After trying many methods I “grind” my hand tool primary bevels with abrasive paper and a jig. It’s relaxed and quick. But what to do about lathe tools?
I thought I was being smart when I got a cheap Ryobi 8″ 3600 rpm grinder and put 3/4″ thick soft white wheels on it. But I cannot get it to stop vibrating. The wheels shimmy slightly from side to side no matter how I adjust them. I’ve trued the wheels as much as I can. When I put tool to wheel it’s a bit out of focus because of the vibration. It’s not a lot of movement. I mounted the grinder firmly to the wall but my family could hear it through the house two floors above. I put the grinder on the floor but it slowly moves across the concrete. Is this normal?
I made a slow speed grinder but the wheels are hard to true and don’t seem to work well with HSS, they clog. The vibration’s just slower.
What to do? I really don’t want to spend more on a wheel balancing kit then I spent on the grinder. I’m nickel and dimeing my way through fixes that are costing a lot of dollars and time. Do I just need to bolt the grinder to a large boulder? Would that eventually ruin the bearings? I want to turf this poxy grinder, but not if there’s a cure. Is there ANY set-up that would let me sharpen lathe tools with as much serenity as I do other tools? Help!
Julian
Replies
Wheels aren't usually very well made but left to right wobble isn't a big deal - ignore it.
Out of round wobble is important and after you mount the wheels dress them true.
Would can take a dial indicator to the arbor and shoulder and see how much runout there is in the grinder. I have a baldor so it isn't an issue but I used to have a brand x and that was noisy and vibrated a lot.
for more info on grinding see my article in FWW June 2008
Every time a grinding wheel is mounted, it needs to be dressed and trued for round. Every time, it's not optional and a fresh surface will generate a lot less heat. The side-to-side wobble can be in the wheel, the washers or in the arbor. Some wheels don't run quite as true as others but there shouldn't be a lot of wobble. Try remounting the wheels, release pressure on the nut and turn it 90ยบ and see if that helps.
"Is there ANY set-up that would let me sharpen lathe tools with as much serenity as I do other tools?"
Yes there is-you could have a belt grinder or a suitable disc sander but you can easly fix that Bench grinder and it will cost very little to do.
The wheels must run true especially on that type of machine- get yourself a single point diamond dresser tool - an essential accessory with any bench grinder anyway-and use it to dress the wheels perfectly true as well as maintain them in peak cutting condition.They are cheap and last forever.Any out of truth is not acceptable and will complicate your grinding.
Be sure that the bushes in the wheels are the correct size for the shaft-should be a snug fit.
The card board washers normally supplied with grinding wheels must be used on both sides bewteen stone and flange.
You should always mark the position of a wheel on a shaft, but if you remove it and replace it you must also dress it each time.
The grinder should be firmly fixed to a solid bench, shelf or stand- it is a light weight motor and body driving realtively large diameter and weight wheels-you can't expect it to run smoothly even if there is only minimal wheel run out.
Just in passing: a bent arbor is not usual, but even if it is a bit "off", dressing the wheels will cancel the resulting wheel run out (within reason, ofcourse).
Philip, I know you're a good grinder hand, but you may not have considered that a bent arbor will cause axial as well radial runout, only one of which (radial) can be corrected by dressing the periphery of the wheel. By the way, how's your Brown & Sharpe running these days?
The B&S is running okay but I have seen the insides a couple of times now when I did repairs on the fly : it really needs a good overhaul to restore it to work as originally intended. Every time I use it I just hope to finish the job without the impending break down, I am actually nursing it.
Unless we are misunderstanding each other I think axial run out can be cancelled by dressing the wheel sides (again within reason).That is when a single point is even better for the job.
Did you mean end float?Philip Marcou
Yep, Philip, you're correct that axial runout is corrected by dressing the sides of the wheel; the point I was making was that only radial runout is corrected by dressing the periphery. I don't know if I'd want to try dressing the sides of the wheel on a pedestal grinder with a diamond dresser held in the hand; the outboard side might not be too bad, but it seems like doing the inboard side would get your hand awful close to the spinning arbor, with not a lot of clearance between the wheel and the motor. I don't know, maybe I'm just being a worry wart? Sounds like you've done this before, and you still have all your fingers. :) Myself, I've never had to deal with a grinder that wobbled bad enough to warrant such steps.
Pek,
The outboard side is easy and safe enough as long as you have a suitable tool rest. The inboard side is affected by the design shape of the grinder body but often you can get away with just dressing/truing the outer half inch or so of the face on the inboard side: if there is still vibration caused by the remaining undressed part then reverse the wheel after marking it so that that face is on the outside.Philip Marcou
Edited 11/27/2009 10:42 pm by philip
It seems to me that you can get at this problem by marking the arbor position on the sides of the stone (after it is initially dressed on the front and outside) and pulling the stone off and reversing it. Now you can dress the "inside" from the "outside". If you're picky you can then change it back to the original position.Regards,RonAs God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!
-Arthur Carlson
Edited 11/27/2009 6:13 pm ET by RonInOttawa
I think that is what I said....Philip Marcou
Sir, you are correct! Apparently I didn't read the part that said "If there is still vibration. . ." I'll try to pay more attention from now on. It had been a long week and I was just starting to enjoy a wee dram of amber tranquility when I responded to the thread. It's a good thing I wasn't operating any power tools last night!Cheers,RonAs God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!
-Arthur Carlson
I have two grinders - one for rough work (gray wheels ) the other for tool sharping.
The one for tool sharping is a baldor - 1800 RPM - with Norton white wheels available from craft supplies USA -
The baldor is not bolted down - it has rubber pads and doesn't move a fraction when turned on. The Norton wheel came perfectly true and did not need to be dressed.
If it's in your price range - this has worked great for me,
Regards,
SA
"The Norton wheel came perfectly true and did not need to be dressed".
You were lucky-was it an American manufactured Norton?
Each and every one of the 180mm x13mm AO wheels I have used in the last three years required dressing for both round and side to side wobble-one was made in Australia and the last three were made in China.Philip Marcou
not sure where it's made - but it fine out of the box -
here's the link = http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Sharpening___Grinders___Wheels___Norton_32A_White_Wheel___norton_wheels?Args=
Regards,
SA
Julian,
I'm afraid some could interpret my silence and agreeing with side dressing standard bench grinding wheels. I'd like to make it clear I don't suggest or advocate the practice. I encourage you to read and follow the instructions that came with your grinder and the grinding wheel. If there's some problem with your grinder, figure out what it is and fix it.
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