Surface Grind 101

A good grinder hand can do good work with just about any wheel on steel. There are a lot of different variables from wheel speed to longitudinal speed, cross feed step over, depth of cut, coolant or not or which one, and each of them can make a noticable difference. It is truly an art. Something that is often said is hard wheels for soft metal, soft wheels for hard metal. A good grinder hand can get about as good of a finish with a coarse wheel as with a fine wheel. Amazingly, much of it is in the fine details of how and when the wheel is dressed. I sure wish I could learn all that knowledge gathered in a long career by watching a couple YouTube videos... ;)
 
The first wheel I bought for my SG was one that would serve as a general purpose wheel and also be a good selection for dusting my magnetic chuck. I decided on a 32A46-HVBE from Norton.

Personally, I don't think hobbyist needs to buy the perfect wheel for everything we grind. I would buy more general purpose type wheels and I think you'll be pretty well covered. At least that's what I'm doing. I have one for grinding softer type steels and one for more harder and harden steels.

Ted
Good choice. I use that wheel often. Does not like to burn the steel, leaves a good finish, just works!
 
Good information here.
I apologize for this redundant thread, I can only assume these questions come up often.
My God, there are thousands of choices.
You'all are helping me sift through the schlapump. (It's a saying my Swedish Grandmother use to say- shlaw-pump)

"The first wheel I bought for my SG was one that would serve as a general purpose wheel and also be a good selection for dusting my magnetic chuck. I decided on a 32A46-HVBE from Norton. "

And your go-to, medium and fine grinding wheels of choice? Or, can you use this wheel for multiple applications?
I assume 7" x 1/2" on all?
Thank you!
 
In other words, is it possible to buy 2-3 wheels that will do a decent job across most applications.
As I become more proficient, these questions will be answered. I want to avoid buying wheels that will prove to be unusable. They aint cheap, I'll only buy good quality.
 
That wheel will grind anything very nicely , other than carbide . Your green silican carbide wheels for carbide .
 
In other words, is it possible to buy 2-3 wheels that will do a decent job across most applications.
As I become more proficient, these questions will be answered. I want to avoid buying wheels that will prove to be unusable. They aint cheap, I'll only buy good quality.

32A46 or 32A60 for 99% of steel etc . A silican carbide wheel for carbide . A diamond wheel for ceramics if you need it . Other than that , you're set . Nortons of course .
 
The first wheel I bought for my SG was one that would serve as a general purpose wheel and also be a good selection for dusting my magnetic chuck. I decided on a 32A46-HVBE from Norton.

Personally, I don't think hobbyist needs to buy the perfect wheel for everything we grind. I would buy more general purpose type wheels and I think you'll be pretty well covered. At least that's what I'm doing. I have one for grinding softer type steels and one for more harder and harden steels.

Ted

I would also agree with Ted. One caution however is not all grinding wheels are created equal. Over the years I have tried a number of different brands and keep coming back to Norton and Carborundum. Mainly because I used Norton at work, and my grinder came with a few Carborundum wheels. Once you learn the properties of a particular brand or brands it will be easier to make choices as to which wheels of that brand will perform best on the materials you want to grind.

By saying " not all grinding wheels are created equal" I mean that although most manufacturers use a similar grading and adhesive identification system the end products are not identical. Wheels from different manufacturers carrying the same identifiers will not necessarily perform the same. A 32A46 wheel from Norton may not perform the same as a 32A46 wheel from CGW.

When you choose a wheel take notice of how it performs and how long it lasts on the material you're grinding. From that point you can determine whether a softer or harder wheel will give a more desirable finish and wheel longevity. You can move up and down the spectrum of that brand and expect nearly linear performance.
 
Jeff have you found a surface grinder ?, are you setting up shop somewhere?
 
I have a white 36 grit on my surface grinder. It works just fine for everything I grind. Even to kiss the chuck. I have a hobby shop, not production, have not noticed any hindrance at all with using just the one grade/type wheel. And I have a diamond wheel but have not used it yet…Dave.
 
Wow, 36 grit. You would think that would leave a rough surface.
 
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