Wheels for Grinder? Gee Whilickers. Which ones?

[Erich Weidner]

I've been spelunking the forum and reading various blogs/articles. I'll admit I'm now pretty confused and don't know what to buy (wheels, I mean. I already bought a Rikon 8" low speed grinder.)

What I think I've learned:

White wheels run hotter
Norton 3x blue wheels run cooler (assuming all else equal to above)
CBN wheels run so cool you don't need to quench
Blue/White "stone" wheels can be crowned with the diamond dresser (TFWW blogs seem to make a strong case for this being superior to a wheel dressed flat across).
CBN lasts virtually forever and won't need wobble correction accessories.
Some people advocate a blue wheel and a CBN combo. (60x Blue, and 120x CBN, so you have something to grind non ferrous metal)
Some people advocate two CBN (better balance I've read).
CBN is less PITA factor (never need to dress, less mess)
CBN can't be dressed to a crown (unless you buy one that way).
CBN is expensive.


I don't care about #10, if they last long enough as stated, not really a factor long term.
I currently plan to use the grinder for cambering blades for jack plane/jointer plane work. Eventually I might wear a chisel to the point it needs a new primary bevel, but that is a ways down the road.
I am 98% certain I want to get into turning at a future date. (I've almost pulled the trigger on a lathe 3 times... but need to free up more space in the garage first).
I don't have any real need to sharpen lawn mower blades or shovels or what-not. I anticipate using this for just wood working/turning tools. (I have a belt sander I can use in a pinch for the odd random garden tool if need be).
I am completely confused as to what to buy. :)

[David Eisenhauer]

IMO, given that you don't need to sharpen garden tools and #10 is not an issue Erich, than I believe that the CBN wheel in the 180# - 220# range would be the preferred wheel due to the factors you described - #3 runs cool, #5 lasts virtually forever, and #8 less PITA. Using the CBN wheel, I believe that you can grind your preferred primary bevel fairly/very close to the tip end of the chisel without overheating the steel (if you don't do anything absolutely stupid), and then it requires only a few (very few) strokes on a hone and polish grade stone to finish that sharpening cycle. I don't believe that it is quite as easy to grind that primary bevel that close to the tip end of a chisel with a conventional stone wheel due to a greater potential of overheating in spite of quenching, but I cannot confirm that and will gladly stand correction on that belief if it is in error. The quickly accomplished few-stokes-on-the-hone-and-polish stone steps each can then be repeated several times before needing to repeat the primary grind work. That should result in quite a time saving factor if you are doing much chisel and plane work. A downside to the CBN wheel may be that it has been pointed out that the dust resulting from grinding on a CBN wheel is hazardous and possibly much more prevalent due to the lack of using any water in the operation. Wheels running through a water bath or something similar will hold the dust down considerably. I also believe that a lightly used CBN wheel could be resold for a decent resale price if it did not suit you after a trial run.

[Derek Cohen]

At this moment in time, my ideal setup would be an 8" half speed grinder with a 180 grit CBN wheel on one side, and a stitch cloth buffing wheel on the other. Use a Tormek BGM-100 blade guide for the CBN wheel. Get the Tormek angle guide to set the grind angle.

Learn to hollow grind, and finish with waterstones. For chisels, learn to buff the edge after honing, adding a nano tertiary bevel (aka Unicorn method). The latter was recently described by David Weaver. I have not yet found a reliable way to do plane blades to the quality level I want, but bench/paring/lathe chisels, along with spokeshave blades and knives are the sharpest I have every had. Perhaps the most durable edge too, but I cannot yet determine this.

On the right is a bench grinder with CBN wheels. On the left (replacing a Tormek) is a new bench grinder with a new stitched buffing mop. The other side will be receiving another mop. Keeping the costs down, this could be done with a single machine.

https://i.postimg.cc/KjMJDxfz/4.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Prashun Patel]

I think a CBN is the best sharpening investment I've made for turning tools. I use my worksharp with diamond lap plates for flat blade rough work, but the CBN is still more efficient when I need it.

Get a quality, wide one (you'll pay for it). A good one will last and be reliable for a long time.

