Follow up on my grinder question

[Bart Hovis]

I want to thank everyone who replied to my request for grinder advice.  Every response was taken into consideration, and very much appreciated.  Given my financial constraints, I wanted to get something that is useable initially, and can be improved upon as $$$ becomes available.  I found the Rikon 8" low-speed on sale at Rockler for $100, and I had a free shipping coupon, so with tax it ended up costing $104.  It even comes with a wheel dresser.  The tool rests are rubbish, and although it has the white wheels, they are very wobbly, which after a lot of examination, I think is the fault of the wheels themselves.  I "improved" the tool rests a bit, but decent tools rests will be my first upgrade.  After that, I will get either 3X blue wheels (with good bushings) or a CBN wheel (I have some time to think about that).

Thanks again for all the help,
Bart

   

[Timberwolf]

I want to thank everyone who replied to my request for grinder advice.  Every response was taken into consideration, and very much appreciated.  Given my financial constraints, I wanted to get something that is useable initially, and can be improved upon as $$$ becomes available.  I found the Rikon 8" low-speed on sale at Rockler for $100, and I had a free shipping coupon, so with tax it ended up costing $104.  It even comes with a wheel dresser.  The tool rests are rubbish, and although it has the white wheels, they are very wobbly, which after a lot of examination, I think is the fault of the wheels themselves.  I "improved" the tool rests a bit, but decent tools rests will be my first upgrade.  After that, I will get either 3X blue wheels (with good bushings) or a CBN wheel (I have some time to think about that).

Thanks again for all the help,
Bart

...................
One thing that "may" help the "wobbly" wheels is to "reposition" them relative to the motor shaft..try rotating the wheel about 1/4 turn while holding the shaft from turning, tighten the nut and try it to see if the wobble is reduced..Do this several times until you get max. results, then do the other wheel...Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't..but worth trying...Some wheel manufacturers have the holes in their wheel a little larger than the specs shown so as to accommodate about every grinder on the market....If your wheel is a little "sloppy" on your motor shaft, you could try shimming it with a strip of aluminum cut from a soft-drink can. Black tape might also work but I prefer trying the metal shim if you can get it in the wheel.

One other thing...Always position the dressing tool ON THE TOOL REST..Don't try dressing the wheel while holding the tool freehand..Go very slowly into the wheel with the dresser to remove any "high" spots first so as to "true" the wheel to the motor shaft.

Good luck

[oarlock]

I also bought one of these grinders several years ago, and yes, the wheels wobbled
.  Picked up a set of Norton wheels:  They wobbled just as bad

.  "Clocking" the wheels did not help.  What I finally found was that the wheel washers had glumps of paint on them on the wheel mating side, so I lapped them in on some sandpaper and cured 95% of the problem.  I eventually made a set of new washers on my lathe which cured the problem 100%.  You can by new (Precision) washers for not much.  That's what I would recommend.
Ray

[wood2woodknot]

You can buy new (Precision) washers for not much.  That's what I would recommend.
Ray

Oarlock and anyone else,

Looking for someone who has already found precision replacement washers and bushings (5/8"). I tried locating then recently and came up blank. I have a Ryobi 8" grinder. I assume their replacements parts if available are no better than the original ones and those plastic inserts that come with the wheels are useless. I would appreciate any sources you may have already found.

[oarlock]

https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/97/...ers-2-Pack

[Timberwolf]

https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/97/...ers-2-Pack

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
For those who have a wood lathe and a chuck for it, a precision bushing can be turned to fit the grinding wheel out of hardwood..the harder the wood, the better...Chuck a short piece in the lathe and turn a shoulder to an exact fit to MATCH the hole in the wheel {This is where the hole size can vary a great deal}...Remove a little wood, then try the wheel..remove a little each time until it fits exactly {almost a press fit}...Then drill the hole in the end about 1/16" undersize for the shaft..Finish boring the hole using a ROUTER bit held in the tailstock chuck...router bits are capable of boring a hole exactly on size, unlike a twist drill which usually bores holes oversize...sometimes ALOT oversize!!..Cut the bushing off and you should be good to go...Install the wheel and dress it to run true to the shaft.
  An even better material to use for the bushing is aluminum..And you can turn it on your wood lathe using the same tools you use for wood...Make it the same way...You can order short lengths of aluminum off Ebay or you may be able to get it at a scrap metal yard.

