Playing With CBN Wheels Yesterday

[Jonathan Spool]

I had the opportunity to visit Dave Schweitzer yesterday. We played with his CBN wheels quite a while. Honestly? I am amazed that it is possible to remove so much steel without developing any serious heat. Only when we really hogged off a huge amount of steel on a big skew did the material become too hot to keep your finger on for long. No blueing ever occured at all, ever. I picked up a couple wheels for my own shop, and will put the dresser away forever!

[John Keeton]

Jonathan, I am hopeful Dave will have these with him at the Symposium in June. It would be nice to see them in person. I would imagine one can get a much cleaner edge, with less waste of metal, too.

[Dan Forman]

Please tell us more! Got a link to your new wheels? How smooth is the finish?

Dan

[Tim Thiebaut]

Yes please more info this is the first I have heard anything about it, CBN wheels, what type are they?

[John Keeton]

Tim, here is the link to the CBN wheels from Dave's site. They are available from other sources, but right off hand, I do not recall where I have seen them.
http://www.d-waytools.com/tools-diamond-grinding-wheels.html

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I believe the most current copy of the turners magazine from AAW has an article about grinding wheels including the CNB wheels. They are quite pricey but supposedly last much longer than diamond wheels that are not really meant for HHS.
faust

[Jonathan Spool]

I am waiting on some 1" to 3/4" bushings, but once I get the two wheels (80grit and 220grit) running, I'll be happy to post some pictures of the finish.

[Bill Neddow]

If you are looking for the ultimate in grinding wheels the CBN are the way to go. They remove metal quickly, it is hard to heat the metal and there are very few sparks. They can also produce a honed finish on a tool edge if you use a fine wheel. And, it only takes seconds to sharpen with them.

I spent a lot of time studying grinding wheels, and one result was the article in the April AAW magazine on the subject.

[Harvey Ghesser]

I use a Baldor 3600 rpm grinder to sharpen my gauges. Would that be an appropriate speed to use the CBN wheels? Anyone?

[Bill Neddow]

Harvey, 3600 is at the upper end of the speed for CBN wheels, but the specs I have seen indicate the wheels will handle it. I would be a lot more comfortable at 1600 rpm. At that speed, the wheels can remove metal quickly if you are not careful. A light touch is required. That would be even more important with increased speed.

[Steve Schlumpf]

First I've really seen of these - thanks for the link John! Very impressive and with a price tag to match! Still, if I can get rid of my ever shrinking wheels, not fight balance issues or have to resurface the face ... then taking into consideration that I have to replace wheels every couple of years.... it is worth thinking about.

Will have to read your article Bill!

[Dan Forman]

I have an 80 grit on the way, will get a 180 when available around the end of the month.

Dan