paper sharpening wheels - when your time is important to you

if you want, you can run the buffing wheel a little faster if you are sharpening a blade that is real hard. i always run the grit wheel at 1725 rpm but 2.000 is not that much faster.
 
richard j said:
if you have any problems send me an email and i'll be glad to give you a call.
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That's too awesome! Thanks Richard. I had to order the wheels over the Internet so I'm crossing my fingers that delivery will be by Saturday!
 
Richard,why do you hold the knife blade towards you at 1 o'clock rather than blade away at 9 oclock?
 
if you read my thread you will see that a lot of guys are sharpening the same way i am. you will also find answers to a lot of questions you might have even though its a lot of reading. also read my tips page.

sharpening the way i do lets you see whats going on a lot better. you can watch how you place the blade on the wheel. you can watch the burr form and make sure you are forming it evenly. its easier to match up the angle if you want to keep an existing angle.

when my buddy art summers took me to a knife show at hara arena to set up and sell some knives, he introduced me to his buddy that sets up at every show they have. i watched him all day sharpen at the back side of the wheel. i never seen any other instructions to follow other than what arts buddy showed me and that was the easiest way to do it. i have been sharpening for close to 22 years with the wheels and because i try to be safe and watch what i am doing, i have had nothing bad happen.

spend some time reading my thread.
 
Richard,
Art Summer does make a fine knife. I love his work.

9 o'clock is much safer and where a novice should start, don't you think?
Most of us are not as cautious, experienced, and steady as you are I'd wager?
 
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wdtorque said:
Richard, glad you are unscathed.
Ditto Omar's comments.
I dropped a knife today. And let it fall. I'm learning!

Get well soon Richard.

Dozier
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i have a rubber mat under my grinder just in case but i try not to drop a knife. i have a bad habbit of catching anything i drop and so far i have not been cut. i did drop a knife i made one day but i let it hit the mat after i got both feet out of the way.

i'm feeling a lot better. i'm still not able to get straightened up all the way yet but i'm working on it. having the rest of the staples taken out helped a lot.
 
Welcome back Buddy, I just woke up sorry I missed your call it's been a rough few days at work , let me get some caffeine flowing in my veins and I'll call you back.
 
wdtorque said:
Richard,
Art Summer does make a fine knife. I love his work.

9 o'clock is much safer and where a novice should start, don't you think?
Most of us are not as cautious, experienced, and steady as you are I'd wager?
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I sharpen with the paper wheels running towards me and have had no problems.
You really can SEE what is going on with the edge better that way. It's only a a degree or two that can make the difference between sharp and holy @#&*!
 
I really don't like any motor running towards me. Grinder, buffer or whatever. But one of these days I'm going to give Richard's technique a try. I sharpen at 12 o'clock or there abouts on my paper wheels. Wheels running away from me. I use the motor shaft as a guide for blade placement looking down at whatever I'm sharpening.
 
pjwoolw said:
I really don't like any motor running towards me. Grinder, buffer or whatever. But one of these days I'm going to give Richard's technique a try. I sharpen at 12 o'clock or there abouts on my paper wheels. Wheels running away from me. I use the motor shaft as a guide for blade placement looking down at whatever I'm sharpening.
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why wait? switch it around and give it a try. before you do, just make a dry run without the motor running and you'll see what i mean. have the light set so its back from the 12:00 position and casting a shadow under the blade. this will help you get the blade set down square on the wheel and make it easier to match up an existing angle. this also works for hand sharpening.

just make sure to put a note on the motor that you switched directions so you dont forget :D.
 
I just put a couple my old Craftsman square body grinders up for sale. Going variable speed. Going to use my 8" 1725 RPM unit with a 10" grinding wheel on one side and an 8" grinding wheel on the other. The new 8" 1725 to 3450 RPM variable speed unit will have a 10" slotted wheel on one side and 8" slotted on the other. At least thats my current plan. LOL

Had to re-grit my wheel last night. I haven't had the opportunity to try Richards method extensively yet. Ordering up a new set of of 10" wheels soon. Got to get the show on the road.
 
i have an idea i want someone to try. if anyone has a grit wheel that is close to needing re gritted, i have an idea i want them to try. since its hard to tell exactly when the grit is getting thin due to the color of the wheel, i was thinking of coloring the wheel with bright orange or yellow highlighter. even adding color to the glue and applying a real thin smooth layer and allowed to slightly dry before regritting the wheel (after adding more glue) might act as an indicator as to when its actually time to regrit the wheel.

do some experimenting and post your results.
 
I would say that when it quits grinding effectively, then it needs re - gritting. When it is down to that condition, it will be easier to sand down to bare paper. I re - gritted mine early as the wheel was not very concentric, and had a heck of a time grinding it all down. I took a smooth straight 1 X 4 and stapled some 60 grit sandpaper to it and ran it outside on a level surface by placing the board under the wheel while running and lifting up slowly to make contact with the wheel and sanded until it was level and smooth. You will want to do this outdoors as it creates a lot of dust in the process. After all of the grit and glue was gone and the wheel was smooth, I then ran some higher grit paper on it to create a smooth straight surface before re - gritting. It took me the better part of an hour to get it ready to apply the glue. When finished, my wheel ran smoother than it did when it was new. It made for a much better grinding wheel to use then. Just take your time and use light pressure when sanding the old grit away, and concentrate on obtaining a good round smooth wheel. It will pay off in the end with a smooth running wheel. I also marked the wheels location on the buffer before removing, so I could replaced in the same spot when done.
Good luck.

Blessings,

Omar
 
How do you go on cleaning the slotted wheel? Mines is all black and I dont think it is as good as it used to be
 
just put on some more compound. if the slots are clogged with compound, slide a putty knife through them or a hacksaw blade. i do this if i notice a good buildup in the slots. try running a just sharpened blade over the black wheel and see what you think about the edge. then put some compound on. do it on a knife with a real good carbon steel.
 
after a lot of use, the slotted wheel can get low spots close to the slots causing humps. if this happens the wheel needs to be trued again. to true the wheel you do the same thing as if you were dressing the grit wheel.

over years of use the slots might need recut deeper. make sure to true the wheel first then cut the slots the exact same depth with a hacksaw blade. a piece of cardstock can be cut as a guage to make measuring the slots easier.
 
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