• July 2025 Turning Challenge: Turn a Multi-axis Weed Pot! (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Michael Foster for "Costa II" being selected as Turning of the Week for July 28th, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

What is the best CBN Grit to use?

Andy Goldman

Andy Goldman

Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Messages
16
Likes
1,679
Location
Placentia, CA
What is the best CBN Grit to use when sharpening Scrapers/Skews to put a sharp edge on the tools when they have been previously sharpened?
 
Some will raise a burr manually on scrapers and hone skews. I'm pretty lazy so I take my tools directly off of the CBN wheel. I use a 180 for heavier sharpening, rounding heals, and for scrapers (the latter mostly because that side has a platform on it); and a 600 CBN wheel for gouges and skews (wolverine for most of the gouges, freehand for skew and bottom-feeder). I do run the skew over a piece of wood to remove the wire edge before using.
 
You will see a wide range of answers.
I use an 80 and a 180
The 80 for my bowl gouges, the 180 for everything else except skews
Skews I do on stones and the tormek once in a while.


I use the 180 for scrapers. They need to be sharpened often.
I use a stone to knock of the old bur and polish the top before passing it over the grinder to raise a fresh burr.
I use scrapers off the wheel.

Skews have to be honed. I use a soft and hard Arkansas stone to sharpen. Then I hone with a leather wheel on the tormek.
When it gets hard to hold the bevel on the stones I sharpen on the tormek. It puts a slight hollow on the bevel making it easy to hold on the stones.


What other recommend work for them
 
hockenbery said:
You will see a wide range of answers.
I use an 80 and a 180
The 80 for my bowl gouges, the 180 for everything else except skews
Skews I do on stones and the tormek once in a while.


I use the 180 for scrapers. They need to be sharpened often.
I use a stone to knock of the old bur and polish the top before passing it over the grinder to raise a fresh burr.
I use scrapers off the wheel.

Skews have to be honed. I use a soft and hard Arkansas stone to sharpen. Then I hone with a leather wheel on the tormek.
When it gets hard to hold the bevel on the stones I sharpen on the tormek. It puts a slight hollow on the bevel making it easy to hold on the stones.


What other recommend work for them
Click to expand...
I would have thought the opposite. What is your reasoning? I will try it your way and see what happens. Perhaps the 80 on gouges puts an edge on gouges that lasts longer?
Pat
 
Robo states that he uses 180 for scrapers in order to get the best burr.
I tried that and have been doing that ever since. The burr off my 320 wheel is too weak.
 
I
Pat Patterson said:
I would have thought the opposite. What is your reasoning? I will try it your way and see what happens. Perhaps the 80 on gouges puts an edge on gouges that lasts longer?
Pat
Click to expand...
Try it Next time you turn a green bowl.
i switched to a coarser wheel on the bowl gouge a long time ago. Wheels create micro serrations on the edge the 80 grit ones are a bit bigger.
You will find lots of suggestions to use higher grit wheels on the bowl gouge.
 
Since the advent of CBN wheels and their growth of higher grits the question of what grit continues to grow. With the higher grit wheels 320, 600, 1200 etc. they say they get the gouge sharper and I will not argue that point. What I have found myself is that the higher grit sharper tool does not stay sharper longer. I have found that the 180 grit CBN wheel gives me the best balance between sharpness and how long it stays sharp. That is what I opt for. I use the 80 grit CBN wheel for sharpening my scrapers with the Robo Rest. I do keep a white wheel on one of the shop grinders in case a different grind is required or a hands on user needs it. Once you get a CBN wheel you discover how easy it is to sharpen your tools with so little pressure that your tools are going to last a lot longer.
 
I’m not sure about the durability of the gouge edge lasting longer with lower grit CBN or not, that may well be true. I turn mostly laminated kiln-dried hardwoods. I do believe that I can see the difference on the edge of the steel with good light, and can tell the difference between the surface left from a shear scrape off of 600 vs 180. I also think that I’m taking less steel off with the finer grit…although that may be offset by more frequent sharpening
 
For probably 95% of the turning you will do, the 180 grit wheel is fine. If you get 2 wheels, then I would suggest a 600 grit for the second. One ongoing debate in the woodturning world makes me think of the old Miller Beer commercials, tastes great/less filling. From my experience, the finer edges, like 600 grit, seem to dull more quickly than the 180 grit edges. The biggest difference is that if you are cutting some soft, punky maple, then the finer edge does cut that cleaner. The 180 grit does leave a very nice and sturdy burr on scrapers, and a nice edge on bowl gouges. With the skew, I consider it essential to strop the burr off. Even with a 1000 grit edge, you still have a burr. You can get cheap black 'polishing' wax sticks at the big box stores. I use a little 3 in 1 oil on a piece of MDF, rub the stick on the wood and oil, then strop. Saw Eric Loffstrom demo by tapping his skew on the lathe bed, put on a new edge with a 60 grit CBN wheel, strop with the black stuff, then shave the hair off of his arm in one pass. Left a beautiful surface. I always use a fresh edge for finish cuts on bowls.

robo hippy
 
I have a 180 and 600 grit wheels. The 180 grit gets used all the time. The 600 grit very rarely. In hindsight I should have gotten a 80 grit not 600.
 
I have 180 and 600. My reasons for this combination are perhaps unconventional.
As a new turner achieving the grinds, particularly swept back bowl gouges is kinda scary. I am conscious of screwing up and having to reshape a tool using up expensive steel.
So I shape on the 180 which removes metal plenty fast for me and I finish grind on the 600.
 
I use 320 on all my gouges and 180 on most of my other tools. I don't use a skew, so I can't say on that one, but do use 180 on my negative rake scraper. The 180 gives it a really good burr.
 
Reading the American Woodturner that came yesterday, I see the reference to Tom Wirsing's article from June 2018 where he recommends 80, 180, 350, and 600.
 
I do have a 320, or 350, can't remember, and I don't consider it enough of a step up to really make any difference.

robo hippy
 
I attended a class with a well-know professional and he has a 60 CBN wheel on his grinder. We sharpened all our gouges on that CBN wheel. As far as sharpness, I don't believe I noticed any difference between this 60 grit and my 600 grit diamond wheel on my Tormek. It's possible that my sharpenings at home lasted a little longer but that could also be that the gouges I use are Crown Powder Metallurgy and I have found that this material does last a little longer on its own. Therefore, it's possible that the longer time between sharpenings was due to that.

I'm not suggesting that the correct grit is 600. It was just the mid-range grit on the Tormek diamond wheels when they came out. The finish on the cutting edge and bevel is definitely very nice but, does it last longer and is it sharper? ... I don't know.
 
Randy Heinemann said:
not suggesting that the correct grit is 600. It was just the mid-range grit on the Tormek diamond wheels when they came out.
Click to expand...

The tormek is certainly one of the finest sharpening systems there is.
Mine isn’t used much for turning tools anymore. Skews only.

Around the turn of the century, We were demoing at a woodworking show. I took my bowl gouge sharpened with the Ellsworth jig on a 100 grit white wheel to the tormek booth. Asked the vendor if he could show me how to set their jig to make the Ellsworth grind. Common belief was that it couldn’t be set to do the Ellsworth. He couldn’t but we were interrupted by some potential paying customers. In the heat of the moment the vendor had my tool in his hand and showed off the edge as one achievable only with the tormek.
I prefer the 80 grit wheel for the bowl gouge.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top