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grinding wheels

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Norton 3X

The Norton 3X are a good choice for high speed steel tools. You should however eliminate the use of plastic bushings. You can replace them with machined steel bushings to make up the difference of the o.d. of your axle and the i.d. of the wheel. the Norton wheels I use have a 1" hole and the axle diameter on my grinder is 5/8". So I buy a hardened drill bushing that is 5/8" i.d. X 1" o.d. X 1" long.

The next best improvement you can make is to make the wheels truly concentric to the axle of your grinder through the use of a diamond dresser that has a contolled depth of cut. It is very difficult to accomplish with a hand held (t-shaped) dressing tool. They do a good job of deglasing the wheels, but not such a good job of truing the eccentricities of the wheels. Once accomplished, grinder vibration will be significantly reduced and tools will not bounce on the surface of the wheels. This also results in a much smoother bevel.

Do a search on Sawmill Creek for "Wheel Dresser" or "Wheel Truing" and you'll find a lot of discussion on the subject.


Don Geiger
 

john lucas

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I agree with Don. I am currently using white wheels that I purchased from Enco. They are 100 grit and J hardness. I'm changing over to the Norton when these wear out. I've already bought one in 80 grit and haven't decided whether to get another one the same grit or get one higher. I don't really use the finer grits for turning.
 
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re grinding

thanks guys,


I have the wheels that came with my slow speed grinder from woodcraft.they work ok just looking for future purchase.truing tool stinks tho would like to find new one.Bill Grumbine had one i liked but forgot where he said he got it.





thanks again

patrick
 
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Wheel dresser

The original Geiger wheel dresser was designed and brought to market in 1975. Grumbine sells a copy of this early Geiger wheel dresser. It should only be used on tool rests that measure 2" maximum front to back. The reason: it is important that the proximity of the fulcrum point to the wheel needs to be very close. If you are using the Wolverine system the tool rest measures 3" front to back which puts the fulcrum point too far back.

To accomodate for our first version or Grumbine's copy, you would need to cut a 1" deep slot the width of your wheel (plus a little) in your tool rest.

In 2006 I designed and brought to market a second version (photo attached) of the Geiger wheel dresser specifically to work well on the Wolverine 3" tool rest withougt modification. The fulcrum point is very close to the wheel. Another benefit to the larger size is the increased mass (weight: 1 lb. 12 oz.). It is called: Geiger's Wheel Truing and Dressing Solution. I'm not allowed to put a web address link in the forum, but you can find it doing a search.

We still sell the first (shorter version), as well.


Don Geiger
 

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john lucas

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Having used several wheel dressers including my own home made version I can highly recommend the Geiger dresser. It is, I think, the best one on the market and very easy to use. A true running wheel makes a huge difference in how well you can grind.
I used various wheel dressers for years and there is a difference in wheel dressing and wheel trueing. The Dresser helped reduce the bounce of the tool on the wheel and of course cleaned the metal build up out of the wheel. However when I first build a diamond wheel truing jig I was absolutely amazed at how quick my sharpening improved. Both with the sharpening jigs and hand sharpening. When your tool just sits on a true running wheel it is so easy to control the cut.
On top of that, I can't imagine wearing this thing out. It would probably last a lifetime unless you use it every day. Not only is it a lifetime tool but a true running wheel reduces the time it takes to sharpen and extends the life of the tool.
When I first started turning I ground away several bowl gouges over about a 2 year period. Then I build a sharpening system and eventually upgraded to a factory system. Now my tools seem to last forever because I remove so little metal each time I sharpen.
Here is a link to answer your questions about the truing jig.
http://www.geigerssolutions.com/
 
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john lucas

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By the way. Don't use the T shaped wheel cleaning diamond hones to true a wheel. You'll get by with it for a while then BAM, bent diamond hone and chipped wheel. I don't think I have to tell you how I found that out. spend the extra money to get the Oneway or Gieger.
 

Steve Worcester

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I will say that I have both the Geiger and the Oneway truing system. Both depend highly on the Oneway system being in perfect (perpendicular) alignment with the wheels. I use the Geiger because it is faster and easier to use. Score one for easy. They both work well though.

The reason not to use a dressing stone is that it will hop around (perhaps minutely) and will just clean the wheel instead of making it round and taking undulations out. A bit less expensive though and better than nothing.
 
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Diamond wheel problems

I have an 8" diamond wheel that Woodcraft sells. I quickly wore a groove in the center of the wheel and there is no way to dress it. Even if there was there is only a thin layer of diamond. When it's worn through it's done! $140 wasted on a short lived wheel.
 
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Website
www.knotsburls.com
Carbide Grinding Wheels.

I sharpen, but don't shape, on a 120 grit green carbide wheel from Norton on a 3450rpm grinder that gives me a superior edge; superior to my recently sold Tormek system. The key is not to allow too much pressure. I turn full time using 2060s, Thompsons and Oneway gouges. None of my edges have burned/discolored because I use light pressure and I have sharpened some soft, high carbon gouges just to prove a point to myself.

Don Thur
www.knotsburls.com
 
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