"Gunner Asch" wrote in message
news snip------

I tend to belt sand or green wheel to shape, and finish with the (3)
diamond wheels that I own, or lap with the lappers.

What am I doing wrong?

Gunner

Wrong?

Is there such a thing? If what you're doing works for you, you're not
destroying your wheels, and you're satisfied with the results, go for it.

When I use a diamond wheel, it's with flood coolant, and I'm not afraid to
bear down on it. There's a point where the wheel cuts quite well, and that
keeps the wheel in proper trim along with moving the carbide. It's smart
to start off lightly, so you establish a flat surface on the carbide.
That's so it doesn't abrade the diamond wheel, which is a concern with
resinoid bonded wheels. Mind you, I'm talking about removing a chipped
edge, where you push back the carbide until you're down to good material.
When I sharpen a tool, I use a different procedure, which includes lighter
pressure.

One thing that you should do religiously is remove any steel that is below
or behind the carbide to be ground. If you allow the least bit to remain,
it dulls the diamond and makes grinding dreadfully slow. You should also
know about dressing the surface of a diamond wheel. When you've babied it
too long, it gets loaded with crud and actually comes close to not
functioning. A very fine dressing stick should be applied to the wheel,
which will clean it up nicely.

By the way, I use a 220 grit diamond wheel. It does a good job of moving
carbide, and leaves a very nice surface.

Harold