Hi there, all,
I have pondered all the advice you've given me. I agree and accept that a grinding wheel failure is extremely dangerous but it seems to me that some of the replies to my original post err too much on the side of caution.
So I'd welcome some more discussion of this topic, i.e. grinding wheel safety (
NOT geared specifically to my wheels of unknown history!).
My sticking point is this: if we apply the 'precautionary principle', the grinding wheel that was OK yesterday
might have suffered some deterioration while the grinder has been switched off overnight! So, to be safe, we ought to remove and destroy it and fit a new one. But then, how do we know that the new wheel hasn't suffered some invisible damage in transit or storage? The grinding wheel manufacturers might love such a scenario but life as a surface or cylindrical or T&C or just plain off-hand grinder user would be impossible.
I admit that this argument is sort of a 'reductio ad absurdam' but I'm trying to locate the right path here.
Having defined the situation for a wheel that hasn't been removed from its spindle, the question then arises: what about a wheel that worked OK but has, for some reason (e.g. to temporarily substitute a wheel of a different grade), been removed from its spindle - is that wheel automatically skip fodder?
If we then consider wheels that were OK when last used but have been out of use for an appreciable time, what determines their usability? (Fergus mentioned deterioration of resin bonded wheels - do they really have a shelf life?)
No way do I want to put myself or others into danger but I'm not convinced that the discussion so far has got the use/reject line in the right place.
Further
considered comments are invited.