[Kevin Jenness]

I have a 180# CBN wheel from Hurricane Tools and an 80# Norton 3X on one grinder and flat and shaped hard felt buffing wheels on the other. The CBN is the best investment I have made in sharpening bar none.

The only dust coming off a CBN wheel is steel- not that you want to breath it in but you get that plus the grit and binders from conventional wheels.

[Prashun Patel]

Also, I love the "gee whilickers" statement. Takes me back!

[Tim Best]

I have not yet found a reliable way to do plane blades to the quality level I want...

Derek
Will you elaborate on this comment? Are you referring to the "Unicorn" method being unable to produce quality results or hollow grinding of plane irons in general not being able to produce high quality results? Just curious.

Tim

[Derek Cohen]

Derek
Will you elaborate on this comment? Are you referring to the "Unicorn" method being unable to produce quality results or hollow grinding of plane irons in general not being able to produce high quality results? Just curious.

Tim

Tim, I do not have a problem hollow grinding anything, including plane blades. It is the buffing for the Unicorn edge for plane blades that I need to develop a touch to do, and specifically blades with cambers. David has produced another video for plane blades, however he is demonstrating a narrow edge and not planing a wide face.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tim Best]

Derek,

Thanks for the response. I know your are a proponent of hollow grinding. I guess I read too much (or perhaps not enough) in your statement.

Tim

[Erich Weidner]

So sounds like a 180 CBN for one side.
But, crowned, or flat?

The other side? (I'll have to read about this Unicorn method, but I'm understanding that it requires the cloth wheel)
Assuming I'm not chasing unicorns but intend to go from the grinder to stones for sharpening chisels/plane blades... what would be a good choice? Another CBN at different grit?
Just leave the white wheel the Rikon came with in case I ever do decide to sharpen garden tools?

[Lon Crosby]

I hope that DK thought about patenting it. https://www.wired.com/story/why-do-razor-blades-dull-so-quickly/ Same problem - edge breaks.


At this moment in time, my ideal setup would be an 8" half speed grinder with a 180 grit CBN wheel on one side, and a stitch cloth buffing wheel on the other. Use a Tormek BGM-100 blade guide for the CBN wheel. Get the Tormek angle guide to set the grind angle.

Learn to hollow grind, and finish with waterstones. For chisels, learn to buff the edge after honing, adding a nano tertiary bevel (aka Unicorn method). The latter was recently described by David Weaver. I have not yet found a reliable way to do plane blades to the quality level I want, but bench/paring/lathe chisels, along with spokeshave blades and knives are the sharpest I have every had. Perhaps the most durable edge too, but I cannot yet determine this.

On the right is a bench grinder with CBN wheels. On the left (replacing a Tormek) is a new bench grinder with a new stitched buffing mop. The other side will be receiving another mop. Keeping the costs down, this could be done with a single machine.

https://i.postimg.cc/KjMJDxfz/4.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Phil Mueller]

I have a CBN 80 and 180 grit on a ricon low speed grinder. Both are the 1.5” wide square wheels. The 80 is very aggressive and only needed for rehabbing nasty irons or shaping metal stuff. I use the 180 almost exclusively.
With a light touch, quenching is infrequent, but I do it probably more frequently than necessary just for kicks.
You can shop around, but I like to support Woodturners Wonders.
I also got the self-aligning spherical washers to ensure there is no wobble.

This is actually my first grinding set up and can’t imagine a better system.

[Curt Putnam]

I went with the Spartan wheel in 180 grit. Spartan because it was the least expensive (important for a grinding noob) and 180 grit because I do no not expect much in the way of major rehabs. The buffing wheel goes on the other side. Also bought the BGM-100 adapter & workbar. Should all arrive this weekend so I will have more machine setup to do (in triple digit heat) so I can do hand tool work. The irony is escaping me.

[Erich Weidner]

You can shop around, but I like to support Woodturners Wonders.

I'm completely ignorant of what makes one brand/CBN wheel better than another. Which wheel specifically? And is it flat or hollow profiled?


I also got the self-aligning spherical washers to ensure there is no wobble.



So, I thought that the CBN wheels were supposed to be balanced from the factory (unlike the stone wheels)? Do they really need the balancing kit?

