Grinder Wheel Recommendation

[Keegan Shields]

I recently purchased a Wolverine sharpening system and am looking for recommendations for 8” wheels for my Rikon slow speed grinder. I’m open to stone or CBN. What make and grit combo would you recommend for your first two wheels? I’m looking to sharpen turning tools and dress the occasional damaged chisel or plane blade. Thanks for your wisdom!

[John K Jordan]

I recently purchased a Wolverine sharpening system and am looking for recommendations for 8” wheels for my Rikon slow speed grinder. I’m open to stone or CBN. What make and grit combo would you recommend for your first two wheels? I’m looking to sharpen turning tools and dress the occasional damaged chisel or plane blade. Thanks for your wisdom!

Everyone has a different favorite combination. I shape and sharpen turning tools, an occasional chisel.

After buying and trying a number of different grit combinations this works best for me:

60 grit CBN on a 1/2 speed bench grinder
600 grit CBN on a 1/2 speed bench grinder
1200 grit CBN on a Tormek (dry)
Stone wheel on a second Tormek (wet)
Two coarse conventional wheels on a bench grinder
Also a vert coarse conventional wheel and a wire brush on another bench grinder in my little weld shop.

Heavy sharpening of mild, unhardened steel on CBN wheels can cause a problem, thus the conventional grinding wheels.

I've tried 180, 220, 320, and 80 grit CBN and a 600 CBN on a Tormek but eventually settled on the 80/600/1200 described above

JKJ

[Keegan Shields]

Thanks John! This is perfect.

What manufacture would you recommend?

I'm assuming your 1200 grit wheel is the last step when sharpening your turning tools. Is that correct?

[Kyle Iwamoto]

The Rikon stock wheels are pretty good. Better than the grey junk. So I have just a 350 grit CBN which does most of the sharpenings that I can't do on my Tormek that I really love for the traditional bowl gouges. I have a 600 CBN on that. The bottom of the bowl and 40/40 are done on the dry grinder. Can't duplicate those on the Tormek.
Knowing what I know now, I would buy a 600 CBN for the Rikon vice the 350. Had a similar string a few months ago on this.
Of course if you can afford multiple grinders more is the way to go.

[John K Jordan]

Thanks John! This is perfect.
What manufacture would you recommend?
I'm assuming your 1200 grit wheel is the last step when sharpening your turning tools. Is that correct?

I've bought all my CBN wheels from Rizza at Woodturners Wonders.

I use the 1200 grit on the Tormek primarily for my spindle gouges. Sharpening only takes a few seconds, I remove the grinder burr with the contoured leather wheel, then polish the edge a little with the flat and contoured leather wheels. With a polished edge on good wood I can sometimes turn small things with no sanding (if the wood is good!) An example, the ebony finial needed only 600 grit paper while the holly finial is off the tool with no sanding:

collet_finials_larger.jpg

I use the 600 grit for bowl gouges, skews, and scrapers (including negative rake scrapers), and hand scrapers (curved cabinet scrapers). On all tools I remove any burr from the CBN wheel with the leather stropping/honing wheels. For scrapers I then create a cutting burr with a burnishing tool. I polish the cutting edge of skew chisels with some polishing compound smeared on a roughened surface of a piece of MDF which gives an edge so sharp I could shave my cheek. I don't have a photo handy but I wrote this once for someone:

"Between sharpenings, I renew the razor edge on a flat, hard honing/stropping surface. I resawed a piece of MDF into several 1/4" pieces leaving the sides rough from the bandsaw blade. I rub a stick of polishing/honing compound and/or some Tormek honing compound into the MDF. I hold the skew bevel flat against the MDF, raise the handle a very small amount (perhaps less than one degree) and pull the tool across the surface while applying pressure. The edge can be restored to razor sharpness several times, sometimes preceded by dressing the edge with an extra fine diamond hone held flat across the bevel, maintaining contact with both the edge and the heel of the bevel."

I only use the 60 grit wheel when grinding new shapes on tools. This can make quick work when removing a lot of metal. For example, I used it to grind these NRS from square-end scraper stock from Thompson Tools:

_scrapers_IMG_7778.jpg

[Keegan Shields]

Thanks again for taking the time to write this down. Looks like I may need to add a strop to my sharpening collection.

