Baldor 6" Carbide Grinder: Source for reasonably priced quality wheels?

dkmc · Jun 23, 2020

OK, Time to replace the totally worn out Green wheels on the Baldor Carbide Grinder.
It uses the "Type 50" or "Plate mounted" 6" cup wheels. After getting sticker shock looking at some of the offerings, I thought I'd waste my time and try a couple wheels from Grizzly at $28 a piece.
Nope. Severe runout and total crap.

Next try, I ordered a pair of "Camel" wheels made in India, from MSC. These were around $60 a piece, and I had higher hopes for their quality.
Ah........Nope.

Check out the runout in this video....
YouTube

My question is, can somebody on here recommend a quality wheel for this grinder that's doesn't cost $150?

steve-l · Jun 23, 2020

dkmc said:
OK, Time to replace the totally worn out Green wheels on the Baldor Carbide Grinder.
It uses the "Type 50" or "Plate mounted" 6" cup wheels. After getting sticker shock looking at some of the offerings, I thought I'd waste my time and try a couple wheels from Grizzly at $28 a piece.
Nope. Severe runout and total crap.

Next try, I ordered a pair of "Camel" wheels made in India, from MSC. These were around $60 a piece, and I had higher hopes for their quality.
Ah........Nope.

Check out the runout in this video....
YouTube

My question is, can somebody on here recommend a quality wheel for this grinder that's doesn't cost $150?

I had a similar issue 2 years ago. I started a tread about this issue at that time. I did a comprehensive search and found a company that will make a custom diamond wheel to your specs in the grit you want. Look up the thread. The date of the thread was around May 2018. The guy I dealt with went by the name Allen Lin. His email was [email protected] The web site is: YingLong SuperHard Materials ManuFactory The company phone is : +0086-29-63354776

Part 1: Quotation for the Diamond Wheel;
1)Quotation for the Diamond Grinding Wheel;
Size: D150-T25-H32-W20-X4MM (No problem, we will do as you wish)
Materials: Diamond(Used for sharpening the Tungsten Carbide)
Grain Size: 120#/150#(Related to the Surface Finish and Grinding Efficiency)
Bond: Resin Bond
Unit Price: USD112.00
Please check the Remarks as below:
1) The price is based on FOB XiAn Unit Price;
2) The Quotation would be Valid within 60days since the day of 2018-04-30;

Part 2: Dimension for Grinding Wheel;
For the grinding wheel, we will produce exactly as you need. After confirmation with the order, the final producing
drawing would be sent to you for confirmation. Only getting your confirmation, we will begin the production.

If you send me a PM with your email address, I will send you some emails with photos of what they made made for my Baldor model 510 grinder.

Your pricing by the way is way out of line. Check with MSC, it's around $600 each. The Baldor price is around $900 each.

dkmc · Jun 23, 2020

steve-l said:
Your pricing by the way is way out of line. Check with MSC, it's around $600 each. The Baldor price is around $900 each.

1. I have no clue what you mean by this ^^^^^^^^^

2. I wouldn't call that phone number if they'd give me free wheels.

3. Thanks for trying to help.

MattiJ · Jun 23, 2020

Steve is talking about diamond wheels and you are talking about green silicon carbide wheels.
Diamond is the way to go with current prices. 30usd harbor freight grinder and 15 usd lapidary diamond disk set is faster AND makes sharper cutting edge than Baldor with green wheel ever will on carbide.

Or if you want baldor specific silicon carbide wheels dress and balance the cheapos. Thats what you are supposed to do anyways..

michiganbuck · Jun 23, 2020

Wow, that is really bad. Are you sure the spindle runs true? I wonder if they are real camel wheels or counterfeit.
I used to run grinding tool bits on the Baldor by the hundreds but using diamond wheels….
They would run about .005 at ID and OD. We would back shim to make the face to run <002, then, mark the up line and true the OD with a dressing stick. You could true the OD of Such high run-out wheels with a dressing stick.
That much run out and I would hand turn them and the grind the Od off the Baldor table so avoiding that much stress on my spindle/motor bearings.

Agree wet diamond wheel is the way to go..120 to 320 for ok sharpening..500 to 1500 for fancy.

ChipSplitter · Jun 23, 2020

dkmc said:
My question is, can somebody on here recommend a quality wheel for this grinder that's doesn't cost $150?

Right at or below $150 for straights. McMaster-Carr

I'm sure you could get cheaper ones from tool houses but they will be good coming from McMaster.

I'm sure you never heard the saying "You get what you pay for".......... :stirthepot:

michiganbuck · Jun 23, 2020

Bay State was a good wheel. Here is one on ebay for around 50 bucks.
but a diamond wheels is best.

