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What is the best grit for a grinding wheel

Z

Ziffy

Joined
May 10, 2005
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Location
Watertown, CT
I'm gonna splurge with a little Christmas money I received, and buy myself a decent grinding wheel. I'm confused as to the best grit to get... 60, 80, 0r 120. Any help...?

Thanks in advance, and Happy Holidays

Brian
 
Hey Brian,

If you're sharpening turning tools, I'd tend to suggest a low heat wheel that's 120grit or above. You'll hopefully be using it primarilly to touch up and maintain edges and the higher the grit, the cleaner the edge.

Don't throw out the old heavy grit wheel, though. It's handy for regrindings, shaping scrapers, lawnmower blades, etc.

IMHO,
Dietrich
 
Ziffy said:
I'm gonna splurge with a little Christmas money I received, and buy myself a decent grinding wheel. I'm confused as to the best grit to get... 60, 80, 0r 120. Any help...?

Thanks in advance, and Happy Holidays

Brian
Click to expand...

I use an 80 grit white AO for reshaping and a 120 green for edge restoration while turning. Spoke to an outfit about 3 months ago who claimed that Norton was developing 120, 150 and 200 grit wheels in the new SG $erie$. Not out yet. Carefully dressed, the 120 is just fine for any wood I've yet turned, however the SG wheels are supposed to sharpen the M-4, 2030, and 2060 steels better.

Just be sure to buy a good wheel. I touch nothing other than Norton and 3-M wheels. Before you mount it on your machine, hang it from a loop of string and lightly tap it with a small hammer. It should "ring" in a clear tone. If it doesn't, take it back because it's cracked or otherwise defective.

M
 
I am pretty partial to the Oneway wheels. They work as well as the SGs (IMHO) and are 1/2 the cost. I use them to sharpen and regrind every metal in the shop from cold rolled to exotic powder metals and Tantung G.

If I remember correctly, I have an 80 and a 120 on there right now.
 
interesting how diverse turner's preference will be on this topic --

some will desire 60-80 grit, while others go to the 100-120 grit ...

i find 60-80 grit works well for me -- any finer and the edge doesn't last

also, i enjoy the oneway alum/oxide slow-speed wheels...very pleased with the results and they last much longer than a more friable material.
 
I agree e I have been using 100 grit wheels and they are too fine in my opinion. Not bad for touching up an edge but if you need to reshape an edge it takes way too long. I'm going to keep one of the 100 grit wheels but I'm going to invest in a 60 and try it out. John Jordan swears by 60 grit. I got the 100's because they were on sale at www.travers.com I've heard several pro turners who like the courser grits saying that they hold an edge longer. That's why I want to keep one of the 100 grit wheels , so I can find out for myself.
 
I've just been using whatever grey wheel came on my Delta grinder...

That and some 320 on MDF make a pretty good edge...

Am I missing something? 😀
 
I have 3 wheels set up and use them all. 60, 80, 120 - it depends on what type edge I require for the particular task at hand. If you grind freehand it is no big deal to go from wheel to wheel because there are no jigs to waste time setting up. I even hone tools occasionally.
 
The reason for the two wheels is one for reshaping (dropped on the floor, making a fingernail on a non-fingernail tool) and one for all around sharpening.

The different types of grits, oftem associated with the colors (grey, white, pink, blue, ruby) has a lot to do with how much material gets embedded in the wheel. The more it loads up, the hotter the wheel gets and the less able it is to effectively sharpen. The ruby and blue are abut the most effective, followed by pink, then white and lastly grey. The color also has alot to do with the type of steel it is intended to sharpen (or grind).

One suggestion is to read somne articles on grinding wheels such as this one at Woodcentral
http://www.woodcentral.com/articles/handtools/articles_557.shtml
 
I am a little confused about the comments that 60 - 80 grit wheels give a longer lasting edge...

I was demonstrating a lathe at a woodworking show last year and forgot my fingernail jig. The guys at Craft supplies offered to sharpen my bowl gouge for the day. They used a 60 grit wheel to do this and I returned three times that day for a touch up.

the next morning Jeff..? from Tormek literally took my Sorby and Henry Taylor bowl gouges away from me and returned a little while later with a finish that shined like a mirror. People actually stopped to ask how I got them so highly polished. Of course, I explained how easy it was for me, since I had no involvement in that task.

The point that by now most of you are waiting for, is this:
I used both gouges all day Saturday and Sunday without resharpening.

I was turning Cherry, maple and mahogany, so nothing that was very hard on tools, but I have to say, the Tormek claims held true. :cool2:
 
All I can guess is that, the rougher the edge, the more friction is generated on the cutting surface. Picture pressure on a razor edge vs. pressure on a flat edge. More surface area for the wood to push against on the flat edge so it beats harder against it.

I would think that this would mean your edge dulls slowly at first and then with increasing speed as it degrades. If this is true, then a finer edge will last quite a bit longer due to generating less friction to degrade itself.

Does this sound plausible or completely whacked?

Dietrich
 
Hmmmm...

That seems to make sense to me Dietrich. I'm using a HSS skew made by Pinnacle, and it doesn't seem to hold an edge any longer than my old C.S. skew made by ???. (Well, maybe a little...) I've been using the stock "Fine" grit wheel that came with my Delta Grinder @ 3,450 RPM, and then trying to "hone" it on a piece of 320. I'm sure that this is not optimal...

I'm wondering what I could do to get a bit better edge using my existing grinder?
 
What I really want is a very high grit wheel for my grinder. Something up towards 400 or so would be ideal. You'd have to clean it really frequently but, once you had a nice edge, you could keep it really fine and sharp.

My only problem is a tendancy to try and turn my chuck, resulting in a less than intact edge on the offending gouge. Cleaning this up would be miserable with a 400 wheel.

Dietrich
 
It will take a light tough to keep from overheating on a 400 grit wheel.
Best if it is a slow speed grinder...
I am currently using a 120 grit wheel on a standard speed grinder so I have to be careful not to over heat my tool.
 
Boy! that's a fact Larry. I don't want to spent that much time at the grinder. I've got a 60 and 120 grit wheels on my slow speed grinder and the 120 will be gone when it's done 🙂 .
 
I was at a yard sale a few years ago and picked up some grinding or polishing wheels that are made of some type of hard rubber impregnated with some very fine grit. Used on a gouge it leaves a chrome like polish but the tool gets hot fast. The wheels were shaped to polish the inside of gouges when a bought them.
 
Grinding wheel revisited...

I thank you all for the good advice - it turned out to be a relatively lively discussion... I settled on a 120 grit Pink AO wheel from Woodcraft. It arrived last night, and after putting it on the grinder, I noticed a little low-level vibration that hadn't been there before. In my ignorance, I tried a cheap dressing wheel on it, and managed to destroy the factory edge. However, what this showed beyond a doubt, was the wheel was clearly out of balance. I immediatley called Woodcraft and explained the situation. I was prepared for a little 'show-down' sinced I kinda ruined the wheel while trying to repair it. To their credit, Woodcraft never flinched, and immediately sent a new wheel with insttructions for returning the old one. Hopefully this one will work better...

Brian
 
Owie!!

Should a mentioned that you never want to use a dressing WHEEL on a nice grinder. Those are pretty much designed to dress up rough, grey wheels for heavy grinding. They leave a pretty cruddy surface for anything else. What you need is a diamond dressing tool. This looks like a metal box on the end of a handle and has a diamond face. Costs about $15 and works like a charm. Got em at woodcraft.

Dietrich

P.S. (ain't woodcraft just a great place?)
 
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