Thread: Grinding wheel dressers

Hi Sumu

To my mind, the disadvantage would be that they would tend to blunt the wheel more, by wearing down the grits. The diamond, (particularly single point which I use) tends to knock out grits, leaving the wheel sharper.

In either case, the intention is to round the wheel, making it evenly circular. To 'sharpen' one should rather use one of the dressers with multiple toothed wheels, as these spin and knock out the worn grit, revealing fresh sharp edges. They are not as good at trueing up a wheel, however.

regards

no contest for me. I have used both. Get a diamond dresser, preferably a t-shaped one like this.

Originally Posted by Alastair

Hi Sumu

To my mind, the disadvantage would be that they would tend to blunt the wheel more, by wearing down the grits. The diamond, (particularly single point which I use) tends to knock out grits, leaving the wheel sharper.

In either case, the intention is to round the wheel, making it evenly circular. To 'sharpen' one should rather use one of the dressers with multiple toothed wheels, as these spin and knock out the worn grit, revealing fresh sharp edges. They are not as good at trueing up a wheel, however.

regards

I agree - one of these (from Dawn Tools) gets the muck out of the wheel:


Then one of the Tee bar diamond dressers gets it nice and even and round.

Originally Posted by jmk89

I agree - one of these (from Dawn Tools) gets the muck out of the wheel:


Then one of the Tee bar diamond dressers gets it nice and even and round.

ooh yeah, haven't used one of those. Need one of those at work, so many people just load up the wheel and no one (except me) gives the wheel any attention. The diamond dresser does an OK job, but that thing would clear out all of the embedded gunk, no?

What are they worth?

The CBN sticks if they are the small square ones you are talking about, are more for shaping the stone rather than truing it

I think the better process, if you have both the T bar & the star wheel dressers, would be to true the wheel with the T bar unit first, & then sharpen it with the star wheel jobbie.

I use a dimond dressor. Never used a T-bar one. Just the ones that look like pencils..

But I've made a jig to hold mine so I can dress the wheel dead straight and square, which I value for grinding. I've got a picture here somewhere if interested.

I use an old course grit grey wheel to dress the wheel true & flat & then sharpen it with a star wheel.

Just avoid cross-dressing.nIt confuses the steel.mt

Thanks fellas. It seems to be that I am the only person at our place to take care about those wheels, too.

I have had those narrow steel sticks with one piece of diamond. It's about time to get new one, so that's why I asked.

I have here that kind of carbide roll like jmk89 presented, too. It is a very good tool, indeed.

Originally Posted by apricotripper

But I've made a jig to hold mine so I can dress the wheel dead straight and square, which I value for grinding. I've got a picture here somewhere if interested.

Bring it on, Jake . At least I can then make one and show to others how it works.

kippis,

sumu

I use two different dressers.

I use the diamond single point when I true up a wheel. This is inserted into a block of wood, which is my jig.

I use the diamond T-bar freehand when I just want to freshen up the wheel.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by sumu

Bring it on, Jake . At least I can then make one and show to others how it works.

Gota a bit of time now.

First see if you like it. It may not be your thing.

picture 1 - my grinding setup. Its an old workhead driven by a washing machine motor.

I've got one of those tool rests below that I can spin away when I want to grind free hand........and above is the main tool rest(arrowed it).....Its just a bit of scrap steel that I lapped straight (enough) and bolted it on.

But for the jig to work this tool rest needs to have straight sides....

picture 2 - here's the jig.....diamond stick sitting in scrap wood. Just a hole with a kerf and a couple of wing nuts to lock the stick......and this scrap wood is screwed to a steel plate.........and this steel plate is gripped by one of those cheapo sharpening guides you normally use of stones (but they've got a lot of uses. Handy things.)

