Contact Wheel Size

L

Liam021

Joined
Jun 26, 2012
Messages
133
Hey guys Im trying to figure out what size contact wheel I want for my grinder. Its a new grinder from the the guy behind the Wilmont. Hes making a new version of it up here in Canada so once he gets those done Im going to get one. Im trying to figure out what size wheel to get though.

I asked people a while ago 8' or 10'. The answer was mostly 10. Money isant much of an issue as long as Im not shelling out $600 for a wheel.

But what I really want to know is would it be better to get the Beaumont Metal Works 12' or 14' inch wheel. Like what is the benifit in having a bigger wheel, performance wise. I just want to know what is the BEST size wheel to get. Would it better to make my own and have a 16' or bigger wheel or would I be good with a 10' or 12'.

I was also thinking that If I get a 10' or 12' wheel from Beaumont Metal Works I might want to also get a smaller one like a 6' for rounding other parts out, although Im not sure if thats necessary. I am also getting a small wheel attachment and Im not sure what size to get for that. I was thinking I would be just fine with one 1' small wheel.


Any help would be great guys Thanks.
 
Buy a 10" smooth wheel. and forget about the 6" one. 1/2", 3/4", and 1" are all good sizes to have. Frank
 
I had a Coote with a 10" wheel, and used it a ton for hollow grinding. I have since picked up a 14" wheel for my KMG and I am really glad I went up to the 14". I can hollow grind a wider blade now, and can still hollow grind thinner stuff. I think it depends on your blade preferences... You would be able to draw your grind lines back further to the spine with 14" vs. 10" (or even 8" for that matter). Neither wheel options are wrong, just preference IMHO
 
I have the multi platen GIB and I run a 3" and 8" on it. I will say I have rarely wanted a bigger wheel, but I often would kill for a small wheel attachment for it. If you have the money to get a smaller wheel, get the small wheel attachment and a variety of small wheels for it. Once I get back to making knives again a small wheel setup is high on my list of things to get, but I have another 8 weeks at least before I can even think about grinding:(
 
I just have to tease you a bit--1' is 1 foot. So a 10' or 12' wheel would be rather huge :)

I don't do a lot of hollow grinding, myself, but the smaller wheels (1" or smaller" all feel like they'd be quite useful for profiling, fullers, etc).
 
Thanks for correcting me Crimsonfalcon07 It really made a difference in my life :p

From what everyone has said it seems that it is much easier to hollow grind bigger wider blades with a 10" or 12" contact wheel. But is it still possible to hollow grind knives that are very small with the bigger wheels. Like can I still hollow grind a knife thats 3/4" wide?

And Thanks for the opinions guys.
 
Yea that's what I thought, Thanks CF. Also If I where to make a wheel that is lets say 16" or bigger. Would I not get the benefit of a hollow grind with the edge lasting longer but then also getting the benefit of a full flat grind because at that point the wheel is so big it would be close to flat, or at least appear that way? Im not sure but I think that would be a pretty neat grind.
 
I really like my 14", and use it on the majority of my knives.

8" or 10" would be my second choice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top