Grinding Wheels
Many building projects call for the use for abrasives. This is true for professional jobs as well as DIY home improvement projects. Wherever there is some type of building, woodworking or metal working going on, it's a safe bet that abrasives will come into play at some point before the job is done.
Abrasives are in widespread use in a wide variety of industrial, domestic, and technological applications. So, this means that there are a lot of variations in the physical and chemical composition of abrasives, along with the shape of the particular abrasive. Some of the most commonplace uses for abrasives include:
- Grinding
- Polishing
- Buffing
- Honing
- Cutting
- Drilling
- Sharpening
- Lapping
- Sanding
Abrasives fall into two basic classifications:
- Synthetic
- Natural
For many years, natural abrasives were considered superior to synthetic. However, advancements in technology have produced some very high quality synthetic abrasives, so that this distinction doesn't hold true as it once did.
The type of job you are doing will determine which type of abrasive you should use. Abrasives are shaped to suit the various purposes for which they will be used. For example, natural abrasives are often sold as dressed stones that are ordinarily in the shape of a rectangular block. Natural as well as synthetic abrasives are usually available in a wide range of shapes. They can be found as bonded or coated abrasives, which includes blocks, belts, discs, wheels, sheets, rods and loose grains.
Your choice of abrasive used on a project will depend on the desired finish and the shape, size and nature of the workpiece itself. For instance, you might sharpen a knife with a bonded abrasive grind wheel for commercial purposes. Whereas an individual---not sharpening commercially---may choose to sharpen that same knife with a natural sharpening stone, or a flexible coated abrasive such as sandpaper.
If you use an abrasive that is too hard or too coarse, you could very well end up removing more of the workpiece than you intended, or cause scratches in the material. A general rule of thumb is that the softer the abrasive, the finer the scratches. Super fine abrasives are often used to hone the edge of such things as straight razors and swords.
Whatever abrasive you need for your projects, you can find it within the wide, comprehensive selection found within these pages, at the lowest cost!
Whether it's sanding, grinding, fibre cutting---whatever your needs, we have the best supplies here at Tools.com. With a huge range of high quality products, we are a leader in the Abrasives market with competitive pricing and unparalleled customer service. Shop and buy online 24/7 with speedy dispatch right to your door!