[Derek Cohen]

Erich, I doubt there is much difference between the CBN wheels on sale. I would not get the wheels with a rounded edge. I had problems with them not being flat across the face. Get the square edged ones.

Washers are probably needed for just those machines with some runout. My bench grinder did not require anything special. I use cheap washers.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Phil Mueller]

I bought the mega square CBNs from Woodturners Wonders. As Derek said, the washers may not be needed, but I figured for $7 why not. I have no idea if these wheels are any better than any other suppliers wheels, I’ve just had great customer service from Woodturners and wanted to purchase from them.

[Erich Weidner]

Another question. Does one need the guards with a CBN wheel? I see many of them are 1-1/2" wide which would mean the outer side guard plate could not be installed (I have the 1/2 HP low speed Rikon).

[Curt Putnam]

Another question. Does one need the guards with a CBN wheel? I see many of them are 1-1/2" wide which would mean the outer side guard plate could not be installed (I have the 1/2 HP low speed Rikon).
NO Guards are not needed because CBN wheels are made from a solid block of metal rather than compressed particles. They cannot blow up. The abrasive is electroplated onto either steel or aluminum

[Derek Cohen]

Another question. Does one need the guards with a CBN wheel? I see many of them are 1-1/2" wide which would mean the outer side guard plate could not be installed (I have the 1/2 HP low speed Rikon).

Erich, is that a 6” bench grinder. If so, 1/2 hp should be fine. If an 8”, it is only going to be a little low in power if you use two CBN wheels. One at 180 grit is enough anyway. The wheels are heavier than you expect, and it helps the motor to give the wheel a little push to create momentum.

As Curt mentioned, guards are unnecessary. Also, they get in the way if you are using an angle setter, such one from Tormek (which I use).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Phil Mueller]

I have a 8” 1/2 hp Rikon with two CBN wheels. It does take maybe a full 3-5 seconds to come up to speed. But once it does, works just fine.

[Erich Weidner]

Erich, is that a 6” bench grinder. If so, 1/2 hp should be fine. If an 8”, it is only going to be a little low in power if you use two CBN wheels.

I have the 1/2HP. sounds like I'll just start with the 180 and see where that takes me.

So now that the guard isn't needed... 1" or 1.5" wheel width?

Edit: It is an 8" grinder.

[Derek Cohen]

Go for 1 1/2 inches.

With friable wheels, it was always necessary to clean the face, and this also caused them to be uneven. Also, because these wheels created much more heat, they needed a delicate touch and, frankly, more technique to avoid burning an edge. The CBN wheels, while not foolproof, do not require that ultimate level of care. They never need dressing, and the faces are flat. You can push a blade into the wheel and it will grind evenly. Wider is now better.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Phil Mueller]

Another vote for 1 1/2”

[Erich Weidner]

I ordered a 1-1/2" from Woodturners Wonders. While waiting for it to arrive, I built a platform for the Wolverine jig, dressed the 120 grit whitestone and tried using it. Wow, blued the tip of the gouge in short order. (HSS so should be OK). Then burned my finger when I checked for temp too close to the edge (not a bad burn).

Anyway, wowsers lots of white dust produced. I am not a fan. Not at all.
I'm wondering what dust control options one has when grinding? My 1/2HP Rikon doesn't have dust ports. Given that industry uses dust collection for metalwork, I'm guessing I should be able to accomplish the same thing. Is it a matter of just having a dedicated shop vac for grinding? (So no wood dust/chips in the vac?)

I have a Fein I could dedicate, as after adding the Festool vac to my kit it has just been used as a general purpose shop vac.

[Phil Mueller]

Erich, you’re going to love the wheel you ordered. I’m not certain, but I believe you need to be careful of hot metal dust going into a dust collection system. I’ll let others who have experience in this be more specific, but I have had metal dust “glow”, and it would worry me having it go into a collector with wood dust.

[Erich Weidner]

Erich, you’re going to love the wheel you ordered. I’m not certain, but I believe you need to be careful of hot metal dust going into a dust collection system. I’ll let others who have experience in this be more specific, but I have had metal dust “glow”, and it would worry me having it go into a collector with wood dust.


