CBN wheels

[tablesawtom]

Basically I  posted on sharpening a chisel, and I showed my set up. I have over 400 views with only 3 comments. Scoony  stated he had a CBN wheel and it has made a huge difference when grinding primary bevels on thicker irons. I am assuming that he was referring to chisel and plane irons because that is in the context of the post. Lathe tools would would be out of context. Ahill wrote in this post that he did not use CBN wheels to sharpen chisels and things. I have found that I do like CBN wheels to sharpen chisels. I want to state that I have not found that chisel steel loads up the wheel ( Wives tail) My disclaimer is if enough pressure is used any wheel can be loaded.

Based on what I have experience I do not understand his point of view, but that decision is for him and him alone. I hope the decision didn't come from the CBN wheels load up unless it is M2 high steed steel  rumor that floats around. But what is right for him, is right for him. He can use what ever medium to sharpen bench chisels that he wants to so, lets leave that topic for a different day.

Both Scoony and AHill have stated that they think a 180 is fine enough for lathe chisels. As per Arlin's  I do not understand his remark about dishing out  because the diameter of the wheel and the angle of the rest will determine that.  

I do think that Arlin had a lot too say concerning grits of CBN wheels and what he found to be true. I know Arlin personally and I have been to his shop and have seen some of his lathe work. I loved it that Arlin stated he  found out from experience why he prefers the 180 wheel over the 600. 

Scoony, Ahill, and Arlin all agree that a 180 grit wheel is fine enough for most lathe work. It is to late for me to have a change of heart concerning grit size because I have purchased them. But I am listening to what they are saying and would have possibly ( probably ) changed my decision. 

Personally, from the little experience I have,  I think that a 80 wheel is to course for a finish on anything. But for fast stock removal it is awesome. 

I hope this helps someone to make a more informed purchase.

Tom

[tablesawtom]

As I stated I am not a person who cares to do lathe work. But it is winter and the lathes is the only machine I have at home besides a drill press.  I have started doing a lot of just cutting on the lathe, not making anything just cutting. I do have a lot of air dried fire wood. Maybe I will have a more complete idea about what works for me in a couple of months. I am planning on using the lathe at least an hour or so each day. So as I use it more maybe I will get better at it and enjoy it more.

I have both a 180 and a 600 grit CBN wheel here and I plan on using both to sharpen both Skews and gouges. I guess I will find out what I prefer and what I do not all by myself. I have already found out that a 600 grit wheel on a skew is slower going than a 360 and I do not know if the edge is any better. I am going to find out today about a 180 on my skew today. I haven't forgotten about scrappers, everything in its appointed time.

Thanks for reading this post. And I hope I am not coming accosted as contentious ( Which I can be, but I am working on that) or a know it all, because, that, I am not. 

Tom

[Scott W]

FWIW Rob Cosman addressed these wheels as I recall in one of his videos. May be worth checking out.

[AHill]

Basically I  posted on sharpening a chisel, and I showed my set up. I have over 400 views with only 3 comments. Scoony  stated he had a CBN wheel and it has made a huge difference when grinding primary bevels on thicker irons. I am assuming that he was referring to chisel and plane irons because that is in the context of the post. Lathe tools would would be out of context. Ahill wrote in this post that he did not use CBN wheels to sharpen chisels and things. I have found that I do like CBN wheels to sharpen chisels. I want to state that I have not found that chisel steel loads up the wheel ( Wives tail) My disclaimer is if enough pressure is used any wheel can be loaded.

Based on what I have experience I do not understand his point of view, but that decision is for him and him alone. I hope the decision didn't come from the CBN wheels load up unless it is M2 high steed steel  rumor that floats around. But what is right for him, is right for him. He can use what ever medium to sharpen bench chisels that he wants to so, lets leave that topic for a different day.

Both Scoony and AHill have stated that they think a 180 is fine enough for lathe chisels. As per Arlin's  I do not understand his remark about dishing out  because the diameter of the wheel and the angle of the rest will determine that.  

I do think that Arlin had a lot too say concerning grits of CBN wheels and what he found to be true. I know Arlin personally and I have been to his shop and have seen some of his lathe work. I loved it that Arlin stated he  found out from experience why he prefers the 180 wheel over the 600. 

Scoony, Ahill, and Arlin all agree that a 180 grit wheel is fine enough for most lathe work. It is to late for me to have a change of heart concerning grit size because I have purchased them. But I am listening to what they are saying and would have possibly ( probably ) changed my decision. 

Personally, from the little experience I have,  I think that a 80 wheel is to course for a finish on anything. But for fast stock removal it is awesome. 

I hope this helps someone to make a more informed purchase.

Tom

Tom,

I don't think loading up a CBN wheel is a wive's tale.  It specifically applies to using CBN to grind steel that's not hardened.  If your chisels or plane blades are O1, A2, PM-V11, D2, or some other exotic steel, it's less likely to load up.  If you're using vintage steel, there could be issues.  There's likely some differences between how CBN wheels are loaded when you compare the brands.  I would recommend anyone considering using CBN on chisels or plane blades contact the maker for their recommendation.  The reason I don't use CBN on chisels and plane blades is because it's very aggressive.  Unless you have a very light hand, you end up taking a lot more steel off the tool than is really required.  HSS lathe tools are very hard, since the steel used in them was originally developed to cut other metals.  So, a CBN wheel is less likely to consume a lot of metal on HSS compared to plain high carbon steel.  If your experience is it doesn't load up, then don't worry about it.

I promise not to say anything more about lathe tools in this thread!

[wmickley]

Vintage steel is hardened by quenching. The steel generally has a finer texture than high chrome steel, yielding a nicer surface.I have a 200 year old skew chisel that has fabulous steel.

We use the term "turning tools"

[Arlin Eastman]

My Opinion is all wheels have their place is grinding/sharping tools.

It comes down to what is the purpose of the grinding, how sharp the tool and edge retention.  You find that out and you go with the wheel that provides that.

Are CBN good for all?  No.   Can they be used for everything?   Yes.   But why not us the right wheel for the job.    If you have to have two grinders then get two ginders with different wheels on both sides.

Pretty much of a no brainer even for me.   
  

If you need to take out a huge amount of steel then get a metal cutting sanding paper like what is used for knives or a  36 wheel.   If it is to reshape a tool then 80 grit paper or wheel.   After that it is all about how sharp and good edge you want