Burn streaks on the work

[TomG]

Most of the grinders I've used were dry, but if you have coolant then you should definitely use it. I believe the chucks are made of iron plates with some sort of non ferrous spacer, either aluminum or brass.

I think you are putting too much thought into picking up the surface. Just move the wheel close by eye and drop it a little at a time while feeding the table until it touches. It's one of those skills that comes with experience, but once you figure it out, it'll be second nature.

Another thing I forgot to mention is you should put a coarse dress on the wheel. Cranking the dresser across the wheel rapidly will create a surface on the wheel that is less apt to load up.

Tom