[Reed Gray]

The 1/2 hp Rikon is a very popular grinder, but for me, it is underpowered. I did get the 1 hp version, and it comes up to speed in about 3 seconds with 2 of the heavy steel CBN wheels from D Way. When I shut it off, the wheels spin for a long time before stopping. With the 1/2 hp model, most will give the wheel a spin before turning it on. As for wheels, I suggest a 180 grit CBN, which will suffice for just about anything you need to sharpen. If you want another one, then I suggest the 600 grit. The diamond wheels for the Tormek are nice, but I don't have them yet, but will get one, and maybe 2. I do prefer a finer grit for my skew chisels, but even a 1000 grit wheel will leave a burr that needs to be removed by polishing/honing/stropping. Never forget seeing Eric Loffstrom demoing and he dulled his skew on the lathe bed, then took it to a 60 grit CBN wheel, then stropping it. Shaved the hair on his arm in one pass. Most of the time, the burr is not removed for bowl gouges. The aluminum oxide or blue ceramic wheels from Norton are good, but can't compare to CBN wheels. The CBN wheels are good for 5 or so years for a production turner. They are spin and bubble balanced, so will run true unless your grinder shaft is bent. Ken does have special washers that compensate for the nuts on the grinders which are not machined flat. Helical washers?

robo hippy

[John K Jordan]

Thanks again for taking the time to write this down. Looks like I may need to add a strop to my sharpening collection.

Just to be clear, in addition to the MDF strop for skews I use the flat and contoured wheels on the Tormek, another good reason to have one.

https://www.tormek.com/international...honing-wheels/
https://www.tormek.com/usa/en/access...-honing-wheel/

If not familiar with the Tormek, they turn at a very slow speed, something less than 100 RPM I think.

For some things, like chip carving knives, I use a strop made from pigskin leather glued to a flat board.

JKJ

[Chris Hachet]

I've bought all my CBN wheels from Rizza at Woodturners Wonders.

I use the 1200 grit on the Tormek primarily for my spindle gouges. Sharpening only takes a few seconds, I remove the grinder burr with the contoured leather wheel, then polish the edge a little with the flat and contoured leather wheels. With a polished edge on good wood I can sometimes turn small things with no sanding (if the wood is good!) An example, the ebony finial needed only 600 grit paper while the holly finial is off the tool with no sanding:

collet_finials_larger.jpg

I use the 600 grit for bowl gouges, skews, and scrapers (including negative rake scrapers), and hand scrapers (curved cabinet scrapers). On all tools I remove any burr from the CBN wheel with the leather stropping/honing wheels. For scrapers I then create a cutting burr with a burnishing tool. I polish the cutting edge of skew chisels with some polishing compound smeared on a roughened surface of a piece of MDF which gives an edge so sharp I could shave my cheek. I don't have a photo handy but I wrote this once for someone:

"Between sharpenings, I renew the razor edge on a flat, hard honing/stropping surface. I resawed a piece of MDF into several 1/4" pieces leaving the sides rough from the bandsaw blade. I rub a stick of polishing/honing compound and/or some Tormek honing compound into the MDF. I hold the skew bevel flat against the MDF, raise the handle a very small amount (perhaps less than one degree) and pull the tool across the surface while applying pressure. The edge can be restored to razor sharpness several times, sometimes preceded by dressing the edge with an extra fine diamond hone held flat across the bevel, maintaining contact with both the edge and the heel of the bevel."

I only use the 60 grit wheel when grinding new shapes on tools. This can make quick work when removing a lot of metal. For example, I used it to grind these NRS from square-end scraper stock from Thompson Tools:

_scrapers_IMG_7778.jpg

I have a 220 CBN, buying a 600 next. This is the vote of confidence I need to get the 600.

[Dave Mount]

I have 180 and 600 CBN wheels on the 1 hp 8" Rikon. I bought the 180 first as it was generally recommended and at the time I was choking on the cost. Now that I'm in hindsight mode, I can assure you that unless the cost of a CBN is absolutely prohitibitive, it is so worth it. After being easily sold on CBN by getting the first one, I added the 600 and now use that for all routine sharpening. While still removing metal easily, the 600 is even smoother and you can touch up an edge while removing very little metal, and of course you're getting a more finely ground edge. I hone that with diamond paddles if it's required, but that's only if I think the cut demands it, which is not that often. Now the 180 is mostly used for reshaping tools, but as a dedicated wheel for that, it's finer than is optimal.

So -- huge vote for CBN. But which CBN depends on how many you'll end up with. If the answer is one, the 180 is a good jack of all trades. If the answer is two (and I'd bet it is), I'd follow John Jordan and get one 60 or 80 grit and the other 600. And if you're on the path to two wheels but just starting with one, I'd get the 600 first and use a 60 grit white wheel for reshaping until you get the second CBN.

A secondary but pleasing side benefit of CBN is that your wheels don't change diameter, so your grinder setup jigs don't have to be altered/adjusted over time.

My $0.02,

Dave

[Keegan Shields]

Thanks Dave,

I put a 600 grit CBN wheel on order and plan to use the 60 grit/120 grit stone wheels for reshaping in the near term. I'm sure I will end up buying a second CBN wheel eventually, because - more tools!