CBN Wheels

[SpiritRider]

Woodturning Wonders is having a deal to get a free lamp with a bundle of motor and 2 CBN wheels.
Does anyone use these, are they worth it and if so what grits would you recommend?

 

[SabertoothBunny]

I use CBN wheels and ordered them from Wood Turning Wonders. CBN wheels are far superior to the stone wheels BUT sharpening really cheap steel tools on them can gum them up over time so just be aware of that. I bought the 80/350 grit set. Higher grit for shaping and lower grit for honing.

If you get wheels make sure you get the self-aligning spherical washer set for the wheels, the one I got was a set for 2 wheels. Those align your wheels, basically, perfectly so you don't have to worry about the balancing issues with new wheels. It wouldn't be a bad choice to get the system through them. I would only price shop slow speed frinders before paying for the Jet which are typically in the higher end of the pricing because of brand name.

 

[SpiritRider]

I am thinking about getting the Rikon 1/2 hp. I have their small sander and I like it

 

[Woodchipper]

I am thinking about getting the Rikon 1/2 hp. I have their small sander and I like it

Got the Rikon grinder and benchtop bandsaw and like both.

 

[Curly]

You might not have enough power with a 1/2hp grinder to spin a pair of CBN wheels. They are heavier than a grinding wheel. I believe a 3/4hp is minimum and 1hp preferred.

 

[Jim Campbell]

I've been running CBN wheels on a Rikon 1/2 HP grinder. It does fine. Takes a bit to spin up, but as long as it's up to speed and your not jamming the tool into it with too much pressure, it'll do fine.

I'm picking up another one for the shop on the coast. After the experience I have just had with HF I'm sticking to name brands like Rikon.

I run an 80 grit for shaping, and a 150 grit for general sharpening.

 

[jrista]

Woodturning Wonders is having a deal to get a free lamp with a bundle of motor and 2 CBN wheels.
Does anyone use these, are they worth it and if so what grits would you recommend?

They are worth it! I started out with a Rikon low speed grinder setup. Couldn't ever get my tools sharp with the aluminum oxide wheels. I switched to CBN wheels within a couple of months after seeing a video from Stuart Batty on his 40/40 grind turning. I was amazed at how quickly he was able to sharpen (without any sharpening jig, mind you!) his gouges and get back to turning. He would sharpen regularly throughout turning a single bowl, and only spent maybe 20-30 seconds each time. Since getting a set of CBN wheels, I've had the same experience, although I do use a jig to keep my bevel angle. I spend about 30 seconds sharpening most of my gouges.

I currently have an 80 grit, 350 grit and 600 grit. The 80 I put on only if I need to reshape something, which I don't do often. The 350 is my main wheel, that I use for primary sharpening. The 600 I use more like a powered hone, to really dial in the edge if I need the extra sharpness.

Note that CBN wheels are balanced in their design...but that doesn't necessarily mean they run perfectly true. To allow the wheel to find its intrinsic balance point, you need to get a set of washers to allow the wheel to balance when under power:

CBN Wheel (8 inch) Self-Aligning Spherical Washer Set

Rob Cosman 8 Inch CBN grinding wheel Self-Aligning Spherical Waher Setis AWESOME for your sharpening needs!

robcosman.com

 

[Don Rabchenuk]

I have the set from them. Rikon slow speed with a 180 and 350 grit. I do shaping with the 180 and it doesn't take muck longer than with my old 60 grit gray stone. I am thinking about getting another grinder with some different options. As a side note they also sell the a set of 60 grit and 120 grit Aluminum Oxide 8" wheel pair for $5. Can't beat that price anywhere.

 

[Curly]

jrista CarrLane, a machine tooling fixture supplier sell those Spherical Washers much cheaper. 2 pair for about $4. I don't know what their minimum order or shipping fees would be but one of their local distributors would probably have them in stock. Where I worked we had boxes of them. https://www.carrlane.com/product/clamps-accessories/washers/spherical-washers/cl-4-sw?qty=2

They also make a spherical nut and washer pair that would be thinner if the shaft was a little short. They don't have left handed ones for the other end of the grinder. https://www.carrlane.com/product/clamps-accessories/nuts/spherical-nuts-washers

 

[jrista]

jrista CarrLane, a machine tooling fixture supplier sell those Spherical Washers much cheaper. 2 pair for about $4. I don't know what their minimum order or shipping fees would be but one of their local distributors would probably have them in stock. Where I worked we had boxes of them. https://www.carrlane.com/product/clamps-accessories/washers/spherical-washers/cl-4-sw?qty=2

They also make a spherical nut and washer pair that would be thinner if the shaft was a little short. They don't have left handed ones for the other end of the grinder. https://www.carrlane.com/product/clamps-accessories/nuts/spherical-nuts-washers

Always good to find a cheaper source! The one I linked was a lot cheaper than the source I bought mine from...I think I spent over $13 for each set a few years back.

 

[leehljp]

I have a 220 and 800 grit CBN. Love the way they sharpen. I chose the big gap in grits because of reading how aggressive they can be without heating the edges. With the aggressiveness, I chose a 220 for "shaping" my tools, particularly any new tool I acquire, and it doesn't take much from the 800 to bring it to smooth and sharp. Of course, I hone them even more, which isn't difficult or time consuming from that grit.


I have had mine about 4 years I think.

For a bit more reading from this forum, here are two previous threads:

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f30/cbn-wheel-question-s-147589/

https://www.penturners.org/threads/cbn-wheels-for-grinder.155103/