Will a 6" grinder work?

[James Carmichael]

Yeah, I know, 8" and slower speed is preferred, but persuading SWMBO I need to sink another pair of c-notes into a grinder, jig, and turning tools right after Christmas will be a hard sell.

[David Walser]

Yes, a 6" grinder will work.

[Dennis Peacock]

Any grinder will work. It's just that all the jigs and such are geared towards the standard 8" wheel. Besides that, one can very easily drop a couple or more C-Notes on turning tools alone. DAMHIKT!!! :rolleyes: :D

[Jim Becker]

The only downside to a 6" grinder is that the hollow grind will be "deeper". Many 6" grinders also use narrower wheels. And what Dennis said about jigs being primarily designed to work best with the larger wheels.

[Jim Underwood]

It's what I've been using....

[Thor Sorensen]

I use a 6" grinder, because it was free. Will upgrade to an 8" slow speed when I have the funds. So far I have been sharpening free hand and getting pretty good results. If you do not have turning tools yet, I suggest getting one of the off brand sets, like the Pinnacle from Woodcraft, rather than Sorby or another more expensive brand. They are both rated as the same hardness steel, but you get 2 more tools for less $$. That means when you are learning to sharpen you don't worry about grinding it all away. Before I got my tools I was using a friends Sorby and I cannot tell the difference in the steel. Some of the more experienced users may be able to. The handle shape is a little different.

[Jim Ketron]

It will work just fine!
If you get something like the Wolverine set up you will need to add some blocks under the grinder base.;)
I used a 6" grinder for over 2 years probably still would be using it if I didn't catch the Woodcraft 8" grinder on sale.

[James Carmichael]

Thanks for the replies!

Now, how bout wheels? I know the "old grey wheels" have to go. I think my beginners book recommends 60 & 120 white AO.

Yes, I know, that's about 1/2 the cost of the Woodcraft 8", but the 6" Delta grinder was a freebie, new in the box and still unused.

[John Terefenko]

If I were you and like you said you have the box and is brand new. Try taking it back to Lowes and say it was a Christmas present but you do not have the receipt. If anything maybe they will give you store credit if not refund the price. You can always buy something in there. Then get the slow speed grinder 8" from Woodcraft even though it is not on sale it comes with white wheels that are good enough for sharpening. Just a thought.

[John Hart]

I've been using the 6" all along. Put a white wheel on it(120) and still have the 80 on the other side. It's been working fine as far as I can tell. I didn't pay much for the white wheel (maybe $10? Don't remember)

[Jim Becker]

My preference is 80 and 100 grit for wheels...I find that 120 heats too much and with frequent sharpening, you don't really gain much advantage.

[John Hart]

...I find that 120 heats too much and with frequent sharpening, you don't really gain much advantage.

That's very true...I do get some excessive heat from my 120. Forces me to do "light" sharpening. Din't know it was the wheel's fault. Think I'll get me a 100! Thanks Jim.:)

[Jim Becker]

Hartville Tool carries the Norton 3X wheels (greenish/bluish white) and they are fantastic...especially with the OneWay balancing system. My $60 8" grinder runs like a precision machine with those wheels on it. BTW, David Ellsworth is the one who clued me into the 100 grit wheels being preferable over the 120 grit wheels.

[Joe Melton]

I don't understand why 8" is better than 6". If you're riding the bevel, as you are supposed to, isn't a gouge with an edge made on a 6" grinder going to cut more aggressively? It was my impression that some turners prefer 6" wheels for that reason.
And, isn't M2 high-speed steel resistant to the burning that carbon steel gets from high-speed grinders? I thought the grinder speed was irrelevant with high-speed steel tools.
Joe

[James Carmichael]

As usual, you're a wealth of knowledge Jim.

Thanks!

