Q's on choosing the grinder wheel size

M

MT Borg

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Jun 14, 2007
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I have been taking some knife making classes and have gotten together a number of the machines for knife making except the grinder. In my classes we have a 8" serrated wheel and while looking at the Bader machine I see you can get a variety of grinding wheel sizes.

I was wondering if getting a bigger wheel would make a larger convex grind which seems that it would be easier to develop a grind on say a 1.25 to 2" blade. Going the other way a 2" wheel would seem harder to get a good convex grind on the same size blade.

So I was wondering what size grinding wheels do you have or use and maybe why did you choose that size. An solid or serrated wheel surface and why.

Thank you for all replies
 
Serrated cut faster than solid. The wheel size is dependent on what size stock you plan on working, there's some charts to show the relation. I don't do hollow grinds but 8" or 10" seems like good all around wheel choices. Smaller wheels work well for shaping the handles.

I do flat grinds (or did when I used a grinder) so I'm not a whole lot of help... I used the 8" wheel on my BK for hollow grinding tapered tangs and to help remove scale. The 2" wheel was used to shape handle swells.
 
If you're only getting one wheel, go 8". It's probably the most versatile. Smooth wheels will leave a slightly finer finish at the same grit compared to serrated. Serrated wheels will track better with lower quality belts. Serrated will, as mentioned, remove stock a bit faster. I'd go with serrated if it were my only wheel. The finish difference never seemed to get in my way.
 
As mentioned above it depends on what thickness blades you are grinding, but it also depends on how wide you want the bevels. I finde that the wider the better as it thins down the point area. I grind mainly 4" blades out of 4mm stock and a ten inch wheel is the smallest I would use. I just got a big 12" wheel though and can't wait to start grinding with it, it should be fantastic for bowie type knives.
 
I hollow grind almost all of my hollow blades on my 12" wheel. I love it. It's serrated, which seems fine to me up to 600 grit. I can run it nice and slow and still get a good finish.

I use an 8" wheel for profiling, occasionally hollow grinding small blades, shaping handles, hollowing for tapered tangs, even edge work and skiving on leather sheaths.

All wheels smaller than that in my shop are for stuff like finger notches, dropped edges, integral transitions. Not as essential but darn handy. If I had to pick one, it would be a 3/4" wheel.
 
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