Help with Oneway Wheel Balancing System

[Mark Holden]

Hi there,

This is probably really obvious to the rest of the world, but I am a little confused with my Oneway wheel balancing system and was hoping that someone who had some experience with it would be able to offer a little advice.

I've balanced some new wheels according to the instructions, but have gotten a little confused now that I am mounting them back onto the grinder. The grinder is the old (cheap) one that Woodcraft used to sell, in case that matters.

My question is simply which side of the grinder am I supposed to mount each wheel assembly?

I had assumed that the LH flange (wheel balancer) would go on the left side of the grinder (when facing the grinder), with the screw portion of the flange assembly facing outwards. But, as I try to tighten the grinder's wheel nut (CCW) it eventually snugs up (finger-tight) against the flange assembly and any further tightening causes the two halves of the flange assembly to unscrew from one another. When I turn the grinder by hand, this results in the shaft moving, but not the grinding wheel (because it is no longer held securely between the two halves of the flange assembly).

I am now thinking that I must have the wheel mounted on the incorrect side. But, I want to make sure because I also don't want to mount it on the other side and have the wheel nut tighten the assembly so much that it weakens/damages the grinding wheel.

Again, I am sure that this is obvious to the rest of the world, so I apologize for the dumb question and thank you in advance for any advice.

Cheers,
Mark

[Reed Gray]

I think the only matter that is important is which wheel do you want on which side. Some like coarse wheel on the left and finer wheel on the right.

As for tightening, you are correct about not wanting to over tighten them, which can cause the wheel to crack, which is very dangerous. I hold the wheel with one hand, snug the nut up finger tight, then take a wrench and tighten up a tiny bit more. If the other side is spinning off, then you are over tightening. The nuts are threaded differently so they will only go on one side. They thread against the direction of the motor rotation so they will not come loose and fall off when you are running the grinder. Hope this helps a bit.

robo hippy

[Mark Holden]

Thanks for the quick reply Reed! But I think I should clarify the original question...

I am not so concerned about which wheel should should go on which side, nor is it the case that the other wheel on the grinder (on the opposite side) is at all affected or anything.

Rather, the issue seems to be the compatibility of the Oneway threading system and the grinder nut. As you said, the grinder nuts thread against the direction of the motor rotation. That much I understand. What's confusing me is that, if I mount the wheel on the side that I *think* that Oneway is suggesting, then the grinder nut works against the balancing flange that is supplied by Oneway. This flange system is made up of two pieces that thread together, which is fine. But, when I mount the wheel, and put on the grinder nut, the direction of their rotations is opposite. So, tightening the nut loosens the connection between the two oneway pieces. Tightening the oneway pieces loosens the nut.

Anyone have experience with this? It's got be to that I have it on the wrong side, right??

[Bob Hamilton]

Hi, Mark:
I have my wheel with the balancing system on the right side of the grinder and didn't have any problems when installing it. It was quite a while ago and I can't remember noticing anything in the instructions about which side to put the wheel on.

Take care
Bob

[Leo Van Der Loo]

If you rotate the grinder shaft forward, like it does when grinding, the nut should tighten, holding the wheel and rotating the shaft forward it should tighten the nut, if it loosens, you have it on the wrong side, Clear as mud ??

[Mark Holden]

Hi Leo,
Thanks, I do have the nut on the correct side of the grinder. But, as it tightens, it eventually comes into contact with the outer part of the Oneway flange and starts to unscrew it (because the nut tightens if you turn it CCW, and the flange loosens if you turn it that direction).

I've since managed to find a picture online of someone with a similar system, and it seems that I have everything where it should be. Maybe the nut is only supposed to be (barely) finger tight?

[Thom Sturgill]

Looking at the manual, it appears that there are both left-hand and right-hand threaded units. I would think that the threading on the flange MUST match the threading on the nut that holds the assembly on the grinder. In other words, you are putting it on the wrong side! Just my opinion reading the manual as i do not own one of these. CBN wheels do not require them, and there are cheaper alternatives that work well for matrix wheels.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

OK Mark, well try this again, look at the picture, it points to the thread on the balancing set, that thread has to be a RH thread on the RH side, and a LH thread on the LH side , does that clear it up ??

277118

[Mark Holden]

Hi Leo,

Thanks - it turns out I did have it the right way around, but it's good to be certain. And I know that it makes less than no sense for a tightened left wheel nut to end up loosening a left-threaded hub assembly.

I think I have (sort of) figured out the problem, finally! But, I'm still somewhat am unsure of the best solution. My wheels are supposed to be 1" thick, though they are actually ever-so-slightly thinner. So, when I screw the flange and the flange nut, with the wheel in place, the end of the flange's "tube" is just slightly proud of the outside of the hub nut. What seems to be happening is this: when I start to tighten the grinder's wheel nut (which tightens counter-clockwise - same as the hub nut) it doesn't actually engage the hub nut (which I had initially thought); rather, it engages that little portion of the hub sleeve that is slightly proud. And, of course, rotating the hub sleeve counterclockwise has the same effect as turning the hub nut clockwise - it loosens the flange assembly.


I wonder if a large-ish washer between the wheel nut and the hub would make any difference? Alternatively, I wonder if I could get a larger (outside diameter) nut for the grinder?


Again, thank you all so much for all of your help!

[Mark Holden]

OK, I think I finally figured it out (with a lot of help from people here, and even more from Cliff at The Wood Nerd). I think it ultimately boiled down to me not having the flange and nut of the oneway system tightened enough. I had not used a vise (as the instructions had suggested) since I don't own a metal one. So, I had tightened them finger-tight. Finally used a friend's metal vise this evening and sure enough, no problems any more!

It's embarrassing as all get out to admit that the issue was "not following directions", but hopefully I can save someone else some serious frustration!

Thanks again to all!
Mark

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Mark I would use a fiber or plastic washer between the wheel and the flange so that the flange sits even whit the outside of the hub sleeve, then the grinder nut will contact the hub nut.

[Reed Gray]

Like Thom said, with the CBN wheels, you don't need a balancing system, or a dresser.... Most wheels and grinders can be fine tuned without a balancing system, if you know how.

robo hippy

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Like Thom said, with the CBN wheels, you don't need a balancing system, or a dresser.... Most wheels and grinders can be fine tuned without a balancing system, if you know how.

robo hippy

That can very well be true Reed, but why should a weekend turner spend a couple hundred dollars for one wheel, while for $35 dollars he can buy some good grinding wheels and they should last him many years of sharpening his HSS turning tools, I use the grey wheels that came with my 10" grinder and my 8" WWII US navy grinder,see I learned to sharpen HSS drills and metal turning tools with these kind of wheels, as have countless professional people for decades, still works just fine today, IF you know what you are doing ;)