Bench Grinder For Grinding Lathe Tools: Advice Needed

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I wouldn't recommend a slow speed grinder for high speed steel. Wood workers (myself included) deal with high carbon steel hand chisels and hand plane blades. They won't tolerate heat, high speed steel doesn't care. HSS can get red hot and not affect the hardness, thats why we use it.
Just about any 1/2 HP 3400 rpm grinder will work, 6 inch wheels are fine but 7 or 8 are faster cutting as the surface speed is higher. A little hollow grind from the radius of the wheel aids in honing the final edge on a hand stone.
If you get an import grinder throw the stones away, they are little more than circular concrete disks. Get good quality ones. The white aluminum oxide ones are indispensable in the wood working shop, they cut cool but at a price, they fragment to stay sharpe and as a result wear fast, you don't need them for HSS.

Greg

Greg, I'm glad you clarified high speed vs. low speed grinders for me, as well as your comments on stones. You guys are giving me a great education on grinders, which was EXACTLY what I was
looking for when I posted this thread.

 

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A quick word on grinding and grinding wheels. As a part of shop practice, I never stand in the plane of rotation of a grinding wheel, Not at start up, not during use. If I have to cross the plane, I don't linger. In my 50 years doing grinding, I have seen a wheel explode on someone else, at a high school shop, and one in my own shop. For the one in my owns shop, it was always lightly used, never suffered any damage of any kind. It just went one day. Scared the daylights out of me, but I did not get injured. It was a 6" fine grain AO wheel. I figure there was a slight manufacturing defect that finally let go.

Dabbler, thanks for the safety reminder. I'll keep it in mind for the day that I feel too lazy to go get the face shield...