Yeah, I'm not going to try it unless I'm certain it is safe. So far my googling has left me with the idea that "no" it isn't. Which kind of sucks. My other tools are pretty efficient at dust collection. Yet, explosion is something I don't wish to experience. :)

So, does everyone else just live with the grit and dust all over the place from using a grinder?

[Derek Cohen]

Erich, my 8" grinder is used without the guards. It throws dust downwards, and this collects on the worktop under the bench grinder .. only. Also, I only find iron filings, not abrasive wheel dust. It is usually easy to tell if there is metal dust in the air - one has wonderful black boogers to snort out! :eek: This does not occur in my experience, certainly not for the limited grinding I do ..... the interesting thing about a "good" grinding machine and technique is that the blades can need less grinding.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Joel Gelman]

I am working to setup a sharpening area and learn to significantly improve my sharpening skills. Based on some advice here, I purchased 80 and 180 CBN wheels from D-Way.
I also purchased a Tormek BGM-100 and a OneWay extra platform assembly. I am now changing out the wheels and will make a base to bolt on the oneway and Tormek tool supports.

Anyone have a thought as to which took support should be for the 80 vs 180 wheel?

502964

[Keegan Shields]

Joel,

For plane blades and chisels, I use the BGM-100 to rough out a hollow grind on the 80 grit wheel based on Derek’s method of hollow grinding then finishing on water stones.

The 220 builds up significantly more heat when removing a lot of material. I have it mainly for turning tools. Ultimately, I went with Tormek tool jigs and have a BGM-100 for each side. They really are awesome. Even the Tormek tool rest is great.

[Edward Weber]

I have a rare earth magnet mounted under the front of the wheel just to help catch the metal dust particles.

[Tom M King]

Yeah, I'm not going to try it unless I'm certain it is safe. So far my googling has left me with the idea that "no" it isn't. Which kind of sucks. My other tools are pretty efficient at dust collection. Yet, explosion is something I don't wish to experience. :)

So, does everyone else just live with the grit and dust all over the place from using a grinder?

I'm going back to a slow and wet grinder in the old houses I work on because of the mess even with a CBN grinder. I always have my sharpening sink with a long drainboard and backsplash to contain any splashing. I'll keep the dry grinders in the metal shop.

[Reed Gray]

I have had CBN (cubic boron nitride) wheels since before they came out. Foley Bellsaw had a place in town that made some for me with about 3/16 inch of material bonded to an aluminum hub. Not long after another company started making them, and now everyone and their brother has their own CBN wheels. They come spin and bubble balanced from the places that make them. They are specifically made for grinding hardened metal, which would include bench chisels and plane irons, but not lawn mower blades. You may need a set of 'helical' washers for perfectly smooth running wheels. The nuts that come with grinders are not precision items, and a concave/convex set of washers will take care of that issue. The 1/2 hp Rikon is underpowered for my tastes. I have the 1 hp Rikon grinders and a couple of Baldor grinders. I do a lot of turning...... As for how long they last, well, the only thing harder than Boron is diamond. For production work, you can get 5 or more years out of one. For the average home shop, they could last just about forever. If you are only getting one, then get the 180. It will do 90%+ of the sharpening you will ever need. If you get 2, then get a 600 grit. The 320 is not really much of a step up. They do make them to 1000 grit. Several do have an optional 'side grind' feature which is an inch or so of flat surface on the side of the wheel if you want a flat bevel. All of the ones I have are square edge. I tried the round edge wheels, and didn't like them. They were specifically for hollowing bits. Also go for the 1 1/2 inch wide wheels. I have D Way wheels, which are steel. They have been one of the long standing businesses that have the wheels made, and are friends of mine. The outside guard does not need to be on the grinder because there is no risk of the wheel ever blowing up. One problem with them is the metal dust. It actually floats around the shop like wood dust, and is not good to breathe. The rare earth magnets do collect some of the metal dust, but not all of it. Most of the vacuum systems that are designed to work with grinders are priced for commercial shops. I have thought about using one of the air scrubbers to suck most of that dust out of the shop air. There have been a couple of instances of the accumulated dust that sits inside the guard igniting. Not sure what from. Sparks generated are very minimal. They do run cooler than standard grinding wheels, but they can overheat A2 metal to the point where you can lose the tempering. I do pay attention to the temperature of what I am sharpening when touching up my bench chisels and plane irons. I use it mostly for the primary bevel. I will be taking one cheap 12 inch plane and reshaping the iron for a light curved scrub plane. Do let it cool down, or dunk it in water. They have a month or three of 'break in' time. Very aggressive at first, then they kind of smooth out.