[gordon 131]

I want to thank everyone who replied to my request for grinder advice.  Every response was taken into consideration, and very much appreciated.  Given my financial constraints, I wanted to get something that is useable initially, and can be improved upon as $$$ becomes available.  I found the Rikon 8" low-speed on sale at Rockler for $100, and I had a free shipping coupon, so with tax it ended up costing $104.  It even comes with a wheel dresser.  The tool rests are rubbish, and although it has the white wheels, they are very wobbly, which after a lot of examination, I think is the fault of the wheels themselves.  I "improved" the tool rests a bit, but decent tools rests will be my first upgrade.  After that, I will get either 3X blue wheels (with good bushings) or a CBN wheel (I have some time to think about that).

Thanks again for all the help,
Bart

Bart,It is nice to see that you have found a grinder that will work for you.I hope it suits you well. 
A couple of years ago I was looking for advice and direction on how to sharpen chisels and plane irons, as I was not doing that well with my oilstone setup, so I bought the book "sharpening with Waterstones " by Ian Kirby. I switched to waterstones and also built the tool rest and chisel and plane iron holders that Kirby suggested and outlined in his book, bought a 6" white wheel and set this stuff up on my shopsmith ( which I can vary the speed of the wheel) and I am now getting excellent results. Bart , the tool rest is super simple and very effective. It is a 3' ,3/4" solid steel bar mounted on wood uprights held with 2 hole emt straps, all available at the box store. The plane iron holders, and block plane holders I made from maple scraps with a thin piece on the edge to register the iron square and bolts to hold the iron down. for chisels I used two small aluminum angles and bolts to sandwich the chisel in between. These tool holders were super easy to make and mostly from scraps in my shop. This system works excellent Bart, is very simple and I am getting excellent results with all of my sharpening with the hollow ground primary bevel and the waterstone secondary bevel.
Hope this helps Bart
Gordon

[wood2woodknot]

https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/97/...ers-2-Pack

Thanks for the link. They also have bushing/washer sets for the 1" x 1" Norton wheels...a big improvement hopefully over the plastic spacers. I will order a set of each. I have wheels with 5/8 and wheels with 1" holes. Now to get the money transferred to my PayPal.

Always an answer to one's needs here on Woodnet.

[Bart Hovis]

Bart,It is nice to see that you have found a grinder that will work for you.I hope it suits you well. 
A couple of years ago I was looking for advice and direction on how to sharpen chisels and plane irons, as I was not doing that well with my oilstone setup, so I bought the book "sharpening with Waterstones " by Ian Kirby. I switched to waterstones and also built the tool rest and chisel and plane iron holders that Kirby suggested and outlined in his book, bought a 6" white wheel and set this stuff up on my shopsmith ( which I can vary the speed of the wheel) and I am now getting excellent results. Bart , the tool rest is super simple and very effective. It is a 3' ,3/4" solid steel bar mounted on wood uprights held with 2 hole emt straps, all available at the box store. The plane iron holders, and block plane holders I made from maple scraps with a thin piece on the edge to register the iron square and bolts to hold the iron down. for chisels I used two small aluminum angles and bolts to sandwich the chisel in between. These tool holders were super easy to make and mostly from scraps in my shop. This system works excellent Bart, is very simple and I am getting excellent results with all of my sharpening with the hollow ground primary bevel and the waterstone secondary bevel.
Hope this helps Bart
Gordon

Thanks, Gordon.  Do you have a picture of your setup?  I'm having trouble with the stock tool rests - I stuck a flat piece of walnut (scrap) on the rests to give it more area for stability, but the rests still flex laterally if you're not really careful, since they're only mounted on the wheel guard.  Plus, they cannot be adjusted for correct angle to any degree of precision.  Dunno, I might just get a Lee Valley tool rest...

[Bart Hovis]

I also bought one of these grinders several years ago, and yes, the wheels wobbled
.  Picked up a set of Norton wheels:  They wobbled just as bad

.  "Clocking" the wheels did not help.  What I finally found was that the wheel washers had glumps of paint on them on the wheel mating side, so I lapped them in on some sandpaper and cured 95% of the problem.  I eventually made a set of new washers on my lathe which cured the problem 100%.  You can by new (Precision) washers for not much.  That's what I would recommend.
Ray

Ray, I lapped the washers (all 4) both sides on diamond stones until they were flat and tried rotating washers in various increments, but no improvement.  I'm sure good washers would help, but I'm pretty convinced at this point that the wheels are the main problem.  The wheel fits somewhat loose on the shaft, and I'm not sure that the side of the wheel is dead perpendicular to the axis of the arbor.  Nevertheless, they're still useable at operating speed, just disconcerting when the dang thing shakes and wobbles as it spins up and back down.  I think I'm going to get CBN wheels when funds are available.