help using modern wire wheels with craftsman block 6" grinder

[mzing]

So Ive taken apart, cleaned up and upgraded this old craftsman block grinder that I got a while back. I wanted a fine wire wheel on one side and the grinding wheel on the other side. After lots of searching, I found a solution for a fine wire wheel that didnt have the little 5/8 to 1/2 arbor plastic adapter. I bought a wheel with a 2" arbor and a weiler metal adapter for a 1/2. However, the setup requires 4 washers to space the wire wheel out enough so that it doesn't hit the inner shield area of the grinder. When I space it out, the inside adapter sits on the 1/2 arbor but the outside adapter sits on the threads. The only reason I'm concerned is because it vibrates the grinder a little. I realize this could be from the wheel being imbalanced, but id like to fix this problem first. Then, if that doesnt fix the vibration, ill buy a new wheel or figure something out to balance it.

Sorry about the pics, ill take some better ones of the washers next time I get a chance.

I was hoping to pick up something like a metal threaded sleeve to extend the non threaded area. Does something like this exist? Any other options?

 

[notlob]

I buy 3 or 4 of these at a time. Not the best, but better than most I've tried, fit perfectly in my 1/2 HP block grinders, and under $7.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-6-in-Fine-Wire-Wheel-Brush/3363980

 

[WWheeler]

Some vibration over what you get with dressed grinding wheels is to be expected with a wire wheel. I've not (yet) ran into a wire wheel that vibrated so badly it was a big issue, but I have seen people complain there's was. For me a little vibration at first tends to go away or at least improve noticeably after a little use.

I have seen solutions to mark one point on the wire wheel, loosen it and turn it, not the flanges, 1/4 turn at a time and re-tighten to see if it improved or made things worse- Might not be practical given the number of washers you are using which might themselves be the problem.

I've also seen attempts to balance the wire wheel by placing it on a small rod that can spin freely and trim wires on the heavy (bottom) side until it seems even.

Lastly, I've read where someone claimed to have trued up his badly out of balance wire wheel while it was running by very lightly using a running angle grinder with abrasive wheel against the wires, sort of dressing the wire wheel with the angle grinder similar to how one might an abrasive wheel with a diamond wheel dresser. I've seen people do similar with an angle grinder ostensibly to clean up or 'sharpen' their wire wheel.

 

[PFSard]

Nice grinder. These CM block grinders run fairly smoothly.

I've had problem with one wire wheel that caused excessive vibration in my bench grinder. I threw it out. None of my other wire wheels have been problematic in 35-40 years of using bench grinders with one wheel being wire.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Yeah, I've never really had a wire wheel that ran smooth like if you had some nice balanced stones on it. Usually with a little usage they will smooth out some though.

Sometimes either the washers / flangers / wheel is not centered and if you spin by hand you can see them wobbling up and down. Sometimes I'm lucky and can center them by hand and get the nut hand-tight to where it holds them in place then tighten down a little more with a wrench. Sometimes I will use card stock as a shim to make the hole on the wheel a little smaller and help center it on the shaft.

Depending on what you are doing with the wire wheel you might want to remove all the guards. Then you have easier access to clean the material and not blocked or have to do weird angles that could actually be more hazardous. For a stone I would never remove any of the guards.

 

[mzing]

Got a couple better pics. I have a wheel similar to the one notlob posted. Although it doesn't sit on the threads, it still doesn't run smoothly. The washers fit quite well and I tried to square it up before putting it back on, but it still isnt perfectly centered. I might try the card stock trick, but im not sure how much room there is.

 

[EOC_Jason]

I used a notecard, but thinking about it a small piece of even tape (think like blue painter's tape) would probably work too. You just want to shim it even to reduce the diameter some to give a tighter fit.

Also typically the arbors have a fair amount of play in them and you have to hand-center those too. I will always make a mark on the stone wheel which way I want to be "up" when tightening / loosening so I have a fixed point of reference. From there I will often rotate one of the arbors 45 degrees and finger-tighten then spin by hand to see how well everything is centered on the shaft and also side-to-side wobble. If there's any side-to-side wobble I turn the arbor 45 degrees again and repeat (but also make sure I have the wheel with the mark "up" before tightening). I keep doing that till I determine which makes it run the most true. If it's still bad I will shim the sides to get the wobble out.

Sometimes for stones though they don't center the sticker, so it's better to use a fixed point like a toolrest and spinning by hand to see if it is concentric or not. That is assuming the wheel isn't egg shaped (which has happened to me).

I've only had cheap wire wheels I've bought at the big box store. I'm planning on buying a quality one off eBay soon. But I swear not only is the stamped steel part not flat but also I guess varying amounts of wire around the wheel create an imbalance. Plus when you are using it the wires will come off randomly so it's all moot. Just stick it on and let it be.

I think many people over-tighten their wheels and usually the stamped-steel arbors on newer ones will get warped (worse than they were to begin with). Older CMan's had nicer machined washers but still over-tightening will warp the wire wheels or even can compress the blotters unevenly. I will sit there tinkering with my wheels just by hand-tightening the nut and spinning by hand. It's not going to shift. Once I'm happy I'll give it maybe like around a 1/4 turn with the wrench and call it good. The way each side is threaded they will always self-tighten when under power.

I also use a marker on all the arbors to designate which one in the L/R and the inside/outside. Finally, I mark the direction to tighten because I'm always getting that mixed up.

 

[mzing]

Jason...thanks for the run down!! Ill try adjusting for a bit and use some blue painters tape on the threads to get it even with the arbor.

The made in the usa ones I found were on ebay. They seem really well made, so im determined to get them balanced

Will a little bit of vibration cause wear on the bearings or any other issues??

 

[EOC_Jason]

Will a little bit of vibration cause wear on the bearings or any other issues??

I'm sure they will wear a little more than if it was perfectly balanced but it's really negligible. Just total hours being used probably is the biggest factor, but they will last for decades before needing any attention.

For side-to-side wobble with your stones, I kind of took tips from this guide:

http://www.geigerssolutions.com/Tuning-Up-a-Bench-Grinder.html

Except I just used a pencil and marked either on the stone itself or on the blotter if there was enough exposed.