paper sharpening wheels - when your time is important to you

Baldor #114. It runs between $239 to $300+ Farriers Depot seems to have the best price.
Spendy, but bulletproof. Good torque, which keeps the wheels from slowing under pressure.
I suspect the quality of the Lowe's buffer isn't quite the same. I learned a long time ago to
not cheap out on tools. Pay the price and then forget about it.

Bill
 
" I learned a long time ago to
not cheap out on tools. Pay the price and then forget about it."

Good advice Bill. When I was an over the road trucker, I learned this pretty quick. Buy quality once and relax. Especially good advice when buying tires etc for trucks, or tools for whatever your trade is.

Omar
:rolleyes:
 
bill, that buffer is a little pricey even though it is a good one. i did a search for that same motor and some places want close to $300. for it. i think for that price i would try to find a single shaft motor.

i have a 1/2 hp single shaft baldor motor that i run my wheels on. sometimes you can find a single shaft motor cheaper than what you can get a buffer for. craigslist and yard sales are a good place to look.
 
another option for a grinder is to find someone throwing away a treadmill and getting the motor and the controls. you can get a set of pillow blocks and shaft threaded on both ends, a set of pulleys to fit the shaft on the motor and grinder shaft and you're in business with a variable speed grinder.

some motors can exceed 3400 rpm so if regular wheels are put on, running them slow would be safer than trying to guess 3400 rpm and end up exploding a grinding wheel. as an experiment with a paper buffing wheel, i set up my buffer to run at 5000 rpm and let it run for a few minutes. i stood off to the side just to be safe just in case something else gave way. at 3' away i could feel a breeze coming off the wheel even off to the side.
 
A better solution for treadmill motors with variable speed is midi-lathe 12 volt DC variable speed motors, IMHO. They are only about $120 total, new.

Using a new motor with variable speed seems more logical than trying to find a used scrap motor with variable speed, but opinions vary.

You get what you pay for when spending $300 on a Baldor buffer. You will never be disappointed with it.
 
richard j said:
another option for a grinder is to find someone throwing away a treadmill and getting the motor and the controls. you can get a set of pillow blocks and shaft threaded on both ends, a set of pulleys to fit the shaft on the motor and grinder shaft and you're in business with a variable speed grinder.

some motors can exceed 3400 rpm so if regular wheels are put on, running them slow would be safer than trying to guess 3400 rpm and end up exploding a grinding wheel. as an experiment with a paper buffing wheel, i set up my buffer to run at 5000 rpm and let it run for a few minutes. i stood off to the side just to be safe just in case something else gave way. at 3' away i could feel a breeze coming off the wheel even off to the side.
Click to expand...

When I went to metal machining school, I was taught to always stand to the side when turning on a grinding wheel. Of course a new wheel would be the most suspect. There is enough energy there to kill you if a bit comes off.

One of my customers (I'm the Razor Edge rep here in Australia - Thanks Richard!!) didn't follow the advise in the instructions for re-gritting. He used the wrong type of glue. Fortunately he was wearing glasses when he first touched a blade to the re-gritted wheel. The grit "exploded", filling his glasses full of pock marks and filling the rest of him full of grit.

He recovered and now sharpens full time, primarily using his Razor Sharp system.
 
Been belt sharpening and leather stropping for a long time.

I work with rubber so the micro serations work for that, but I just got a pair of the grizzly wheels, and a treadmill motor, and want to try going for the scary sharpness.

Would a platen that goes accross the top of the wheel, (set at the correct angle!) work for pulling the blade against?
(Kind of like using a drill bit guide for a bench grinder to hold the correct angle per side.)

Came back to the forum to seek answers, as there are TONS of talented artists here!
 
It would probably work but honestly it's not needed. It's not hard to hold a steady angle at all.
 
This is a set-up for the paper wheels I made 4-5 years ago. Put the proper size pulleys on to get the speed you want. I also made a platen a year ago for this that was adjustable up and down and in and out. Did not find this comfortable for my use and removed it. I now have a laser that is adjustable for different angles. It is set above and between both wheels. It is very easy to place the beam on the right position on both wheels, at the same time, to get the angle I desire.
P1010005-vi.jpg
 
I saw that some were marking angles on the wheels, and grinder sides to get the right angles.
I just wanted to see if some sort of guide to keep both sides the same, would help me just starting out.
I don't have any trouble free-handing with the big belt grinder I use at work, but I am new to wheel sharpening.

Thanks for the quick response!
 
