Getting a snoot full-- bench grinder

Hello
Is there a grinding wheel that someone could recommend for sharpening drill bits and HS lathe tools.
I was using an aluminum oxide wheel and the dust that comes off of it even for a small touch up is making me wonder .
Without going to a diamond wheel or something really expensive is there a brand or abrasive thats not as dusty. The wheel I was using was made by Carborundom
Thanks

Wear a dust mask?

Dressing a wheel requires removal of abrasives and binders. You could go to a CBN or plated diamond, but you'll have to pay the price. You could also rig a shop-vac to capture most of the dust.

Is this aluminum oxide wheel white, blue, grey or green.? The last three may be silicon carbide not aluminum oxide. They will produce a lot of dust.

I think a mask is good but dust goes all over the shop, sometimes still hanging about aftrr grinding is done.

You can put a funel of sorts to be in the direction of the sparks and lead the sparks with a drain pipe to a steel bucket. Shop Vac a distance away with a drain pipe lead so less chance of a fire..

Take care to not have sharp edges near that a wheel can bump your fingers/hand into,.

Most all wheels make some kind of dust and I don't think any ares safe

ewaring said:

Hello
Is there a grinding wheel that someone could recommend for sharpening drill bits and HS lathe tools.
I was using an aluminum oxide wheel and the dust that comes off of it even for a small touch up is making me wonder .
Without going to a diamond wheel or something really expensive is there a brand or abrasive thats not as dusty. The wheel I was using was made by Carborundom
Thanks

Click to expand...

Most of my freehand sharpening easily 60 years has relied on an ignorant 30 grit grey Alox for roughing, basic 60 grit grey for finishing to "good enough to make holes" without making a "project" out of every dam' drill. Yah need a bespoke drill grinder and a hard white "cup" wheel when the material calls for a better grind.

You using sumthin' miis-matched to M42 or the like, or green grit high friability Silicon-carbide-not-Alox meant for brazed Carbide shaping? "Dust" you WILL have.

Otherwise, JF adapt like the rest of us have or send your drills out in batches and stash more NEW ones to cover.

Drills ain't changed all that much. HSS / HSS-Cobalt, neither. The cost of yer TIME, present-day, to mess with them surely HAS done!

Time-value, and the prospect of figuring out how TF and WHERE TF to JF BUY more of it once wasted, has gone waaay TF higher than smaller sizes can justify.

Rex 95 & Mo Max still worth it, Stellites if need forces that, too.

2CW.. and lots more store-bought drills put by these days.

Hi ewaring:
It sounds to me like your wheel is way too soft for freehand grinding.
A typical hardness for bench grinding is "X" and that is hard enough to make very little dust when used offhand.
Softer wheels for tool grinding have become more popular lately because they run cooler, but they break down much more quickly and will make a helluva lot of dust if pushed too hard because the bond is so friable.

So I would check what you've got...if it's something soft like an "H" or "J" it's more usually used on a surface or cylindrical grinder or maybe a T&C grinder.

Cheers

Marcus
Implant Mechanix • Design & Innovation > HOME
Vancouver Wire EDM -- Wire EDM Machining

I don’t use a rock any more, 99% of every thing I grind is with a 2x72 belt grinder. It just works so much better.

Get a CBN wheel.
They are expensive but there is no wheel dust (how much are your lungs worth ?) and you'll probably never buy another wheel again.CBN Grinding Wheels| D-Way Tools

Thanks Marcus,,, I'll get a harder wheeel

Apparently soft wheels are favoured for wood turning tools, where the tool is used straight off the wheel and the heat is removed with the dust, I use a med Norton 60 I think, not much dust but a lot of heat, water bath mandatory
Mark