They are not made for soft metals like copper, aluminum, brass, or soft steel. What happens is you get some build up of the soft metal on the wheel, and you can hear and feel it bumping/ticking as the wheel spins. It can be removed by using some M2 steel and sharpening your turning scrapers. There are also a couple of very hard aluminum oxide sticks that are sold for cleaning up debris on the wheels. I intentionally loaded up one wheel that was just about shot with the above metals. After about a month of sharpening my turning tools on it, There was no visible traces of the metals left.

Ken Rizza of Woodturnerswonders sells the helical nuts and washers. He also has a product called 'slick stick' which is a wax type of compound in a tube, that is supposed to help keep the wheels clean. I do like the Trend lapping fluid better. I did try his slick stick on the soles of my planes, and like it far better than any wax I have tried. Oh, with the lapping fluid, if you use it, apply it to the bevel of your tool, not directly on the wheel, which will leave you with a racing stripe on your cloths....

robo hippy

[Assaf Oppenheimer]

Hi Erich,

I think I can help, I was where you are a year ago.
I have a 1 wheel CBN setup.

My CBN wheel is heavy - it is a steel wheel. that comes factory balanced. I use it on a 60 pound 1 hp grinder which is heavy enough an powerful enough that I don't need a second wheel just to balance it.
the wheel runs true and quiet.

I did however buy some Steel Spherical Washers, which help with balance. the nature of any bolt threading is that it is not perpendicular to the shaft. even with fine threading you have a bolt that is slightly skewed to the shaft and therefore exerts unequal pressure on the CBN wheel. the spherical washers balance that pressure out. other than that I didn't need any special tools for balance

here are the pictures of my grinder setup and the washers:
503022

503023

[Assaf Oppenheimer]

yeah! I started doing that too!

[Tom M King]

Mine never needed anything but the nut that came on the shaft. I did buy a bronze bushing off ebay just because of a bit of peculiarity of the Metabo grinder. The bushing was nothing special other than the size and length I needed. This is a D-Way 180 wheel. I wish I had not decided on the rounded edge wheel back then.

Eleven years later, it still runs like this. The wheel is a bit tired though. I know a lot have heard this story before, but I kept putting things on top of it, and left it running while I went to the truck to get the camera.

[John C Cox]

I ordered a 1-1/2" from Woodturners Wonders. While waiting for it to arrive, I built a platform for the Wolverine jig, dressed the 120 grit whitestone and tried using it. Wow, blued the tip of the gouge in short order. (HSS so should be OK). Then burned my finger when I checked for temp too close to the edge (not a bad burn).

Anyway, wowsers lots of white dust produced. I am not a fan. Not at all.
I'm wondering what dust control options one has when grinding? My 1/2HP Rikon doesn't have dust ports. Given that industry uses dust collection for metalwork, I'm guessing I should be able to accomplish the same thing. Is it a matter of just having a dedicated shop vac for grinding? (So no wood dust/chips in the vac?)

I have a Fein I could dedicate, as after adding the Festool vac to my kit it has just been used as a general purpose shop vac.

Be careful porting grinders into dust collectors. The sparks can cause fires.

If I absolutely had to, I would use a wet/dry vacuum with some water in the sump. Remember, metal dust is flammable too.

[Mel Fulks]

I like the 60 grit white wheels. The grey super hard wheels are probably just old Flintstones Family car ‘tires’ .

[Joel Gelman]

Just got back from a workshop with Garrett Hack at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. Prior to that, based on info here, I purchased some 8 inch CBN wheels for use with my Delta 1750 rpm grinder. I have yet to use them

At the workshop, Garrett was discussing the virtues of hollow grinding. However, the idea was 5 inch wheels, where you do not need CBN. You just do not grind to where the blade gets warm.

