You can fake a lot of grinder work with hand files, rotary tools, and patience. Inside curves are not on that list.
If you have ever tried to clean up a choil, smooth a finger groove, or blend a tight inside radius on a flat platen, you already know the problem: the belt wants to bridge. The result is washboarding, odd facets, and a bunch of time spent chasing a line that should have been clean in the first place. That is exactly where a 2x72 small wheel attachment earns its spot on the grinder.
What a 2x72 small wheel attachment actually changes
A small wheel attachment puts a narrow, small-diameter contact wheel in the belt path so the belt conforms to tighter radii. Instead of forcing a flat surface into a curve, you bring a curve to the belt - and you control where the contact patch lands.The payoff is not just “it fits.” It is repeatability. Once you set your tracking and you pick a wheel diameter, you can come back to the same radius over and over and get predictable geometry. For knife makers, that means choils that match across a batch, consistent plunge transitions, and inside corners that look intentional instead of “close enough.”
There is also a speed advantage. With the right grit and pressure, a small wheel will remove material fast in a tight zone, and it does it without you having to tip the blade into awkward angles on a platen.
Where small wheels shine in real shop work
Small wheels are not a vanity accessory. They solve very specific jobs that show up constantly in blades and tooling.Choils, plunge clean-up, and ricassos
A small wheel lets you get into that tight pocket right at the plunge without rounding things you meant to keep crisp. It is especially useful when you want the plunge line clean and the choil radius consistent, but you do not want to overcut into the ricasso.Finger grooves and handle transitions
Inside curves on tangs, guards, and handle transitions are where belts love to skip and chatter. A small wheel gives you a controllable contact point so you can blend smoothly and keep the curve symmetrical.Internal cutouts and “impossible” radii
If you cut a slot or window and need to radius the inside edges, a platen is a fight. A small wheel is the right tool. It is also a solid option for smoothing jimping-adjacent areas or relief cuts where a file would take forever.Deburring and edge-breaking
A small wheel can be a clean way to break edges inside curves without rolling the surrounding flats. Light pressure, moderate speed, fine grit - done.The trade-offs: what a small wheel attachment will not do for you
Small wheels are not magic, and they are not a replacement for good fundamentals.First, they are less forgiving than a platen. The smaller the wheel, the smaller the contact patch, which means mistakes happen faster. If your hands are not steady or your belt is dull, you can dig a divot in a second.
Second, heat builds quickly. You are concentrating friction into a tighter area, and on thin edges that can spike temps fast. It depends on your steel, your belt, and your speed control, but the rule is simple: if you are pushing hard on a small wheel, expect heat.
Third, belt life can be shorter on very small diameters. Tight wraps stress the belt backing. Some belts handle it well, some do not. If you regularly run tiny wheels, you will learn which belt lines behave and which ones crack early.
None of those are deal breakers. They are just realities - and once you respect them, the attachment becomes one of the most productive tools on the grinder.
Picking wheel sizes: what matters and why
Wheel size is the whole point, so choose it like you mean it. In practice, most makers end up using a couple of “workhorse” diameters and only occasionally reaching for the smallest wheels.A larger small wheel (think in the neighborhood of 1 inch and up) gives you a more stable feel and smoother blending. It is easier to control, kinder to belts, and less likely to create facets. It is a strong choice for finger grooves, general inside radii, and cleanup work where you want a controlled curve but not a needle point.
As you go smaller, you gain access and tighter radii, but you also increase the chance of chatter and gouging if your pressure is inconsistent. The tiny wheels are for very specific geometry: tight choils, small cutouts, and details where nothing else fits. If you are newer to small wheels, start a bit bigger, get your hands trained, then step down when the work demands it.
Width matters too. Narrow wheels let you reach into tight spaces, but they also create a narrower “track” that can telegraph small wobbles. Wider wheels give more stability, but they may not fit the feature you are grinding. Again - it depends on the work.
Setup that actually affects results
A small wheel attachment is only as good as the grinder it is mounted on and how you set it up.Start with tracking. If your grinder tracks rock solid on a platen, it should track rock solid on a small wheel, but the consequences of bad tracking are higher with a narrow wheel. Any belt wander becomes edge damage, torn belts, or an ugly grind.
Pay attention to belt tension. Too loose and the belt can flutter and chatter, especially at higher speed. Too tight and you are stressing belts and bearings. You want firm, controlled tension that keeps the belt planted on the wheel without feeling like you are overloading the system.
Speed control matters. If you have a VFD, use it. For detail work, you often want slower belt speed than you would use for hogging on a flat platen. Slower speed improves control and helps manage heat, especially when you are refining a feature that has to look clean under a finish.
Finally, set your body position. Small wheels punish awkward stances. Square up to the contact point, lock your elbows when you can, and move from the shoulders for smooth passes. This is not about being delicate - it is about being consistent.
Technique: getting clean radii without gouges
The easiest way to ruin a choil on a small wheel is to “poke” into it. Instead, use controlled passes and let the belt do the work.Approach the radius with the work supported and stable, then make light, repeatable strokes. If you need to remove a lot of material, do it in stages: shape with a coarser grit, then refine with the next grit instead of trying to make one belt do everything. On a small wheel, a dull belt will push you into higher pressure, and higher pressure is where mistakes and heat show up.
When you are blending into adjacent flats, think about where the belt is touching. A small wheel makes a curve, but it will also happily round a crisp shoulder if you drift. If a line has to stay crisp, use a hard reference point and keep your passes consistent so you do not “creep” into the wrong area.
Belts and grits: what tends to work best
Small wheels do well with sharp, quality abrasives. Ceramic belts are a solid choice for shaping because they cut aggressively and stay cooler when used correctly, but you still need to manage pressure. For refinement, structured abrasives and quality finishing belts can leave a surprisingly clean surface in tight curves.Avoid forcing ultra-worn belts to do precision work. If the belt is glazed, it will skate, heat, and chatter. That is where you get those ugly ripples inside a finger groove that take forever to fix.
How to decide if you should buy one now
If you are building mostly flat-ground blades with simple profiles, you can get by without a small wheel attachment for a while. But if your work includes choils, pronounced finger grooves, internal cutouts, or you are trying to make your plunge and ricasso area look truly intentional, a 2x72 small wheel attachment stops being “nice to have” and becomes the right tool.It also makes sense if you are doing small-batch runs and want parts to match. Consistency is what customers notice, and small wheels are a repeatability upgrade as much as they are a capability upgrade.
If you are already invested in a modular grinder ecosystem and you want to expand without reworking your whole setup, attachments are the smart move. That is the whole point of building a grinder that can grow with you. If you are configuring a system or adding capability to an existing rig, Diktator Grinders keeps that modular approach front and center at https://diktatorgrinder.com.
If you add a small wheel setup, give yourself a few sessions to get your hands calibrated. Start on scrap, dial in your speed, and learn how little pressure it really takes to get a clean radius. Once you feel it, you will stop fighting inside curves and start treating them like just another controlled operation - the way they should be.
