Hi, I will need to sharpen occasionally some carbide gravers / cutters at some point. My research has led me down the route of using a diamond wheel followed by a fine diamond lap. However when I look online at diamond wheels they come either as a solid disk like a standard grinding wheel or as a cup with a diamond external ring. Why would you buy the cup over the solid wheel or another type/ Also are the Ezelap stones good, do they need water or oil and what grade(s) would be a good choice? Is it a bad idea to mount a diamond lap wheel on a lathe for any reason? Chris
Hi just an update as I have done some research. I am minded currently to buy the set of small (50mm dia ) diamond lap disks. These will fit into my Sherline lathe with a suitable arbor using the 3 jaw chuck. The table I believe should be protected from debris which I can do using tissue and a slow speed say 100 rpm used. The specs for the disks are: Fine (approx. 2,000 grit): Medium (approx. 325 grit): Coarse (approx. 140 grit) Any thoughts as to this idea? Chris
Hi Chris, The wheels you show are good quality and should run true without any trouble. It's a good idea to protect vulnerable areas of the lathe when grinding with any kind of abrasive. Regards, Graham
Thanks Graham, I intend to make a clip on table to achieve various angles so this should help protect the table. I think also I read you should only use these diamond wheels for carbide?? As an aside that is a lovely pic of your horse. Chris
Hi Chris, You may have noticed that the picture changed recently; this is in memory of the old lady, who we had to put down last week. She was almost 31, a very good age for an English thoroughbred, but she would not have got through another winter. The picture was taken when she was a young thing of 24. Regards, Graham
I am so sorry to hear that but it's a sad truth you can't send an old horse to hospital so with deep regret it has to be for the best. Regards Chris
Hi Chris, Somewhat off topic, but here are both my thoroughbred mares a few years ago. Regards, Graham
Note that the set you've shown does not have arbors, so you'll have to make or acquire arbors. I was fortunate to find a set of Barkus wheels (a much older version of what you've shown) and in my opinion that type of lap is an absolute must-have for carbide gravers, despite the expense. I haven't found anything that comes close to giving the edge you get with a super-fine diamond wheel. $240 for a set of three is pretty danged painful, but unless you do a heckuva lot of carbide gravers you can probably pass them to your grandkids. When I grind carbide gravers I start by doing the major grinding on a cheap Dremel-style diamond disk mounted on a brass disk backing, then move to the diamond laps. The cheap disk saves wear on the ouch-expensive diamond laps and still lasts danged near forever. When the cheap disk gets too smooth to be satisfactory, I use it to fine-tune tool-steel gravers before polishing them on another brass disk impregnated with lapping compound. Glen
Thanks Glen, I have some Dremel-style disks which are double sided so I suppose not the sort you are referring to. Are you gluing the dremel disks to the brass or just relying on a nut to keep things tight? But all the same a sound idea to use them. chris
Double-sided disks are what I use. They're held in place with a screw, tapped into the arbor that holds the 1/8-inch (3mm) brass plate. Glen
Chris As you know, I no longer use Gravers in favor of Machine Tools. However, when I did, the diamond disks that you have shown were of no issue and used regularly. Today, the rear section has been machined off and they are used to sharpen commercial wheel and pinion cutters per attached photo. For regular machining, form tooling and rough work, I often free hand sharpen cutters on a bench grinder using a green stone (Silicon Carbide) when sharpening carbide. For fine sharpening of all tools, I use a series 1 Accu-finish grinder with accessories and wheels designed for the specific task. Accu-Finish® Machines – Accu-Finish Jerry Kieffer
Thanks Jerry as always I value your input. I will look at the Accu-finish grinder however if it proves cost prohibitive for the amount of use it will get I may convert a motor to a stand alone, variable speed machine as I don't really relish using the lathe as a diamond grinder. Regards Chris
