Grinding Wheel ?

[Bruno C.]

Hi,

 

Picked up what looks like a Grinding Wheel from a Job Site.    The place was some sort of service shop and had thousands of brake pads laying around.  Mostly new.

 

This is the wheel I found.

 

It has an:

Outer diameter of 18 inches..

Inner Diameter of 12 inches.

Width of 3 and 3/8 inches.

And a 3" sidewall.

 

It also has 8 female threads embedded in the stone on one  side.

 

Wondering if anyone has seen anything like this before?

Is this a Grinding Wheel ?   Would it be safe to use this under power ?     I would date the wheel at somewhere between the 70's and early 90's.  No Markings that I can see.

My biggest concern is that the wheel may have been used to grind down brake pads.  Don't know if that was something that used to be done.  Don't really want asbestos dust floating around my shop.

 

Any ideas on mounting such a wheel ?

 

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

-Bruno

 

[Dogsoldat]

Could always do a ring test on it and see how sound it is,  doesn't really help with what speeds it may be designed to run at. Or how you might set it up on something.  I've seen something similar someplace before but couldn't begin to tell you what the machine it mounts to might look like.   Rather cool find just the same.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Is there a name on it? You may want to check with Norton to see if they have any info on such a wheel. My first guess was a Blanchard type grinder, but the ones I have seen were segments, not a full wheel. Centerless grinders don't face mount like this would. Norton should be able to give you some ballpark info on it.

[John B]

Grinding wheels can be very dangerous items if not used correctly, and with little specific knowledge of its origins and where it was stored, if it is new, old or part used, type of grit bond, grade of grit, and maximum working speed, you could have a recipe for disaster on your hands.

 

Testing for a cracked wheel is the easiest to determine, you also have to consider balancing the wheel if it is to be used.

 

Personally I would use it as a hand held stone, breaking it into segments, then I would use one of these segments to polish hot steel when hardening and tempering tools or taking off sharp edges prior to painting finished articles. Or use as a sharpening stone if suitable.

[Jim Coke]

Greetings Bruno,

Looks to me like a common wheel for a large machine like a Vanorman. Typically used for resurfacing cylinder heads and long grinding operations.   I have a few from a friends grind shop that I use for cleaning the flat surfaces on my welding table .   It cleans up all the stickies and blobs real well ... Have fun

 

Forge on and make beautiful things

Jim

[vapremac]

I believe Jim is right, at the machine shop where I did my apprenticeship we had a
machine that utilized grinding wheels just like that and mounted the same way.
We used it, mainly because we did work for the local Caterpillar dealer, to resurface
cylinder heads.
As far as using it on a machine without knowing what type of abuse it was subjected
to.........don't think I would do it.

[Bruno C.]

Thanks for the info guys.

 

All I know about the wheel is that the shop was doing some sort of vehicle brake maintenance/repair.  The wheel was found outside in the dirt, and had Very Likely been sitting there since the place went under / motel next door burned down in the 1990's.  No name or Markings on the wheel. This is the desert so I expect it's been subjected to 20 years of Sun/Wind/Rain/Snow Extreme Heat and Cold.   but the entire thing appears to be surprisingly intact all things considered except for some rust around the metal bits.. No visible cracks or dents, or even wear as far as I can tell. I wasn't meaning to put it under heavy power or high speeds.  I figured I would either build an old style Treadle Grinding station with it, or I believe I have a very slow old motor that was pulled out of a Mobile Home.   Think it's 1/8th horse power and has a Very Low RPM as it was used to lower the stabilizing jacks, or whatever they are called on the front of the Trailer.  Thought that might work.   It's about the right size, and I always wanted one of those Japanese style Grinding wheels since I saw one.

 

Either way, I appreciate the info Guys, and I hope I can make use of the piece.   It did sharpen my knife well when I tested it.  I would say it has a grit similar to 200/300 grit sharpening stone.  Maybe as low as 150 grit.  Just a guess though based on what I can see.   Need new batteries for the camera.

 

Thanks Again.

 

-Bruno

[Tommy Traylor]

My air tool engineer friend warned me that a grindstone that may have been wet and frozen will very likely explode from centrifugal force.

[PeteH]

Sitting in the dirt, it may well have absorbed water, which when it froze, could have started the inner structure to break down.  Also, the water wouldn't have been absorbed evenly, so the wheel probably is out of balance.

 

Combine that with the large size -- with that diameter, at 1000 rpm, you'd have a linear speed of about 4700 fpm at the rim -- and you have what in my opinion is a formula for a disaster.

 

Better not to chance it.  Use it for a stationary stone, or maybe mount it on a foot-pedal sharpener.

[Charles R. Stevens]

If it was in association with break pads and shoes I'd hazard that the wher serfasing clutch flywheels and pressure plates.
I would agree that high speed operation would not be recommended. But mounted on an old potters wheal it might make a handy sharpening tool for chisels and such.