CBN grinding wheels

[robo hippy]

In 's FAQ post down below, he mentioned having aluminum oxide grinding wheels. I know the Optigrind wheels are being sold down there, and I believe a few of you have some of the D Way wheels. Just wondering what you think of them. I did have one problem with the Optigrind, it does have the side grind area, and it won't fit on our grinders here unless the side grind is facing towards the motor, of if you have one of the fancy Baldor grinders like I do, which has a long motor shaft, you have to use a lot of spacers/washers to push it far enough away from the motor to keep it from rubbing on the motor housing. I also have the Cuttermaster, made in Canada. I consider all to be far superior to the AlO wheels.

robo hippy

[turnerted]

I have been using a D Way CBN wheel for nearly a year now and am very happy with it .I have never cleaned or dressed the wheel and it still grinds like new. I did have to remove the guard on my grinder to get enough clearance .
Ted

[Jim Carroll]

Have been using the Optigrind (http://www.cws.au.com/shop/category/optigrind-cbn-grinding-wheels) now for 12 months now and very pleased with the way it sharpens.

I dont use the side grind all that much and have no problems with clearance on the Cruesen slow speed grinder (http://www.cws.au.com/shop/item/creusen-6-slow-speed-bench-grinder).

Much prefer this than the alox wheels

The best part is setting jigs and not having to readjust for wear and tear on the alox wheels, giving constant angles.

[RETIRED]

A little bit of Deja Vu and pre empting.:D

It is a fortnight short of having the Dways for 12 months and the Optigrind for nearly the same period.

I have 2 D ways, an 80# and a 180# fitted to an 8" high speed grinder and a 6" Optigrind fitted to a 1/4 HP motor that spins at 1440 RPM.

The 8 " grinder is my workshop grinder and the other is the one that I take to various gatherings, turnarounds and demonstrations.

The small one generally gets used more than the big one as I spend a lot of time reshaping and sharpening others tools at these events.

The workshop grinder has been used for not only shaping and resharpening turning tools but general grinding of other stuff as well, something that I never did with the AlOx wheels, they were reserved strictly for turning tools and it was instant death to anyone that used them for anything else.:wink:

The reason that I have not reported on their use until now is that they needed to last 12 months to be a viable economic proposition for us.

They have lasted the distance and are still performing as good as the day we got them and look like doing it for another 12 months. I will let you know.:D

The main advantages of the CBN wheels are :
1:They don't reduce in diameter in use so jigs can be indexed or locked in position.
2: They never need cleaning no matter what you grind on them.
3: They are balanced and run dead true. Our 8" grinder runs for 7-9 minutes after being turned off. This is very handy for run-stop sharpening of small or thin tools.
4: They do not need dressing as they always remain flat.
5: Very few sparks off HSS which can be a problem if you freehand sharpen as you have no inkling of how close to the edge you are. A jig is very handy in this case.
6: You can shape and sharpen with the same wheel.
7: The tools seem to be cooler when sharpening.
8: Very little chance of getting a cracked one.

Am I happy with the CBN wheels? You betcha.

I would recommend them to anyone and in particular to a new turner who is starting out. You would probably never have to buy another wheel. The grinder may wear out before the wheel does.:D

[rsser]

Sounds like the goods.

Re #5, for me with HSS, the moment sparks come across the tip I know I've finished at that point.

[ian thorn]

Well put I have one they are not cheap here $85 but well worth it for hard steel and they leave a good ready to ues edge

Ian

[robo hippy]

We can add to the list that there is no chance of the grinding wheel ever coming apart and blowing up. Huge safety factor. I have found that my wheels will load up with sludge from my sloppy wet wood I turn, and from the residue on my tools from the wet wood. I just take it to the sink and use some Ajax or other type abrasive cleaner and a plastic scrub brush. Clean as new. This is another interesting wheel and grinder from Canada.Tradesman Twin DC Bench-Top Tool Grinder - Cuttermaster End Mill Sharpener | Drill Sharpener (http://www.cuttermasters.us/portfolio/toycen-tradesman-dc-bench-grinder-tool-grinding-system/)

robo hippy

[dai sensei]

Well put I have one they are not cheap here $85 but well worth it for hard steel and they leave a good ready to ues edge

Ian

Not cheap?? That's a lot cheaper than I've ever seen, where did you get yours?

[ian thorn]

Hi Dai its a Rolly Munroe sold by Bill Owen in Oamaru NZ

[brendan stemp]

You would probably never have to buy another wheel. The grinder may wear out before the wheel does.:D

, I agree with everything you have said except this point. Not that I disagree but do we know how long they last? I would assume that the CBN wheels are fairly new to Aussie woodturning and they haven't been around long enough for us to know. I have an 8" that I bought off Carroll's and have noticed it is smoother now than when I bought it, which suggests wear.

