Norton 3x Grinding Wheels

[Mike Stephens]

I have been looking to buy some new wheels for my grinder and have been considering these.

They come in 2 different hardnesses (I) being for softer metal such as carbon steel and (k) being for high speed steel. The thing is the K only comes in 46g and 80g. Here's my question. Is 80g fine enough for my turning tools and is 46g to coarse for shaping?

What grinding wheels are all you SMCers using?

Thanks,
Mike

[Ron McKinley]

46 and 80 is about the ideal combination for woodturning tools. I have 60 and 100 only because they were on sale at a great price.......Ron

[RL Johnson]

I agree with what Ron said. I bought the 80g and it cuts very well on already profiled tools. And it cuts much faster that the chinese white wheels that came on my Woodcraft grinder. Buy em, try em and you will like em.

[Ryan Baker]

I disagree. I do my sharpening on a 120 grit wheel, and I wouldn't use anything coarser than 100. Otherwise you are removing a lot more material than necessary and leaving a rougher edge. For shaping, 60 to 80 grit is plenty coarse enough.

Check around with other vendors, because different vendors carry the wheels in different grit choices. Last time I looked, Rockler had some very good prices and more choices.

[Gordon Seto]

The best of the best Norton SG wheels also only comes in 46 & 80 grits. They are suitable for turning tools. The Norton 3X "K" wheels at 1/3 the price, is almost as good. IMO, the "J" wheel doesn't hold up as well as the "K".
Hartville is currently running specials on them with bonus diamond dresser.
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/10846
The Norton SG and 3X "K" only comes in these two grits. They run cool and hold up well. You don't have to dress the wheels as often. They are a big step above the OEM wheels from the Woodcraft slow speed grinder.
If you want to save steel significantly, you may want to consider wet grinding. Tormek is 220 & 1000 grits.
Doug Thompson posted in another site that he just purchased 10 Norton 3X K 46 grits from Hartville. He told me he has tried every wheel and time is money for him ( to catch up on the "sold out"); nothing beats the 3X "K". What edge out of the new Thompson Tools package was sharpened with the 46 grits. They are ready to be used without sharpening.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Mike - I use a 120 and a 150 grit wheel on my grinder. I use a very light touch when sharpening and - for me - they work great.

[Jim Becker]

Like Ron, I have 60 and 100 grit Norton 3X wheels. Love 'em. And with the OneWay balancing system, they are even better! Smoooooooothhhh!

[Scott Conners]

What edge out of the new Thompson Tools package was sharpened with the 46 grits. They are ready to be used without sharpening.
Not disparaging Doug, I love his tools, but the edge that came on them I wouldn't let near a turning in the finish stages. It comes jagged and toothed, and if I sharpen on my 60g wheel it comes out that way too.
I find my Thompson tools are particularly sensitive to this, and tend to have the sharp edge break into teeth far easier than my typical HSS tools on rougher wheels. They certainly came shaped ready for use, and plenty sharp for roughing, but not with an edge I'd use on a thin dry bowl. I use a 150g wheel for sharpening and a 60g for shaping, and I find the 150g leaves an acceptable edge, though I think my next wheel will be harder, the 150g basic white norton is just too soft for me.

[Doug Thompson]

[quote=Scott Conners;1058528]Not disparaging Doug, I love his tools, but the edge that came on them I wouldn't let near a turning in the finish stages. It comes jagged and toothed, and if I sharpen on my 60g wheel it comes out that way too. quote]

This is because a diamond never touches a 46 grit wheel I run in production, a star wheel makes the wheel very agressive and it shows in the final grind. A diamond dresser will make it act normal. I will say the Norton 3X "K" grade wheels will last a long time, the 80 grit which every spindle tool hits is almost 3 years old and is still 7 inches in diameter.

A production grind is just that, a basic generic shape that gives you a starting point. The spindle gouges and v shape bowl gouges are good grinds but the U shape is impossible because there is a hundred ways to grind them. I personally think the wings on the bowl gouges should be longer but there are some that don't want wings at all. The truth is once someone else sharpens the tool it no longer has my grind and evolves into another grind. I understand why most manufactures don't sharpen there tools, to look at 500 tools that need to be sharpened is tough to describe... it falls between a sigh and :eek::eek::eek:.

[Steve Trauthwein]

Jim,

It looks as though the 60 grit just comes in the I grade, is this what you use?

Regards, Steve

[Mike Stephens]

Thanks for all the replies. I have been using a 120g wheel that came on my grinder. I find it to be to soft and it glazes over very fast. I have to mention that I grind with a very light hand. So it's not pressure that is causing the wheel to laod so fast.

Doug so you are saying that the Norton K 80g is a good wheel for final sharpening and the K 46g wheel is good for shaping?

One last thing to all you Creekers. Hartville is not the best price on the Norton wheels. Check out this site. http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Grinding-Wheels-C20.aspx Lower price they are in stock and are also free shipping on orders over $100.00.

[ROY DICK]

Not disparaging Doug, I love his tools, but the edge that came on them I wouldn't let near a turning in the finish stages. It comes jagged and toothed, and if I sharpen on my 60g wheel it comes out that way too.
I find my Thompson tools are particularly sensitive to this, and tend to have the sharp edge break into teeth far easier than my typical HSS tools on rougher wheels. They certainly came shaped ready for use, and plenty sharp for roughing, but not with an edge I'd use on a thin dry bowl. I use a 150g wheel for sharpening and a 60g for shaping, and I find the 150g leaves an acceptable edge, though I think my next wheel will be harder, the 150g basic white norton is just too soft for me.
These are the shavings I got from the D.T. 5/8" V gouge right out of the shipping tube.
110722

110723

Very happy with mine.

Roy

[Bernie Weishapl]

I used to use a 100 grit wheel on my Thompson gouges and never had a problem with staying sharp and taking a final cut. Now I use a Tormek.