Tom Bussey
01-09-2022, 4:07 PM
Stumpy Nubs recommends a 80 and a 360 grit CBN wheel for general reshaping of wood working tools and 180 and 600 grit for Lathe tools. I have that type of a set up, that has both a 80 and a 360 grit CBN wheels on it, over at my shop, which is about one mile from home. I can not afford to heat my shop so it sets idle for the winter months. I tend to do furniture building and the building work benches over there and more lathe work in the winter here at home in the colder months.
Personally I think he is correct on both recordation's but not enough to warrant the cost of the buying both 80- 360 and 180-600 wheels verses buying only the 180 and 600 grit CBN wheels.
And to be truthful I have had no loading up the CBN wheels with the sharpening of chisels. as some would have everyone to believe. One can buy the slick stick to put on the wheels that is supposed to help but I don't personally think it is necessary.
Some of the advantage of a CBN wheel are, they never go out of balance, never go out of round, always stay the same diameter and since the plates are smooth aluminum you can stop the rotation by using your fingers on the sides of the wheel ( same principal as disc brakes on a car.). You can also grind on the side of a CBN wheel if the wheel has grit on the side, which is a no no if using a stone wheel. And lastly it does not produce much heat
so one can grind right up to the edge. And my disclaimer here is it there is always one that has his head other places than on his shoulders.
Some disadvantages, CBN likes hard steel, But it hates soft steel and anything else that would clog up and ordinary wheel. We use a very fine CBN wheel on a surface grinder to grind carbide at work but I didn't pay for that wheel. My personal experience with free hand grinding carbide is with a diamond wheel and using water to cool the diamond plate and tools. I can also guarantee that diamond wheels hate soft steel probably more so than CBN. Also at the cost of the CBN wheel, I am not going to try to grind carbide to find out.
The one one advantage and disadvantage at the same time is, one does not need to guard the CBN wheel but an ordinary grinding wheel does need to be guarded, so having two bench grinder is another expense to be considered. I prefer the wider CBN wheels which do not fit on grinders that have wheel covers on them.
DO I think that CBN wheels are worth the cost? When it comes down to sharpening ,Yes I do.
Personally I think he is correct on both recordation's but not enough to warrant the cost of the buying both 80- 360 and 180-600 wheels verses buying only the 180 and 600 grit CBN wheels.
And to be truthful I have had no loading up the CBN wheels with the sharpening of chisels. as some would have everyone to believe. One can buy the slick stick to put on the wheels that is supposed to help but I don't personally think it is necessary.
Some of the advantage of a CBN wheel are, they never go out of balance, never go out of round, always stay the same diameter and since the plates are smooth aluminum you can stop the rotation by using your fingers on the sides of the wheel ( same principal as disc brakes on a car.). You can also grind on the side of a CBN wheel if the wheel has grit on the side, which is a no no if using a stone wheel. And lastly it does not produce much heat
so one can grind right up to the edge. And my disclaimer here is it there is always one that has his head other places than on his shoulders.
Some disadvantages, CBN likes hard steel, But it hates soft steel and anything else that would clog up and ordinary wheel. We use a very fine CBN wheel on a surface grinder to grind carbide at work but I didn't pay for that wheel. My personal experience with free hand grinding carbide is with a diamond wheel and using water to cool the diamond plate and tools. I can also guarantee that diamond wheels hate soft steel probably more so than CBN. Also at the cost of the CBN wheel, I am not going to try to grind carbide to find out.
The one one advantage and disadvantage at the same time is, one does not need to guard the CBN wheel but an ordinary grinding wheel does need to be guarded, so having two bench grinder is another expense to be considered. I prefer the wider CBN wheels which do not fit on grinders that have wheel covers on them.
DO I think that CBN wheels are worth the cost? When it comes down to sharpening ,Yes I do.