Small wheel vs big wheel

[j elky]

I currently only have a flat platen on my 2x72. I have a little saved up and want to add another tool arm. I am stuck between getting a small wheel attachment and a big contact wheel, 8" or 10". I make fixed blade, mostly full tang knives. Which do you all find more useful?

 

[Sean Jones]

I also have just a flat platen. I'm curious about this as well.

 

[tkroenlein]

What are your needs? If you're getting by with the platen, which seems like it'd be a bigger help?

 

[Gene Kimmi]

After having a small wheel attachment, I would be lost without it. I have an 8" wheel on my old Grizzly grinder that I use once in a while, but would definitely go for the small wheel attachment first.

 

[Randy Lucius]

I'm with Gene. I have a 12" wheel that I rarely use as all my grinds are flat grinds. It will come in handy when I do some hollow grinding but I use my small wheels on every knife.

 

[SS369]

I have both a flat platen and a 10" wheel. I use the 10" wheel primarily for roughing the blanks and odds and end jobs.
I opted to get a small wheel set up with as many sizes that I could afford, some rubber, some steel. I use the rubber ones the most.
Probably use the 1/2" and 3/4" mostly.

 

[John Wilson]

I use my 10" wheel and my small wheel all the time. I couldn't get by without either one. But if I had to choose one to get first, it would be the small wheel.

 

[Chris Railey]

In my opinion if you do not intend to hollow grind, get the small wheel it was a game changer for me in clean up work. If you intend to hollow grind, still get the small wheel and save up for a contact wheel.

 

[John Wilson]

Another bonus for the small wheel- you don't need to buy a big honking tool arm. A piece of steel square tube (1/4" wall) is all you need. You don't push a small wheel hard at all. For a big contact wheel, you want a solid tool arm.

 

[SS369]

Another tip: Don't run your belt speeds too high when using the small wheels. You'll burn out the bearings.

 

[EdCaffreyMS]

My vote is both! I use a 10" wheel for profiling/hogging, and the only small wheel size I have/keep around is a 3/4" which is what I use for the radius at guard/handle junctures. For a long time I had every size of small wheel there was.....just lying around gathering dust....because the 3/4" was/is the only one I ever use. So I sold all the others..... and got enough $$$ out of them to order a serrated 10" wheel from SunRay corp.

Listen to what everyone has said about running small wheels slow and for short periods! My first experience with a small wheel was horrible! I had my Wilton Square Wheel.... running at 4600sfp..... was young and dumb, and didn't have a clue. It all started great, but about 2-3 mins in, the wheel started squealing really loudly.....and by the time I got the machine stopped, the rubber was melted on both ends, and the bearings/axle was a nice bright blue color! Expensive lesson learned. I don't think there's a much stronger case for owning a variable speed grinder then running small wheels.

 

[Jon Buescher]

Another bonus for the small wheel- you don't need to buy a big honking tool arm. A piece of steel square tube (1/4" wall) is all you need. You don't push a small wheel hard at all. For a big contact wheel, you want a solid tool arm.

My small wheel holder from Beaumont came with an aluminum tooling arm

 

[John Wilson]

My small wheel holder from Beaumont came with an aluminum tooling arm

That must be a new thing. When I bought my small wheel attachment from Beaumont it only came with the aluminum block wheel holder. A tool arm was separate.

 

[Jon Buescher]

I just looked and I was wrong, my grinder came with an Aluminum arm and then another one came with the articulating tool rest, sorry for the misinformation

 

[j elky]

I can see where both would be useful. I have a couple patterns with some sweep to the back of the blade where I the big wheel would excel. And the small wheel would be good on just about every knife for handle work.