Planning to buy 2 Mega wheels from WTW…however most popular grits are out of stock

[Mike Hopkins]

They are out of the 80, and 180. Would I be better off with a 60 and 600 or a 220 and 600? Will a 220 more or less replicate a 180 or will it take too much time? Not a turner but have a decent lathe, Jet 1642, and took a class from Bill Grumbine (RIP), where we turned a couple of cherry bowls, Want to learn and have a bunch of cherry in my basement that I plan to start small with it and hopefully improve with over time. I still will need to purchase some gouges and parting tools, etc. and am trying to make these purchases incrementally so it is not too many expensive outlays all at once.

I appreciate all of the knowledge and feedback here and very much admire all of the beautiful products you produce. I hope over time to get to a decent place with this and realize that this is a lengthy endeavor.

WTW 10% sale ends this weekend, so if I hold off until they get the new other sizes in stock I will miss out on the sale price. Sales come and go. In the long run if I am really better off waiting until they have a 180 in stock then I can do so, but it seems to me that a 180/220 will give results pretty close to one another. Is that an incorrect assumption? I will put these on a no name woodcraft 3/4 HP grinder and if it turns out that I am using it a bunch ( not there yet), and it is too slow, then I will just get a more powerful grinder. I have a Kelton sharpening system and if need be will pick up a Wolverine system, which is cheaper than some gouges, but hopefully the Kelton will work fine.

Thanks in advance. i am just happy that I am finally getting my garage and basement work area in shape, where I am not tripping over everything. That has been a long time coming, primarily because my skills and knowledge are rudimentary, and other things and activities occupy my time and energy.

Best regards,

Mike in Berwyn, PA

 

[Dave Landers]

I usually recommend 180 for general sharpening. Others feel strongly about anything from 80 to 600 (and some feel strongly against CBN). So probably in the end it doesn't really matter - personal preference and/or what you get used to. I have a 220 and a couple 180s and don't really notice any significant difference between them for sharpening gouges. Something coarse like 60 or 80 is much better for shaping.
Re the sale, I'd suggest contacting WTW and see what Ken says...

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

Give Ken a call for sure. I use a 320 grit for most gouges from WTW but also have used a D-Way CBN wheel too. If you really want a 180 grit wheel right now then go with the D-Way.

 

[robo hippy]

If you are getting one wheel, then get a 180. If you are getting 2 wheels, then get a 600. The 180 is great for 98% of all the sharpening you will want to do. The 320 does work nice, but to me, it is not enough of a step up. The 600 works better. The 600 grit wheel makes a big difference if you are cutting some punky wood. If you need to do some shaping of your tools, then the 180 is a bit fine, so keep the old 60 or 36 grit wheels handy or a coarse belt sander.

I had heard that Ken Rizza sold the business, which was why it moved. Not positive though.

robo hippy

 

[Mark Jundanian]

I agree you should contact WTW and see if they'd honor the sale price on a back order? You can also use the opportunity to get their expert advice. When I bought my setup from them years ago, Ken's advice to me was to get a 180 & a 600 (round shoulder & square shoulder). That's worked out for me (but then it's not like I've experimented with other arrangements). Not sure that Ken is still there; I heard he sold the company. But if he isn't I'd still talk to the new owners.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

The 3/4 grinder is sufficient. Usually prefer slow speed grinder but not necessary for CBN wheels

 

[Michael Brown]

I agree you should contact WTW and see if they'd honor the sale price on a back order? You can also use the opportunity to get their expert advice. When I bought my setup from them years ago, Ken's advice to me was to get a 180 & a 600 (round shoulder & square shoulder). That's worked out for me (but then it's not like I've experimented with other arrangements). Not sure that Ken is still there; I heard he sold the company. But if he isn't I'd still talk to the new owners.

This was my setup for a few years. Just got an upgrade to 80/800 from D-Way because they were the only ones that have 1" arbor... I am never going back.

 

[Mike Hopkins]

The 3/4 grinder is sufficient. Usually prefer slow speed grinder but not necessary for CBN wheels

It is a slow speed grinder. I don’t think I will go wrong with any of the options and that is why I believe that I am overthinking this purchase. Might try to be a bit more patient and forget about the ongoing sale since sales come and go and the price difference will not be dramatic, especially over the long run.

