# how to build a brake wheel diamond wheel dresser



## Tinkertoy1941 (Apr 12, 2018)

We have a few diamond wheels that thru use have a corner radius that will not let us grind to a sharp corner.
Commercial Brake wheel dressers start in the $300.00 category and go up.
I believe one could be built with a 5C collet indexer using a 5C collet holding an arbor with a bearing and truing abrasive wheel with an adjustable tension to control the speed of the dressing wheel.
Any thoughts on how to regulate wheel speed??
Fiber washer to provide drag on the dressing wheel?


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## Bob Korves (Apr 13, 2018)

I have no great answers for a poor hobbyist, but I am also quite interested in this thread.  Here is some stuff I have found on the subject:
https://www.nortonabrasives.com/sit...Superabrasives-Paradigm-TrueandDress-8337.pdf
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=diamond+wheel+brake+dresser  Ouch!








  This is basically how I have been doing it, and it is not perfect, but helps.

For use on making precision flat stones, if the wheel is close to true, plunge cutting with full wheel width step overs, followed by .001" and .0005" passes with a small step over, gives good results.  Just doing passes with moderate depth and moderate step over across the work tends to make it worse.  Aluminum oxide dressing stones help some, but the diamond wheel eats them like popcorn.

The wheel needs to be close in the first place.  Mine came to me from Shars with .001" runout, which is acceptable, but still fussy to get true.  Others on this site received wheels that were WAY out.  

Resin bond diamond wheels are not trivial to true, at least without fairly expensive truing tools.  Somebody, please, prove me wrong and show an economical system that works well for us hobbyists.


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## Dave Smith (Apr 13, 2018)

my inexpensive way is using old worn aluminum oxide grinding wheels that are too small for use on the grinder anymore or ones that have been cracked or gouged by improper use ---or dropped and broken---as working as a maintenance mechanic for 23 years I would always save the bad ones when installing a new one on bench grinders in the plant---they wear fast but do the job well on cleaning and truing diamond wheels---I have said in past threads to never throw away the old wheels when you replace with new ones--to save those for hand held diamond dressers----Dave


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## Holescreek (Apr 13, 2018)

I built one many years ago, not all that hard to do.  I'll see if I can dig up some photos for you.  I used aluminum for the body with a steel plate on the bottom and the non dressing side of the shaft holds a hub inside a drum. The hub has 3 brass pads that get spun out by centrifugal force against the inside of the drum for the braking action.


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## Holescreek (Apr 13, 2018)

I found a bunch of photos I took for a build thread still on my defunct photobucket account.  I'l post a few to see if this is what you are looking for.


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## Tinkertoy1941 (Apr 13, 2018)

Thanks for the pictures!
Did the brass shoes with tension being applied with the Allen cap screws and springs regulate the RPM's of the dressing wheel?


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## Holescreek (Apr 13, 2018)

It's centrifugal force.  The faster it turns the more braking is applied. Set your speed by the weight of springs used.


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## Bob Korves (Apr 13, 2018)

Dave Smith said:


> my inexpensive way is using old worn aluminum oxide grinding wheels that are too small for use on the grinder anymore or ones that have been cracked or gouged by improper use ---or dropped and broken---as working as a maintenance mechanic for 23 years I would always save the bad ones when installing a new one on bench grinders in the plant---they wear fast but do the job well on cleaning and truing diamond wheels---I have said in past threads to never throw away the old wheels when you replace with new ones--to save those for hand held diamond dressers----Dave


Dave, are you speaking of just letting the two wheels rub together, with no drag on the Aluminum Oxide wheel?  If so, please explain to us how that works.


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## Holescreek (Apr 13, 2018)

The method you talked about might work if you used spring washers for tensioners.  You won't know until you try.


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## Dave Smith (Apr 14, 2018)

Bob--when the diamond wheel is spinning you hold the white wheel piece in your hand and press it against the diamond wheel with some pressure-to clean the debris and some resin exposing more of the diamonds on the surface---Then hold a narrow piece to the higher spots if you see any to lower them so the face is even---then I hold a flat side of the white wheel against the diamond wheel and work it from side to side to completely even the face of the diamond wheel---one good thing when you are using a diamond wheel on carbide for grinding is not to use one area only so you don't wear in grooves---use the white wheels every so often to keep the diamonds sharp and an even face----don't use the diamond wheels at all for HS steel tooling ---the white wheels work best for HSS tools-----Diamond wheels are very expensive and should be treated with care to get long lasting service--Dave


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## Dave Smith (Apr 14, 2018)

If you are not good and steady with your hands or feel uncomfortable holding the white wheel piece against the spinning diamond wheel---you could make a jig easily to hold the piece and have it slide back and forth across the face of the diamond wheel to dress it even---Dave


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## Bob Korves (Apr 14, 2018)

Dave Smith said:


> If you are not good and steady with your hands or feel uncomfortable holding the white wheel piece against the spinning diamond wheel---you could make a jig easily to hold the piece and have it slide back and forth across the face of the diamond wheel to dress it even---Dave


Thanks, Dave.  Good ideas in both posts.


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