Dressing of grinding wheels - CRATEX Abrasives

Normally, grinding wheels are self-sharpening tools, but only to a certain extent. Occasional dressing (trimming) or trueing is required for optimal use. Dressing is cleaning operation. To dress a wheel means to remove the top layer in the purpose of exposing the fresh, sharp grains and returning the wheel to its original state. Truing achieves a concentric geometry between the periphery of the wheel and the spindle on which the wheel is mounted.

Grinding wheel dressing can be done by different tools, such as:

• Dressing sticks, which are abrasive sticks usually made from the same materials, only with a strong bonding agent. They’re mostly used for dressing smaller conventional wheels (e.g. saucer and cup-shaped). The grinding stick is held against the wheel surface, which caused excess bond removal;
• Star dressers, or mechanical dressers, are long hand tools with free-running discs or star-shaped cutters on one end. The dressing is performed by turning the grinding wheel off first and then applying the star dresser’s head with force on the grinding wheel that is slowing down; they’re mostly used for coarse conventional wheels;
• Diamond dressers are diamond tools with a short handle and either a broad surface with small embedded diamonds on one end or a single diamond brazed into the tip. The dresser is placed in a tool holder and held against the surface of the running wheel. 

CRATEX offers four different square dressing blocks each available in four different grits that are perfect for dressing, truing and shaping different kinds of grinding wheels. The shape is quite easy to handle, and the structure makes it a long-lasting dresser that enables you to achieve optimum performance from all your wheels.

Best seller: Dressing stick 6'' x 1/2'' x ½''

How to Dress a Grinding Wheel

The procedure of dressing a grinding wheel would be as follows: the dresser is placed on a work-rest, up to 1/8'' away from the wheel face, under a slight angle (5-20 degrees). Light pressure should then be applied in a straight line across high points of the grinding wheel until a smooth and even surface is obtained. Important is to note you shouldn't run the wheel at full speed until all signs of imbalance are removed. After the wheel has been shaped, it can be run at full speed for a minute or longer, after which the work can be applied.