I am ordering some HSS square tool bits, I have a Grizzly 8" bench grinder
that came with coarse and med grit aluminum oxide wheels
my questions are
will these wheels do? if not which should I get?
and should I get some sort of guide?


Thanks
--
James Schenck
Egraph Design Inc.
(870)857-3287

There is a general rule in grinding: the harder the material, the softer
should be the grinding stone. Grinding stones (real ones) come in grades of
hardness. Grades are like A,B,C ... but I forget as you go up if it gets
softer or harder. I use K graded pink alumina surface grinding wheels with
bushings to step down the 1¼" hole to 5/8", in 46 grit, on my bench grinder.
I suggest you order some from J&L or MSC, the difference will be amazing.

Beyond that, I suggest you go buy some key stock to practice on. Practice
grinding until you can get the desired shape reliably. It might take 2-3
hours with a knowledgeable guy to show you, then you will "get it". The
little rests you should set your hands on holding the bit, not the bit itself.
Have a dip tank handy and dip the bit in water often. Don't let it get hot
enough to color. In class I learned to grind a lathe bit with 3 facets. Doesn't
take that long. But you have to learn to put a small radius on the point or
your cuts will look like they are threaded with a fine point. Also, you should
get a good hand stone and learn to touch up your HSS tooling by hand, quickly,
at the lathe.

If you like (and have the $$$) you can get a great little table for grinding
lathe toolbits. It's made by Glendo. You will need to mount it correctly, but
once mounted it has a quick-release so you can just take it right away when
you don't need it. I have one I got quite a while ago, when they still cost
like $79, and it works great although I don't use it much anymore.

- Glendo Corporation
900 Overlander Road
P.O. Box 1153
Emporia, KS 66801
(800) 835-3519, (316) 343-1084, (316) 343-9640 (FAX)

Grant Erwin
Kirkland, Washington


James Schenck wrote:

I am ordering some HSS square tool bits, I have a Grizzly 8" bench grinder
that came with coarse and med grit aluminum oxide wheels
my questions are
will these wheels do? if not which should I get?
and should I get some sort of guide?

While this is just personal experieince with grinder wheels, I found
that the majority of wheels that come on a Import or even some USA
made grinders are only worthy of being placed in the landfill for
fill. So keeping that in mind if the grinder does not work properly
its probably the cheap wheels they install on them. Even my Baldor
bench grinder came equipped with some really pathetic wheels on it.

My preference in wheels on a bench grinder is either the white or pink
wheels, over the typical gray colored wheels, especially when it
comes to shapeing HSS.

They also make a straight cup wheel that can be mounted on a bench
grinder and it allows you to grind efficiently on the side of the
wheel, normally somehting you don;t usually do or shouild not do on a
bench grinder for the most part.

I've never seen a guide per se for sale for sharpening HSS lathe bits,
as these if used are usually home brew items. Med and coarse grits
may do, but I would still be inclined to go with a fine as well even
if it meant changing wheels, as the finer the finish you get the less
chance of getting a built up edge will occur. Use the coarse for
initial shaping, and then switch to the mediium, and finally the fine.
I would think something in the 46 to 60 grit for coarse and then 80 to
100 or so for med.

On Tue, 6 Apr 2004 11:00:12 -0500, "James Schenck"
wrote:

===I am ordering some HSS square tool bits, I have a Grizzly 8" bench grinder
===that came with coarse and med grit aluminum oxide wheels
===my questions are
===will these wheels do? if not which should I get?
===and should I get some sort of guide?
===
===
===Thanks

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I forgot, grinding wheels come in different hardness and grades, so I
would try and get a J or K grade. Keep your work cool and don;t let it
get burned while grinding. You'll find that a good wheel will cut so
much mor equicker and not generate near as much heat as a poor cheap
wheel will. You may have to make a bushing to reduce the type of
wheels I mentioned in previous post from 1.250" bore to fit your
grinders arbor., and don;t forget, always ring test any wheels before
installing them on a grinder, and stand to the side when turning it
on. This is especially important for any wheels you may have had
shipped to you, but I do it with every wheel I have, Then dress it or
true it up and go for it. And make sure your wheels have blotters on
both sides.

Regards

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I had no input whatsoever.
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