One thing I noticed with the 5 inch they had for me to use on the Baldor grinder, more so with blades not super thick, is with 5 inch, you have to be careful if you want to scoop the middle and have to be very particular on the angle of attack to leave room at the top and bottom. You turn the wheel by hand and see where it scratches before committing. If I had an 8 inch wheel, it would seem a disadvantage to have the larger diameter.

Of course I am referring to hollow grinding in particular. I am not referring to other types of grinding or the sharpening of gouges.

I like the method, and guess I will be switching to that setup as my objective is plane blade and chisels (but not hollow grind for Japanese chisels.

[Derek Cohen]

Just got back from a workshop with Garrett Hack at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. Prior to that, based on info here, I purchased some 8 inch CBN wheels for use with my Delta 1750 rpm grinder. I have yet to use them

At the workshop, Garrett was discussing the virtues of hollow grinding. However, the idea was 5 inch wheels, where you do not need CBN. You just do not grind to where the blade gets warm.

One thing I noticed with the 5 inch they had for me to use on the Baldor grinder, more so with blades not super thick, is with 5 inch, you have to be careful if you want to scoop the middle and have to be very particular on the angle of attack to leave room at the top and bottom. You turn the wheel by hand and see where it scratches before committing. If I had an 8 inch wheel, it would seem a disadvantage to have the larger diameter.

Of course I am referring to hollow grinding in particular. I am not referring to other types of grinding or the sharpening of gouges.

I like the method, and guess I will be switching to that setup as my objective is plane blade and chisels (but not hollow grind for Japanese chisels.

Joe, I suggest that you try an 8" CBN before you buy anything. What you describe here is more effort and more limitations. Incidentally, all blades on all grinders may be set from a scratch pattern. What you were shown by Garrett was the system he has used for donkeys years. There are videos available with him doing so. He does it because it works, and you have come back from his course enthused and suggestible. Everything works but some will still prefer to do it differently.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Joel Gelman]

When I was using the 5 inch wheel, I was able to get what you see on the picture with a thick plane blade. If I wanted to get closer to the edge, I just made another pass, checked, repeat. Never let it get hot. With a thinner blade, not too much wiggle room between back and front and a lot of the hollow would reduce with sharpening-honing. As I was doing that, I was thinking it would seem not as good to have a larger diameter wheel making a less aggressive hollow (concavity) over a larger distance where the length of the bevel edge is limited. I am not sure what you mean by more effort and limitations with a 5 inch wheel. I can be suggestible to what you suggest if it makes sense, but for me, so far, it makes sense to have a smaller diameter wheel for hollow grinding.


506307

[Bruce Mack]

Just got back from a workshop with Garrett Hack at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. Prior to that, based on info here, I purchased some 8 inch CBN wheels for use with my Delta 1750 rpm grinder. I have yet to use them

At the workshop, Garrett was discussing the virtues of hollow grinding. However, the idea was 5 inch wheels, where you do not need CBN. You just do not grind to where the blade gets warm.

One thing I noticed with the 5 inch they had for me to use on the Baldor grinder, more so with blades not super thick, is with 5 inch, you have to be careful if you want to scoop the middle and have to be very particular on the angle of attack to leave room at the top and bottom. You turn the wheel by hand and see where it scratches before committing. If I had an 8 inch wheel, it would seem a disadvantage to have the larger diameter.

Of course I am referring to hollow grinding in particular. I am not referring to other types of grinding or the sharpening of gouges.

I like the method, and guess I will be switching to that setup as my objective is plane blade and chisels (but not hollow grind for Japanese chisels.

I bought an 80 grit crowned 6" CBN wheel from Tools For Working wood. Using a 3600 RPM DeWalt grinder, I get a good hollow and can keep within the lines despite a prominent right hand tremor. No smoke or overheating. If I can do this, anyone can. Like you, I see no advantage to an 8" wheel.