[George Tokarev]

I don't understand why 8" is better than 6". If you're riding the bevel, as you are supposed to, isn't a gouge with an edge made on a 6" grinder going to cut more aggressively? It was my impression that some turners prefer 6" wheels for that reason.
And, isn't M2 high-speed steel resistant to the burning that carbon steel gets from high-speed grinders? I thought the grinder speed was irrelevant with high-speed steel tools.
Joe

The wood has to be of that clever variety which can sense the extra depth in the gap in order to recognize the difference between an 8 and 6" wheel bevel . Of course, gouge 100 doesn't include running the heel of the bevel on the wood anyway. All it does is cause compression when the turner tries to lever around or out of the cut rather than roll around a curve, and then heats those ugly rings into the wood by friction.

Grinder speed means moving more grit in the same time. Same with larger wheels, of course. Potential for faster removal with the same grit. Friction, however, is the cause of heating, and that's a function of pressure http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/friction_equation.htm as it applies here. With most turners concerned with sharpening versus grinding, the lightest of touches is all that's required.

Amazing how we have decided on the contradictory size/speed choices, and, oddly enough, the contradictory doctrine of soft stones to reduce heat while sharpening high-speed steels, isn't it? Power of celebrity has a lot to do with it, I'm sure. Science sure doesn't.

[Richard Madison]

Just for ref., the difference in depth of the "hollow grind" between a 6" wheel and 8" wheel is about .002". Neither the wood nor the gouge can tell the difference.

I do like the slightly wider wheels on the 8" grinder, and I like the slower speed because it gives me slightly longer to stop messing up whatever I'm messing up, before I mess it up any worse. Feel free to substitute your own phrase for "messing up".

[Jim Underwood]

I'm still using the grey wheels that came with the HS 6 in Delta grinder. I checked recently and the "fine" grit is a 60. (I didn't check the coarse grit wheel.) Don't know that I want to go up to 100 grit on this HS grinder, but might opt for the 80 at some point.

Something wrong with using the grey wheels?:confused:

[Jim Becker]

Something wrong with using the grey wheels?
They are harder wheels and tend to "load up" with metal since they are less friable than the white (or blue/pink) AO wheels. Friable refers to particles breaking off to provide a new, clean grinding surface. You "can" use them, but must clean and dress them much more often in order to get bet results. When they are loaded up with metal particles...the cut poorly and generate more heat than cutting.

[George Tokarev]

I do like the slightly wider wheels on the 8" grinder, and I like the slower speed because it gives me slightly longer to stop messing up whatever I'm messing up, before I mess it up any worse. Feel free to substitute your own phrase for "messing up".

Where'd you get wheels wider than 1" for your dry grinder? Most places I look show 1" just like my 6" types. I like the SiC wheels from Woodworkers' Supply. They don't load badly, and they don't make every sharpening sound like a rainstorm as the expensive white sand hits the board below the grinder. I think I got two-three months on one of the soft bond whites from Lee Valley, and over a year on the current green one. They're a pretty good grinding wheel in addition to being good at sharpening.

Have to admit I almost never dress the wheel except with the next tool to be sharpened. Skews see sandpaper.

[George Tokarev]

Just for ref., the difference in depth of the "hollow grind" between a 6" wheel and 8" wheel is about .002". Neither the wood nor the gouge can tell the difference.

I do like the slightly wider wheels on the 8" grinder, and I like the slower speed because it gives me slightly longer to stop messing up whatever I'm messing up, before I mess it up any worse. Feel free to substitute your own phrase for "messing up".

Yeah, I had a "discussion" with other proponents of the grind depth theory, and if memory serves, that's about the difference on a 1/4" wide bevel.

Where are you getting dry grinding wheels wider than 1" for your grinder? Of course, I don't use it much for other tools now, preferring my Makita wet stone setup, but wider wheels would be nice for chisels and plane irons. For the turning tools I'm using SiC wheels that have proven to be both low heating and long-lived. Went through one of those soft bond whites in a couple-three months, and this one's got a couple of years on it. I rarely dress it, which does extend its life. My skews are worked on stones or sandpaper, and gouges can only be tangent at one point anyway.

[Richard Madison]

Sorry about the misunderstanding. I just meant that my 8" wheels are 1" wide, and my 6" wheels are only 3/4" wide.