Question about CBN grinder wheels for sharpening lathe tools?

[Keith Heyer]

Can the CBN grinder wheels sold by D-way tools be used on a high speed grinder?

Thanks,

Keith

[David Gilbert]

Keith,

Your question prompted me to call Dave Schweitzer directly to ask your question and one of my own. Yes, D-Way Tools' CBN wheels can be used on a high speed grinder.

My question was, "Can I use the CBN wheels to sharpen plane blades and chisels that aren't HSS?" Dave told me that the wheels will work well for any hardened steel but not to use softer or unhardened steels on it.

I've put my request into Santa and he has rarely failed me. I am really looking forward to Christmas.

Cheers,
David

[Reed Gray]

I have used mine on my bench chisels frequently. I don't press hard, and have no problem with bluing of the steel. These wheels come spin and bubble balanced. No problems with run out to make your grinder want to jump around, unless the shafts are bent. They are considerably heavier than standard wheels, so if you have a smaller, or less powerful motor, your ramp up and ramp down times might be longer. I generally put the heel of my gouge to the wheel to slow it down faster if I want it to stop more quickly.

robo hippy

[Bob Bergstrom]

CBN's work great for sharping plane blades and chisels. The wide flat surface provides a very uniform bevel and the 180 will take hair off you arm. Just no carbide or cold roll steel.

[Keith Heyer]

Will they work on any grinder? I mean if your grinder comes with 1" wheels on it, can it accomodate the 1 1/2" wide wheel?

Keith

[David Walser]

Will they work on any grinder? I mean if your grinder comes with 1" wheels on it, can it accomodate the 1 1/2" wide wheel?

Keith

Yes, but you need to remove the wheel shrouds. Usually, removing the shrouds is a no no. The shrouds are needed in case a grinding wheel comes apart. Since the CBN wheel is made of solid metal with a thin facing of CBN matrix, there's no risk the wheel will fly apart.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

Keith:
Dave offers a lot of information and videos on his website. http://d-waytools.com, or give him a call - he likes to help. Because there's no chance of the wheels blowing out like matrix wheels, and there's no dust blowing around from dressing, many people remove the guards from the grinder. That allows most grinders to accommodate the wider wheels easily. Without the guards, you can use the whole surface, and visibility is much better.

[Aaron Wingert]

You'll wonder how you ever got by without one, once you have one. They're wonderful.

[Reed Gray]

You can leave at least half of the wheel shroud on if you want, that being the inside one. Some times there are threaded nubs on the inside which are for the rests that come standard on these grinders, which of course are nothing but scrap metal. They can interfere with the wider wheel, and can be ground off, or you can use a spacer or two. The stamped washers from the big box stores will work, but if you stack several of them, you can get some run out laterally (sideways) with the wheels till they get up to speed, and then it does vanish or get so small that it doesn't matter. You can get 'sintered' brass washers/shims in different thicknesses, or maybe some 'machined' washers which are fairly expensive, but work better. Mostly you want to get the thread on the end of the shaft to stick out at least 1 revolution past the tightening nut. They fit fine on my no name grinder from Woodcraft. The flanged washers that are standard on most grinders won't work well on these wheels either, as they are made for wheels that are the same thickness (1 inch) for the whole wheel.

robo hippy

[mark ravensdale]

These new (to woodturning but not industry) CBN wheels are the "bee's knee's" I have a 100grit one and love it, it cuts quick, cool and the finish it leaves seems much finer than the finish I used to get with my alu ox wheels (which were 100grit also) the only problem I had was that my Creusen grinder had a 15mm spindle but the CBN wheel had a 32mm bore, now I was going to use some of the plastic bushes that you can get for alu ox wheels but I was advised to order some precision ground aluminium bushes at the same time as ordering the CBN wheel, and I am very glad I did, if you get one and feel the weight of these wheels you will know why it makes sence, they are somewhat heavier than the alu ox wheels you may have been using,
as for my grinders guards, on the CBN side I use none at all, to say theres no danger of one exploding would be silly and pushing my luck, but I think it would be very very very very small indeed!, but on the the other side of the grinder I still use a 40grit alu ox wheel and so still use the full guard the grinder came with (less the stupid brittle plastic screen which was fixed above the wheel window!)
if you are into woodturning on a regular basis and can afford one I would say go for it, you will know what I mean when you have sharpened a few gouges on it, I bet you will say "money well spent" I know I did!!!

Take Care!

[Thom Sturgill]

Now look what you've done! I just dropped $200 on Dave for a new CBN wheel. Should be here Monday.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Now look what you've done! I just dropped $200 on Dave for a new CBN wheel. Should be here Monday.

You'll be thanking us come Tues.

[Reed Gray]

Now Thom, you know better as you have been with the vortex a while. From the song Black Rose (about a woman, but it still applies): "The Devil made me do it the first time, the second time I did it on my own...." You will love it.

robo hippy