large contact wheel help?

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Ratking20

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May 2, 2017
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gonna buy a large contact wheel now, already have a small wheel attachment and flat platen.

looking for help on size and smooth/serrated advice?
want it mostly for profiling and maybe some hollow grinding down the line
i see most people stick with 8 or 10 if buying just 1 wheel
smooth or serrated...which takes off more material for profiling
does smooth wheel really give a smoother grind
what size would be best for profiling? larger or smaller, which takes off more material
as of now my blade widths have been no larger than 1.5"(using 2" stock)

also, is there anything wrong with putting a 2" rubber contact wheel on my flat platen? what about using a serrated one also?
 
I use a 10" wheel. It is great for profiling and while a serrated wheel does remove more material and grinds cooler I would still stick with a smooth wheel if you are only going to have one.
 
Like Adam said, I have a couple serrated wheels and if I only had one it would be smooth. I don't notice the serrations on x weight belts but definitely do with j flex.
 
whats the best place to buy rubber contact wheels?

ive found ameribrade... the have 10" and 12" serrated(but out of smooth)
and the have 8" both smooth and serrated in stock
and for decent prices. 100 for a 10"
 
I'd say a smooth wheel as well. I've never wished any of mine were serrated.
As for size that depends if you only ever want one, or might get a second eventually.
For one wheel I'd say a 10" (even though I don't actually have one) as you could probably get by with it for everything, even if it might be a compromise at times. If you think you'll ever buy a second though, I'd really lean towards having an 8 and a 12. I use both constantly, and for different jobs.

As for the two inch, nothing wrong with putting it on the platten. I was thinking of doing that myself, but ended up giving it its own arm instead. It's kind of a trade-off. If it's mounted on its own you'll have better access and it will be nicer to use. If it's on the platten it'll be super convenient and save a lot of attachment changes. I'm kinda tempted to switch it over to the platten and see how it compares.

A couple other things I'll just add in. First is tooling arms. I've tried a number of different things, and my favorite is actually 3/16 wall box section. It's by far the cheapest, and in use I've never been able to tell any difference what so ever, it's every bit as rigid. I have a couple aluminum ones which are nice apart from being easy to dent. They are the middle price wise, and also a good choice. I have one solid steel one, and HATE it. If you've never priced 1.5" cold rolled, be ready for sticker shock. Over double what aluminum would be. It also weighs a ton and it's a pain to change (especially with a 12" contact wheel). And it has no benefit at all over heavy wall box. No difference in vibration, noise, smoothness, anything.

I also hate Beaumont (kmg) contact wheels and would never buy another. First one I bought was great. Next one was still perfectly functional, but had highschool shop class level of fit and finish. I'd either spend the tiny bit more for Bader wheels (which I LOVE) or spend way less and get one of the urethane or import wheels. They'll probably be better than a current Beaumont wheel (from my experience) and cheap enough you can buy a set for the price of one big one.
 
ok. so if i went the 2 wheel route. would it be smart to get one smooth and one serrated. and which one would u want serrated? the smaller or larger wheel?
 
You do not "need" a serrated wheel.
 
I'd buy both smooth myself. Smooth is much nicer for finish grinding, and they will still rough grind or handle profiling as hard and fast as your grinder will
 
Serrated wheel also makes accidents easier by giving a place to snag the tip. Just ask Gil Hibben
 
Buy a 10 inch smooth 70 durometer wheel for a first wheel. Just my opinion. Larry

EvOCebAm.jpg
 
LARRYZ10 said:
Buy a 10 inch smooth 70 durometer wheel for a first wheel. Just my opinion. Larry

EvOCebAm.jpg
Click to expand...


Like Larry, and everyone else here, has said. You'll figure out what you like and don't like as time and experience progress. Until you apply steel to grinder, you'll never have any idea of what will work for you - or not!
 
Ratking20 said:
whats the best place to buy rubber contact wheels?

ive found ameribrade... the have 10" and 12" serrated(but out of smooth)
and the have 8" both smooth and serrated in stock
and for decent prices. 100 for a 10"
Click to expand...


I have Ameribrade wheels, and the quality is fine although I think their bearings are not great (some last forever, some go to hell quickly).

I would buy Ameribrade again, knowing I'll likely replace the bearings quicker than normal. But on the one wheel, first wheel discussion, if you do not intend to do any hollow grinding I would choose an 8" wheel over a 10" or 12". You can do some short hollows on an 8" wheel if you want, but I think an 8" wheel is more useful for handle shaping than any other large diameter wheel. Early in my wheel collecting progression, I bought a 6" wheel thinking it would be more useful in handle shaping as it can get into smaller hollows, but I found rather quickly that nearly every "waist" line on every handle I make would be done much more easily on an 8" wheel. I've only recently purchased an 8" and wish I had done so much earlier.

And in case anyone didn't answer your question about a 2" rubber wheel on a platen, lots of people do that.

I've got a fair collection going now:
1/2"
3/4"
1"
1.5"
2" (x2)
3" (one serrated one smooth)
6" (smooth)
8" (smooth, on the way)
10" (smooth)
12" (serrated)
14" (smooth, on the way)

My 10" isn't even on a tool arm any more. I'd sell it but it's an odd duck as I bored it myself for my first grinder design and no one else would really want it. I use the 12" for profiling and hollow grinding, I use the 6" for some really steep hollows like a dagger blade and handle shaping. I use 3" and under for finish profiling and handle shaping. When I get the 8", my 6" will probably come off a tool arm and become a drive wheel for a new horizontal grinder, and when the 14" comes I will probably do most of my hollow grinding with that, and the 12" will be for rough grinding.

But, like Matthew said, that might be my plan but it's hard to know what will work for you before you start doing it.
 
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I have a 5" as well that I use for tapering tangs. Also gets used for the occasional hollow ground false edge. I bet you could have every size contact wheel available, and still find a use for each one
 
I use a 6" for handle shaping, 12" for profiling and vertical grinding, I haven't tried much hollow grinding, but I'll use the 12" for that.
 
tmerkl said:
Not to hijack the thread, but Larry, do you have any more info on that workrest? Niice
Click to expand...
Tmerkl, the rest is made from 1/2 inch aluminum 1x2 I think. The first hole next to the tool arm is a clearance hole and the tool arm is threaded. The next hole is a clearance hole but the rest arm is threaded for adjustable bolts from McMaster Carr. The third adjustable bolt goes into a threaded 1 1/2 inch aluminum block which has steel inserts in it to hold the 1/2 inch piece of aluminum which is the rest itself. The underside of the rest has been milled by a machinist friend of mine to get the rest close to a contact wheel but I realized after having it done I could have just pushed the aluminum rest into a belt with 36 grit on it and ground out an angle of about 75 degrees and touched up the edges to be over 2 inches wide. You can estimate the dimensions and make your own with a little effort. I hope this information helps you. Just get a drill and a tap and a tap handle and off you go. Larry PS If I can do it anyone can do it. LL
 
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