CBN Wheels - which one?

[Philbert]

is that one of the rougher 40 to 60 grit wheels you have?

I don’t know. They were the “Diamond Brand“ CBN wheels from Amazon. They did not list a grit size.

The company‘s sales office is maybe 20 miles from my house, and I asked if I could come visit them to discuss it, but they were not interested. They suggested that maybe I was a novice at sharpening, and would eventually “get the hang of it“.

I went back to the standard aluminum oxide wheels. But other guys really seem to love the CBN wheels. Maybe I got a bad pair? Maybe there is a lot of variation between wheels? I am not sure. That was just my experience with them. Not motivated to spend a couple hundred dollars to try them again.

My only issue with the aluminum oxide wheels is the dust produced. But I keep them dressed, and grind outdoors when possible. Under $20 a piece.


Philbert

 

[president]

I don’t know. They were the “Diamond Brand“ CBN wheels from Amazon. They did not list a grit size.

The company‘s sales office is maybe 20 miles from my house, and I asked if I could come visit them to discuss it, but they were not interested. They suggested that maybe I was a novice at sharpening, and would eventually “get the hang of it“.

I went back to the standard aluminum oxide wheels. But other guys really seem to love the CBN wheels. Maybe I got a bad pair? Maybe there is a lot of variation between wheels? I am not sure. That was just my experience with them. Not motivated to spend a couple hundred dollars to try them again.

My only issue with the aluminum oxide wheels is the dust produced. But I keep them dressed, and grind outdoors when possible. Under $20 a piece.


Philbert

 

[president]

I have CBNs from L M sharpening wheels in Dent MN
and spoke to Larry the owner whom uses a coarser grit
electroplated to the steel blank.Once the grit wears down a bit
they produce a great, smooth finish that is ultra sharp and wears like
iron! (877) 871 9867
Keith

 

[ZERO]

@president thank you for sharing, I do not mind trying new avenues as long as they are solid.

@Philbert it lools like the wheel could have been plated incorrectly or some other defect. Have you tried cleaning the wheel with a dampened soft brush to get all the loaded material out. You would have to do it from both sides.

Personally I have been doing the tap tap method on all my chains, about 3 taps for a healthy tooth and about 6 taps for the not so healthy ones. I don't have a pic on me but they all come out clean with nice edges. Not sure if this helps, but this is my method from the rock days.

 

[Philbert]

Sold mine, since I was not using them.

There might have been quality control issues. The idea is certainly attractive.

Philbert

 

[Dennisthemenace]

Hi guys - I've been sharpening with my super jolly for the past several months and would like to try CBN wheels to learn how they perform.
Main questions: is there a particular brand that is better than others, or are they all basically "the same"?


I've done approximately 100 chains so far and really don't have any complaints with the wheels my grinder came with, just looking to broaden my horizons - thanks for any info!

I've been very happy with my Foley - Belshaw (US company I believe) 60 grit CBN wheel on my Tecomec Super jolly. It does not "blue" the Cutter no matter how aggressive I am unlike the pink and green wheels that came with the grinder. About 100 bucks US though but 1 will last for many years. . The cheaper wheels might be OK if you grind 100 % of the time but I usually file and don't want any hardened edges. For me the grinder is just for real damage or real long chains or very occasionally going from 10 deg to 30 or square to round as square filing is a mystery to this Aussie. Finally, someone, I think from Foley Belshaw told me to not use diamond grit wheels on std chain. CBN is the go. Diamond might be for carbide maybe?

 

[Dennisthemenace]

I was not happy with the finish left by my CBN wheels - one of the reasons I was disappointed in them.

That said, I think that there may be a range in grit sizes, quality, uniformity, etc. with these wheels.

Your mileage may vary.

View attachment 309103

Philbert

Reverse the wheel direction for the LH cutters. No more outside burr. If it has a nut or Allen head use a drill, get it goin fast and turn on the power. The fitting on Stihl USG might make it harder

 

[davidwyby]

This is the finish left by @huskihl ‘s CBN wheel, but I don’t know the specs on it.

 

[Dennisthemenace]

This is the finish left by @huskihl ‘s CBN wheel, but I don’t know the specs on it.


