# A bit on the pricey side, but extremely well made, and solves a huge problem.



## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

"The pitiful bushings that Norton includes with their grinder wheels, well… Norton should be ashamed of themselves for including them. These things are a waste of money for Norton to include, and a waste of shipping space. SHAME ON YOUR NORTON!!!! These things have TONS of slop in them, and allow the wheel to basically rotate around the grinder shaft more like an eccentric shaft. Whoever thought of those stupid plastic inserts needs to look for a new line of work. Obviously they stink as engineers…"

I fully agree with you.

I too bought one of this white wheel and I experienced the same exact problem, the wheel is out of balance and out of round.
Shame on Norton for selling such a poor product.


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## JackBarnhill (Mar 8, 2009)

Thanks for you review of the Norton wheels and The Geiger's Dressing and Truing Solution. Are there better wheels out there for a reasonable price? That is considering the additional cost of the 3rd party bushings.

The Geiger's Dressing and Truing Solution looks like a great tool but the price is more than a little steep for my budget. I probably won't see one of these in my shop until I can sell something I make in the price range of an original Maloof rocker.

Great review.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

It is a pricey item for sure. And just look at my workshop page… I am not the kind to spend top dollar on anything… But I also don't want to end up with tools that don't do what they are supposed to…

As far as other white oxide wheels are concerned, there is CGW Abrasives, and you don't want to know what they cost…

My issue with the Norton wheels is primarily the bushings are total junk. The wheel itself is okay. It would have been better for them to make the wheels and offer the bushings separately so that the customer can get the right fit the first time instead of having a violently vibrating grinder… It was pretty obviously a cost reduction issue, and one that is easily fixable, but falls under the category of rude surprises…

FWIW, the Norton Wheels were something like $20.00 each. So what did I expect right? The bushings came from McMaster Carr, and ran me $9.20 each + S&H, and will outlast a series of wheels… And most likely the grinder itself.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

That looks like what I need. The old diamond wheels were always a bit of a joke, they just break the glaze )


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

Alternatives to Norton in the area of the Aluminum Oxide grinder wheels are hard to come by. Any suggestions?


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## velo_tom (Feb 21, 2010)

I've had the same problem with the white Norton wheel. When I turned on the grinder the first time the wheel wobbled so bad I expected it to fly off at any moment. I pulled out the crappy stack of plastic bushings pushed on the stack to make a very slight slope for better grip. Then I epoxied the stack on both sides to stiffen it up. The wheel is running true now but I've not used it much and don't know how long it will last.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

I've heard of the epoxy trick, and I guess I could have gone that route, but I wanted a more secure / permanent solution to the problem… Have you dressed / trued up the wheels yet? The bushings made 75% of the difference the dresser made up the other 25%...


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## velo_tom (Feb 21, 2010)

I'm not saying the epoxy is a good solution. I'm pretty nervous whenever the wheel is running. If I would have known I could order something for a proper fix I likely would have gone that route. I've book marked the link you have provided and am seriously considering the purchase. I'm certainly not to happy with Norton for sending such junk along with the wheel.

We use epoxy to hold test instrumentation in place here at work and it holds up pretty well. But, my hands are not hovering next to these pieces while the parts are spinning. Seems in my old age I'm getting to be a wimp about the idea of injuries.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

That is because they take so much more time to heal :=)


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