Thread: Profile grinding

Melbourne Matty can probably help you.
He’s posted stuff on the old machinery part of this forum.
H.

FYI, the instruction manual is available here if you don't already have one https://www.wadkin.com/archive%20pdf...rts%20List.pdf

I'm not familiar with the Wadkin grinder, but I have used the Weinig version and might be able to help out.

Hi Elan. I do have the manual. Have worked out I need a new stylus, which is available in the UK. What grit would you use for roughing out and finishing. How do you create the sharp corners on a cutter. Do you fit a square faced wheel once you’ve completed the curved part of the grind or do you dress the wheel in use to a flat or pointed edge? Cheers

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Thankyou

I think it was 60 grit for roughing and 100 or 120 for finishing (been a while since I last did it), but I'd recommend you talk to whoever supplies your wheels as they should be better able to give you proper advice about what to use.

The fastest way to rough is to plunge straight in, then step over and plunge again; the wheels are fairly thin and can't take big cuts sideways. Do all the main roughing with no side clearance angle, once you have the full profile roughed out, then rough grind the side clearances.

You only do the square corners in finishing, so, if it's not too much of a pain to change the wheel over, you might want to have one of each shape. That being said, if wheels are cheap, it might work out better to just dress the one wheel to shape each time. It really comes down to what will be more economical.

I used to run a Weinig Rondamat profile grinder. We used 80 grit Aluminium Oxide wheels. They were ~6mm thick so the first thing I would do was dress the wheel down to 3mm thick and then maintain a 1.5mm radius for profile work. I used a 3mm round stylus for everything. The only time I would allow the wheel to get a flat edge is when I was sharpening the straight knives or just through wear and tear while roughing out a profile. A 1.5mm internal radius on a profile cutter was perfectly fine for most work and gives enough definition. The last thing I would want is a truely sharp external edge on a profile though that would be fairly impossible, always resulting in at minimum a tiny arris.

Roughing out blanks was done with a slow speed ~1200-1500rpm. And then the last finishing passes (sparking out) was done at top speed of ~3000rpm. No need to change to finer grits. I used oil slip stones to remove the burr as I went along.

Wear glasses, or preferably a full face shield because those damn wheels explode so easily with the slightest amount of excessive side pressure

Thankyou. Much appreciated

Thanks for that.