Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Mar 05, 2006 02:47am | #1

   Don't recall the article, could you give me the issue number, sometimes old articles are hard to track down even when you work here.

   John White

1. 
   hack123 | Mar 05, 2006 03:46am | #2

   I think it's #40 p83, I have it in FWW on Woodworking Machines p81.

2. 
   JohnWW | Mar 07, 2006 08:04pm | #3

   For bench grinders, the thinnest wheel available is typically 1/2" thick.  For grinding steel you would want either a gray or white aluminum oxide wheel. 

   The white wheels are typically more friable than the grey wheels, that is they wear away faster which means they cut better because new abrasive grains are being exposed.  The down side of this is that a white wheel won't hold its shape as well, something worth considering when you are trying to get the same tooth profile on a hundred, or more, teeth.

   So I would suggest trying an 80 or 100 grit grey aluminum oxide wheel, which are commonly available and less expensive than the white wheels.  

   A 3600 RPM grinder will be fine for this operation since you will be taking a very light cut and the higher speed will mean you will spend less time grinding each tooth, which will save some time when you have an entire blade to sharpen.  1/2 inch thick wheels are usually only available in 5 and 6 inch diameters so you should buy a small grinder.

   A Norbide stick is the best way that I know of to shape the wheel working freehand, but they are expensive, around $50.00 these days, but it will probably last forever.

   Shaping the wheel, especially the first time, will create a lot of potentially harmful dust so you should try to set up the grinder outside, and you should definitely wear a dust mask.  You also don't want the dust to get spread around inside the shop, it will damage bearings and precision fits, and cause excess wear on cutting tools if it gets on the surface of wood you are cutting. 

   Also wear eye, or even better, full face protection.  If something happens to shatter the wheel you'll be very glad you were wearing a face shield.

   Hope this helps, John White  

1. 
   hack123 | Mar 07, 2006 09:37pm | #4

   thanks for the info.  I'll let you know if it's worth the effort.  maybe I should just buy a coil of stock.