Bench top grinder

[redvan22]

My bench top grinder vibrates significantly. I have recently changed one wheel to a new wheel and used a star dresser to true it but still I get vibration. The wheel is definitely out of round because if I move the tool rest in close and rotate the wheel manually, I can see the gap changes from close to wide and than back to close so I trued it again but still get the same results. Am I doing something wrong or is something else going on here that I do not see?

Michael.

 

[maspann]

Have you checked to see if you have a bent arbor?

 

[Janderso]

This comes up from time to time.
I don’t know if grinding wheels were always this bad but it’s pretty rare to find a balanced wheel.
I went to a six inch wheel, that helped. The 8” was awful after several wheels. I was also using a cheap Dewalt 8” grinder.
I switched to a 6” Jet which seems to be made much better. A lot more money too.
You may have to balance your wheels.
You want to throw away the stamped steel washers and make or buy machined washers.
Plenty of videos online that go through this process.

 

[tjb]

This comes up from time to time.
I don’t know if grinding wheels were always this bad but it’s pretty rare to find a balanced wheel.
I went to a six inch wheel, that helped. The 8” was awful after several wheels. I was also using a cheap Dewalt 8” grinder.
I switched to a 6” Jet which seems to be made much better. A lot more money too.
You may have to balance your wheels.
You want to throw away the stamped steel washers and make or buy machined washers.
Plenty of videos online that go through this process.

Ditto on the 6" Jet.

 

[DavidR8]

Bonded wheels seem to have gone down in quality unless you are buying expensive Norton wheels. Even then it’s no guarantee of getting a decent wheel.
I have steel CBN wheels and they are amazing.
My 8” grinder is completely silent now.

 

[tjb]

Bonded wheels seem to have gone down in quality unless you are buying expensive Norton wheels. Even then it’s no guarantee of getting a decent wheel.
I have steel CBN wheels and they are amazing.
My 8” grinder is completely silent now.

Can you post a link to the brand/grit/style wheel you have, David?

Regards

 

[Janderso]

Bonded wheels seem to have gone down in quality unless you are buying expensive Norton wheels. Even then it’s no guarantee of getting a decent wheel.
I have steel CBN wheels and they are amazing.
My 8” grinder is completely silent now.

I have to agree, the CBN wheels are great.
Yesterday I was messing around with my Baldor tool room grinder, silicon carbide on one side, diamond on the other.
I noticed a bit of runout in the green wheel so I chucked up the adapter plate to a good arbor in the lathe, skimmed it for concentricity.
When I remounted and dressed the wheel, I noticed an imbalance. I’ll pull it back apart, spin the wheel 180 degrees and hope for the best.
These green silicon carbide, type 50 wheels run from $78 to over $500. I bought this from MSC and it wasn’t the value line. I should have sent it back.

 

[DavidR8]

Can you post a link to the brand/grit/style wheel you have, David?

Regards

I bought one from Woodchuckers Warehouse and the other from Lee Valley. Notionally they are for sharpening woodturning tools but they make quick work of HSS tool bits.
I have a 180gr and a 600 gr.

CBN-Radius Edge Series

CBN 8 inch x 1.5” sharpening wheel with a 5/8 hole. Cubic boron nitride (CBN) is a synthetic chemical compound made up of boron and nitrogen atoms in a one-to-one ratio. It exists as a cubic crystal lattice, with its atoms arranged in a symmetrical, cube-shaped structure like the crystalline...

woodchuckers.com

 

[tjb]

I bought one from Woodchuckers Warehouse and the other from Lee Valley. Notionally they are for sharpening woodturning tools but they make quick work of HSS tool bits.
I have a 180gr and a 600 gr.

CBN-Radius Edge Series

CBN 8 inch x 1.5” sharpening wheel with a 5/8 hole. Cubic boron nitride (CBN) is a synthetic chemical compound made up of boron and nitrogen atoms in a one-to-one ratio. It exists as a cubic crystal lattice, with its atoms arranged in a symmetrical, cube-shaped structure like the crystalline...

woodchuckers.com

Thanks, David.

 

[redvan22]

Well,
No bent arbor, that I can detect.
A friend suggested reseating the wheel and then see what happens - this was the trick. The nut came off very easily (too easy for my comfort level) but after reseating and putting the star dresser to it - vibration gone and the tool rest isn't a blur any more. The wheel does have a slight noticeable wobble from left to right when starting but no vibration. I guess this would have an effect if I was using the side of the wheel but since I NEVER do that, I do not see this wobble as being a problem, unless someone else does....?

Thank you everyone for your time and expertise.
Michael