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Thread: Love my CBN wheels

  1. #16
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Appleton, WI
    Posts
    110
    Quote Originally Posted by Reed Gray View Post
    I find the 180 grit wheel to be fine for about 90% of the turning I do. The finer 600 or 1000 grit does give a cleaner cut with proper tool presentation, which in most cases is a high shear angle being superior to a scrape, but that edge is not necessary most of the time.

    One interesting thing I have noticed with my ancient 180 grit wheel is that it leaves a more polished bevel than my fairly new 600 grit wheel...

    robo hippy
    Thank your for the insights, Reed. I talked to Ken today on the phone, and he said that he recalled you mentioning at some point on this website that you felt that you got the best surface finish with your scrapers using the 600 grit, and that with the 600 the wood "comes off like glass." I couldn't find that, but I have been doing a lot of searching from previous posts on this topic and I've found a lot of your comments to be very useful because as someone with 80 and 350 grits, and now curious about 600 vs. 1000-grits, you've apparently addressed my concerns in the past. For example, in one of your previous posts you said:

    "...for scraper burrs, there is no real difference in burr edges on scrapers for heavy roughing between the 80 or 180 grit wheels, and same for shear cuts on good sound wood, or wood with no or little figuring. The 600 grit, on both gouges and scrapes, well, the 1000 as well, leave edges that are excellent for fine finish cuts and cleaning up things on difficult woods, but not practical for heavy roughing as they just don't keep the edge as long as the coarser grits. I need to swap back and forth between 600 and 1000 a bunch of times to see if there is any significant difference in those edges for cleaner cuts. High shear angle still plays into the formula..."


    Sounds like the 600-grit would certainly make a difference for me, but the difference between 600 and 1000 may be negligible.
    Last edited by Chris Gunsolley; 12-09-2017 at 12:58 PM.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Gunsolley View Post
    ...The basic question I need answered when it comes to CBN wheels and scrapers is: Will a higher grit always give me a better cut/scrape? Or, once the grit is high enough, will the burr be so minimal that the scraper doesn't work well and I'd be better with the next step down in grit? For example, perhaps the 600 leaves enough of a burr that it is still very effective but leaves a (perceptively) perfect surface, yet the 1000-grit isn't very good at taking the wood off because there isn't much of a burr?
    What is "better" cut, faster or smoother? As you noted, the coarser the wheel the coarser the cut from the little sawteeth on the edge. But those sawteeth may cut faster, especially on roughing cuts.

    But I can't really address the size of the burr off the grinder - I don't use it. Using the grinder burr is wide spread but to me it is too fragile, except perhaps in green wood. I've read where people say they go back to the grinder to refresh the burr very frequently. I don't work that way - I remove the grinder burr and use the carbide burnishing rod to burnish a burr. This burr is definately smoother and I think it lasts longer. When it gets dull, I refresh it several times with the burnisher, usually, but not always, after honing both sided of a NRS with the extra fine diamond hone. Eventually, this becomes less effective and I got back to the grinder. These are the tools:

    burnisher_IMG_6767.jpg hones.gif

    The finder the grit, yes the smaller the burr. When I hone edges with the extra fine diamond hone I can feel a tiny (useless) burr. When I grind with the 80 grit CBN I get a large rough burr.

    Note again that I only rarely turn green wood. Almost all my scraper and CBN experience is with dry and mostly hard wood. Dry black locust is different than wet box elder.

    I should also say I have no one-size-fits-all tool and scraper solution. When I try something and it doesn't work the way I want I try something else. That something else may be perfect for that piece of wood but worthless on another. For example, finishing up a bowl from dry hard sugar maple today none of my usual attempts with scrapers under power were effective for cleaning up what I call "micro tearout" on end grain on an undercut rim although they were perfect for the same thing the other day on dry olive wood. I tried several things before I finally cleaned up under the rim with two different kinds of hand scrapers, one I reground especially for the shape. (Shaped with 80 grit, finished with 600.) That, followed by wet sanding (by hand) with 220 and oil finally satisfied me, followed by wet sanding (by hand) to 600. (None of this is speedy but I am getting more patient in my old age.)

