Oneway Vari-grind knock off

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229
Location
Vernon, WI
I have some steel that I'm going to use to attempt to make my own version of the vari-grind. I was wondering if anyone out there who owns one could give me a dimension or two that I could base my plans on? Even if it's just the length of the leg or something. Anything would help, thanks everyone :wave:
 
I don't have any dimensions, but then again i didn't look for any when I made mine. Either I got lucky, or "close" is good enough because it works great.

You can see pics here:

http://www.sacramentoareawoodworkers.com/album/thumbnails.php?album=14

I also have a few pics here that show the upgraded jig with the same fingernail fixture. I added a strip of metal to help register the flutes of my gouges, that's about it. Those pics are here:

http://gallery.sawdusters.org/v/Beamer/randomtools/sharpening/

One day, i'll get everything in the same place.
 
Sorry guys, I have one downstairs in the shop.
Let me grab it, and mark up one of the pictures.

It is only $50.....

But, why not this:

1wvrgrnd.jpg
 
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Hey thanks for the replies everyone! Bart sent me a pm with some measurements that I will go off of. But Frank feel free to add your's too :thumb: And thanks for the links guys, I already have some steel that I should be able to do all of this with, but if it doesn't work out for some reason I will resort to those other options :)
 
Well, it's complete :thumb: Finished this up a couple of days ago, just haven't had time to post pics. I got to play blacksmith for a few hours :D ...heating metal and beating it to bend it into shape, welding, grinding, it was awesome! I felt like STU making my own stuff! Don't worry Stu that's a compliment! I love your shop and all your homemade stuff, quite inspiring. On to the pics...

IMG_2322 (600 x 450).jpg
IMG_2329 (600 x 450).jpg
IMG_2332 (600 x 450).jpg
IMG_2330 (600 x 450).jpg ...hello fingernail!

It works great, very close if not exact to the dimensions of the vari-grind. The reason I wanted this was that I was hoping to follow that "sharpening demystified" article that Stu mentioned and create the jigs in the article, and being that he uses the vari-grind I thought maybe I would need to use it also or something very similar in dimensions :dunno:

One problem I am encountering is that the wheels on my grinder are not perfectly, well balanced I suppose? I have the woodcraft slow speed grinder. The wheels I noticed seem pretty "soft" as in it doesn't take much to wear them down. I have a diamond dressing tool and trued up the surface, but the wheels have a lot of side to side wobble to them. Even though I've trued up the edges, it seems that when I introduce the bowl gouge to the wheel, it jumps the tool around a lot and i cannot keep it perfectly smooth and steady ...Kind of annoying. I could have sworn I've seen something like a "wheel balancing kit" for grinders??? Or anyone know of anything I can do to solve this problem? Are these just cheap wheels and my only option is to buy new ones? Thanks in advance, and thanks for lookin everyone!
 
Are these just cheap wheels and my only option is to buy new ones?

Buy New Ones? Oh Westley, no need to buy new wheels; just make some.


  1. Mixing the ingredients - Preparing the grinding wheel mixture begins with selecting precise quantities of abrasives, bond materials, and additives according to a specific formula. A binder, typically a water-based wetting agent in the case of vitrified wheels, is added to coat the abrasive grains; this coating improves the grains' adhesion to the binder. The binder also helps the grinding wheel retain its shape until the bond is solidified. Some manufacturers simply mix all materials in a single mixer. Others use separate steps to mix abrasive grains with binder. Wheel manufacturers often spend considerable effort to develop a satisfactory mixture. The blend must be free-flowing and distribute grain evenly throughout the structure of the grinding wheel to assure uniform cutting action and minimal vibration as the wheel rotates during use. This is particularly important for large wheels, which may be as big as several feet in diameter, or for wheels that have a shape other than the familiar flat disk.
  2. Molding - For the most common type of wheel, an annular disc, a predetermined amount of grinding wheel mixture is poured into a mold consisting of four pieces: a circular pin the size of the finished wheel's arbor hole (its center hole); a shell with a 1-inch (2.5-centimeter) wall, about twice as high as the desired grinding wheel is thick; and two flat, circular plates with diameter and arbor hole sizes equal to those of the wheel. A variety of methods are used to distribute the mixture evenly. Typically, a straight edge pivots about the center arbor pin to spread the mixture throughout the mold.
  3. Using pressures in the range of 100 to 5000 pounds per square inch (psi) for 10 to 30 seconds, a hydraulic press then compacts the mixture into the grinding wheel's final shape. Some manufacturers use gage blocks between the two face plates to limit their movement and establish uniform thickness. Others control wheel thickness by closely monitoring the consistency of the mix and the force of the press.
  4. After the mold has been removed from the press and the wheel stripped from the mold, the wheel is placed on a flat, heatproof carrier. Final shaping of the wheel may take place at this time. All work at this stage has to be done very carefully because the wheel is held together by only the temporary binder. Lighter wheels can be lifted by hand at this stage; heavier ones may be lifted with a hoist or carefully slid on a carrier to be transported to the kiln.
  5. Firing - Generally, the purposes of the firing are to melt the binder around the abrasives and to convert it to a form that will resist the heat and solvents encountered during grinding. A wide range of furnaces and kilns are used to fire grinding wheels, and the temperatures vary widely depending upon the type of bond. Wheels with a resin bond are typically fired at a temperature of 300 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (149 to 204 degrees Celsius), and wheels with vitrified bonds are fired to temperatures between 1700 and 2300 degrees Fahrenheit (927 to 1260 degrees Celsius).
  6. Finishing - After firing, wheels are moved to a finishing area, where arbor holes are reamed or cast to the specified size and the wheel circumference is made concentric with the center. Steps may be necessary to correct thickness or parallelism of wheel sides, or to create special contours on the side or circumference of the wheel. Manufacturers also balance large wheels to reduce the vibration that will be generated when the wheel is spun on a grinding machine. Once wheels have received labels and other markings, they are ready for shipment to the consumer.
 
