# Diamond grinder wheels,are they worth it?



## ossaguy (Nov 18, 2010)

Our local woodturning club will be offering  steel bodied,balanced diamond wheels,to fit on my 8 inch slow grinder/Wolverine setup at the upcoming meeting.

 I was wondering if anyone here has used or owned one,looking for pros-cons.They are costly so I thought I'd ask here before the demo on Saturday.

  Thanks for any feedback!

             Steve


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## snowman56 (Nov 18, 2010)

I use dimond sharping stones for all my knives but have never used a wheel,how pricy are we talking? What i use for knives work great easy to clean just spray with wd40 and good as new.They are not chaep but they last a very long time.


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## Wildman (Nov 18, 2010)

Think few professional turners hawking value of these wheels. Most only use a diamond wheel on their grinder to hone after sharpening or touch up their tools before going back to sharpening on grinding wheel.  

Do you really need a Diamond Wheel? Nice to have item but not really necessary for M2 HSS tools.


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## ossaguy (Nov 18, 2010)

They cost $166.00 which is a lot for me,but the list of members that placed their orders is quite long,so I was wondering if I'm really missing something.I read where it works really good,and to bring along a tool to try it out on a demo setup.For the fun of it,I might bring one along and see.

I have heard that they work really well on chainsaw grinding wheels,but are so costly our lawnmower shop has never popped for one.I heard that the chainsaw ones can load up,and once that happens,it's wrecked,as it just burns the chain cutters.

That's been my only experience,except for I use the dowel-shaped bits for sharpening carbide chain,but they don't work too great for that,but they get the job done.

That's why I was asking about them here,just curious is all.For the little work that I do,the white &  grey wheels that the grinder came with seem to do OK.

Thanks,
Steve


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## Wildman (Nov 18, 2010)

GRINDING WHEEL and ABRASIVES BASICS
INDEX
http://www.georgiagrindingwheel.com/grindingwheels_basics.htm#faq10

If you scroll down to diamond wheels, they explain better than I can.

Wood turners have been using diamond-grinding wheels for a long time now. Think they are okay if you understand how to use and want one.   Nice to know what the return policy is on the diamond wheel you buy.  Either they work without problems or they wobble.  If wobble goes away once grinder gets up to speed your okay.  If not and wobble still there need to return wheel for exchange or money back.  

I have never seen a need for a diamond-grinding wheel.


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## themartaman (Nov 19, 2010)

Look on ebay under lapidary. I use them for working on stones and sharpening lathe tools.


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## KenV (Nov 19, 2010)

The people I know who use them are pros --- people who make a significant portion of the annual income with a lathe --   Bonnie Klein, Reed Gray, etc.  

Fred Holder (More Woodturning publisher) has done a couple articles on them.  Long life and consistent product with fine edges.   

I have looked at them, and if I saw that price would probably jump for it.


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## Frank Nemke sr (Nov 19, 2010)

i was into drilling glass bottles.  I bought a 3 pk out of China for #19.95 delivered..  Thes lasted for about 5 holes each, drilling with water.    I bought 1 for $55 delivered.   Drilled about 150 holes with it.   If your going to use it alot, buy the quality product


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## BigShed (Nov 19, 2010)

There is a (very long) thread on my "home" forum:

http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/diamond-grinding-wheel-113355/

There is a group of members on our forum that organised a group buy of the Woodcraft Woodriver Diamond Wheels, it might make interesting reading for some of you.


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## ossaguy (Nov 20, 2010)

I saw the demo today of the diamond wheels,and was impressed.The 2 tools that I saw them do were scary sharp with no heat buildup,and they ran really smooth.The body is made of steel so it has a huge flywheel affect,and with no burst hazard,they use it without the side sheilds even.

  They recommended having a normal coarse wheel on one side,then getting the finer of the 2 wheels for the other.That way you use the regular wheel for major reshaping,and the diamond wheel for normal touch ups.The sharpening finish on the finer one feels super sharp.

I like that there is no shedding of the wheel like when dressing the wheel.Wish I could afford one,but maybe if & when I use up my white one,I'll be able to pop for one of these then.