    BTW, this is one of my carefully guarded secrets for hand sanding: soft sanding blocks made from white "Magic Rub" erasers, 4 for $1 at the dollar store. I cut them into narrower and smaller pieces and different shapes as needed:

    sanding_soft_block.jpg

    Dang, I let the secret out...

    JKJ

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Spokane, WA
    Posts
    236
    John, I've been using that trick since you told me about it about a year ago. Works great!

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by David Smith View Post
    John, I've been using that trick since you told me about it about a year ago. Works great!
    Great!

    BTW, I haven't forgotten about the tools I can send for your teaching. This was simply one thing after another, way over committed (maybe I should retire from being retired). I'll try to lay them all out on the floor and take a photo and see if there are any you can use.

    JKJ

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Spokane, WA
    Posts
    236
    No hurry really. I donated a couple of my tools to the Vet's Garage, we're getting more veterans in that are wanting to learn how to turn. I'm still learning but I've also been teaching how to use a skew (I'm getting pretty good at it!).

    If you can find a way to retire from being retired please let us all know how!

    I've been following this CBN thread, sold a few of my pieces and my white stones are due for replacements so I'm looking at the wheels from Ken. This has been a very informative thread. Looks like Ken has new Spartan series wheels that are less expensive and now with an aluminum body rather than plastic. The price is attractive but I think I want a wheel wider than 1".

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Erie, PA
    Posts
    564
    I believe that like turning itself there is an art in tool grinding. For a few years now I have been using the Vector Grind Fixture. On my personal grinder (one of the old 105# Deltas) I have two 1 1/2" wide CBN wheels. The first one I bought was a 180 grit from a guy and his daughter who used to come to he AAW Symposiums from I believe Austria where the wheel was said to be made (this is my go to wheel, supposed to be $250 but for some international reason ended up being close to $300 and never did get sorted out). On the other side is an 80 grit Hurricane wheel that they were closing out at a great price. At least 90% of my tools are Thompson Tools, not because he is a friend or because I work in his booth at the AAW Symposiums but because they are fantastic tools reasonably priced and most important to me I can take them out of the handle to sharpen. The Vector Grind Fixture gives you a triple bevel and my starting cutting bevel is about 1/32" and I can usually get 2 or 3 runs through the grinder (180 grit CBN) before I redo the 2nd and 3rd bevel. The grind is so light without the handle with just one pass that like I said I get 2 or 3 sharpenings before the cutting bevel gets to a 1/16" cutting bevel. This edge cuts for a long time and I feel it is optimum for my turning, it works. I have come to the conclusion that I will never wear out these tools in my lifetime due to sharpening.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Abbotsford B.C.
    Posts
    317
    I’m looking at getting my first set of CBN wheels, I’ve read many many posts on these wheels but am at this point rather confused as to what grit/ grits I should get. I’m pretty certain that I don’t need a course 80g and am leaning more towards getting both wheels of the same grit, mostly because on one side I will have the platform jig setup and on the other the varigrind for my gouges.
    If I get two wheels of the same grit what grit would be recommended?
    Then on the other hand if I was to get wheels of two different grits what would then be recommended?
    Also is it a great advantage to get the 1 1/2” wheels over the 1” ones?

    Looking forward to your replies.
    John

  8. #23
    Well, if you have the Wolverine base on both sides, then for sure get a 180 and maybe a 600. The platform can be moved to either side depending on what you are sharpening. Depends on the platform set up you use as well. I like the 2 different grits rather than 2 of the same grit. More versatility.

    robo hippy

  9. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Reed Gray View Post
    Well, if you have the Wolverine base on both sides, then for sure get a 180 and maybe a 600. The platform can be moved to either side depending on what you are sharpening. Depends on the platform set up you use as well. I like the 2 different grits rather than 2 of the same grit. More versatility.

    robo hippy
    This is precisely my setup. Love it.

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