Funny guy, Frank, :rofl:

Westley, that's one of the better home made sharpening jigs I've seen. Your "vari-grind" jig is particularly nice-looking. :thumb:

The wheels that come with the Woodcraft grinder are kinda famous for not being very well balanced. (But even a lot of the higher-end wheels are out of balance, too.) Oneway makes a wheel balancing kit that, at least for me, really helped smooth up my Woodcraft grinder. It's pricey, but it did help a lot. (I also put a pair of Oneway wheels on it, but next time I think I'll go for something a bit less expensive.)
 
Really nice work Westley. I made the base, but don't have the skills to make the Vari-grind jig. Yours turned out great!

Wes
 
Wes did it!

Hi there Wes
Now that you have cracked the egg and produced what appears to be a fine jig, possibly you can share the dimensions of yours and some of the construction detail. :wave:
Ken
 
Wes, that looks really well done :thumb:

I put the Oneway balancing kit on my Woodcraft slow speed grinder, with some Oneway wheels and it worked VERY well:thumb:

I know it is not "Cheap" but it is a cry once type of thing :)

The second time I bought wheels, I bought some Norton 3X wheels, see >> THIS << post.

Great Job Wes :clap:

PS welcome to the Family Ken!
 
Nice job on that, Wes. I used to have one of those, and that looks just like it.

I second the motion on the Oneway balancing kit. Your jaw may sag a little when you see the price, but it works. As Stu says, cry once.

Cheers.
 
Hi there Wes
Now that you have cracked the egg and produced what appears to be a fine jig, possibly you can share the dimensions of yours and some of the construction detail. :wave:
Ken

Welcome Ken, and you bet I can share that info. The top upside-down U shaped piece is pretty much 2" x 2". With 3/4" holes drilled to accept the bowl gouge. The leg is 7" long and tapers from 1" to about 3/16" at the "pointy" side. Then I rounded the pointy end with the bench grinder so that it can pivot in the pocket as smoothly as possible. The U shaped piece I believe is 1/8" thick. I marked out where I wanted to bend it, put it in a metal bench vise, heated it with a propane torch, and then started bending it by hand while beating it into a nice fold with a hammer. I tried this with 3/16" steel first, but I couldn't get that to bend as nicely. All the other pieces I just laid out on metal with a permanent marker and then cut them out with my 4" angle grinder with a metal cutting blade in it. That is the only tool I own that i can cut metal with (other than a hack saw, but that wouldn't be too fun cutting metal this thick with). Because of this, it was a little difficult for me to cut out the arch area in which the arm needs to swing. I had to nibble away at it. If you look closely you can see there is a spot in the arch that ends up going straight... this is 'cause I had to get the cutting wheel further up in there. From there pretty much just welded it together making sure that the arm is perfectly centered with the holes in which the gouge will sit. Hopefully that gives you a nice visual of how it all went down :) If you have anymore questions or want some more dimensions I'd be happy to help out.

Thanks for the kind comments everyone. It was a lot of fun making. And thanks for the advice regarding the balancing kit. Sounds like many of you have had the same issue with this, and that many of you recommend this way to fix it. It is something I will greatly consider.

Frank, I don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon :dunno: lol but that sure was a cool bit of info. Thanks for sharin!
 
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