Abrasive dressers are used to flatten and align grinding wheels. Star, diamond, and dressing stick dressers are common types. Star dressers use serrated wheels to remove abrasive particles, while diamond dressers use diamond chips. Dressing sticks are cheaper but less effective.
Abrasive dressers flatten the grinding edge of a wheel by loosening and removing abrasive particles from uneven sections of the wheel’s surface. This sets the face of a wheel perfectly straight or to a specific profile determined by the dresser. The type of dresser used to set the face of a wheel is based on operator preference. Star dressers, diamond dressers, and dressing sticks are the most common types of abrasive dressers used when aligning or correcting a grindstone. Each type of dresser uses a different method of dressing the wheel.
Star dressers use a serrated wheel or multiple serrated wheels to loosen abrasive particles from an irregular or badly grooved wheel. When the sprockets of a star dresser are pressed against a rotating grindstone, the dresser wheels spin to match the speed of the grindstone. This causes the face of the wheel to release abrasive particles without fracturing and thereby weakening the structure of the wheel. Stationary and manual star dressers are both also used for a grinding wheel, but the manual version is more common due to its ability to be maneuvered more easily than a stationary dresser.
Diamond dressers use multiple diamond chips attached to a flat point or a larger diamond sitting on a sharp point. Both use the hardness of a diamond to remove softer abrasive particles from an uneven grindstone, although both types are more difficult to use than a star dresser. Diamond dressers, due to the small cutting surface they offer, rely on the operator’s steady hand to produce an even surface on the wheel. This makes diamond dressers a poor choice when a precise profile is required on the face of a wheel. Another type of abrasive dresser looks and functions similar to a diamond dresser.
Dressers use materials that are harder than a grindstone, but softer than a diamond dresser, to remove high spots from a grindstone’s surface. The lack of diamond chips puts this type of abrasive dresser in a lower price range, but wears faster and has the same problems as a diamond dresser with the need to rely on the operator to hand create a profile or even the face of the grindstone. Convenience often makes this type of abrasive dresser a common sight in backyards and small shops that require grinding wheel dressing.
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