On Nov 30, 2:02*am, "Harold and Susan Vordos" wrote:
"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message
...

What you're doing isn't considered good practice as a result. No matter, as
long as you're happy with the results. You've be far happier with a diamond
wheel, properly applied.

Harold

I wish I had enough good grinders with the proper wheels for each
job, and more importantly enough space for them and the grit they
scatter. My pedestal grinder is IN the doorway to the shop. I also
have an underpowered but portable 5" bench grinder with a wheel
reserved for TIG tungstens and a (chipped) diamond dish wheel for
polishing carbide, and a surface grinder. ... I just sharpened my
block plane on it, ~0.0001" per pass. It's what made the shop too
crowded to add anything else. It blows its sparks and grit at the wood
stove, which doesn't care. I couldn't pass it up for $100.

Except for the pedestal and surface grinders I do all grinding
and sanding outdoors to protect the other machines from grit. The
pedestal grinder is too top-heavy to put on wheels. When I push hard
on it, it leans back safely against the door frame.

I think a low-budget home shop could get away with a good-sized
pedestal grinder with coarse and fine Al wheels for steel, and for
carbide a small portable bench grinder with a SiC and a diamond wheel
if you can find a used one cheap. The small diamond saw blades might
work??? I put the SiC wheel on the powerful grinder to handle masonry
hammer drill bits and chipped carbide lathe tools.

Even the Enco and HF carbide/diamond tool grinders are far more
expensive than I can justify, being old and retireded. My stuff is
from second-hand stores, auctions and yard sales, what was available
rather than the right machine for the job, but good enough for a hobby
shop.

A decent belt sander sharpens woodworking tools pretty well. I
have an indecent $49.95 belt/disk and a 1x30 Delta, both with sheet
metal backup platens that aren't really flat. Otherwise they do most
of the work of a fine Al2O3 wheel on the pedestal grinder. I made a
new pulley for the belt/disk sander that holds a 6" carbide face wheel
but the motor is too small and the table too flimsy for serious
grinding.

Jim Wilkins