Grinder wheel selection...help!

[Colin Wollerman]

Hi Guys,
Newbie here,
I am slowly reaching a point of turning some keepers but could use some insight on sharpening.
I just picked up a 6" 3450 RPM DELTA BG from craigs fer $20. Like new.
I know I want (need?) a high quality white Alu. Oxide wheel
Here is the rub...
I am using economy tools and turning on a ShopSmith. I will, however, be working with KOA
Q; Do I need the $30 Norton white wheel? Is this the one place I should spend the money?

Q; What is the ideal combo for a novice?
Example; One gray 80 grit and one white premium 120

Woodcraft suggest one pink med and one white fine

Wheel dressing;
Are the diamond dressers a must?

Any insight would be appreciated, I want to save money but I don't want to waste it either.
Thanks in advance,
Colin

[curtis rosche]

from what i have heard on this site. a diamond dresser is a must since wheels arent perfectly balanced to begin with. it also cleans your wheels after a lot of grinding.
the white wheel should work fine. as for grit that is up to you.
at school we have a 100 grit wheel, just a plain one, nothin specail, and that works fine, here at home my stepdad has a very fine white wheel, 200 grit or something like that. the coarser the grit, the quicker the grinding. the finer the grit the finer the edge and the longer grind time.

what i have gather from other posts, a 120 wheel should be perfect. no one really goes finer, except for a special project that requires it, like one that cant be sanded much because of oily woods. oh yeah and those few crazy people who like to take a shaving razor to their projects before sanding.


oh yeah, andd fyi, koa may be a bit much for a shop smith. you might want to search that same sight that you got the grinder on and look for a mini or midi lathe. they will have less problems, they are more stable, as in less spindle vibration, and the threads would be more common

[Jim Becker]

My preferred wheel combination is 60 grit and 100 grit. I find 120 grit wheels generate too much heat and don't appreciably make an edge sharper than a 100 grit wheel. David Ellsworth turned me on to 100 grit wheels when I took his 3 day course.

My grinder currently has Norton 3X wheels in 60 and 100. These are greenish white in color and very high quality. (I'm also using the OneWay wheel balancing system and that's made a huge difference in both the quality and pleasure of keeping my turning tools sharp) I'd never go back to the typical white/pink wheels. They just don't have the quality of the Norton 3x product, although they are certainly less expensive...up front...not not necessarily in the long run.

[Richard Madison]

Colin,
You do not "need" an expensive grinding wheel at this point. A few of the pro turners actually use an ordinary 80 grit grey wheel at 3450 rpm. There is much diversity of opinion re. types of grinding wheel, size, and rpm. Take good notes, but do not necessarily believe all of it (including this). Obviously some products and combinations thereof are indeed superior to others.

You do need a wheel dressing tool of some kind, as Curtis mentioned. The "T" shaped diamond dresser works fairly well and was only $15 last time I got one.

Suggest that you use what you have for a while. As you gain experience and skill, you will develop an understanding of what you really "need".

If you have unlimited funds, disregard what I just wrote and go buy the best of everything.

[Neal Addy]

I'm with Richard... you don't need an fancy, expensive wheel. Most turners stick with Aluminum Oxide wheels (whatever the color) or better but beyond that don't fret the decision. As far as grit, 60 (or lower) is good for reshaping. Anything from 80 to 120 would be fine for sharpening. Go with what you can find for a good price.

Diamond dressers are a must (IMO) but don't buy anything too expensive. A simple T-dresser will work fine. Woodcraft carries one for $15. I'm sure there are better deals out there.

[Don Carter]

Collin:
I had to do a bunch of homework on the grinding wheels before I purchased the ones that I have. I agree that you don't need the most expensive wheels to sharpen your tools. Don't worry so much about the color but more as to the grits and hardness. Most do use aluminum oxide friable wheels with high speed steel tools. I have some old carbon steel tools and you have to be very careful not to over heat them.
I assume you will have two wheels one more aggressive than the other i.e. 60 and 100 grits. You can shop around on the internet and get some good deals when you figure out what you want.
You have to dress the wheels because they will become uneven or grooved. Dressing is the only way to keep the surface clean and square. It does make a big difference in you sharpening. You can get cheap dressing tools even from Harbor Freight.
Do your homework, get your wheels, watch some videos on the internet on sharpening and turn some wood.
All the best.