  I guess the guy that sells them sold 17 at one club meeting someplace.One guy has been using one for 15 years even.

  Thanks for all the feedback.

 Steve


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## brewtang (Nov 20, 2010)

They are BEYOND worth it.  I know about 30 people that swear by them.  I use one.  Pricey, yes, but worth every penny.


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## Padre (Nov 20, 2010)

BigShed said:


> There is a (very long) thread on my "home" forum:
> 
> http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/diamond-grinding-wheel-113355/
> 
> There is a group of members on our forum that organised a group buy of the Woodcraft Woodriver Diamond Wheels, it might make interesting reading for some of you.




I read all 13 pages!  But, I did not get a general feeling of whether or not the diamond wheel was really worth the extra expense over the alox wheel.  Did I read it wrong?

Also, you can get a 120 grit alox wheel for $40 or less, so you could actually buy 4 alox wheels for the price of 1 diamond wheel.  And Amazon sells a 150 grit alox wheel for $29.00 which makes it over 5 to 1.  

I know the white alox wheels have a tendency to pit and chip and you also have to dress them frequently.  They also do not run true right out of the box.  They heat the tools up quite a bit and produce a lot of sparks.  The diamond wheels, from my reading, does none of these.

So, how long does a diamond wheel last?  Is it worth buying one with the 4 to 1 and 5 to 1 rations of alox vs. diamond?

And lastly, if there's an interest, maybe a group buy on this site would be in order?


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## DurocShark (Nov 21, 2010)

Perhaps the diamond wheel consumes less of the tool over time? That would change the price/value equation... 


Just a thought.


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## Wildman (Nov 21, 2010)

So many roads lead to Rome, as long as you arrive safely.  Does not matter which road you take?  It applies to sharpening your tools too.  You can spend a little or a lot as long as you get results money spent not the issue. 

Remember almost all professional turners enrich themselves by endorsing products!  Yes, many endorse products or techniques without direct benefit.  It is true about obsessive amateurs too.  That is not necessarily bad but have gotten both straight and bum scoop from those people. 

Keep an open mind, take what you hear and read with a grain of salt.  Only thing that matters is what works for you!


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## JerrySambrook (Nov 21, 2010)

One of the advantages is that the wheel dia does not change.
Therefore, your hollow grind does not continually change.

The other advantage of the dia not changing is that you can set up your wolverine by marks and now have them repeat, .
With a friable wheel, the dia gets smaller each and every time you use it.

Lastly, if you buy good friable wheels, they diamond whell pays for itself in two to three friable wheels life


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## BigShed (Nov 21, 2010)

Padre said:


> BigShed said:
> 
> 
> > There is a (very long) thread on my "home" forum:
> ...



I think you read it right, the jury is still out I think. Don't forget they have only just received their wheels in the last couple of weeks and only have initial impressions at this stage.

Having said that, initial impressions seem to be positive.

As to value for money, only time will tell I guess, although I think you can't only judge it on the basis of how many Alox wheels it would equate to.
There are other distinct advantages, such as less heat being generated, the wheel staying flat rather than having to re-dress to remove grooves etc.


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## Wildman (Nov 22, 2010)

If you want a harder friable A/O wheel, choose a K grade-grinding wheel.  I am currently using 80 & 46 grit Norton K blue wheels.  For touching up use a diamond credit card between sharpening. Diameter does not change every time I sharpen my tools. Same is true for softer white wheels. I have used wheels made by CGW, Pacific, and Norton from H thru K grade. Wheels last me from two to three years or more.  

If you use a diamond-grinding wheel to freshening up the edge of your tools, they should last a long time.  Remember no sparks will fly using a diamond wheel.  Dry diamond wheels are for moderate grinding and need to select a fine grit for finish quality.  If you use a diamond wheel for everyday sharpening, they will wear out eventually. No one knows how long a diamond-grinding wheel will last under normal use. 

If you want to sharpen a tool or reshape the bevel, need to go back to aluminum oxide (A/O) wheel.


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