Lil' John, I marked my wheels like shown, and then drew a line with a sharpie across the body of the motor for the angle I use the most for a guide line. Works great for me. I can mentally adjust from there for other angles.

Omar
:rolleyes:
 
Lil' John said:
I saw that some were marking angles on the wheels, and grinder sides to get the right angles.
I just wanted to see if some sort of guide to keep both sides the same, would help me just starting out.
I don't have any trouble free-handing with the big belt grinder I use at work, but I am new to wheel sharpening.

Thanks for the quick response!
Click to expand...
I marked the angles on the wheels when I first got the paper wheels. Those marks were transferred to the metal pieces on the side of each wheel. This was my first guide to placing the knife on the right spot on the wheel. I have since progressed to the Laser and until I find something better this is what I like best. If I used it more often I am sure that no markings would be required for me. The more you use it the easier it becomes. Good luck.
 
That's a great idea!
Ok rpttrsn you have me hooked now...what kind of lazer are you using, like a contractor's lazer level, or a pointer type?
(Got any pics, and brand names/models etc?)

I am just now getting around the parts, ....looking for pillow blocks, mandrel arbors etc....now I am trying to figure out how to rig up this lazer angle.
 
I don't know how many of you are sharpening your knives from the top of the wheels as Richard suggests, but when I first got my wheels, i was sharpening from the side as was shown from some video's. I have a bad back and worn out knees (too old and too fat) and I could not stand up and work on my knives for any extended time.
I recently cut the legs on my workbench so I could work from the top of my wheels.

I took the motor off the mount and rotated it so the on/off switch was still on the front and the wheels were spinning away from me. I now can work from the top of the wheels, while sitting down. It is amazing how much better control I have over the angle of the grind, and the ease of spotting the burr when it first appears. (having a good light helps too) So, if you are not working from the top with the wheels spinning away from you, i highly suggest giving it a try. For me it is much easier and I get better results. YMMV

Omar
:rolleyes:
 
I have my wheels turning away from me and really like the ease with
which you can see the burr forming. I also have an adjustible guide bar at the front
of the wheels and use my tormek clamps to get really accurate angle
adjustments. The blades come out just wickedly sharp. My customers
really like that. I had one lady bring her knife back and ask if I would
make it not quite so sharp. She said it scared her!:eek:

BILL
 
Omar,
I believe that the proper way is using the top of the wheel. Richard, who is the best that I know of with the wheels, uses the top with the top rotating toward him. I have change mine to the top of the wheel going away. Either will show the burr for me. I enjoy seeing how different people can get the same results, using a different method.
Ron
 
The biggest adjustment I had to make when I reversed the direction, was to remember the wheels were going opposite to what I was used to. Just have to stop and think it through before proceeding! At least now if I screw up it will throw the knives away from me. So far no problems, but I am much more aware. It is good that I am in my basement alone with no distractions. The worst that has happened to me is getting my knuckles up against the edge of the gritted wheel which is pretty sharp. But after getting bit a couple of times, I am more aware when I am stropping a long knife. :stupid:

Omar
:rolleyes:
 
Lil' John said:
That's a great idea!
Ok rpttrsn you have me hooked now...what kind of lazer are you using, like a contractor's lazer level, or a pointer type?
(Got any pics, and brand names/models etc?)

I am just now getting around the parts, ....looking for pillow blocks, mandrel arbors etc....now I am trying to figure out how to rig up this lazer angle.
Click to expand...
I went to my work area and took the shots for you. The laser is by Black and Decker. Lowes or Home Depot have them. Hope it helps.
Ron
P1000021-vi.jpg

P1000020-vi.jpg

P1000022-vi.jpg
 
YOU DA' MAN!
That set up looks foolproof!
(I've got another toy to buy now.)

Another question about wheel speeds...I see Richard uses a slower speed than says is required on the side of the wheels that I have.
And it seems that a lot of guys here are just using bench grinders...heck I have a bench grinder that does 3600rpm.
Does the 1750 vs 3600 take longer/ more passes, and grit last longer.
Or don't worry about it and just start right out with my 8" wheels going fast?
 
Richard is the best man to answer but here is what I think. When you run at the slower speed you don't build up the heat as fast and you have more control over what you are doing. The faster you go the quicker you can screw up. I have mine set for around 2150 rpm's. Others have worked at 3600 rpm for the same reason you might. It's what they have available and has worked for them. My set-up can be made for any speed but does not change speeds as quick as a set-up using a vari-speed motor.
Ron
 
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