First-Time CBN User

[Steve H Graham]

My CBN wheels arrived today. I ordered them before reading about possible problems with installation, so I wondered if I was going to have to order more stuff. I took the guards off my Chinese Dayton grinder, popped the new wheels in, reinstalled the guards, and fired the grinder up. As far as I can tell, there are no issues at all. The wheels fit in the guards just fine, and although I haven't used a dial indicator yet, they seem to run true.

Hoping for the best.

I believe my old white wheels were 60 and 100-something grit. I went for a 180-grit Mega Square wheel and a 600-grit 4-in-1 wheel from Woodturner's Wonders. I have a Millers Falls plane I bought not long ago, and it needed to have the bevel fixed up. The 180-grit wheel looked scary, so I tried the 600 wheel.

I have never used CBN before. It cuts so fast at 3600 RPM, I'm wondering if 600 is too coarse. It blew through the job in a hurry, re-shaping the whole bevel. The iron never even got warm, so I guess I can forget about blue bevels. I had some glitches because I didn't know what I was doing, but in the end I came out with something ready to be finished on a flat stone.

I ground the iron semi-freehand. I used a rest to establish the angle, but I didn't hold the iron in a fixture. I'm wondering...is this a good idea? The bevel I ended up with looked uniform, and it had a natural camber to it. Maybe 5-10 thousandths per side. If I could continue doing without gadgetry, it would be nice.

These wheels are paradigm-changing. The people who recommend them are right. It's great to focus on the job instead of struggling to develop the skill to use old-fashioned wheels.

[Vincent Tai]

Steve; hurrah, another new CBN user! Hmm, that sounds kinda... Anyways, I haven't tried CBN at 3600RPM but I'm hoping to sometime soon. I think I might be able to see one of those Toycen Tradesman bench grinder in a few days in person. Variable speed, if I get to try it I'll go back and forth between 1800rpm and 3600rpm and report. It sounds like that 600 really works well at that speed. I have been yearning for more speed for more aggressive purposes.

I also just establish angle with rest and grind freehand, with practice you can get just about dead straight bevels for a shooting plane iron. I think I posted about this with a picture in another thread sometime ago. It's fairly intuitive once you have a few grinds under your belt.
394522
happy grinding!

Vince

[David Eisenhauer]

Thanks for a change-of-pace "things worked just as advertised" story Steve. Vincent - To confirm please, what grit CBN wheel was used to create the bevels in your two photos? I want a CBN wheel.

[Steve H Graham]

I think I should get myself a beater plane iron to practice on. I don't want to grind my irons down to nubs just to get the method down.

[Van Huskey]

Note CBN wheels are more aggressive initially than the grit suggests but will quickly break in and plateau aggression-wise. That said I have never run them at 3600 so I don't have a frame of reference.

[Tom M King]

My 180 wheel is on a high speed grinder, because that was the only smooth one I could find, when I was looking several years ago, without going for new Baldor prices. I can grind almost anything without burning, but my helpers can't, so don't think it's foolproof.

[Matt Lau]

On a side note, I'm thinking of getting a CBN wheel too.

I just used my (used) 3600 rpm 6 inch Baldor grinder on Thursday, and love it.
However, the existing wheels are chewed up...and it scares me with how fast it can eat metal.

[Vincent Tai]

Thanks for a change-of-pace "things worked just as advertised" story Steve. Vincent - To confirm please, what grit CBN wheel was used to create the bevels in your two photos? I want a CBN wheel.

David; my memory is hazy but just by looking I'm positive this is off my 180 grit wheel. 180 CBN wheel is fine enough to hone through you normal stones. It is also a decent work horse. I can grind a new bevel on a new 1/4" thick plane iron I've made that has no existing bevel whatsoever in 15-25 min - depends on width, smaller irons are quicker. That being said I really like the finish off a 220. In the future with more bench grinders I think I will get up to 1200 grit and experiment with going from high grit wheels to something like a 3000 grit water stone or the white spyderco etc.

[Derek Cohen]

I've been using an 8" 180 grit CBN for 95% of my grinding for a few years now. I have a 80 grit wheel for heavy grinding, which hardly is needed. Before I turned on to CBN, I used a Tormek, which has a 220 grit wheel. There is not significant difference between the finish of the 220- and 180 grits. I'd just get the 180 as it will be a touch faster and cooler.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[David Eisenhauer]

Thanks for help Vincent and Derek. Seems like 180 grit with a square edge it will be.

[David Silverson]

Has anyone tried the 8 inch cbn wheels that Lee Valley carries on a Tormek? I wonder if they would work at the Tormek' slow speed.

[Derek Cohen]

David, 10" wheels are available for the Tormek. They are also wider. Woodworkers Wonders have two ranges: one is a cheaper version that looks decent, and the other (more expensive) has the addition of side panels for flattening the backs of blades. These are all used without water. I'd get a 180/220 grit.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[David Silverson]

Yes Derek I am aware of Woodturners' wheels, I was just hoping to get them from my local Lee Valley store. Thankyou anyway.

[Derek Cohen]

David, my apology if I told you what you already knew. The fact is that the 8" wheel from LV is 1 1/2" wide. You end up with an undersized wheel that is narrower than (the 2") intended for the Tormek. I include this info for others.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[David Silverson]

Thankyou for that. It is helpful.

[Tom M King]

David, if you already have a Tormek, and are considering a CBN wheel, why not get the diamond wheel for the Tormek. I sold my Tormek some years ago, and went to a CBN wheel, but have come to the point that I won't dry grind in the old houses I work on, so am planning to go back to wet grinding. If you can wet grind, the only reason not to use diamond is because of the cost. CBN wheels are great, compared to friable wheels, but diamonds are still harder than CBN. Diamonds are just not ideal for a lot of dry grinding.

[David Silverson]

Tom I guess it's the cost of the diamond wheel and I buy most product from LV and they don't carry it yet. I was hoping LV would carry the cbn made for the Tormek. Also there has been many high praise reviews for the cbn wheels.

[Tom M King]

Yes, I'll agree that the CBN wheels are great. I've been using one for several years now, and would never go back to any kind of friable wheel. Dry grinding just makes too much mess inside the old houses I work on, so it's quite different than in a shop situation. I set up shop in one of the old houses, and might be there for over two years.