That guides locked onto the plate pretty tight.

picture 3 - and when its time to dress the wheel, I place this jig up tight against that tool rest,,,,which locks it in the vertical (cause the tool rest has a flat side), and I just stroke it back and forth accross the wheel, which dresses the wheel parallel to the tool rest......ie. straight and square ready to grind.....grit goes everywhere

picture 4 - And you just leave your jig like that. Prior to everytime you use it, you just tap it down with a hammer ever so slightly

When the wheels perfectly straight dressed like that, it'll impose a straight grind straight on your blades.....just a matter of pressing the blade in. Especially good for establishing profiles before you start grinding the bevel.

I've found a good dressing setup important, because the best tool grinding wheels are Aluminium oxide, and unfortunately they loose grit pretty quickly and deform, and you have to dress them often. But you'd know all that.

Thanks, Jake. I got the idea .

You know, one of my pals here uses very similar kind of home-made rail jig to sharpen his thicknesser blades. There is exactly similar kind of cheapo sharpening jig in use, but there it holds L-shaped piece of steel with one M20 threaded hole to hold Dremel drill, running diamond barrel grinding wheels. The angle of L-piece is not 90 deg, but adjusted to run the diamond bit along the bevel. He seems to be happy with it. There is a aluminium spacer block between the rail and the thicknesser blade, and the blade is attached there with powerful neodymium magnets glued in cavities made in aluminium.

(M20 is not actually quite correct thread, there is 3/4" x 10 TPI thread under the housing cap, but M20 fits well enough when started with 17 mm hole. It's just plastic , it obeys. )

I wonder why you did not build that over a bench grinder? For your style of grinding wheels, the wheel edges chip too easily? Diamond wears out too quickly?

One problem hereabouts is that we need green silicon carbide wheels for our carbide tools and HSS. Those stones are quite dense and tough, too, and they actually can't be used with ductile metals. (For such stuff, there is a big stationary belt sander with a plethora of different kinds of grit types).
Anyway, they will eat up the diamond quite easily especially with larger diameter wheels if held against the stone too long time. I been told that oxidation of diamond starts somewhere at 650 C, so care must be taken to maintain both.

kippis,

sumu

Originally Posted by sumu

You know, one of my pals here uses very similar kind of home-made rail jig to sharpen his thicknesser blades. There is exactly similar kind of cheapo sharpening jig in use, but there it holds L-shaped piece of steel with one M20 threaded hole to hold Dremel drill, running diamond barrel grinding wheels. The angle of L-piece is not 90 deg, but adjusted to run the diamond bit along the bevel. He seems to be happy with it. There is a aluminium spacer block between the rail and the thicknesser blade, and the blade is attached there with powerful neodymium magnets glued in cavities made in aluminium.

Its sounds more advanced than my setup. Magnets and dremel. I think I know what your saying.

I have made up a jig for sharpening my jointer and thicknesser blades off that same tool rest. Been using for years....Take it straight from the grinder to the buffing wheels. Can show you that if you like. Something to laugh at. But it works !

Also use those same cheap jigs to re-grind plane blades bevels off that tool rest.

I wonder why you did not build that over a bench grinder? For your style of grinding wheels, the wheel edges chip too easily? Diamond wears out too quickly?

Well, at the time that was my idea I guess . And ...no, not that much wear to the diamond stick with these wheels. Their pretty soft.

I think I went through about 2 or 3 eight inch wheels before I had to replace the stick. That took a few years. And the diamond sticks are just cheapys. Under $20 each if I remember correctly.

I just wanted to be able to accomidate a few ideas with the design.

One problem hereabouts is that we need green silicon carbide wheels for our carbide tools and HSS. Those stones are quite dense and tough, too, and they actually can't be used with ductile metals. (For such stuff, there is a big stationary belt sander with a plethora of different kinds of grit types).
Anyway, they will eat up the diamond quite easily especially with larger diameter wheels if held against the stone too long time. I been told that oxidation of diamond starts somewhere at 650 C, so care must be taken to maintain both.

sounds like you know more about it than me......I stick with the really soft Aluminium wheels that heat up slowly because they throw grit fast. Works fine on carbon and HSS steels. But not on Carbide. I tried sharpening an old router bit with my wheels once and just too hard....all I did was wear the wheel away.

All carbide stuff get professionally sharpened or not at all.