Bench Grinder Use

[Jerry Thompson]

I am going to start grinding plane irons, chisels and such when they need it. The grinder wheel rotates toward the operator. What sort of problem will one encounter if a buffing wheel is used? It seems to me that all sorts of mayhem could occur should the iron catch into the buffing wheel.
I will not be doing this free hand and plan on starting with old blades etc., before going onto the next step.

[Carroll Courtney]

turn the grinder around and have it rotate away from you----Carroll

[Danny Burns]

You MUST have the cutting edge going with the direction of the buffing wheel, and never ever against the direction of rotation, or you will most certainly catch an edge, and then have a sharp deadly projectile flying out of control, with yourself in the nearby vicinity!

Some grinders will allow the shields protecting the wheels to be reversed, so you can use the backside of the grinder to have a favorable rotation.

[Jerry Thompson]

The grinder shields cannot be reversed. Is it OK saftey wise to grind plane irons, etc., with the wheel rotating into the object?

[Mike Cutler]

The grinder shields cannot be reversed. Is it OK saftey wise to grind plane irons, etc., with the wheel rotating into the object?

I hope so, I've been doing it for decades. I don't think I've ever operated a grinder that rotated away from me.
A buffing wheel is either a dense leather wheel, or some type of a synthetic. The compound grit is rubbed into it. It's not a floppy rag.
A grinder should have a rest in front of the wheel, and that rest should very close to the wheel and parallel with the edge of the wheel. The wheel dresser should be right next to the grinder, and not in a drawer. Keep the wheel well dressed, but if you're only grinding an occasional chisel or plane, it will be years before you need it.
You will have about zero use for a coarse wheel. You should have a fine wheel at max.
One of the problems you will run into is that the angle for ginding chisels and plane irons is 22-45 degrees. If the diameter of the wheel is too small, you will have trouble achieving that angle.

One thing to keep in mind is that the leather buffing wheel will yield to the edge presented to it slightly. What it means is that you will have a slightly curved profile on the blade tip, and in fact this is how a farrier's hoof knife is treated on the backside. A hoof knife isn't honed flat, it has a slight curve to achieve lift when paring.

In addition to the installed guards, wear a face shield, and if you find yourself "catching" tools on a grinder your rest is too far away from the wheel, or you're pushing too hard and the temper of the blade has been compromised.

As an aside, if you don't currently have a grinder, and you're primarily interested in sharpeneing chisels and plane irons, consider a work sharp system.
It's much easier than a grinder to control the edge angle.

[Chris Rosenberger]

What sort of problem will one encounter if a buffing wheel is used? It seems to me that all sorts of mayhem could occur should the iron catch into the buffing wheel.
I will not be doing this free hand and plan on starting with old blades etc., before going onto the next step.

Buff the blades with the cutting edge facing down away from the rotation. I buff blades freehand.

[Bill White]

I use a separate buffer for the issue. I always buff "down wheel". I sharpen knives as a side line, and buffing is an option I offer.
Just a motor and a mandril with appropriate wheels/compounds works well.
Bill

[Van Huskey]

I think the best option is just adding a seperate buffer, all you need is the wheels/compound, a spare or cheap CL motor/pulley/belt and a under $30 mandrel. I don't like buffing with shields.

[Don Jarvie]

+1 on Vans suggestion. You should have 1 wheel set up to make the hollow grind and one to joint the edge to get it square. The stone for the hollow grind is usually a courser stone than the jointing one.

I'm learning sharpening at a course now and the steps are flatten the back with the stone (currently fine india), joint the edge, hollow grind and then use the stone to work the burr off. My plane irons have never been sharper.

[Jerry Thompson]

Thanks for all of the advise. I found a site on the Web that has all of the info I need and I will proceed soon.