"Ignoramus27305" wrote in message
...
On 2009-08-09, Rich Grise wrote:
I'd think it depends on your definition of "freehand". I've ground
cutters, but there was always that platform where I could rest the
tool; from that point, it was "freehand", as long as that platform
was on the correct angle.

By freehand, I mean no platform whatsoever.

Not a great idea with carbide and diamond. The relief angles for carbide
are shallower than those for HSS, and are easily rounded if you don't have a
very steady hand. I do recommend a table for carbide, and I also recommend
you NEVER grind dry. Drip isn't very good, either, for you risk fracturing
the carbide by thermal shock. And----do not grind steel with your diamond
wheel. I can't stress that enough.

I grind HSS without a rest of any description, and with excellent results,
and have since 1966. I had been in the trade 8-1/2 years when I was
introduced to free-hand grinding. Hated it at first, but once I mastered
the technique, there's no way I'd turn back. No way I'd use a rest. They
get in the way when you're trying to grind chip breakers or other complex
configurations.

Harold