• Beware of Counterfeit Woodturning Tools (click here for details)
  • Johnathan Silwones is starting a new AAW chapter, Southern Alleghenies Woodturners, in Johnstown, PA. (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Paul May for "Checkerboard (ver 3.0)" being selected as Turning of the Week for March 25, 2024 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Carbide grinding wheels.

Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Messages
23
Likes
0
Location
Utterson.Ontario.Canada
Website
www.knotsburls.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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
 
Joined
Apr 29, 2004
Messages
576
Likes
2
Location
Hanover, VA
Website
www.abhats.com
Good news. I'm planning on getting one of them in the next year or so to replace my very old white stone that I do the same thing with. I used to try shaping with the also old 80 grit white stone, but have switched to my belt sander as it does it quicker with next to no heat in comparison.
 
Joined
May 7, 2004
Messages
315
Likes
1
Location
Lincoln Hills, CA (At the foot of the Sierra Nevad
Website
jerryhallstudio.com
Why green silicon carbide?

This is all such a mystery to me.
I found this discussion on different wheels:
http://www.kestrelcreek.com/Articles/Grinding_Wheel.htm

And in it they say this about the carbide wheels:
"Green wheels are normally silicon carbide, and used for grinding brasses, carbides, and other extremely hard materials.....yes, I said brass, and they can also be used for aluminum, but the recommended procedure is wet // coolant grinding when using on alum or brass.. "

So it seems to me from this that green is just a marketing or labeling feature, representing no particular grinding characteristic.

I was surprised that the wheel was used for brass and then with a coolent. Is it possible it works well dry on "extremely hard materials" because it burnishes the edge more than it grinds?

Just asking, and have no basis for an opinion. I sharpen but don't shape also on my 100 grit al ox Norton 3x and it is about due for replacement, so I am interested in this perspective.
 
Last edited:
Joined
May 16, 2005
Messages
3,540
Likes
15
I've been using the SiC wheels for about the last ten years. They followed my brief fling with the white friable types which just disappeared, it seemed, when you looked at them. Highly recommend them for edge, price and wear characteristics.

I don't believe SiC fractures like AlO, so there seems no necessity to recondition the surface because it's getting too fine. Perhaps that's why the material resists loading.
 
Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Messages
23
Likes
0
Location
Utterson.Ontario.Canada
Website
www.knotsburls.com
I agree that the process likely does in fact burnish to a very, very sharp and long-lasting edge. As far as 'green' being a marketing feature, a discussion with Norton customer service would be in order. I'm not in a time position to have that conversation but perhaps someone else could and report their findings on this forum.

Don Thur
www.knotsburls.com
 
Joined
May 16, 2005
Messages
3,540
Likes
15
I agree that the process likely does in fact burnish to a very, very sharp and long-lasting edge. As far as 'green' being a marketing feature, a discussion with Norton customer service would be in order. I'm not in a time position to have that conversation but perhaps someone else could and report their findings on this forum.

Don Thur

My SiC wheels are not Norton, but they are green. http://woodworker.com/blue-ao-wheel-36x-6x34x1-mssu-105-677.asp?search=grinding&searchmode=2

They say made in Israel. SiC is a natural gray, but that color seems to have been taken.
 

john lucas

AAW Forum Expert
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
Messages
8,321
Likes
3,576
Location
Cookeville, TN
I have a green carbide wheel. I have not tried sharpening my turning tools on it. I will do that tomorrow and report back. I have tried sharpening carbide on my other wheels. They barely scratch it.
There definitely could be green wheels that are not designed to cut carbide and might work very well for other steels. I tried to do some research on wheel colors a while back and they do vary between companies so I don't think that you can say, all green wheels are for carbide only, or even will sharpen carbide.
 
Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Messages
23
Likes
0
Location
Utterson.Ontario.Canada
Website
www.knotsburls.com
Carbide wheels.

