Need help picking a belt grinder

jaegar

jaegar

Joined
Nov 5, 2004
Messages
280
Up till this point, I've ben using a hand-held belt sander (3x18) :eek: :eek:
Some electrical stuff on it is broken, so I'm looking at buying a new belt grinder. I'm a newbie, so wanted to know yall's opinion on a good one to go with. I only have about $100 to spend, so I was looking at some craftsmens. Will these work, or is there a better one I could get?
Thanks for the help
 
Grizzly is a great starter machine that will be there for your whole career. Get a powerful motor, at least 1.5 hp, and variable speed or step pulleys to slow it down when needed.

If you're committed, you can't do any better than Rob Frink's KMG-1. Check it out at Beaumont Metal Works.

I can't stress enough, get a 2X72 machine whatever you do. There are many more belts available in that size, and they don't cost much more than 48 inch belts do.
 
I did (and still do) a heckuva lot of work on my Delta 1x42. It's not for everybody, but it's under $100 (on sale at Lowes/Home Depot). Got me going....I have a KMG now and still use the Delta for sharpening.

Craftsman makes a 2x48 that's pretty good too.
 
Go with a 2 x 72 machine. I use my smaller machine for sharpening but I dont like how fast the smaller grinders run. Gets way hot.....
 
Do ya'll know of anywhere I could get a used 2x72? I just dont have $300 to spend on a grizzly. I kinda liked that delta (saw it at mc'coys) but it didn't have a tool rest, somethin' I've come to want as a beginner. That is why I like the craftsman that I saw. It came with a tool rest, and the belt arm was adjustable.
Thanks for the help. I might have to go with the 2x48 craftsman because of price difference, but if I can find any way to get a 72 I will.
 
Well, It looks Like I will get that Craftsman. It's actually a 2x42 after some more research (at least the one I saw) I just wanted to know if anybody knew about it or just flat out told me DONT BUY IT. Thanks for the help.
 
The craftsmen will be a fine machine for you. You got to understand that most of us are way off the deep end and don't understand budgets when it comes to tools. You can eat AFTER you have a KMG ;)
You might need to work on the platen a little bit to get your craftsmen really running like you want to grind blades, there are lots of tips on this kind of stuff if you do a search. The basic problem is that the platen is wider than the belt making it hard to get a good plunge, or its not sturdy enough to give you a consistent grind. These are pretty easily fixed.
Also, don't buy a whole bunch of one brand of belt right off. Do some research and find out whats available and will last the longest. Most of the generic aluminum oxide belts I've gotten at the hardware store for my 4X36 are overpriced crap. There are much better deals and quality available online most of the time.
 
You may want to check into an economy grinder as I did when I was in your shoes. Check out the Kalamazoo grinders at Knife and gun finishing supplies.

KalamazooGrinder.jpg


I've been very happy with the 2"x48" belt grinder I got from them. You can get any of the belts offered in the 2x72 for this 48 from A&H Abrasives. They even offer ceramic belts for it now.

It has a pretty nice Baldor motor and you can always upgrade later using the same motor if you want. Thats what I did.

Personally, I don't think that there are many machines out there for under the price of this one that are worth looking at because I looked at all of them.

If you want a cheapy go to Harbor Freight and get one of theirs for $99 or less and hope it lasts for a while. I've had good luck with some of the stuff they offer and bad luck with others. All made in China or Taiwan of course. But you get what you pay for.
 
The problem with the 2X42 machine is the dearth of belts for it. You'll find it very difficult to find more than a handful of grits and no selection of abrasive. Plus, they cost almost as much as 72" belts. In my opinion, buying this machine would be a false economy in the long run. Of course, if you're not sure whether you're going to make more that a couple of knives it might be worth the trial; you can always use the machine for other stuff down the road. (That will be true for whatever entry level machine you choose.) Why not instead focus on building your own 2X72? You'll be light years ahead. There are many people here who have built their own, and a number of others who got very frustrated with the Sears machine.
 
get the kalamazoo...
I have the craftsman and if I knew about the kalamazoo in the begining I would have bought it. You'll save on belts enough that will pay the difference in the long run.

You'll need to glue on a new platen with the craftsman too.
 
Build a 2x72! It should be pretty easy to find a motor and some pulleys then all you have to buy is a contact wheel. You don't even need metal working skills or tools to make one. Wayne Goddard I believe made one from plywood that worked pretty good.
 
Does anybody know where I could find Instructions on how to make a 2x72? That would be great, If I could get parts, etc. for $100 or a little more. I have a limited budget cuz I'm only 16. You only get a little money for each yard you mow! :(

Plywood? We've got a buch of scrap from building a shed. Do I hafta buy "the $50 knife shop" to figure out how to do it?

Thanks for all the help.
 
jaegar said:
Does anybody know where I could find Instructions on how to make a 2x72? That would be great, If I could get parts, etc. for $100 or a little more. I have a limited budget cuz I'm only 16. You only get a little money for each yard you mow! :(

Plywood? We've got a buch of scrap from building a shed. Do I hafta buy "the $50 knife shop" to figure out how to do it?

Thanks for all the help.
Click to expand...