The other thing I don't like is the weight it adds to the grinder which results in the wheels taking 15 sec to wind up to full speed. Small point but I find myself heading towards my 6" grinder instead because of this factor.

[Jim Carroll]

, I agree with everything you have said except this point. Not that I disagree but do we know how long they last? I would assume that the CBN wheels are fairly new to Aussie woodturning and they haven't been around long enough for us to know. I have an 8" that I bought off Carroll's and have noticed it is smoother now than when I bought it, which suggests wear.

The other thing I don't like is the weight it adds to the grinder which results in the wheels taking 15 sec to wind up to full speed. Small point but I find myself heading towards my 6" grinder instead because of this factor.

Brendan one to note with the CBN wheels is that when new they feel rough, but once worn in they sharpen better as the surface is smoother. You have that breaking in period.

15 seconds to get up to speed is a long time are you using a hand crank :D

[RETIRED]

, I agree with everything you have said except this point. Not that I disagree but do we know how long they last? I would assume that the CBN wheels are fairly new to Aussie woodturning and they haven't been around long enough for us to know. I have an 8" that I bought off Carroll's and have noticed it is smoother now than when I bought it, which suggests wear.

The other thing I don't like is the weight it adds to the grinder which results in the wheels taking 15 sec to wind up to full speed. Small point but I find myself heading towards my 6" grinder instead because of this factor.Ah Brendan, you can't be working hard enough if you have to switch the grinder off.:D

Timed mine out of interest >7secs.

As Jim said they settle in a bit but generally go no further hence my statement that the average person would probably wear out the grinder.

[NeilS]

I don't know the answer yet on how long either my diamond or CBN wheel will last. When I first got them I measured and wrote the thickness of the grinding matrix on the side of the wheel and also a date.

235553


I suggest that others do likewise and let us know over time their rate of wear.

At the one year mark I was unable to measure any wear at all. At a rough estimate I would have ground gouges over that time to green turn the equivalent of about 500 x 10" diam bowls and finished turn about 100 equivalent of the same size. That was more green turning than I do in a normal year, so a good test run.

Full time turners will eventually wear these wheels out, but at the rate I turn I'm not expecting to replace either of mine any time soon.

PS - Brendan - I haven't timed how long it takes for my grinder to get to full speed with an 8" WoodRiver Diamond wheel on one end and an 8" D-Way CBN wheel on the other, but it seems like just a few seconds. Will time it next time in the workshop.

PPS - Robo Hippy - here is a review (and replies) on that Toycen Tradesman Tool Grinder, here (http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/showthread.php?47480-Toycen-Tradesman-Benchtop-Tool-Grinder-Review).

[tea lady]

Love using the ones at 's place. Don't find any probs waiting for them to get to speed. No slower than alox wheels I would have thought. (Not that I thought you were interested in "speed" in your turning Brendon. :whistling: )

[robo hippy]

The problem with getting the grinder up to speed with these wheels is the so called '3 hp'motors. I have one of the no name cheap slow speed grinders from Woodcraft, and two of the Baldor slow speed grinders. The difference between them is not as bad as the difference between the 3 hp motor on my routers, and the 3 hp motor on my lathe or table saw. Huge power difference. The CBN wheels, being solid steel are much heavier. The one from Cuttermasters is some thing like 8.2 pounds, and I think a cheap slow speed grinder would have problems with it.

I have a set of matrix style CBN wheels similar to the Woodcraft (Green River) diamond matrix wheels. About 3/16 inch of grinding matrix bonded to an aluminum hub. After 6 to maybe 8 years of production turning, and taking them back about once a year to remove the run out that developed, there still is about half of the abrasive matrix left. It more than paid for itself compared to what I would have gone through with any of the other solid matrix (aluminum oxide) wheels out there. With the steel electroplated wheels, they do break in. When brand new, the 180 grit wheels take steel off at a faster rate than any other 80 grit wheel I have used. After a couple of months, they cut more like a 100 to 120 grit wheel. I have not seen any more wear or degrading of the wheel since then. I talked to Dave Schweitzer about his, and he is still using his original, and he grinds all his gouges and scrapers on them.

A few more years, and they will be the standard for all woodturners. There are so many advantages, and though the initial cost is more, the value can not be beat.

The Toyson grinder is nice, and some day I may get one, but at around $1250, I may not. It is designed for sharpening CNC milling bits. Great grinder to go with a great wheel.

robo hippy

[NeilS]

The Toyson grinder is nice, and some day I may get one, but at around $1250, I may not. It is designed for sharpening CNC milling bits. Great grinder to go with a great wheel.



At that price, plus shipping, we would have to add import duty (being over A$1000) + 10% GST (on total of price + duty + shipping cost), which would make it an even more expensive unit. I like what I hear about the grinder, but I'm not sure I need one that much...:rolleyes: