Best Grinder Wheels?

[Thomas Heck]

Is there much difference between the Norton AOL, Norton 32A, and Norton 3 x. I'm not sure which to order. Or is there another brand that is better. All I have is the regular gray wheels that came with the grinder. Thanks,
Thomas

[John Fabre]

Check D Way Tools.com for CBN & Diamond grinding wheels.

[Prashun Patel]

CBN is the the holy grail and will change the way you look at grinding wheels. However, I appreciate that they're super expensive and not for everyone.

If you're looking at the conventional matrix wheels, then I found Norton 3x to be a great choice. You'll be surprised how quickly a friable AO wears down. The 3x's truly do hold their size and shape many times longer than their white counterparts. This is a huge time saver because it means longer time between truing and resetting your jigs to compensate for wheel shrinkage.

[Justin Stephen]

I just got my CBN a couple of days ago and have only sharpened a few times so far, but I am duly impressed to far. The provided bushing is excellent and the wheel ran absolutely spot on true from the first moment. On the same spindle, I was never able to get all of the wobble out of my Norton 3X. Also, the extra half inch of grinding face compared to a normal wheel is very nice.

[Thomas Heck]

Thanks for the replies. The CBN sound great, but not wanting to spend all that much on just the wheels. A few weeks ago, my wife bought me a 6 in craftsman vs grinder. I was thinking about getting a wolverine system to go with it along with the aluminum oxide wheels. I have saw were most people use 8 in wheels. Would I be wasting my time and money for the 6 in. wheels. I saw psi has a 8 in grinder and a system similar to the wolverine for around $265. If I buy the wolverine, jig, dresser, and a couple wheels, I'll probably be over 200. Just needing some opinions from those who know alot more about it than I do. Thanks,
Thomas

[Bill Bolen]

I sharpened for several years on that same grinder (6") till the wheels were worn away. Did just fine. Once the wheels were worn out I found it just as cheap to move up to the Woodcraft 8" slow speed grinder with included white wheels. Much better for me. The 8" wheel is wider so I don't slide off the wheel which happened too much on the 6" grinder. As a ps you will have to make a work around to get the wolverine working with that grinder. The base is so wide that the wolverine cannot be attached and centered under the wheel.

[Thomas Heck]

Are you meaning with the 6 in grinder I have or the psI. The PSI comes with a sharpening system that looks like the wolverine. Thanks for the info Bill.

[Bill Bolen]

The 6" craftsman VS grinder is the one I was talking about. Look at he base and you can see that it is so wide it extends to the center of the wheel and a bit beyond. The wolverine and I suspect the psi mounting must be centered under the grinding wheel. The wide base won't allow that.

[Bob Bergstrom]

The gray will sharpen high speed steel. Just use the dresser and keep them clean. Burning won't hurt the high speed steel but gray wheels will ruin high carbon steel if it gets too hot. If the grinder were new I would take it back to Sears and buy the 8" that is on sale at Wood Craft. When it comes time to upgrade the wheels 3x is the best bang for the buck. Stay with the harder grade I think it is "k" rather than softer "J" grade. Many buy 80 grit or finer. Put you money in the wolverine and a jig. The wider wheel will help. Just take you time and you'll get the hang of it all.

[Thomas Heck]

I understand now. Thanks for the info.

[Thomas Heck]

Thanks for the info Bob and Bill. I can't see I should have done a little checking before getting the craftsman.

[John Keeton]

Thomas, just for your consideration, your selection of wheels will be much better with an 8" unit, and you will have a somewhat better bevel on your tools. The CBN wheels are available only in 8".

If you are ever up in the flatlands of KY, give me a shout!

[Thomas Heck]

I appreciate all the help. I think I might just buy a 6 in. aluminum oxide for the time being and save my money to get an 8 in grinder and the wolverine system. My wife has a cousin that lives in Richmond. And I have some family in northern ky. We usually just travel along 75 to see our family. Thanks for the invite though. Same here.

[Jamie Donaldson]

OK Thomas, I have to say I've not heard of Pathfork KY, so where are you? My suggestion would also be to save for the Woodcraft 8" and it does go on sale several times a year. The Wolverine system is also a standard that is well worth the investment, just to reclaim the cost of rapidly wearing away expensive HSS tools as much as for facilitating sharpening. I sharpened for many years on a 6" grinder with AO wheels, but it is easier and safer to use the 1" wide wheels when you upgrade.

[Thomas Heck]

Pathfork is in Harlan Co. We live about 35 minutes from the Cumberland Gap Tunnel that leads to Va. and Tenn. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I can get good edges on my round nose scrapers with the grinder I have now, but not the bowl gouges. I might get the 8 in while it is on sale and save for the wolverine. Is there much difference between the woodcraft grinder and the 8 in delta they have. Thanks,
Thomas

[Justin Stephen]

Not sure which Woodcraft sale people are waiting for but their slow speed 8" grinder (with 60 and 120 wheels) is on sale right now for $89.

[Reed Gray]

Things to consider about the CBN wheels: You will never need to balance them. You will never need to true them up. You will never need to clean them. This eliminates some accessories that you will need for conventional wheels. They come with high quality steel bushings instead of the cheap plastic ones. There is zero risk that they will blow up. They will out last any other wheel out there by far more than the cost difference. Adding those savings costs up, they are a much better deal. You can start with one, and I would suggest the 180 grit, which isn't great for shaping, but is great for general sharpening.

robo hippy

[Cheryl A. Prince]

[. You can start with one, and I would suggest the 180 grit, which isn't great for shaping, but is great for general sharpening.

robo hippy[/QUOTE]

Can you buy and use only one CBN wheel on a slow speed grinder? I wanted to get the 180 grit CBN but thought for some reason that it wouldn't run true with my old "white wheel" on the other side.

[John Keeton]

Cheryl, that is my setup. Admittedly, you will still have some vibration from the AO wheel, but mine works fine. I would like to acquire another CBN wheel, but to be honest, there are non-turning related uses that I would prefer to have an AO wheel available.

[Prashun Patel]

Cheryl-I have my CBN on a 6" grinder with a white wheel on the other side. Talk about potential for unbalance. I set it up like that temporarily until I could get a bigger grinder. It works so well, I haven't changed it yet.

[Bill Neddow]

Yes, you can start with only one CBN wheel. You get the benefits of CBN -- but, the system might not be a vibration-free as having two CBN wheels.

You have got a lot of good advice here. I particularly agree with Bob Bergstrom and Reed Grey.

That being said, you can do a decent job of sharpening with a white wheel. The Norton 3X is a great improvement -- and the CBN is even a bigger step up. However, it is more important to have the Wolverine jig.

[Reed Gray]

The only problem with having one CBN wheel, and one standard wheel it the standard one could be unbalanced, and cause a small bit of vibration. Vibration on one side will throw off the other side as well. If you get that type of vibration, then you need to balance and true the standard wheel first, then add the CBN wheel. You will find that when you put the CBN wheel on, you will most likely never use the standard wheel.

robo hippy

[Fred Belknap]

Just curious about JK post. Is there some things that the CBN wheels can't do or don't do as good? Will they sharpen standard steel and carbide?

[Hayes Rutherford]

I think its a myth that you can't use the grey aluminum oxide wheels. Sure you can burn the steel if you push too hard, and they load up quicker than the friable types but with a good quality diamond dresser they are easy to keep in good shape and for the minute amount of contact you make with a tool they work just fine. So why not wear the grey ones out first provided they are in a grit range that is appropriate?

[Reed Gray]

The CBN wheels will sharpen steel just fine, and the D Way ones run a lot cooler than standard wheels. I wouldn't put carbide on the D Way wheels. I did put some carbide (1/4 inch saw teeth on a scraper blade) on my older matrix style CBN wheels, and they did sharpen them, but diamond is better.

robo hippy

[Bob Bergstrom]

I believe I read that CBN wheels should not be used for carbide. It will reduce the life considerably.

[Thom Sturgill]

Thomas, a set of wheels could cost anywhere from $60 - $100 (2 wheels) for AO or Norton 3x. The Woodcraft 8" grinder is currently on sale for $89 and includes two good wheels.

[Richard Jones]

I haven't seen much if anything about the 32A's. I have those on one of my 8" grinders, both 120 grit. After balancing them, they have performed great, and I've had them going on 6 years. I still use the white AO wheels on my other 8" grinder, an 80 and 120. Skews and beading on the 120, misc. stuff on the 80. It also gets used for non-turning stuff................ I would buy them again. I don't know how they compare to the 3X, but for sure they are better than the AO that comes on the grinder. 120 on the 32A just seems finer than the 120 on the AO.................

Rich