Another way to think about it is to realize your grinder is a cutting
tool, like your jointer or table saw. Generally, the workpiece is fed into
the tool, against the rotation of the cutter, blade, or grinding wheel.
With the proper guards (or tool rest, in this case) and technique, the
work can be done accurately and safely.
One note of extreme caution: A buffing wheel mounted on a
grinder presents a serious danger if improperly used. Tools being
buffed are held with their cutting edge down (see the drawing below).
Cloth buffing wheels are much softer than grinding wheels. It’s easy to
catch a tool edge in a buffing wheel if the tool edge is presented in
the same way it is to the grinding wheel. Catching the edge of a cut-
ting tool in a buffing wheel almost inevitably results in the tool being
thrown violently onto the floor (or into your foot). If you use a buff-
ing wheel on a bench grinder, it is imperative that you point your tool
down, so the buffing wheel can’t catch the edge.
—GARYROGOWSKI,Portland, Ore.,
from a question by Craig Mascolo, Paradise Valley, Ariz.
SHARPENING & GRINDINGWhen using a buffing
wheel on a bench grinder,
hold the tool with its cut-
ting edge down. Other-
wise, the wheel could
catch and throw the tool.