[Derek Cohen]

Joel, I hesitate to make definitive statements since there are too many personal factors that will enter choices and methods. There is no right or wrong. I mentioned my choice at the start, and others have copied it over the years - sharing my perceptions does not mean it is the one-and-only. The one choice for me that stands out is CBN over friable wheels. I will never return to a friable wheel. See post #22 in this thread.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tom M King]

There is no one best way. It all goes towards the same goal. Every type of grinder and wheel has pluses and minuses. I use both a wet grinder, and CBN wheel for woodworking tools for different reasons-mostly about where I use them. I prefer a shallower hollow.

The only thing I use friable wheels on right now is for sharpening mower blades, and a 6" grinder on a pedestal for metal working. Neither of those use the same kind of steels we use for woodworking cutting edges. They don't get used much, and are very old. No wheels have needed to be changed since before I ever saw a CBN wheel in I think 2012.

This one gets used about five times a year.

[Mel Fulks]

I like the white wheels, have forgotten what they are called.

[Tom M King]

I had never seen a 5" bench grinder, so I looked for one. My pedestal 6" grinder is a really old Baldor. I can't find a 5" listed anywhere, and one site even says the Baldor grinders go from 6" to 14".

https://www.baldor.com/brands/baldor-reliance/products/grinders--buffers--lathes/grinders

[Joel Gelman]

On the 5 inch, that is what was mentioned, but maybe just kidding and it was 6 inches. I do recall Baldor, pretty sure 1/3 HP and definitely the slower speed

[Derek Cohen]

Garrett Hack and 6" grinder (at start) ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDq6QGoh4IA&ab_channel=FineWoodworking

[Derek Cohen]

... and 8" grinder ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KljbyeueOtE&ab_channel=DictumGmbH

Regards from Perth

Derek

[steven c newman]

Still using my 6" grinder..with it's OEM wheels, one coarse, and one fine. Since I also need such a grinder for other, non-woodworking tasks....And limited space IN the shop...seems to be the perfect fit for MY shop....YMMV, of coarse...

[Joel Gelman]

On the Garrett Hack Videos 8 inch and 6 inch, the one with the 6 inch was at his shop. The one with the 8 inch was at a different location and perhaps that is what he was given to work with. For me, I will go with 6 inch even though I have 8 inch wheels and an 8 inch Delta grinder. I liked using the 6 inch wheel, and I trust my teacher's advice. I thought the topic would be of interest on this thread.

I came to better the appreciate the value of frequent touch up grinding-sharpening, and so I will make a special effort to setup the grinder and sharpening stones so that things are always ready to go to encourage use.

[John Kananis]

I have a 6, an 8 and a tormek with a 10 inch wheel. All my hand tools are hollow ground on the tormek. I personally don't see a reason for the 6 inch. I sharpen and hone on the steel plates from LV and use Norton waste-based diamond paste. 15 micron and 1/2 micron. I have 45 micron and a very coarse plate just in case but don't use those as much. Off the tormek, it takes about a minute to sharpen, if that.

Why do you need such a large hollow?

[Joel Gelman]

https://www.finewoodworking.com/project-guides/hand-tools/hollow-grinding-tips-and-techniques

I came across this 2021 Fine Woodworking article last night. Not sure if you need to be a logged in subscriber to view. The author specifically mentions he prefers the 6 inch stating the hollow is better with the smaller wheel.

For me, I buy into the advantages of the smaller wheel. I see some are ok with the 3450 RPM but I will go with the slower speed. As for wheels, I see some prefer a friable wheel which will run cooler than certain other wheels, but I think I will go with 80/180 CBN. I see there are options with more flat across the surface vs slight crown, and I will seek the slight crown.

Seeing the setup at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship with 6 inch wheel and water stone sharpening method in use over the full week workshop (they did not use the CBN wheels), I will stick to hollow grinding and water stone sharpening.

Clearly, like with most things, there is not universal agreement, and this seems to be especially the case with sharpening!

[steven c newman]

There IS one very important tool to have....a Wheel Dresser. you can either dress a flat face to the friable wheels, or and a rounder shape IF you want. I tend to keep mine flat...

I also use that grinder for a lot of other, Non-sharpening tasks....

So, IF you buy the grinder and the wheels that come with it.....be sure to pick up the wheel dressing tool, as well.