The green wheels 80 & 120 grit, that I use are from Norton sold under the trade name Gemini. I do not have any experience with any other company so I cannot comment on them. All I know is that mine work for my application when I use very light passes on the stone. I am interested to see how other turners comment on the process. For shaping, I still use the more traditional 80 & 120 grit blue cool wheels.

Don Thur
www.knotsburls.com
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
Messages
5,436
Likes
2,792
Location
Eugene, OR
Dang, I hate these kinds of posts. Sounds like I need to 'experiment' some more. Green carbide grinding wheels, and now, Woodcraft has a diamond grinding wheel that is similar to my CBN grinding wheels with a diamond matrix bonded onto an aluminum core, better than the skim coated wheel they had before.

As said many times before, I do not have a tool buying problem. Well, not really.

robo hippy
 
Joined
Jun 16, 2009
Messages
202
Likes
1
Location
Southern California
Website
www.californiawoodartist.com
I know a woodturner who uses a green (non-diamond) wheel to sharpen a carbide woodturning gouge.

Robo, in my experience, the quality and longevity of diamond embedded saw blades and sharpening stones can vary greatly. The blades from one manufacturer come in different grades and are priced accordingly. The diamond wheels you use, as described in a previous thread, sound like they are of a very high quality.
 

john lucas

AAW Forum Expert
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
Messages
8,321
Likes
3,576
Location
Cookeville, TN
I checked my grinder at the metal lathe. My wheel is a CGW that I got from Woodworkers supply. It is 60 grit. It leaves a nice finish but a large burr on my HSS gouge. In their catalog is says "harder than aluminum oxide for grinding tungsten carbide cutting tools. It says "they also do an exceptional job of grinding HSS, running super cool but, only remove a limited amount a material, reducing the chance of overheating". Don't know about the last statement. It seems to heat up about the same as my white 80 grit wheels that I use every day.
I can say that it doesn't seem to groove as bad as the white wheels. I grind quite a bit on it when custom shaping HSS metal lathe bits. I don't think I'll change to the green wheels but I am definitely going to try the Norton wheels when my white ones wear too much.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Messages
75
Likes
0
Location
Florida
Diamond wheel; my personal experience

Dear Fellow woodturners:

I have the diamond wheel from Woodcraft that has a solid aluminum core and about an 1/8" of bonding filled with diamond dust on the perimeter. I quickly wore a groove in the center of the wheel, to the point that if I use it any more it will break through to the aluminum (I don't want to holding onto my tool and jig when that happens!!!). At $140 I don't think it is worth the money unless you dedicate it to sharpening carbide bits (which I do use for hollowing). Also, it can not be dressed. A diamond wheel isn't necessary for sharpening HSS so why pay the money and watch it fail quickly? I see no advantage to using diamond wheels on HSS tools.

If you require a diamond wheel for carbide, OK, or you could use a green wheel. I also have a green wheel, a bunch of blue ones, white ones, a pink one and gray ones. What can I say; I have four bench grinders and a TORMEK for experimintation and use (and I had a Grizzly TORMEK knock-off until I gave it away).


Don Geiger
www.geigerssolutions.com
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
Messages
5,436
Likes
2,792
Location
Eugene, OR
Don,
I think that is the 'old' wheel and they new and improved it. Not sure though, but I will at least check it out.

I don't have diamond wheels. When in search of the perfect grinding wheel, I was advised by people here in town who make them, as well as Norton that diamond was for carbide, and CBN was for steel. At $300 per 8 inch wheel, a bit steep, but first 80 grit wheel is 4 plus years old, and isn't half worn out, and I turn a lot.

robo hippy
 
Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Messages
23
Likes
0
Location
Utterson.Ontario.Canada
Website
www.knotsburls.com
Cost factor.

As a cost factor, the Gemini green wheel from Norton was $62.52 for an 8" x 1" which is actually less than I paid for the blue AO some time ago. I ordered mine from Fastenal who had it shipped from Norton in California. The green does/will heat if too much pressure is exerted but that's the same for any wheel.

Don Thur
www.knotsburls.com
 
Back
Top