Dressing Side Of Bench Grinding Wheel

I had bought an 8 inch grinder from HF. I didn't even unpack it until I got new wheels from Norton. I figured the wheels that came with it would be a nightmare to balance. The Norton wheels were not a whole lot better.

First I took the washers off and trued them up on the lathe. It helped a little, but not much. After watching that video I referenced above, and several others on YT, I made two spacers to fit behind the inner washer to give it a wider reference off of the bearing. I also made two spacers to replace the plastic ones in the wheel bore. I didn't have a 5/8 inch drill, so I used a annular cutter mounted in the tailstock and it worked like a charm.

Together, the spacers eliminated 90% of all the wobble and vibration. Now I need to figure a way to accurately dress the face of the wheels as they are visibly out of round slightly. So far, I am really pleased with it.
 
PaPa_Jack,

The wheel flanges I have designed have spacers such as you made, except mine will be a solid extension of the flanges themselves. The I.D. of the bore will fit the shaft diameters closely.
What is the O.D. of the spacers you made? Do they fit up tight against the side face of the inner bearing race?

Dick
 
Dick, I have often wondered why I haven't heard anyone make those washers as you describe. It seems a logical approach to a common problem. I don't have the wobblewheel issue with my 2 grinders, or I would make some customs flanged spacers like you are. The outer one I believe could be flat, and maybe it should be, to allow for any uneven pressure from the arbor nut tightening. I think it's a good idea, and would like a follow-up on yours to see how it works out.
 
old toolmaker said:
PaPa_Jack,

The wheel flanges I have designed have spacers such as you made, except mine will be a solid extension of the flanges themselves. The I.D. of the bore will fit the shaft diameters closely.
What is the O.D. of the spacers you made? Do they fit up tight against the side face of the inner bearing race?

Dick
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The dia. of the shaft from the inner washer to the bearing was .655. I sized the OD of the spacer at that point to just clear the framework around the bearing. I have the spacer actually putting a slight pressure of the bearing inner race. I stepped up the dia of the spacer once clear of the frame, about .250, to about .875 for the washer to rest against. the spacer is .625 long overall.

I thought about incorporating the inner spacer, meaning the one inside the wheel itself, into a washer, but I was concerned that part of the purpose of the washer is to give support to the wheel but be flexible enough to spread any forces away from the center and make up for manufacturing tolerances. A solid washer, such as used on table saw blades, might put undo strain of the wheel itself.
 
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PaPa_Jack

That is food for thought. I surely don't want to fracture a wheel by putting too much force against the side of the wheel. I will have to check and see how much slop there is in the fit of the wheel on the mandrel. That will determine what I can do.

Dick
 
ELHEAD said:
Made new flanges for my Chinese made 6" grinder. Virtually eliminated any wobble/vibration. The stamped flanges were donated to the scrap pile. May use them as fender washers later.
Click to expand...

That would probably be the best way to go. If you turned them on a lathe they should be fairly true. Or you could by some decent flange washers and true them up.

Also, I always cut a backing for mine out of index cards. Holds better with less pressure and reduces vibration.
 
If you have the luxury to have access to a surface grinder, throw the wheel flanges up on the SG and grind both sides parallel to each other. Of course, this still leaves the bore in question of being square to the faces that were just surface ground. Straightening up the bore is a easy fix in either the lathe or mill although the bore will now be slightly oversized. Oh well. Dick is right, make a new set of flanges.
 
Surface grinder wheels are mounted on solid hubs which are then mounted on the tapered motor arbor very similar to what I originally proposed. I would think that what is good on a surface grinder would also hold true for a bench grinder. The outside flange would still be free to adjust to a wheel with sides that are slightly out of parallel. I sure appreciate all the ideas that have come forth.

Dick
 
I have one more question. The bench grinder I have is from Harbor Freight and seems to run fairly smooth except for an annoying hum even when no wheels are mounted. I am wondering if it is a cheap set of ball bearings that I am hearing. When I first rolled it over by hand when I opened the package there was a clicking sound like bearings clicking against one another. After it ran for a few minutes it quieted down. I am assuming the grease needed to be redistibuted as it warmed up. I wonder if the noise is coming from the bearings?

Dick
 
Eddyde said:
If you need to grind on the side, you must use a recessed type wheel designed for side load.
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I was always taught never to dress the sides of a grinding wheel and if you need to grind on the side to take very light grinds. You run the risk of putting a fracture in the wheel that can let go at any time. Of course wheel technology has come a long way over the past 50 years and with today's wheels it MAY BE acceptable.
 
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