WHat wheel to use for carbide inserts

[Prototypeman]

WGonzalez2, I know exactly where you are coming from. You get by with what you have, that is why you can afford a place in Texas & one in Ontario. I respect you. I too started out with the green wheel & for you, it may be good enough. It is great to use for roughing, although I think you would be very impressed if you used a diamond wheel. You can get a sharp edge, as opposed to what you get on the green wheel. Try it, you will be very glad you did.

[Prototypeman]

[QUOTE=WGonzalez2]For years I have been using a very soft grinding wheel (green) to sharpen my carbides. Now I decided to get another grinding wheel and have a hard time finding what kind of wheel to search for and who carries them.

A good place to start for green, or diamond wheels is www.mscdirect.com

[WGonzalez2]

What kind of lathe do you have? What materials are you turning?

Listen to Pixman! He has helped me save a lot of money!

Black Forest:
I have a Clausing 12 x 36 1972 or so and the material i get is usually steel or its alloys from scrap.

I use a lot of just HRS either plate or bar that I buy at the scrap places.

Normally I do not use exotic material at all. Lots of construction re-bar serves my purposes since strength is not an issue when I build/repair something, and if it is I just compensate with MORE material.
Yes, I can sense the Pixman has the experience and is probably a full time machinist for life. EXPERIENCE COUNTS !!! This is why FORD model T from 1925 (my first car) is so different to today's F-150. There were superb engineers in 1925 as well as machinists, but the Experience makes a BIG difference.

I take my hat off to all those people I can read in this site that the knowledge and experience percolates from their words.

Thanks, Wilson

[WGonzalez2]

WGonzalez2, I know exactly where you are coming from. You get by with what you have, that is why you can afford a place in Texas & one in Ontario. I respect you. I too started out with the green wheel & for you, it may be good enough. It is great to use for roughing, although I think you would be very impressed if you used a diamond wheel. You can get a sharp edge, as opposed to what you get on the green wheel. Try it, you will be very glad you did.

I just did buy one, have no tried yet, will do in a month as I go to the "shop"
Thanks, Wilson

[torneriasamar]

Hy Gonzalez,
I am new to the forum, but turning parts for several years. Also from a third world country near your original one(Argentine). May be the things I tell you be of no use to you, but I send them in case some are. I think that it was a good step to buy a diamond wheel. I dont know if you could use it in the same machine you been using the green stones. In my case I use a stronger, more rigid machine, to avoid vibration when cutting the tools, that can harm the diamond wheel. Also the tool might need to be better hold for getting a better sharpening and extended life. I assume you are hand holding the tool while you sharpen it. You may consult if you can use the diamond wheel in your actual machine with good results.
Here I use Indexable inserts, carbide brassed tools, Hss tools, and Carbide bits(I found them very usefull for blades, because I can prepare them exactly to the leng and width I need, making the rigidest tool for a cutting operation. It is the most important thing the quality of the carbide. That is talking about the bits or about the brazzed tips, or indexable inserts resharpened. You need to find the quality that lasts, and wears not craking, for the general purposes you turn).
Good luck!

[WGonzalez2]

TorneriaSamar: Thanks for the advise and I already mounted the Diamond wheel on a small 1/3 HP 3600 RPM electric motor that I had in the scrap box.

It seems to cut very well, but I take the point you mentioned about holding the carbide bit solidly when sharpening. I was doing it by hand as a dry run but since the bits need to be exactly the same shape and profile to share the cut evenly I had in mind to make a jig to hold the bit while sharpening.
That way I will be having a smooth cut on the stump and keep the wheel balanced. Thanks for the suggestion.

Now as to the type of insert to braze on the (3/8") carbon steel shanks I am planing to use, I am still at loss since I cannot decide what type of carbide.

I would like to use a 3/8" by 3/32" thick square carbide insert. One corner will be rounded with a 3/8" radius to make a progressive cut on the stump. Planing on 16 bits mounted to cut "left" and the other 16 bits mounted to cut "right" . This is based on my web research about other machines with "rotor" of approx. 16" - 18".

So the geometry for the carbide bit I feel I have no problem with, but the type of carbide to use in this case still a mystery to me.

DO you have any suggestion as of the type?

Thanks, Wilson

PS. Nice to hear a compatriot is in this forum. Right now vacationing for another week in Piriapolis beach in Uruguay. Back to Canada on Sunday 19.
I looked at your website and it seems that you people do quite some sophisticated machining! I am definitely not at that level......just do "jury rigging" for my own equipment.