Here are some links to photos, plans and tutorials for home/shop made grinders:

http://www.mstarling.com/The_Craft/Tool_Plans/_Belt_Grinder/_belt_grinder.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~foxeye1/beltgrind.html
http://www.geocities.com/mcalpinblades/2x72.html
http://www.keenjunk.com/sketchbk/ob90319a.htm
http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/sander1/sander.html
http://beaumontmetalworks.com/price.html
http://www.unigrinder.com/description1.htm
http://pictures.care2.com/view/2/878059736
http://theknifemaker.com/inf/grinder.html
http://members.aol.com/lughaid/sander.gif
http://www.balconesforge.org/techarticles/sander.pdf
http://www.keenjunk.com/cpg/displayimage.php?pos=-364
http://www.emeraldisleforge.netfirms.com/BeltGrinder.html
http://www.customcutlery.com/grinders.html
http://www.motherearthnews.com/arc/6509/
http://www.keenjunk.com/sketchbk/tc11101.htm
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~machine/e_index.html

There have also been some very nice ones posted on this and other knife forums; a quick search should turn up some.

By the way, that 2x48 craftsman does not look like it would be too hard to modify (maybe add a third wheel in the back) for 2x72 belts.

Regards,
Greg
 
Hey Greg, you're gonna make Mike look bad! :D That's a great list.

It's a good idea to modify the Craftsman, too. There are other mods out there that could work as well. I think TKS has an attachment that will use 48" belts on a bench grinder too. Don't remember how much it costs. I think Chris Crawford had one, though I could be mistaken about that.
 
ddavelarsen said:
...I think TKS has an attachment that will use 48" belts on a bench grinder too. Don't remember how much it costs. I think Chris Crawford had one, though I could be mistaken about that.
Click to expand...

Darn it Dave, you're good :) Now that you mention it, I remember Chris posting pictures of that attachment after he modiified it to use 72" belts.
I just went to his site to look at the photo of it and fell in love with that Scagel style folder he has on his home page.
Regards,
Greg
 
I've posted this before but here it is again. I made my first 100-150 knives on a sears craftsman 2x42 belt grinder. The previous mentioned advice about making a platen should be followed. What in comes with sucks. If it the same 2x42 I had it already has 3 wheels. You would have to chop up the cast Iron frame to modify it for 2 x 72 belts and you would lose some of the rigidity built into the machine. I made quite a few attatchments for my 2x42 including one that allowed me to lay the machine on its side and use it as a horizontal grinder. You should be able to use 1 x 42 belts on it also. There are pleanty of belts in 2x42 including ceramic, blue zircona and silicon carbide. Try www.supergrit.com The machine I had also had a 9" disc on the other end of the motor.
 
Thanks for the help guys! Man, I searched for an hour online before I asked for plans, and I only found 3 of what Greg had, and they weren't even plans. It must have taken you forever to get all those! :eek:
Thanks! :D

I found a couple of designs that I liked, I will look around, try and find a decent motor, and then try one. I'll let yall guys know how it goes.

~Brian
 
Jaegar, not to rain on your parade, but I'm pretty handy with tools, and have a good weldor and other metal working equipment. This is my opinion only, and I'm not an expert.........

When I finally decided to get a belt grinder, I decided to make my own. i make a lot of tools, and am capable. What I found though, was every single plan needed either a lath, milling machine, or used wooded contact wheels..

So, the frame, getting a motor, and all the rest is easy. What's not easy is making the wheels.......Now if you have some, no problem. If you know a guy that will cast and turn one, and press bearings, ok again. If you got to buy your own wheel, they run over $200 for the larger contact one alone. Add the cost of an idler wheel, and it's $300 or more plus time, steel, paint, bearings, etc.......Your "cheap" grinder is now $400 and may still not even work.

Me? I didn't have a lathe. Didn't want to be a machinist, I wanted to make blades........My solution was to buy a Coote grinder for $400, and add a new HF 1 HP Agriculture motor, 1850 rpm for another $90. With step pulleys, you can control the speed easily. So you got maybe $600 in the thing. You can sell it all day long for 70% of what you paid. If that's too rich for you, and it just might be, I'd buy a 1X24 at Sears and see what you can do with it. At least it will come in handy even if you do get a a nicer one later.....Just my opinion, and your mileage may vary. :)

Miike
 
Brian,
That is a good point Mike makes about the expense of a contact wheel.
Two solutions I see are:

1. Go with a contact wheel from Grizzly, the 10" (#G292) is listed
at about $60. The 8" should be available as a replacement part thru customer service for somewhat less.

2. Don't do hollow grinds then you won't have that great of a need for a contact wheel.

Rob Frink (one of the links) has idler wheels, tracking wheels and shafts at reasonable prices. I've seen skate board wheels used on a machine someone posted on another forum.


I have some pictures of other homebuilt machines (no or broken links to them right now) that I can send to you if you like.

Here is one D. Melton posted sometime back (I believe he said it was bolted together using square tubes cut from an old desk or table. No welding or machining):
n779d


Also here is someone's (wish I good give credit where it's due) concept for a very simple machine to do flat grinds:
n77le

Regards,
Greg
 
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