Bench Grinders with CBN Wheels

[McBrownie]

I'm looking for some feedback from fellow GJ'rs who may have taken the plunge (read $$$) with CBN wheels for their bench grinders. First of all, CBN stands for Cubic Boron Nitride. It is an abrasive material that is only second in hardness to diamonds (according to the internet). It is applied as a coating to steel or aluminum wheels. Because of that, there is no dressing required, no balance issues, and no worry of exploding wheels. The only downside is the cost ranging from the low hundreds to $400+ from what I have seen.

They come in a variety of grits. I don't have any experience with them, but am intrigued with upgrading for sharpening hand tools - chisels, plane blades, etc...

Does anyone here have experience with sizes, grits, profiles (flat vs crowned) and how they work compared to stones or belts? If so, chime in.

In case you have never seen them, they look like this:

View media item 65599

 

[Majordisorder]

I have a pair of 8" 180 grit. I Use them only on HSS, mostly wood lathe gouges, and HSS bits for my metal lathe. I leave the tool rests at 45deg. and 60 deg. because that is the two main angles I grind at. They are wonderful if you can afford them. Less dust in the air, they don't change size, and mine are very balanced. My setup is similar to what is in your photo. No need for guards since they can't fly apart. I hog metal with other grinders but you can get as low as 60 grit as far as I know.

 

[McBrownie]

Major,

Thanks for the feedback. Do you do any lapping after using the 180 grit, or do you go straight back to work?

 

[McBrownie]

Doing a snowy Saturday bump. We got about 2 feet of snow today, so I spent today digging out.

Any other experiences with different grits of CBN's?