 

[Randy Heinemann]

Can't you order for the sale price and just wait till they come in? I believe that is what I did about a year ago. I would assume they would allow you to order at the sale price and ship when they wheels come in.

 

[Mike Hopkins]

Perhaps that would work if I call, but their online orders system will not allow me to add to the cart out of stock items and only states that it will notify when available. I has spoken to representatives their and was told that they expected them in by the end of March. I think I will just be patient. Ordering steel versions from LV is an option, and they are in stock. I have dealt with LV for years with excellent customer service and product support so I do have some comfort with that option. The bigger issue is that steel wheels are heavier and might put more strain on 3/4 HP Woodcraft low speed grinder.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Roger Wiegand]

Ken has sold the business, but still "consults" and works the trade shows. Talked to him at Totally Turning last weekend. Sounded like he was pretty happy with the sale, that the people who bought the business want to run it, albeit perhaps without the personal touch he brings. Definitely talk to them, the stock of wheels they had at the show seemed pretty extensive, though I wasn't looking for anything in particular. I already have two 180's and have been thinking about outfitting a second grinder with an 80 and 600. I bought the Kodiak platform for my Wolverine base at the show as well as another lamp--two more wheels would have bent the budget. My first impression of the platform is pretty positive, though I need to move the support farther under the wheel to get it close enough. The fact that you can change the angle while maintaining constant distance to the wheel is really neat.

 

[Bill Blasic]

There is great value in having a grinder set for just your tools. My personal grinder is used in conjunction with the Vector Grind Fixture. I use on this grinder a 180 grit CBN and an 80 grit CBN. The 180 sharpens my gouges and the 80 sharpens scrapers (the 80 gets very little use). For me the 180 gives me the best balance between sharpness and staying sharp the longest time. I know that no matter what gouge I'm using that with this setup I can just make one pass through the Vector and I'm sharp and back to work. There are 3 other grinding setups in the shop for others to use and all 3 have at least 1 CBN wheel on them. There is always one grinder with a stone wheel for regrinding. The CBNs on those are 2 @ 180, 1@ 350 and 1 @ 1000grit. I will never argue that the higher grits don't get the tool sharper it is just for me they get dull faster. One of the greatest things about CBN is that the wheel size never changes meaning if your setup is accurate you are not wasting steel, honestly I will never wear out my stock of gouges.

 

[Lou Currier]

Ken always recommends 180 and 360. I have an order with him for our club, just waiting for them to get resupplied. I have the same setup and works great for me. Anything lower than 180 is too aggressive.

 

[john lucas]

After my test of grits for turning all you really need is a 180. Maybe an 80 for shaping tools. The higher grits have slight advantages but not needed.

View: https://youtu.be/MAg2de7qpC8?si=OvMj4TptgvSkZC3e

 

[Mike Hopkins]

After my test of grits for turning all you really need is a 180. Maybe an 80 for shaping tools. The higher grits have slight advantages but not needed.

View: https://youtu.be/MAg2de7qpC8?si=OvMj4TptgvSkZC3e

Thank you for sharing.

 

[JeffSmith]

Keep in mind that the initial aggressiveness of new cbn wheels will settle in with use. When new, it’s incredible how much steel they can move. I recently replaced the 180 wheel that I use for most sharpening, and the new wheel cuts more like the 80 grit on the other side that is used almost exclusively for scrapers. Mine have been going strong for years now - I believe it’s been 12 years since I replaced the matrix wheels with cbn. These things seem to last forever.
The new 180 is starting to settle down now, after about 6 months of use. In general, when they’ve been ‘seasoned in’ my old 180 probably cut more like a 360 grit and the older 80 grit is probably the equivalent to a new 180. In the meantime, I tend to take it real easy when refreshing an edge. I really like the fact that my tools seem to also last much longer…

 

[robo hippy]

The 80 grit wheel can do some minor 'reshaping' of tools. However, if you need to do some serious reshaping, then a 36 grit wheel or a 36 grit belt on a heavy duty sander is needed.

robo hippy

 

[rkriet]

Mike, the CBN wheels that were out of stock are now back in stock at WTW.