BAYSTATE 6"X1"X4" Silicon Carbide Plate Mounted Grinding Wheel 120 Grit 045912

L Vanice · Jun 23, 2020

dkmc said:
...Next try, I ordered a pair of "Camel" wheels made in India, from MSC. These were around $60 a piece, and I had higher hopes for their quality.
Ah........Nope. ...

I think Camel wheels are made in Israel, not India, but I do not know if they are good or not. CGW-Camel 34951 6"X1"X4" GC100-I-V Silicon Carbide Plate Mounted Wheel 655332349510 | eBay

I have not needed to use the green wheel on my Baldor for 10-20 years. It is only for really rough shaping of brazed carbide tools and I have just not needed to do that job for a long time.

I don't recall the brand or the type of grit , but maybe 30 years ago I was going to install a new plate-mounted wheel on the Baldor. Turned out that the plate was warped cylindrical to the extent that tightening the four screws flattened the plate and popped the glue joint making the rock fall off. I have only used the diamond wheel on the other end of the Baldor for many years and not at all in recent years. The Accu-Finish is just so much better.

And, with regard to runout, the first thing I had to do when I bought my new Baldor carbide grinder 40+ years ago was take off the wheel mounting flanges and true them up on my lathe.

Larry

Bluechipx · Jun 23, 2020

I've got a Piranha tungsten grinder for doing tig electrodes. The original wheel was a single layer diamond and pretty much worn out. They wanted $300 for a replacement. Just for the fun of it I ordered an assortment of 6" single layer diamond wheels (discs?) of grits from 60 to 3,000 for $8 ea. on ebay. They had a 1/2" hole and I put a bolt circle in the entire stack. I'm still on the first wheel and it has been about five years. I put a couple on the Baldor, fine and course, and the only problem I had was the disc didn't lay totally flat with the aluminum backer and it required a bit of contact cement, making it somewhat of a pain to switch wheels. It is almost a must to have two grits on the Baldor for carbide, I really like putting the finish on with a 800 grit. I think I have less than $100 in the 12 discs pictured. When I do tig rods with them I don't feel any runout and they are just bolted on.

dkmc · Jun 23, 2020

Bluechipx said:
I've got a Piranha tungsten grinder for doing tig electrodes. The original wheel was a single layer diamond and pretty much worn out. They wanted $300 for a replacement. Just for the fun of it I ordered an assortment of 6" single layer diamond wheels (discs?) of grits from 60 to 3,000 for $8 ea. on ebay. They had a 1/2" hole and I put a bolt circle in the entire stack. I'm still on the first wheel and it has been about five years. I put a couple on the Baldor, fine and course, and the only problem I had was the disc didn't lay totally flat with the aluminum backer and it required a bit of contact cement, making it somewhat of a pain to switch wheels. It is almost a must to have two grits on the Baldor for carbide, I really like putting the finish on with a 800 grit. I think I have less than $100 in the 12 discs pictured. When I do tig rods with them I don't feel any runout and they are just bolted on. View attachment 292446 View attachment 292447

That's interesting, but the Baldor carbide grinder is a 1-1/4" center hole.

Yes the Camel wheels are from Israel not India. I tried truing up the wheels from Grizzly with a diamond dresser, but even the steel back plate was really eccentric. Spindles run within .003 TIR Problem with diamond is, I touch up Carbide, and sometimes HSS as well. HSS requires a CBN not diamond wheel I think? I can cheat a bit grinding HSS with the green wheels, but not with diamond. I have a cutter grinder with cup wheels, etc for HSS, use it for roughing, etc. Sometimes I want to set a specific angle on the Baldor tables. I like the idea of a diamond wheel on one side anyway, but what do they cost at reasonable prices? Not the Baldor ones for $600 or $900.

CarbideBob · Jun 23, 2020

One thing here from the video with respect to diamond wheels.
Both front and side cutting faces of substantial size.
Easy in a plated but not standard and then only one layer deep of abrasive.
You can make these yourself in he kitchen sinks if you really want to.
In a resin bond this is a special and not inside the $150 price tag limit.

You can touch up HSS on a diamond wheel.
Bob

L Vanice · Jun 23, 2020

Bluechipx said:
I've got a Piranha tungsten grinder for doing tig electrodes. The original wheel was a single layer diamond and pretty much worn out. They wanted $300 for a replacement. Just for the fun of it I ordered an assortment of 6" single layer diamond wheels (discs?) of grits from 60 to 3,000 for $8 ea. on ebay. They had a 1/2" hole and I put a bolt circle in the entire stack. I'm still on the first wheel and it has been about five years. I put a couple on the Baldor, fine and course, and the only problem I had was the disc didn't lay totally flat with the aluminum backer and it required a bit of contact cement, making it somewhat of a pain to switch wheels. It is almost a must to have two grits on the Baldor for carbide, I really like putting the finish on with a 800 grit. I think I have less than $100 in the 12 discs pictured. When I do tig rods with them I don't feel any runout and they are just bolted on. View attachment 292446 View attachment 292447

I have an assortment of similar eBay thin 6" plated steel 1/2" bore wheels that I use on my Work Sharp WS3000 grinder. They are cheap and good and work great on this machine as an alternative to the standard sticky back abrasive paper disks. I like the machine for sharpening woodworking chisels and carving tools.

