Looking for replacement grinding wheels over stock grey wheels

[PurpLev]

Hi, I have been using the stock 6" wheels on my porter cable VS grinder until now, and am looking to upgrade those for something that runs cooler and keeps it's cutting surface fresher for a longer time (these stock wheels gets glazed and stop cutting real quick and start burning the cutting toolings I'm forming).

I've looked at the Norton White aluminum oxide wheels which run at ~$25 in local stores although found them also for half price online.

I've also seen the ones at enco (tru-maxx) at $9 per wheel.

my stock wheels are 36x and 60x.

my questions to you folks are:

1. have you had experience with the enco wheels? are they good? better than stock wheels? compared to the notron white wheels?
2. are the white wheels really better?
3. Should I look for 36x and 60x replacements? or should I look at 60x and 100x instead?
4. What do you have running on your grinder?

Hoping this thread could help others as well for future reference.

Thanks in advance.

 

[xalky]

Do you have a grinding wheel dresser? There are several different types. They work really well to clear the glazing out of the wheels and to get the wheel back down to virgin grit. You can get them at places like HF or just about any place that sells good tools. They're pretty cheap too.



the one on the left works by spinning the toothed wheels on the spinning grinding wheel to dislodge the crap out of the wheel and bring it back to virgin grit. The one on the right is a stone used to reshape the grinding wheel face flat. It's quick and easy and saves a lot of money over buying new wheels everytime they're glazed.

I apologize if you already have these and your just looking for better wheels.

 

[PurpLev]

Do you have a grinding wheel dresser?.

yes i do. i have a diamond dresser and can resurface my wheel just looking to see if there might be something better out there no need to apologize. good reference

 

[swatson144]

I like the norton 38A60-IVBE for tool steel. I really don't bother with a coarser or finer as it cuts fast enough for me and smooth enough to hone quick. Mine is 8" on a 50$ grinder new with an 80G SC wheel on the other side for carbide.

I really can't comment on the other wheels since I know the Nortons work well and aren't cost prohibitive on Ebay. I hate to have to buy a 5 pack though.

Steve

 

[AlbertNakaji]

1. have you had experience with the enco wheels? are they good? better than stock wheels? compared to the notron white wheels?

No experience with Enco wheels.

1. are the white wheels really better?

Have not used white wheels.

1. Should I look for 36x and 60x replacements? or should I look at 60x and 100x instead?

There's more to what you should consider than just grit. Specifically, if you are getting clogging/glazing, that means the material you're grinding is too soft for the wheel (conversely, the wheel "hardness" is too high and does not shed fast enough). Clogging means that the wheel is not wearing fast enough to prevent metal from being deposited between the grit. Norton has information explaining what the appropriate wheel designation would be for different applications. The grit has more to do with finish.

1. What do you have running on your grinder?

It depends on what I'm grinding. Very soft material, such as aluminum, requires a very soft wheel. Very hard material, such as tool steel, requires harder wheels (but not necessarily super hard). I have several Norton wheels that are changed out depending on what is needed.

 

[PurpLev]

I like the norton 38A60-IVBE for tool steel. I really don't bother with a coarser or finer as it cuts fast enough for me and smooth enough to hone quick. Mine is 8" on a 50$ grinder new with an 80G SC wheel on the other side for carbide.

I really can't comment on the other wheels since I know the Nortons work well and aren't cost prohibitive on Ebay. I hate to have to buy a 5 pack though.

Steve

Thanks for the response. sounds like a nice setup.

1. have you had experience with the enco wheels? are they good? better than stock wheels? compared to the notron white wheels?

No experience with Enco wheels.

1. are the white wheels really better?

Have not used white wheels.

1. Should I look for 36x and 60x replacements? or should I look at 60x and 100x instead?

There's more to what you should consider than just grit. Specifically, if you are getting clogging/glazing, that means the material you're grinding is too soft for the wheel (conversely, the wheel "hardness" is too high and does not shed fast enough). Clogging means that the wheel is not wearing fast enough to prevent metal from being deposited between the grit. Norton has information explaining what the appropriate wheel designation would be for different applications. The grit has more to do with finish.

1. What do you have running on your grinder?

It depends on what I'm grinding. Very soft material, such as aluminum, requires a very soft wheel. Very hard material, such as tool steel, requires harder wheels (but not necessarily super hard). I have several Norton wheels that are changed out depending on what is needed.

Thanks. I am mostly (99.99%) using this for HSS tooling and an occasional O2/A2/carbon steel touch ups (cleaning woodworking blades in bad shape quickly). so I need something rather hard to shape HSS Lathe tooling. I will check Nortons site, thanks for the pointer.

 

[swatson144]

Thanks for the response. sounds like a nice setup.



Thanks. I am mostly (99.99%) using this for HSS tooling and an occasional O2/A2/carbon steel touch ups (cleaning woodworking blades in bad shape quickly). so I need something rather hard to shape HSS Lathe tooling. I will check Nortons site, thanks for the pointer.

Actually you want something pretty soft for the harder materials so it sheds and keeps presenting fresh abrasive to the material. If you are going to stay in the 6" wheels you may want to look around a K or J hardness. Slower the surface speed the softer the wheel acts. The problem with the stock wheels is they are too hard for hard material. They work fine on milder material like mower blades and bolts, but on HSS and harder they hold the abrasives until they get dull and you have to dress the wheel . Problem with 6" wheels is there isn't a whole lot of choices in them, they cost as much as an 8" wheel and by 8" standards are nearly worn slam out when installed :biggrin:.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NORTON-GRIN...080?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53ead5c288

Have you adapted to run wheels for 1 1/4" arbors?

If so more choices here http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=38a+6&_sacat=11804&_odkw=38a&_sop=1&_osacat=11804

Steve

 

[PurpLev]

Actually you want something pretty soft for the harder materials so it sheds and keeps presenting fresh abrasive to the material. If you are going to stay in the 6" wheels you may want to look around a K or J hardness. Slower the surface speed the softer the wheel acts. The problem with the stock wheels is they are too hard for hard material. They work fine on milder material like mower blades and bolts, but on HSS and harder they hold the abrasives until they get dull and you have to dress the wheel . Problem with 6" wheels is there isn't a whole lot of choices in them, they cost as much as an 8" wheel and by 8" standards are nearly worn slam out when installed :biggrin:.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NORTON-GRIN...080?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53ead5c288

Have you adapted to run wheels for 1 1/4" arbors?

If so more choices here http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=38a+6&_sacat=11804&_odkw=38a&_sop=1&_osacat=11804

Steve

Thanks again for the insights. I can always made bushings to fit whatever mounting hole is on the wheel (within reason I guess) on the lathe as long as the wheel is a good one. I've looked at these which are sized well, priced well and are J class:

http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Norton-White-Grinding-Wheel-P38C20.aspx

 

[swatson144]

Thanks for the source I book marked it.

Steve

 

[DMS]

I am using CGW white wheels that I purchased from KBC. I'm sure others carry them as well. Great improvement over the stock wheels, which I felt were about as good as rubbing the work on the concrete outside. The wheels I have cut very fast. They are also pretty open, so they wear pretty fast, though I purchased 2 and am still working on the first.