Small Wheels Poll

Which small contact wheels do you use?

  • 1/2

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 5/8

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 3/4

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 1

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 1 1/8

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 1 1/4

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 1 1/2

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 1 3/4

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
Patrice Lemée

Patrice Lemée

Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
5,703
I need to order a few for my KMG and I thought it would be cool to see what sizes do you guys use on a regular basis. Be it for any brand of grinders of course. Is it like many other tools in the shop, you buy the whole range and end-up using only a few? :o
Thanks
 
My 3/4" gets the most use with a 1/2" is second place, The 2" gets used for a million profiling and redoing tips etc while sharpening, not so much for it's auctual 2" across. I have a 3/8" rubber small wheel that makes neat little sharpening choils on B & T along with small utlity knives.
 
Patrice Lemée;13528724 said:
I need to order a few for my KMG and I thought it would be cool to see what sizes do you guys use on a regular basis. Be it for any brand of grinders of course. Is it like many other tools in the shop, you buy the whole range and end-up using only a few? :o
Thanks
Click to expand...

Patrice, I own a set all the way down to 5/8". I only use the 1.5" one. The smaller the wheel, the more prominent, and harder to avoid the dwell marks become. With the 5/8" wheel, the dwell marks were deep and unavoidable. On the 1" wheel, I could get by, especially when the bearings were new. Then I bought a 1.5 and the dwell marks are totaly avoidable. So I found a disc that is ~1.5" in diameter and I keep it in my notebook to make sure I don't draw in any curves tighter than that. I go through two of them a year. The older the bearings get, the harder it is to get the smooth dwell mark free finish. YMMV.
 
I have the 3/4 inch wheel but when it comes to inside handle curves I am going to buy the 1.5 inch for the exact reason Andy mentioned. The little grooves I have to remove by hand are starting to piss me off.
 
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I wonder if a tire would run smoother than a wheel?
 
I only have a 1/2" and 1". I use the bottom or top 2" wheel on my platen. I'm hoping to pick up a few more wheels at Blade.
 
I use 1/2", 1', 1.5" and 2".

You have to really be careful to avoid dwell marks with the 1/2".
 
Patrice,I have the 1/2" thru 1" and 1-1/2" and 2". All get used for different things. Wish I could get a 1/4".

Stan
 
Don't want to hijack the thread, but Stan if you have a fork for the bigger
bearings these work slick. 8mm skateboard bearings, 8mm rod, and air compressor
or fuel line tubing. I'm running them with a 2 7/8" drive wheel on an old Square Wheel
grinder. Folder work I use the small one the most. They're like $4 apiece. Ken.
 
I use a 1/2" some on fixed blades, but the one I actually use the most is 1/4" on folders. I had the 1/4" made by a local machine shop.
 
Ken, you might just have saved me a bunch $, until I can save enough for a full spread from Beaumont. I've been getting by with a homemade holder and aluminum wheels up to now but that produces an even worse finish. Plus my fabrication skills are not the best so it vibrates enough to loosen your fillings. ;) I'll have to give those a try before buying a whole new setup. :thumbup:

Thanks for all your feedback guys.
 
I found that if I use a coarser grit and a faster speed that I don't get the dwell marks. I move the work back and forth rapidly when I use the small wheel. If you are going to hold it one place then slow down and use a light touch. I left a burn mark today on the underside of a tang against the guard and then switched to a new coarse belt and lightly took the mark off and resumed. Maybe I am assuming you all are using variable speed drives. I use all the small wheels except the 1.5 which gets used rarely. A 1 1/4 will do for that. My favorites are 1/2 and 3/4 also. Larry
 
@Ken

Above you show (maybe tease is a better word btw) the small contact wheels you made with good skateboard bearings, 8mm rods and various rubber tubings. Great idea................ $50+ contact wheels have kept me using my Rigid oscillating spindle/belt sander despite really wanting a small wheel attachment for my variable speed Bader II. But the ones you made look like something that would be just the ticket for me, cheap enough to justify splurging for the fork they fit into.

That's my question. What kind/brand of fork are you using with those, or was that fork something you fabricated for yourself? A pic or 2 (or 10) of that setup would be highly appreciated by me and many others I'm sure. I'm pretty sure machining one of these would be within the scope of my skills but I'm up for saving time and buying one if possible while I ruminate on my forthcoming surface grinder belt conversion project.

Thanks for all the sharing you do, I always like the way you think, to say nothing of the spectacular workmanship on your knives (Someday maybe you'll fill us in on how you do your amazing jigged bone for handles). What is it about the air on the North side of the border that allows Wisconsin to have so many excellent knifemakers and bladesmiths.

Corey "synthesist" Gimbel
 
synthesist said:
@Ken


That's my question. What kind/brand of fork are you using with those, or was that fork something you fabricated for yourself? A pic or 2 (or 10) of that setup would be highly appreciated by me and many others I'm sure.

Corey "synthesist" Gimbel
Click to expand...

I second this request that the fine gentleman from Illinois has proposed, if you please?
 
Corey - and others, first off I can't remember the name of the small wheel attachment.
I got it 15 or so years ago from the late Mick Koval at a show in Janesville. It was like
$70 at the time. I'm pretty sure it was made to fit a sort of standard grinder at that time,
or a horizontal grinder. I butchered a piece of stock onto an old square wheel to hold it
in a horizontal position. The black one below I made from barstock and sheet. It fits my
bader on a tooling arm. I can tell you the bearings (outside to outside ) measure 3 1/8".
Ken
 
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