Method of grinding the surfaces of cutting blades and grinding wheel therefor

A method of generating at least one surface on a cutting blade, said method comprising:

• providing a grinding wheel, said grinding wheel having a grinding profile located on a face thereof, said grinding profile comprising an inner conical surface for generating a roughed surface and an outer adjacent narrow substantially flat surface for generating a finished surface,
• releasably mounting said cutting blade in a work holder, said cutting blade having at least a first area to be ground,
• rotating said grinding wheel,
• contacting said grinding profile with said first area of said cutting blade,
• generating at least a roughed surface on said first area by traversing said first area of said cutting blade across at least said inner conical surface of said grinding profile.
• contacting said grinding profile with a second area of said cutting blade,
• generating at least a roughed surface on said second area by traversing said second area of said cutting blade across at least said inner conical surface of said grinding profile.

In a method of generating at least one surface on a cutting blade with a grinding wheel having a grinding profile,

• wherein said cutting blade has at least one surface to be ground and is releasably mounted in a work holder secured to a work spindle and,
• wherein said grinding wheel is releasably mounted to a tool spindle, said grinding wheel having a grinding profile located on a face thereof,
• the improved method of rough grinding and finish grinding said at least one surface of said cutting blade comprising the steps of:
• providing said grinding profile having an inner arcuate surface, an inner conical surface, and an outer arcuate surface for generating a roughed surface on said cutting blade and an outer adjacent narrow substantially flat surface for generating a finished surface on said cutting blade,
• providing relative linear movement in three mutually orthogonal directions between said grinding wheel and said mounted cutting blade,
• providing rotational movement of said grinding wheel about an axis of rotation,
• providing rotational movement of said mounted cutting blade about a longitudinal axis of said work spindle,
• providing angular movement of said mounted cutting blade or said grinding wheel about a pivot axis,
• rotating said grinding wheel about said axis of rotation,
• contacting said inner conical surface of said grinding profile and said first area of said cutting blade,
• generating a first roughed surface on said first area of said cutting blade by controlling said relative linear movement, said rotational movement and said angular movement to thereby define a path of traversal of said first area across at least one of said inner arcuate surface, said inner conical surface, and said outer arcuate surface of said grinding profile,
• contacting said adjacent outer narrow substantially flat surface of said grinding profile with said first roughed surface,
• generating a first finished surface on said first roughed surface of said cutting blade by controlling said relative linear movement, said rotational movement and said angular movement to thereby define a path of traversal of said first roughed surface across said adjacent outer narrow substantially flat surface of said grinding profile.