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- Thread starterChris Sandberg
- Start dateNov 10, 2008
- Replies 13
- Views 24,268
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Chris Sandberg
Aluminum
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2008
- Location
- Portland, Oregon
- Nov 10, 2008
- #1
Hello Group, I have a Question on sharpening HSS and Carbide on steel tools. I did a search but did not find the exact explanation I was after. I have HSS cutting blanks and soldered on carbide cutters and want to get the grinding and finishing stone needed to make and resharpen tools for steel and aluminum. I have the shape charts I just need the equipment to get going.
A newbie/ beginner
TX in advance Chris
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eng4turns
Aluminum
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
- Location
- Kissimmee, Florida
- Nov 10, 2008
- #2
HSS takes aluminum oxide wheels. The grayish blue is fine (try Norton). Don't buy the cheapies for your tool grinding. Don't use the white or pink for this. Get a couple of grades, medium and fine. Rough out blanks on your bench grinder by hand, then go over to your good tool grinding wheels.
For carbide, you must use one of these three: diamond, green silicon carbide, or silicon boride (I don't think I got that last one right bit it's something like that and they are very expensive). While you can wear an aluminum oxide wheel down on carbide and eventually do something, it will not be what you want. So buy a green wheel to start with mounted on a standard bench grinder. Eventually, you will realize this is not an ideal setup and your tool performance will lag your expectations so you'll then want to get a tool grinder where you grind on the face of the wheel, not outer periphery. Typically anywhere from $160 at Horror Freight to $300 at ENCO. Bought mine at HF on sale for $130, came with two green wheels. BTW, I took one of the green wheels off my HF tool grinder and made up an aluminum wheel that I impregnate with diamond paste - the kind you get in little syringes. After the green wheel for roughing, the diamond wheel hone puts a super fine edge on the carbide.
You will need to get a diamond dressing point for both types and make up a holder so you can dress the wheels. Wear a dust mask and don't do this near your lathes and mills.
Buy enough grinders so you can dedicate grinders to certain sharpening tasks. Set up one grinder with your two HSS sharpening wheels, make up grinding guides and blocks with your usual preferred angles and then you'll find that sharpening and honing up is a trivial task.
If you get a tool grinder for your carbide, dedicate it only to that.
Ed in Florida
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mygoatboy
Aluminum
- Joined
- May 12, 2007
- Location
- Sterling, MA
- Nov 10, 2008
- #3
I will second that about getting almost no where trying to grind carbide without the proper wheel. I do it in a pinch but you take more material from the wheel than you do from the carbide.
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AndrewM
Plastic
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2008
- Location
- Waco TX
- Nov 10, 2008
- #4
Warning: newbie question.
I bought one of those Baldor-style Harbor Freight tool grinders (parking lot sale, $95 
) with the green wheels. I've been using it for HSS. Honestly, they've been working fine for me. Is there something I'm missing? Would I get a better surface finish if I were to use a finer (AO?) wheel? I've seen the threads over on HSM about the other style wheels and where to get them, but haven't done so yet.
I was impressed with the HF grinder though, mine runs very smoothly and is very quiet (when not making sparks, of course). Not a typical "use the cord as a leash while it walks around the shop" HF grinder.
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stnecut
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2008
- Location
- Massachusetts, USA
- Nov 10, 2008
- #5
Green Wheels
Green silicon carbide wheels is what we used to shape our carbide tipped tools in a natural limestone mill I used to work in. They always performed well. You should get a dressing wheel if you use them on a bench grinder though. You'll find it very helpful in bringing the wheel back to shape. Remember your respirator while working with them.
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Chris Sandberg
Aluminum
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2008
- Location
- Portland, Oregon
- Nov 10, 2008
- #6
Sharpening, type of grinders and stones
Hello Group, Thanks for the exact info I was after but I still was wondering about a final polishing stone for the very end of the job. Is there such a thing, I was under the impression that you finish on a hand stone for the very edge of the cutter for razor sharp.
a newbie/ beginner
TX Chris
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Mike C.
Diamond
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2004
- Location
- Birmingham, AL
- Nov 11, 2008
- #7
White stones are ideal for HSS, but need to be operated at the proper speed. They can be expensive and hard to find for a typical bench grinder. If you can find them, go for it. They are very good and don't burn the tool as badly as gray wheels.
The biggest help in fast forming of tools is a big honking grinder. I have a 1750rpm 1hp Cincy at home that will eat a bushhog blade as hard as you can push it without bogging. It makes real short work of shaping a 3/8" lathe tool. I have a coarse wheel on one side (60grit Bay state gray wheel) and a very fine wheel on the other (I think it's a 180grit brown/tan colored wheel by Norton, leaves a beautiful polished edge). I hone my tools after grinding. The more polished the edge, the better your finish.
Now for carbide. Green wheels will cut carbide, but from the experience several of us had at the scraping seminar in Savannah, GA a couple of years back, it is akin to sharpening your knife by rubbing it on the driveway. The resulting edge is chipped and ragged, and this will show up in your work. Green wheels are fine for roughing, but diamond is the ticket for a good sharp edge.
The green wheels (silicon carbide) are no good for steel. They combine with the steel and do bad things, as well as disappear at a rapid rate. Same for diamond, but in the other direction... the steel kills the diamond.
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J. Randall
Stainless
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2003
- Location
- Vici Okla. U.S.A.
- Nov 11, 2008
- #8
AndrewM, I think I have read that the Harbor Freight grinder come with green colored wheels, but they are really aluminum oxide. If that is the case that is why the work good on hss, plus some people grind their hss on a silicon carbide wheel even though it is not whats recommended.
On another note if you have not tried grinding your hss tools on a belt grinder you should, its faster and for me easier to get the angles right.
James
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