what Grit?

[Norwiscutter]

What grit grinding stone do you guys use on your band blade sharpeners? I believe that I have been using the 60 grit brown stones from cooks, but come to think of it, am not entirely sure though.  Has anyone tried the blue ceramic rocks and if so what were the results? It is time for me to reorder so I was thinking of maybe giving the 80 grit a shot to see if it might yield better results.

[Radar67]

I'm using the blue stone and it seems to be working well, of course it is the only stone I have used, so it's hard to judge the difference. It sharpens blades that cut wood.  :D

Stew

[Tom]

Mine, I think, are 80 grit.  I have always gotten them from Woodmizer.

[Norwiscutter]

thanks for the input.  Perhaps I am over thinking things a little as my blades up to this point have been sufficently sharp, however I am always looking to make things better and at times by doing so, end up making things worse. ;)

[LeeB]

I have tried the pink ones from Menomionee. I believe they are 120 grit. They leave a great edge, but don't last too long. I'm gonna try a combination of the WM wheels and the pink ones. Wm first and the pink for a finish grind. LeeB

[Tom]

Changing wheels in mid stream might be an effort in futility.  Woodmizers grind wheel formulation is harder than most wheels and is spun at a higher rate of speed too.   It is designed to be run under water or other lubricant.

Many of the other stones are softer and designed to be used in a dry grinding operation.  They may not be rated at the higher RPM of the Wood Mizer stones.  This might cause them to come apart if over revved.

The softer stones don't last as long because they were designed to expose new grit faster than the harder stones (friable).  They may run cooler in a dry environment because of it.

Once a stone is mounted and shaped, it becomes balanced to the shaft and motor that is driving it.   If you remove it, it may have to be balanced again by making it round with the shaping stone again.  Swapping stones will have you reshaping each one every time you remount it.

On stones run in water, it is advisable to take the water away and spin it dry before shutting it off.  water can accumulate in a stone that is standing still and unbalance it.

Any of these stones run on the equipment for which they were designed should produce a good enough edge for your saw blade.  You just have to watch the advance of your equipment and give the stone a chance to do its thing.

[LeeB]

good points Tom.  hadn't planned on changing stones for each blade. I was gonna do a prelim grind on several blades with the Wm stone and then switch to the other for a final touch up. I usually let my blades stack up tilll I have a big pile then have a sharpening marathon. LeeB