Calling Robo Hippy

[Jim Howe]

Reed,
Were you able to tryout your Optigrind wheel? Comparison to D-way, or additional thoughts? Your help is appreciated.

[Reed Gray]

Jim,
Sorry not to get back to you, but I have been off at the 32nd Annual Moonin and Noonin Beaver Open Footbag (aka Hacky Sack) Tournament, and I put down the phone, and computer for the whole time. So many old friends to catch up on, but that is another story......

I will have an upcoming article in Woodturning Design, probably 2 or more months. I now have 4 different CBN wheels. My original matrix type, the D Way, the Optigrind, and the Cuttermaster, which advertised in the AAW Magazine. The only real problem with the Optigrind that I can whine about is that it isn't really made to fit our USA standard grinders. It is 1 1/2 inches thick, and has about 3/4 of an inch on the side if you want to side grind. The problem is that the arbor is recessed so that if you want the side grind option facing away from the grinder, you have to put some spacers between the grinder arbor and the wheel because if you mount it straight on, the wheel rim will hit the metal wheel housing on the grinder. On my Baldor grinders, this isn't too much of a problem as it has a long shaft. On my old (10 + years) Woodcraft no name grinder, you will not be able to get a nut onto the shaft to hold it on. You can reverse the wheel so the side grind is towards the motor. Not really much of a problem. I haven't figured out if I would ever used the side grind option. The grit looks to be a bit more finely or maybe closely packed than the D Way tools wheels, but there is no real 'quality' difference that I have found in cutting or performance. They are/were going to do some thing about it, but not sure what, and I do have to get back to them about it.

The Cuttermaster is a fine wheel as well. It is only 1 inch wide and has about 1/4 inch for side grinding. It is made for grinding the bits for CNC machines for metal fabrication. It is the heaviest at over 8 pounds, and may not work for the 'no name' grinders (huge difference in the 3/4 hp motor on it and on my Baldor). It might be a step above the D Way and Optigrind, but probably not enough for most of us to notice. It is only 1 inch wide. If you go to their web site, check out their grinder. DC motor, variable speed, and I seem to remember about $1200.

robo hippy

[Bob Bergstrom]

I would think that we will see more wheels and knock-offs of them as the word gets out on their performance. Just got the 80 grit and I hope it settles down before I grind away my expensive gouges.:D

[Reed Gray]

That is a strange thing about the CBN wheels. You would think that all wheels of the same grit should cut pretty much the same, but they don't. The CBN is a lot more aggressive. I am guessing that is in part because they don't load up. It really only takes 'finish cut' pressure only. Anything more is a waste of steel. I think we all tend to be a bit heavy handed when sharpening.

robo hippy

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Bob,
Save yourself some inches of steel and buy the 180 grit. It is way faster than my 80 grit Norton 3X.
faust

[Bob Bergstrom]

Bob,
Save yourself some inches of steel and buy the 180 grit. It is way faster than my 80 grit Norton 3X.
faust
Faust I bought the 180 a year ago. The 80 is great for making tools by reshaping high speed steel from flea market sources. Worn out planer blades make wonderful small skews. I just turned strange drill bit that was flat on two sides with no flutes into a nice 5/16" x 1/2" scraper. If I were not doing that type of grinding, yes I could get by nicely with just the 180 for sharpening.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Bob,
Sorry, your thread made me think you only had the 80. I should have figured.....
faust

[Jim Howe]

Reed,
Thanks for they reply, I was out of the country and playing catch up at work, so just got to see it. Looking forward to the benefits of the CBN. Thanks for your help.