Workblades, Inc.: Centerless Grinder Parts, Gib Design

BLADE MATERIAL:
In general, we recommend starting with a hard material. If problems occur such as scoring of the parts or "pick up" on the blade, compromise is necessary.

DENSE CAST IRON blades are recommended for grinding soft steel parts
HIGH SPEED STEEL blades are recommended for use by inexperienced operators; for grinding non-ferrous metals, parts with varying hardness from end to end or for job shops that constantly are altering their blades to grind different work diameters. Blades are fabricated from a hardened M-2 steel, inserted into the mild steel body.
TUNGSTEN CARBIDE TIPPED blades are recommended for grinding hardened steel. This material is the most commonly used because of its excellent wearing qualities.
AMPCO BRONZE blades are recommended for grinding softer materials and stainless steel.
CERAMIC TIPPED blades are recommended for grinding aluminum parts. Harder than carbide, ceramic is long wearing, but breaks easily and should only be used by experienced operators.

BLADE ANGLE: 30 degrees is standard. This can change if the length of the work and the length of the blade or the width of wheels is increased, causing chatter. The angle should then be reduced to 25 degrees so the side pressure on the blade is reduced. Likewise, the larger the work diameter, the smaller the blade angle required.

BLADE THICKNESS AND SIZE: The length of the blade is determined by the width of the wheels and the length of the part. The general rule for thrufeed grinding is that the wheel should cover 2/3 of the part going in, 2/3 going out. The thickness of the blade (E dimension) should be slightly less than the work diameter.