels, and get turning. You can always use it later for your lawn mower blades that you won't want to sharpen on a CBN. With modern steels you really have to work hard to wreck the temper so the old insistence on slow speed grinders for turners is now just tradition rather than necessity.

The Rikon grinders offer a very good value for money in my experience. The wheels they come with aren't great compared to a good Norton wheel, but they will certainly get you going. When you have sharpened enough to think there must be a better way, then upgrade to the 1/2 or 1HP Rikon, and spring for the CBN wheel as you can. Again, when you find yourself tired of dressing the wheels and having to adjust your jigs for changing diameter wheels you will know it's time. Those grinders go on deep sales from time to time. With aluminum body CBN wheels the 1/2 HP is sufficient, with heavier steel wheels you might want to go for the 1 HP (I know of no reason not to choose the aluminum CBN wheels.)

If you're serious about turning you will, in all likelihood, eventually end up with the Rikon/CBN setup. WTW offers a pretty good deal on a Rikon set up with two CBN wheels.

I use two wheels of the same grit (180), one set up with the platform the other with the bowl gouge jig so I don't have to switch my setup in midstream. I rarely want a coarser grit when re-shaping a tool, and don't need a finer wheel, as I hone with a diamond slipstone for a fine edge.

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Originally Posted by Bill Howatt

If I may say so, there is no need at your stage to jump to CBN. All sharpening is just the removal of metal and anything that does that will sharpen - even the much maligned gray carborundum wheels. A nice wheel, IMO, is the Norton Blue for turning tools - it wears well and runs cool and is a lot cheaper than a CBN wheel.

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Your post is well said! I wish I did have a crystal ball but I think I'll be limited in the time I can turn atm as I have a 3 year old at home. Is this the Norton Blue wheel you mentioned? https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...iABEgIOI_D_BwE

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Originally Posted by roger wiegand

Or... Buy a 6" ~120 grit AlOx wheel for your 6" grinder if all it has is the gray wheels, and get turning.
If you're serious about turning you will, in all likelihood, eventually end up with the Rikon/CBN setup. WTW offers a pretty good deal on a Rikon set up with two CBN wheels.

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Hmm, did a quick search on AIOX wheels and couldn't find anything. I did find a A60x wheel.. is this the one you were referring to? https://www.carbideanddiamondtooling..._p_472127.html

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Originally Posted by Luis Reyes

Hmm, did a quick search on AIOX wheels and couldn't find anything.

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AlOx (short for Aluminium Oxide), not AIOx.

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Originally Posted by Luis Reyes

Hmm, did a quick search on AIOX wheels and couldn't find anything. I did find a A60x wheel.. is this the one you were referring to? https://www.carbideanddiamondtooling..._p_472127.html

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Sorry about the cryptic abbreviation-- Aluminum Oxide. The Norton Blue wheel referenced above is certainly a good choice. You'll want a dresser to keep it flat and expose fresh cutting surface; the diamond ones work well and are much cheaper than they used to be.

(WTW is Woodturners Wonders, a small company that makes good CBN wheels, just to translate that one as well)

Roger nailed it.

I would recommend the 8" grinder even though it doesn't come with a CBN wheel, but I would check on the Woodturners Wonders site before ordering from Lee Valley. They have good pricing on grinders and grinder/wheel combinations. The Rikon 1/2 HP grinder with the same wheels (don't know for sure about the wheels) as Lee Valley's seems to be less expensive. I know that WTW allows the customer to build the grinder/wheel/sharpening jig setup to suit their needs. Anyway I'd check the WTW site before buying to determine if you could get what you want for less money or with upgraded wheels for the same or close to the same price as Lee Valley.

The reason for recommending the 8" is that it's a better choice in the long run regardless what you do. Buying a good quality 8" grinder gives you a solid start for the long-term on sharpening rather than the 6" grinder. The wheels aren't quite as important to start, especially if you don't think you'll have much time for actual work; hence less sharpening. If you do end up with aluminum oxide wheels, you will definitely need to dress them regularly to keep them square and flat. It's much easier to upgrade the 8" grinder over time with CBN wheels than to have the 6" wheels and decide you want to move to an 8" grinder. People have used aluminum oxide wheels forever; even lower quality wheels. So you can get along with them until you decide to upgrade.

The 1/2 hp Rikon grinder is popular, and I would guess it is because of the cost. To me, it is seriously underpowered. I have 2 of the 1 hp models. Start up time to full speed is about 3 seconds, which is the same as for the Baldor 3/4 hp grinders. There are plenty of turners who use 6 inch grinders, but they are more of the exception rather than the rule. Most also prefer the slow speed grinders, in part because you grind off less metal that way. As for wheels, the CBN wheels are by far and away the best 'value' for grinding wheels. You get far more for your money. They are spin and bubble balanced when made, so they run true right off the bat. They will never blow up. For a production turner, they can go for 5 or more years. For part time turners, they might last several times that long. If I was to go for the more standard grinding wheels, I would go with the Blue Norton wheels. If you get one CBN wheel, then go for a 180 grit wheel as it will do 90% of the sharpening you will ever need to do. Do try to find the nearest club. You can get mentoring, which is a huge help, and you can also get used equipment.

robo hippy

+1 more for the 8" option.
Then get CBN wheels for that. Well worth it in the long run.
JMHO

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Originally Posted by Luis Reyes

Your post is well said! I wish I did have a crystal ball but I think I'll be limited in the time I can turn atm as I have a 3 year old at home. Is this the Norton Blue wheel you mentioned? https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...iABEgIOI_D_BwE

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Yes, that's the Blue I was referring to. I have a CBN as my main gouge sharpening wheel and I still use the Blue for scrapers and if I'm doing a little shaping rather than just touching up an existing grind.

There are some good recommendations on buying but since you are not in the US, shipping can push the price up a lot but there are other alternatives to LV if you wish to look around.