Grinding wheels..Practical?

R

randydance062449

Straight Razor Guy
Joined
Nov 25, 2005
Messages
109
Hello all,

I acquired a large number of grinding wheels, 60 and 80 grit, and I was wondering if anyone had used wheels like this to make knives. The ID on these varies from 1.5 inch, 4 inches, 6 inches.
Are they practical?.




Here is a link to some pics

 
The 6" wheels (if sturdy and intact) could be used for profiling the blank -however, be wary of damaged wheels as wheels with tiny cracks can explode when used.

Actually, if I were you, I would use a new wheel -no sense risking injury just to save a few bucks.

However, if you're serious about making knives, I wouldn't recommend anything less than a Grizzly or Coote.
 
A grinder can be a good way to profile blades, and rough out the bevels, which saves on the number of belts that you will go through. I have a couple of old belt run grinders that around my shop. I have found them to be more useful for dressing tools, re-shaping files, and hot work though. btw, the shafts are 1-1 1/2" and the wheels I have started out 18"dia
Ken
 
A 6" ID on the wheels ? Wow , that came off of a pretty good size surface grinder it sounds like ( I could be wrong , it happens a lot ) . To handle a wheel that size you need a pretty beefy spindle.When I was an apprentice mold maker I ran a really big Mattison Surface grinder for quite a while.Wheels were about that size so if I were you I would start cleaning a really big spot in your shop for a grinder that big :D
 
A majority of the wheels are 1/2 to 2 inches in thickness with some 3-4 inches. I would need a flange for anything larger than those with a 1 1/2 inch shaft size.

Thanks for the input.

Now, I assume that the rate of stock removal is considerably slower than a belt grinder, am I correct?
 
The problem with using a rock for blade grinding is that they tend to generate a lot of heat and are hard to control fol all but the roughest work. Before using any of them, hold them up on an extended screwdriver or some other piece of metal and tap them. If the wheel rings slightly it's probably ok to use, if it doesn't ring and just makes a dull thud when struck, it's likely cracked and not safe to use.
 
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