Considering a 1200 grit CBN for T8

[TireguyfromMA]

Hi Group,

I'm considering adding a 1200 grit CBN wheel to my arsenal of wheels for my T8.  I have a 600 & 1000 grit CBN wheels already.  Do you think the 1200 would add another level of sharp when doing knives, or would I be better off with a 400 to use on edges that have a lot of damage?

Looking forward to your input

[Sir Amwell]

Only my opinion but I think that the 400 grit CBN wheel would be more beneficial to your arsenal. The difference between 1000 and 1200 is minimal. If you want to go for ultra refined edges go from the 1000 to the SJ250 ( Japanese water stone) and then on to honing for polished edges with burr removal.
For lower end and mainstream knife steels I am stopping at CBN 400 grit to set the edge and then going on to honing/ burr removal either with rock hard felt wheel and or leather strops. Getting very good results.
For higher end knives/ harder steels setting the edge on CBN 1000 or the diamond 1200 grit is sufficient for me with the correct honing protocol.
If it's a choice between 400 and 1200 I'd say 400 every time for the all round benefits.
If budget is not an issue then both maybe.
I reckon after a period of time you'll be using the 400 way more than the 1200.

[TireguyfromMA]

Sir Amwell, going for the 400 to clean up, or set the edge does kind of make more sense to me after a little more consideration, and having a 1000 grit CBN does seem a little redundant.  According to Vadim, the 400CBN is also better at setting the edge on lower end knives with softer steels before moving onto felt with Autosol on buffer > FVB 1u diamond> then paper wheel with .25 diamond..  I also think the 1000 CBN will smooth out a bit after a break in.   I have a SJ250 I use to finish the edge up with before final honing with a leather belt on my RIKON 1 x 30.  I'm currently reading Dr Vadim Kraichucks book Knife Deburring and trying to set my shop up with the same equipment so I can duplicate the sharpening/deburring procedures he used with well documented results to back them.  I still have to get a rock hard felt wheel, or two, and some diamond paste.  Learning a lot from his book.

[Ken S]

Tireguy,

Your comment says a lot:

" I also think the 1000 CBN will smooth out a bit after a break in."

We can't really judge the grit of a CBN or diamond wheel until after the initial break in period.

As a side note, I remember when Wootz (Vadim) started using CBN wheels. (He posted about it.) This was before Tormek introduced its diamond wheels. In one of his last videos, Wootz was beta testing a 1000 grit diamond wheel. Sadly, we will never know the results of those tests.
Incidentally, although I generally use diamond wheels, I purchased a 400 grit CBN wheel from Knife Grinders. It has radius edges, something not available on the diamond wheels. (Yes, I could shape my SG-250; however, I was curious about the KG wheels.) I found the KG wheel well designed and manufactured.

Ken

[TireguyfromMA]

It's getting close to Christmas so I ended up buying a 400 and 1200 CBN wheels.   The vendor offered me a discount if I bought both and free shipping so I went for it.  The 400 is flat across the surface, the 1200 has radiused edges, which I prefer but it adds over $100 to the price.  I've bought a couple other CBN wheels for my T8 from this vendor and have been very happy with the quality of the wheels, price and service. 

[3D Anvil]

I'm late to the party, but I would have recommended skipping the 400 and 1200 and instead (or in addition, since you're wheel binging  ), get something the 160-200 grit range. I have a 160, 400, and 1000, in addition to the SG and SJ wheels.  The 160 is great for fixing big chips and reprofiling.

[TireguyfromMA]

Hey 3D, I've resorted to my RIKON 1x30 belt gringder with a 220 cubitron belt on it when I have to reprofile blade with broken tip or large chip in the edge. I keep a towel soaked with cold water right next to me and give the blade a wipe after a stroke or two to cool the blade and take off dust.  Once I have the blade fixed up, I'll set the edge on my TORMEK for final sharpening with the 600 > 1200 > SJ250 and then strop.  I did this on two Wüsthof knives that my customers son had used to open bottles with, broke a good 1/4" of the tip off on one and big chip out of the near center of the blade on the other.  They came out great, looked new, probably sharper too.

[Ken S]

Tireguy,

I like your idea of the towel soaked with cold water for repair work.

Paul, the youtube sharpener from Alexandria VA, recently made an interesting comment. He was showing the table/storage chest he had made for his Tormek, similar to the Tormek Work Station. He stored his four CBN wheels on the sides of his work station. He commented that the sides of his chest (the four CBN wheels) cost more than the top of his chest (his T8). I have no problem with this; the extra wheels definitely increase the versatility of the Tormek.
What bothers me is the notion about how expensive the Tormek is. Granted that the Tormek is not inexpensive, however, the basic Tormek with the SG-200 or SG-250 is a capable machine by itself. The SG may be somewhat slower in operation, but when deciding if the machine is "expensive" we should separate the machine from the optional components.

Ken