Sharpening & CBN Wheel

[kevin nee]

Hello, My fine wheel is worn to about 6 inches. Will the smaller diameter
change the way it sharpens gouges? I use the wolverine jig and don't seem
to be getting the same results. The CBN wheel seems to be the answer,
it is very expensive.
I will be getting some
type of new wheel next week. Maybe even CBN. Thanks, Kevin

[Roger Chandler]

In my opinion, there is simply no better sharpening wheel than the CBN wheels. They are a bit expensive at first, but the safety and the sharpening results are worth every penny! The cost only hurts for a short period when you turn lose of the money, but you get paid back every time you put a gouge to it!

Your grinder will run smoother and you won't have to worry about grinding dust.........Win/win. Heavy shaping of a new grind should still be done on a regular wheel. Most turners get the 180 grit wheel first..........then later the 80 grit if they want a coarse grind.

[Eric Gourieux]

Kevin,

You can't go wrong with the CBN wheels. I agree with Roger. If you search SMC for posts on this topic, you will see post after post stating what Roger did. I have both the 80 and 180 grit CBN wheels and would never go back.

[Reed Gray]

I am in the 'when' not 'if' any turner will end up with CBN wheels. With the more standard wheels, you have to adjust your set up as the wheel wears away, or leave things as they are, and your bevel will get more blunt (so 40 degree might become 50 degree eventually). The CBN wheels beat standard wheels in every way thinkable. Even when it comes to price, they are a better value as you will get way more use from your CBN wheel than you will with any comparable dollar amount from any other wheel. They never change size. They come spin and bubble balanced and you will never need to clean or true them up. They will never blow up. I would guess the biggest decision is which one do you want. First consideration is width. The D Way (what I use) are 1 1/2 inch wide. So is the Optigrind. Both Packard (Woodcut wheel) and Craft Supplies (Raptor which is made by Optigrind) carry wheels that are 1 inch wide. I prefer the wider wheels. Since I have gotten them, I have never gone off the side of the wheel while sharpening gouges. D Way has a radius edged wheel, which puzzles me a bit, but seems popular. There is a side grind option as well. If I wanted that, I would go for the Optigrind or Raptor as their side grind is about 5/8 inch wide. D Way has a 1/4 inch wide side grind. Dave told me that the side grind is most popular with carvers. There is another wheel made in Canada called the Cuttermaster, 1 inch wide, 1/4 side grind. I have used all of the wheels with the exception of the Woodcut one. I could tell no difference in how any of them cut.

robo hippy

[Thom Sturgill]

Look at it this way:

'Standard Wheel' $50.00 (Norton 3x at CSUSA)
OneWay balancing System $72.00 (Amazon.com)
Geiger truing system $88.00 (Geiger Solutions)
==========================
total $210

CBN Wheel with Insert $197.00 (D-Way.com)

The first three used together will give similar results to the CBN on M2 HSS but NOT on V11 (Thompson and others) and the wheel will wear out with the problems listed above - dust, wheel replacement and changing radius affecting the angle of the grind unless constantly adjusted (raptor setup gauges or equal). Until you've used on solution or the other, its hard to believe the difference they make.

[J.D.Redwine]

On ebay listed under wood lathe accessories is an 80 grit 1.5" CBN wheel with a 5/8 arbor for $149.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

I'd be careful with the CBN wheels from Ebay - I understand that the amount of material that is bonded to some of these wheels is substantially less than the wheels sold by the better known vendors like D-Way or CutterMasters. There's not a whole lot of margin in these, so if someone can sell them for substantially less, there's got to be a reason.

If anyone has an opportunity to compare, let us know what you find.