What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Scotchbright wheel

I?ve noticed vans and some tool supply outlets only sell 6 inch scotchbright wheels. I have an 8 inch grinder. Do they make 8 inch wheels, or can. 6 inch be safely used on an 8 inch grinder?
 
the biggest difference is that the guard that you typically rest the work on won't be up close to the edge of the wheel. Most people take those guards off for polishing wheels anyway.

two other considerations:

1. The size of the shaft on your grinder. The wheels from Cleaveland normally come with a 1/2" bushing, so if you have a bigger grinder with a 5/8" shaft, you have to specify that you want those bushings instead.

2. RPM. There's a max RPM for those polish wheels and I don't remember off the top of my head what it is, but you should be able to look it up easily enough. Just make sure your grinder can spin it slow enough that it's not going to grenade the wheel.
 
Thanks for the good info. I?ve been thinking about taking all those guards and rests off anyway. I think my grinder runs at 3850 rpm. I will definitely look into he max wheel rpm. Thanks for the reminder on that!
 
Yep as long as the mounting shaft is the same size you will be good to go. The first thing I did was take the guard off, it would be massively in the way if it was still on.
 
I like the buffer from Harbor Freight for Scotchbrite wheels - the spindles are longer, and no guards to get in the way. Much easier to to maneuver longer pieces while deburring/shaping. I also used their stand to mount it - again better than bench mounting as stand can be moved into position to maneuver long pieces. I shamelessly stole the idea from Synergy Air when I did their class.

Buffer: https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/polishers-buffers/6-in-buffer-61557.html

Stand: https://www.harborfreight.com/universal-bench-grinder-stand-3184.html
 
My scotch bright wheel is about to play out after eight years. I think I got it from Avery?s What?s the best one on the market now?
 
Also, I?m just curious, can a belt or disk sander with the right grit do the same job as the scotchbrite wheel?

The wheel smooths and deburrs edges without taking much material, and the work piece can be easily manipulated. Hard to have this much flexibility and fine control with sander.
 
I would Chuck the wheel in my drill press set to the slowest speed.

That gives you greater access to the wheel than a bench grinder.
 
I did put the wheel in my drill press. I love it there. Very accessible. Is the slowest speed ok? The grinder spins much faster... great idea though.
 
Disc sander for making things flat and taking material off, scotch brite wheel for deburring/polishing. My scotch-brite grinder (Chinese-made), pedestal mounted, has been in operation for almost 20 years (5 airplanes), still running strong - not with the same wheel of course. My grinder, like most, is dual wheel and I have a different grit wheel on each side.
 
I like the buffer from Harbor Freight for Scotchbrite wheels - the spindles are longer, and no guards to get in the way. Much easier to to maneuver longer pieces while deburring/shaping. I also used their stand to mount it - again better than bench mounting as stand can be moved into position to maneuver long pieces. I shamelessly stole the idea from Synergy Air when I did their class.

Buffer: https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/polishers-buffers/6-in-buffer-61557.html

Stand: https://www.harborfreight.com/universal-bench-grinder-stand-3184.html
How did you mount the buffer? I'm trying this setup but the holes don't line up.
 
How did you mount the buffer? I'm trying this setup but the holes don't line up.

Ahhh - good question. I just drilled holes to match the buffer in the stand. Had kinda forgotten! Also - I think the wheels came with adapters to fit the size of the buffer spindles.
 
Last edited:
I did put the wheel in my drill press. I love it there. Very accessible. Is the slowest speed ok? The grinder spins much faster... great idea though.

Try the faster speeds, if you need.

I still use the slowest speed, when working on a new project.
 
Back
Top