Well, I do have a bunch of videos up on You Tube, mostly geared to turning bowls, but several on sharpening and grinder systems. CBN wheels do cost more, but they are a far better value than standard friable wheels. If nothing else, you can get finer grit wheels which means you waste a lot less tool metal. You get a LOT more for your money. They are also 1 1/2 inches wide, well most of them are. I will never go back to 1 inch wide wheels again. Maybe not important to a hobby turner, but necessary to a production turner. For grinders, the 1 hp Rikon is a good deal for the money. One set of CBN wheels will outlast many sets of standard grinding wheels, and you don't have to clean them, true them up, and they will never break apart. You get a grinder with lots of power, and pretty good quality. There are a number of 'true' 3/4 hp grinders out there as well. The Rikon do go on sale, so watch for it. I don't consider the 1/2 hp Rikon to have enough muscle for heavy duty use, or enough power to run 'properly' and handle the weight of the CBN wheels. You don't need all sorts of jigs for sharpening, as a platform works for every thing, but they take a little more time to learn how to sharpen properly.

robo hippy