Work Sharp - Work Sharp 3000 Woodworking Tool Sharpener

6 Inch Diamond Coated Flat Lap Disk Grinding Polish Wheel Grit 320 Hole 13mm 6827127844584 | eBay

6"inch Grit 3000 Diamond Coated Flat Lap Wheel Lapidary Lapping Polishing Dis SE | eBay

Larry

eKretz · Jun 24, 2020

CarbideBob said:
One thing here from the video with respect to diamond wheels.
Both front and side cutting faces of substantial size.
Easy in a plated but not standard and then only one layer deep of abrasive.
You can make these yourself in he kitchen sinks if you really want to.
In a resin bond this is a special and not inside the $150 price tag limit.

You can touch up HSS on a diamond wheel.
Bob

You mean the electroplated wheels? Care to elaborate? You just agitate the plating solution with diamond grit dumped in, or what?

steve-l · Jun 24, 2020

dkmc said:
1. I have no clue what you mean by this ^^^^^^^^^

2. I wouldn't call that phone number if they'd give me free wheels.

3. Thanks for trying to help.

You asked for a recommendation for a low cost superior grinder wheel for your Baldor grinder. Green wheels suck. There is no comparison between green wheels and diamond, but quality diamond wheels are almost unaffordable. I gave you a recommendation of a resin based diamond wheel that will fit your grinder at an incredible price. I bought one and it is every bit as good as the best I've seen. I even offered to send you drawings, specs and copies of my emails. I could even send a photo of the wheel they delivered to me. Further, if you had taken advantage of my offer, you could compare specs. In which case you would have discovered that the bonded resin is much thicker than even the most expensive competitor, but no, instead you blew off the recommendation without any research on your part and wrote a really stupid statement of never calling that phone number. Now personally I don't give a shit what you do. Perhaps a $25 used green wheel is what you really need.

MattiJ · Jun 24, 2020

dkmc said:
That's interesting, but the Baldor carbide grinder is a 1-1/4" center hole.

Isn't this like some sort of machining forum?

I'd imagine you can figure out some way to enlarge the 1/2" hole on steel disk.

"I have no time for hobbying with these?"
FFS, buy the proper Baldor wheels then and stop dicking around.

Bluechipx · Jun 24, 2020

MattiJ said:
Isn't this like some sort of machining forum? I'd imagine you can figure out some way to enlarge the 1/2" hole on steel disk.

"I have no time for hobbying with these?"
FFS, buy the proper Baldor wheels then and stop dicking around.

When I stacked up the 12 diamond discs to put the bolt circle in and enlarge the center hole on the mill I quickly dulled the carbide end mill. I've never seen a solid carbide end mill dull so quickly, this strange phenomena will probably go down as unexplained.

MattiJ · Jun 24, 2020

Bluechipx said:
When I stacked up the 12 diamond discs to put the bolt circle in and enlarge the center hole on the mill I quickly dulled the carbide end mill. I've never seen a solid carbide end mill dull so quickly, this strange phenomena will probably go down as unexplained.

Must be the Chinese steel.

gbent · Jun 24, 2020

Money spent on a green wheel is wasted. Move to diamond. For even better work, buy an Accu-Finish, now only available used.

MattiJ · Jun 24, 2020

gbent said:
Money spent on a green wheel is wasted. Move to diamond. For even better work, buy an Accu-Finish, now only available used.

Or bodge up your own version of ”Accu-finish”
Its not exactly rocket engineering.
Almost any slow turning gear motor will do and you need only 1/10hp motor if you go slow speed at around 300rpm like orginal accu-finish. Spindle bearings and runout are also nearly irrelevant at slow speed.

metalmagpie · Jun 24, 2020

MattiJ said:
Or bodge up your own version of ”Accu-finish”
Its not exactly rocket engineering.
Almost any slow turning gear motor will do and you need only 1/10hp motor if you go slow speed at around 300rpm like orginal accu-finish. Spindle bearings and runout are also nearly irrelevant at slow speed.

Or look into a treadmill motor. In any big city treadmills can be had for free if you look a little. The motors have great big flywheels that are good quality cast iron. They are easy to speed control. Diamond paste from overseas is very cheap. Make a pressing stick from a rod and an old bearing, and use it to impress the diamonds on the rotating lap. If you get these to run true and you match the speed of an Accu-Finish you should be able to get the same excellent results.

metalmagpie

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