Which wheel most useful on benchtop grinder

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Apr 23, 2016
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I have a harbor freight benchtop grinder with the grinder on one side and a buffing wheel on the other. I don't use the grinder part very often. What would you switch it out to? Leather Stropping wheel or?
 
Maybe a paper wheel?
Loose one side and stitched wheel on the other?
Possibly even a flat disc for grinding?

What do you do?
Do you make handles, sharpen knives, make knives, do leather work?

What you do might affect what you should put on. Though there is a rather limited amount of options, they are still options that would make one or another better suited to Your particular usage.

Since you didn't state what you want to do with it, we can't just guess other than saying what each person themselves would do.
Me? I would likely do a stitched and loose wheel buffer setup for polished handles.
 
Maybe a paper wheel?
Loose one side and stitched wheel on the other?
Possibly even a flat disc for grinding?

What do you do?
Do you make handles, sharpen knives, make knives, do leather work?

What you do might affect what you should put on. Though there is a rather limited amount of options, they are still options that would make one or another better suited to Your particular usage.

Since you didn't state what you want to do with it, we can't just guess other than saying what each person themselves would do.
Me? I would likely do a stitched and loose wheel buffer setup for polished handles.
I make knives and I have a disk. So loose cotton wheel it is I guess. This cotton one I have on the other side is pretty tough.
 
I've got a 6" Baldor bench grinder as a companion to my larger Baldor buffer. I've found a spiral point (available at jewelers suppliers) one one side to be very useful. Lets you change between buffing wheels in seconds. I currently have a wire wheel on the other side, but I'm planning on replacing it with a scotchbright deburring wheel soon.
As was said, it really depends what you do with it. I'd definitely want at least one spiral point no matter what though
 
I've got a 6" Baldor bench grinder as a companion to my larger Baldor buffer. I've found a spiral point (available at jewelers suppliers) one one side to be very useful. Lets you change between buffing wheels in seconds. I currently have a wire wheel on the other side, but I'm planning on replacing it with a scotchbright deburring wheel soon.
As was said, it really depends what you do with it. I'd definitely want at least one spiral point no matter what though
Ooooh scotch brite. That sounds like a winner. Which scotch brite wheel is it?
 
Mind you, this is what i have read on Scotch-Brite belts, not wheels.

Food for thought, I have seen a decent amount of posts on here taking both sides of a "point of contention", I am only saying it like that since I don't know what else to call it, argument is too harsh, though disagreement might be best.

It is basically about using something (normally WD-40) to keep the Scotch-Brite pad/belt from loading.
The good from some:
It works, but there is some mess associated with it, smoother polish/machining look.
The bad from just as many:
It doesn't work at all, it does a little but isn't worth the mess/cost, it looks the same so why bother.

Personally, I chose to use it because I primarily work with 1084, and a bit of anything to keep some corrosion away won't bother me.
 
I too have one of those permanently affixed to a grinder. Always handy.
 
Do they make Cork wheels or discs similar to Cork Belts?
 
I don't believe so, but they do make cratex wheels. Once you try cratex anything you'll be hooked.
Just be sure you're sitting down when you check the prices on that stuff. From the looking I've done gesswein has the best deals on it, still bloody expensive though
 
I had a 6" variable speed grinder. It was useless for knifemaking. I replaced the grinding wheels with 8" paper sharpening wheels. (To learn how to use them read the "Paper Sharpening Wheels" section under the "maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment" section of Bladeforums.) I soon found that the grit wheel was unnecessary if you have a belt grinder, and, with both wheels attached to the grinder, they were too close together and interferred with sharpening. So I removed the grit wheel and now only use the slotted paper wheel. Works great.
 
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