How do you get the wheel off a tormek?

[David Weaver]

I think this is the right forum, given that the thing is powered.

I have a tormek supergrind 2000, and I have gotten the wheel off once before to put on a different wheel. I remember it being a bear.

Now, I'm trying to do it again, and have the stainless arbor to put in its place, but I can't get the black wheel off the old style arbor, it's rusted fast. Any ideas?

I remember sweating it up like a pig the last time getting the wheel off but I'm getting nowhere with it this time.

I wouldn't otherwise bother with the thing, but I want to unload it, and I don't want to ship it with the wheel on as it's just at the edge of the box I have. I'd rather not deal with CL, either.

[Mike Goetzke]

Maybe try an impact driver?

[David Weaver]

I should clarify, the nut is off, just the wheel is rusted fast to the arbor. So i'm staring at the threaded end but the wheel has such a grip on the arbor it's almost like it's welded to it.

[David Weaver]

Well, disregard that. Tapping the arbor briskly (since it's not connected to the motor, shouldn't be a big deal) caused the black silicone carbide stone to crack in half and literally fall off in two pieces. I guess I'll be selling it with the original stone only. Looking at the stuff that was on the arbor, and that I cleaned off, I don't think I ever would've gotten it off to begin with.

Leaves me with two expensive pieces of silicone carbide rub stone, though!

[Mike Henderson]

You may be able to glue the two pieces together with epoxy. I've done that with water stones and they work fine. Just make sure the pieces are really dry.

Mike

[David Weaver]

I could, but as soon as I get the time, I'll send the thing down the road with the original aluminum oxide stone. I think it makes more sense for most people to use that stone, anyway, because the black stone and the rub stone they provide don't get along that well (I'm guessing the rub stone is some sort of carborundum or silicon carbide). I never did like the black stone quite that much, but once it was on, the memory of getting the gray one off in the first place led me to leave it on.

It'll be a lot easier to ship with one stone, anyway, and maybe I can turn the black stone into a lapping stone of some sort. It broke 60/40. Though maybe your suggestion still helps even if i do that, because it might be more useful as a stone for grinding if it's all one big piece, and I could always glue it to a ply base.

[ray hampton]

after you use a grinding and water to cool the steel tool , will you remove the wheel before the shaft begin to rust ?

[Julian Tracy]

I broke my standard Tormek grey stone into three pieces trying to get it off simply because I was cleaning the machine for resale.

Ended up having to sell it with MY stone from the Tormek I was keeping.

I was able to glue the wheel together but learned a valuable lesson - you must keep the epoxy away from the surface of the wheel - like maybe 3/4" - 1" from the surface. I found that the epoxy is harder than the stone, so everywhere there is the glue joint, you get the "bump". You can alleviate it by grinding down the epoxy before you true up the stone, but after some use, you'll need to do it soon again.

Makes for a just about unusable Tormek.

Luckily, I just bought a decent used stone for much less than a new one so now I'm back in business.

JT

[David Weaver]

Ray, i'm not sure I follow. The tormek wheel soaks in water all the way through. A dry grinding wheel doesn't get water on the arbor.

Tormek has solved the corrosion problem by making a stainless steel arbor vs. a plated one, but I hadn't gotten the stainless steel arbor in this one yet because I hadn't had a reason to take the wheel off.