I'm looking to buy a bench grinder to put a wire wheel and a cloth wheel on for cleaning and finishing stuff. I went into a local engineering shop and had a chat with the guy about them. He said that the manufactures of the machine I was looking at (a 500W machine) said that putting a cloth wheel and a wire wheel on it is not recommended as they would put too much strain on the motor and burn it out. Is this true? If so what sort of machine would you guys recommend for this type of job? Thanks in advance!

The one at work is 1/2 horsepower. I would consider that minimum. The problem with a cloth wheel on a bench grinder is the speed, buffers usually spin 1,725, and grinders 3,500 rpm.

A HUGE problem with wire wheels and buffs in commercial shops after the huge hazard the are is the guys using them. Seems guys THINK they have to push hard to make them work, it's just the opposite, light pressure is far more effective, the tips of the wire do the cutting and pushing bends the wire over so they don't cut at all, they just rub. Same with buffs, pushing bends the cloth flat so it doesn't work very well. Pushing hard is also really hard on the motor.

 

A little training improves most operations but buffers and wire wheels really need user training for effectiveness and safety. They're two of the most dangerous pieces of equipment in most any shop.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

We run cloth wheels on a highspeed, and I kind of prefer it because it feels firmer.

Wire wheels scare me more than anything and I refuse to use them, not even a small 1" one in a battery drill.

Another issue not thought through with wire wheels is the use of guard that can cause the wheel to grab some objects and drag them around inside the guard and fling them back at the operator. 

I like to clamp items in a vise and used a hand help wire wheel in the angle grinder, part can't fly back at me or someone else.

I don't like those grinders that have a wire wheel or a cloth wheel as a direct armature mount with that of the motor. There's no feel to the thing & I'm never comfortable working the tool. I much prefer a straight shaft that's bearing mounted & is v belt driven where there is an idler wheel involved (for tension). The motor is never under pressure where the load is felt by the tension of the belt. The belt slippage also acts as a safety device. You can gauge or feel how much pressure you can apply. Too much, and the wheel stop's. I've yet to build one but I've just shared my idea. Maybe you'll get something from it.

i've been using a cheap bench grinder with mops and wire brushes for almost 10 years and it is still going. The motor is really a bit weedy at 350W, which means that if I push hard then it stalls. I guess this has helped to train me not to push hard. It also means that If I catch on it, then I mostly stall it rather than injuring myself badly (though of course flaying my skin with a wire wheel still happens). The guards are removable and were straight off as soon as I fitted the first wheel to it.