Don

[curtis rosche]

for begining turning, you will notice the difference between sharp and dull, but till you turn every day like for a living and have the best of the best, the grinding wheels wont make a very noticable difference. i was once told, that a coarse whell is easier to learn to sharpen on since you can fix a mistake easier, but i dont know for sure

[Colin Wollerman]

Thanks for the input. I like the idea of using what I got to start with and upgrading when needed.
I already have a few gray wheels of various grits. I will be careful not to get my tools too hot.
I dig the wheel balancing system. I had never seen that before. Seems like $$$ well spent.

I already have an old one of these;
101901

Can't I just buy some of these;
101902

Or is this the one;
101904

Sorry for the novice questions but I really want to start off on the right foot.
Thanks,
C

[Richard Madison]

Colin,
I have both of those dressing tools. A few years ago was able to get a new set of the "star wheels". My local hardware store owner had no idea what they were, but we found them in his supplier's catalog.

I use the star wheel dresser on #2 grinder and grey wheel on tool grinder. Use the diamond dresser to clean off the (hard) white wheel on tool grinder. I think the replacement star wheels only cost a few dollars, but that was a few years ago.

You can also build your own sharpening jigs for bowl gouges. Various plans available online. Mine are crude, ugly, and work very well. Had to fiddle with some of the published dimensions.

When getting started, there is a tendency to grind too much. Once you have your sharpening jigs and procedure "together", a couple of very light passes is all that is required to renew the cutting edge.

[RL Johnson]

I just bought the Norton 3X 80 grit wheel. I sure like it a lot better than the white Chinese wheel that came with the grinder. From what I can determine a 46 grit coarse wheel and a 60 or 80 grit fine wheel is what you should have. Hardness of the wheel should be a J or K and if you can find the video put out by AAW a few years ago it is just full of excellent sharpening information. Although you have a 6" grinder (that is where I started), the wheels soon wears down to a small diameter that gives too much of a hollow grind to your tools. That is why I went to a 8" they do not grind as hot and there is much more usable wheel life. Best of luck in your wood turning journey and welcome to the vortex.

[Colin Wollerman]

Thanks All,
You guys are the best!
So many replies I can hardly keep up!

I did some digging and realized (duh) that many of you have answered this same question more than a couple times.

Thank you for your patience and willingness to share. I feel guilty for not doing more research before posting.

It seems the one common opinion is the Oneway system. Time to hit the kid's piggy bank again:D

Aloha,
C

[Gordon Seto]

A star wheel is more aggressive and leave a rougher surface on the wheel than the T handle diamond dresser. It would be more efficient if you are shaping tools. The latter is better for regular sharpening.

How smooth, vibration free your set up runs is more important than what wheels you are using. It is difficult to get a controlled grind if the tool is bouncing in and out on the wheel. Too fine a wheel would heat up your tool easily. The Norton 3X 46 & 80 grits "K" hardness wheels are my favorites. They cut fast, won't heat up the tool (comparative speaking) and hold up well. They are almost as good as the SG wheels that are 3 times the price. The "J" is softer, and needs to be dressed more often.
These are much better wheels than the Norton white wheels:
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/10846
Doug Thompson of Thompson Tools has tried every wheels out there for his production. The Norton 3X K is his choice.

The gray wheel is not friable, metal particle embedded would be polishing the tool instead of cutting it. It would overheat.

[Bob Bergstrom]

I had a interesting conversation with a sales rep from Craft Supply at the Chicago Wood Show. He said most of the turners at Craft Supply prefer a 46 grit wheel. He also said that the Norton 32A was for industrial use and did not have as much ceramic in it as the 3X. The 3X is $10 cheaper. I really appreciated the 46 grit when I ground back the wings on my new 3/4" Sorby Bowl Gouge.

[Bob Noles]

My set up is the WC SS grinder with 3X wheels of 80 and 46 using the Oneway balancing system mounted over the Wolverine. I went all out and have been very happy with my improved results in sharpening.

[Colin Wollerman]

Again,
Thanks all.

I went with a Fine (100 grit) white Premium Alu Oxide from Grainger for sharpening.
Main reason was I get a discount and free shipping through work.

The 3X via Hartford looked good but, being in Hawaii, the free shipping and discount won out.

Will keep the gray course grit for shaping. Until I learn more I don't expect to be reshaping or making my own tools soon.

Will be picking up the $15 T- diamond dresser at the local WoodCraft.

Really want the Oneway balancing kit! Out of $$ for now:(

Scored some free chunks of dry KOA. Plan on doing some small open bowls to start with. Will post when done.

Thanks,
C

[Rusty Smith]

Something that was just pointed out to me this last weekend while taking the Bowl Turning Boot Camp at the local Woodcraft store was to be sure to wear some kind of breathing protection when dressing the grinding wheel. If you think about it for a second you can understand why. If that stuff can cut steel, what would it do to your lungs??