View attachment 309704

Looks about the same? Stihl 46RS, 60 grit Foley Belshaw CBN. Wheel reversed. If finish is not good enough you can always touch them with a file after repair or alteration. Hand filing will always be the best but it is a darn slow way to turn 91 dl 404 from 10 deg to 30 deg.

 

[davidwyby]

A friend sent me this link. I emailed them and they said 80 grit

https://woodturnerswonders.com/coll...r-3-16-thick?contact_posted=true#contact_form

 

[mitchm1]

My original diamond wheel from 2005 is still holding strong 120 grit, I have sharpened 100s of 325 and 3/8 chains without a problem. Everything from re-sharpening to converting my chains to my liking to correcting bad angles on my friend's chains. With seven chimneys, five Canadian style stoves and two regular stoves, 20 to 30 cords is no problem for me in one season.

I don't count how many sharpening a season, but I can tale a 3/8 68 link chain from 100% to 0% life by the end of the season. I do know how to use my grinder to only touch up a good dull chain and not take any more than needs to be.

A CBN wheel can overheat a cutter tooth too, as mentioned in the other threads, the tap-tap-tap is much better approach then just burring the CBN wheel into a cutter. I usually end up doing about 4-6 taps depending on how much material needs to be taken off, no blue teeth yet.

Cutter maintenance is more important than anything else. A CBN wheel will load up just as any other cutter wheel, if I get lazy cleaning it, after about 20 to 30 teeth I start to see a burr and not so sharp edges. The best maintenance for these wheels is a soft bristle brush lightly damped in water and once you finish one side of the chain, run it from the inside to the outside of the diamond wheel plating and you will see how much material flicks off the wheel. These wheel load up just as any other cutting wheel.

As long as the wheel is maintained properly, I do not see a problem it providing years of good service.

The key to cleaning a diamondwheelinc wheel CBN is to use the white stone
But get your wheel up to speed and shut it off and while it is coasting to a stop then apply the white stone to the wheel while it is coasting to a stop
And a sonic cleaner work very good too
I have 3 of there wheels


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[davidwyby]

This wheel was $75 from

wood turner’s wonders

Supposed to be 80 grit. bushed it to fit the ole Stihl grinder. sharpened 1st chain tonight. Looks a bit coarse? But I’m sure it will work, and maybe I read they wear in finer.

 

[bradb123]

I switched from the pink wheels to Diamond cbn wheels last winter . I got two 3/16 wheels and one 1/8 wheel . I would never go back to the pink wheels . I clean and flip the wheels regularly . I like the fact that you never have to dress the wheels .

 

[Duane(Pa)]

I switched from the pink wheels to Diamond cbn wheels last winter . I got two 3/16 wheels and one 1/8 wheel . I would never go back to the pink wheels . I clean and flip the wheels regularly . I like the fact that you never have to dress the wheels .

Hadn’t heard or thought of flipping the wheel. Great tip!

 

[calcutta250]

I’ve bought Foley and one of the woodturners wonders. I’ve not used them enough to give a good review. But I’ve had no issues with either yet.

I haven’t tried the diamond inc ones.

 

[president]

I was not happy with the finish left by my CBN wheels - one of the reasons I was disappointed in them.

That said, I think that there may be a range in grit sizes, quality, uniformity, etc. with these wheels.

Your mileage may vary.

View attachment 309103

Philbert

that burr will flick off with the first rotation
the cbn wheel cuts the chain rather than grinding it
Keith

 

[calcutta250]

that burr will flick off with the first rotation
the cbn wheel cuts the chain rather than grinding it
Keith

CBN wheels cutting vs grinding could become a topic itself.

CBN doesn’t really have a cutting edge. Neither does a standard grinding wheel.

Yes their are micro cutting edges but I fail to see the true difference.

I’m curious as to this comment will be viewed by other members. Grinding can be super complex.

 

[Philbert]

that burr will flick off with the first rotation
the cbn wheel cuts the chain rather than grinding it
Keith

It was not the burr, but the coarse finish on the cutter face; almost like a serrated edge! Again, it could have been those 2, specific wheels, but I have been satisfied with the standard, vitrified wheels, and have a bunch of those, so not interested in dropping another $100/each to try the CBN wheels again.

Pu

 

[calcutta250]

This is a great comment because we all do things differently and get results that work for each of us.

 

[old guy]

I have one cbn wheel from Diamond, it works for me.