Question on vintage grinding wheel...

R

Roamad

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I have access to this vintage grinding wheel and I'm wondering if it's worth messing with. The wheel seems to be a fairly fine grit. It also seems to be not perfectly round, but I dunno if that's a problem. Are these meant for knives or only more 'crude' sharpening jobs like axes?

IMG_1119.jpg
 
They need occasional truing, which isn't at all difficult. Doing so will restore it to true round. Looks to be in pretty good shape, all things considered!
 
Use a wheel dressing tool and hold it (preferably using a jig of some kind) at a fixed distance from the stone such that only the high points hit the tool as it revolves. Do this until it no longer touches the wheel, then move it in just a little closer. Repeat. Do this until, when contacting the stone at a fixed distance, the dressing tool is in contact with the stone the whole way around. It will then be true round. Think of it like turning a piece of wood on a lathe, only you're doing it with a piece of stone. :)
 
Here's an example, using a piece of pipe as a truing tool. I suggest getting a T-shaped diamond wheel dressing tool instead, as it gives you a nice flat reference surface.

 
I grew up with one of those in my grandfathers barn. I tried but found it not all that practical for knives aside from huge basic carbon steel butchering equipment. Even with that a stone on the table was used to finish the edge. They were used more for hoes, rakes, scythes, etc. which were then tuned with a file. Still, I wish I had it back along with the barn!

Joe
 
Grinding wheels are used for the shaping stage of sharpening rather than honing, so unless you're dealing with a very worn knife in steel that's at the softer end of the spectrum (natural stone is not nearly so hard as synthetics) you probably won't be using knives on it.
 
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