10-or 8-inch wheel?

Burchtree

Burchtree

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Well, its getting about Coote time. I'm trying to figure out what size of wheel to get. Can you get good hollow grinds and grind lines using a 10-inch wheel and an average-sized knife of 3/16-inch steel? Is the 8-inch wheel more suitable for your average-sized fixed blades?

I don't want to limit myself with the wheel I get. I will want to make some larger fighters and bowies (10-inch blades), but I'll also be making smaller blades. What would you all suggest?
 
I agree with Sylvester. The only thing I use my 8" for anymore, is hollowing the center of tangs, for the purpose of tapering them, and grinding the bevels in very small knives.
If you are concerned about not having one or the other wheel, I understand that Coote has a deal on one of their grinders with both.:eek:
 
I am up in the air with this one.everyone says a 10 inch is good to start out with.I taught myself on an 8 but I am not one for really wide grinds.A 10 does give you very good hollows.
I think there are both pros and cons on this subject.I know with a 10 inch wheel you can eat alot more steel faster but there is the trade of,with an 8 inch you will only be able to grind so high
If the coote is doing the 8 and 10 on one machine I would go with both.
One word of advice,if you are new at hollow grinding save your self some time and money and learn to grind on wooden knives
you will be surprised on how much you will learn about yourself and
how you handle a blade.
Mike nice looking knife on your Avatar.:)
 
I agree -- sweet-looking knife! I've been wanting to see some of your work.

I "practiced" some hollow-grinding on a non-rubberized 4-inch wheel on my current crappy grind. Hopefully a 10-inch wheel will be a lot easier. :D

Any idea what the double-sided Coote cost?

So if I get the 10-inch wheel, I'll probably have to do neck knives and such on my old grinder?

Thank you all -- the grinder questions will cease sometime (I know I said that on my last grinder question.) :)
 
Originally posted by Burchtree

Any idea what the double-sided Coote cost?

So if I get the 10-inch wheel, I'll probably have to do neck knives and such on my old grinder?

Click to expand...


It's not a double sided grinder. They just set it up so you have both, and can interchange them at will, without modifying. The price is better if you get it that way, than if you buy one or the other wheels seperately. Sort of a package deal, I suppose. You would have to call him for the price on that one.
A note here, it is a little easier initially, to grind with the 8" wheel as you can get a groove going easier with the smaller wheel. But, when you get more experience, you will probably use the 10" more, especially if you do bowies, etc.:D I recently got a 14" wheel, but haven't had a chance to use it yet.:eek:
 
I bought a Coote with a 10"and 8" contact wheel and Mr Coote adjusted the grinder to accept the two sizes of wheel. Up to now I practically used only the 10", I prefer larger ground...

There are 3 different models of Coote Grinder (6 ", 8" and 10" contact wheel). Each model is conceived to accept one size of wheel. But if you want to have a 8" and 10" contact wheel, Mr. Coote can adjust the 10" grinder so that they can accept the two wheels on the same grinder (and adjusts the accessories (platen, roller, etc) to be usable with different wheels.

I do not have the prices here, but you can write to Mr. Coote if you want more info...

Alain M-D
 
i have ground about three knives with it:D i found i prefer flat and convex grinds. the coote works great for convex/slack belt work. i take the platen out for handle shaping.
 
Hi Guys,

Quick question...why buy a grinder that is limited to the size contact wheel by the manufacturer? I've got the following size contact wheels for my KMG: 14", 10", 8", 6", 4", 3", 2", 1.5", and all can be changed out quickly by sliding out the tooling arm and sliding in another one. I don't want to come across as trying to be negative about the Coote grinder, because fact is, whatever gets you grinding is a good thing, I started with a Grizzly! :) Having said that though, for $250 more than the 8" Coote package you can get the basic KMG setup with the flat platen and then upgrade by buying wheels and tooling arms later as money permits. I just think that the KMG is such a versatile grinder in regards to the accessories you can add to it at a later point in time that it is just a really good investment.

:)

-Darren
 
well,,,,lets talk money,,,,

I believe that right now, we should toss out a few numbers so that we all understand the "Bang for the Buck" factor

Now some of us might have gotten a cheap deal on a good grinder, but Im more interested in the avg price of the grinders that you own....

so,,,lets hear what they are going for,,,

The Grizzly?_________
The Coote?____________
The KNG? _____________
The Baddor?___________
The Unknown grinder?_____

and make sure you add the price of the electric motor (if sold extra)to the totals...
 
Hi DaQo'tah,

I don't think it is quite as simple as that. Yes, we can tally these numbers and have some data, but what exactly will it represent? You have to also look at the quality of construction of the package and the ability to upgrade to other tools to use with it later on. This is where, in my opinion, the KMG wins hands down. I started with a Grizzly, and the only other grinders I've used are a Wilton Square Wheel and a Bader. My KMG grinder is by and far better than those other three if you compare cost, quality, and ease of upgrade and use. I know this grinder debate is one that has been gone over time and time again, so these are just my opinions! :)

I'll tally up the cost of my KMG and my Beaumont Horizontal grinders with the VFD/motor packages I put on both of them later this evening and post it... BTW, I'm buying another KMG at the Blade show.

-Darren
 
Hi DaQo'tah,

One more thing before I head back out to the shop for a while. If you want to do this thread with grinder cost comparisons, we should start it as a new thread for easier reference and so we don't totally hijack Burchtree's original thread any more than we/I already have (sorry Burchtree!) :) Also, we should probably have it broken down into grinders with motors (fixed and variable speed) and grinders without motors that allow the user to choose either fixed speed or variable speed whether it be VFD/DC/or pulleys. DaQo'tah, why don't you go ahead and start it off with your Grizzly and come up with a format...I'll post my info later this evening. :)

-Darren
 
I recently had to decide the same thing. And this is what I have come up with. The bigger the wheel the better cutter your blade will be. If all other things are equal. The smaller the wheel the easier it is to get nice crisp grind lines. I have an 8" wheel and a 10" wheel for my grizzly. After learning how to grind on the bigger wheel the 8" wheel seems ridiculously small now for grinding bevels. I recently bought a new grinder. I decided to go with the KMG. At first I thought I would get the 8" package, but after thinking about it and deciding I wanted my blades to perfom as well as possible, I changed my mind and got the 12" wheel. I have since ground three blades on the 12" wheel and they are my best grinds yet. The excellent tracking, low vibration, and variable speed make it so easy to grind on compared to the grizzly, that my latest hollow grinds have turned out so nice and where so easy, that I will probably get the 14" wheel as my next attachment. So to sum things up, my thoughts would be get a good grinder, and you will be able to grind with any size wheel. A bigger wheel can be used on smaller blades, but a small wheel is soewhat inadequate for larger blades imho as a new knifemaker. I have heard guys talk about rocking their 8" wheel to get a higher grind, but whenever I try this It is a PITA to finish the blade. So I would recommend the bigger wheel.
Kyle Fuglesten

Just to furthur confuse you I do know of several makers how have ground their whole careers on 8" wheels.
 
Hijack away! The more information gets put out here, the more I'll learn. I'm pretty set on the Coote for now though. I am just a hobbyist, but want quality when I do make knives.
 
There are several big time makers who use nothing but 6 and 8 inch wheels.I have personaly spoken with Neil Blackwood and he grinds on an 8 and a 6.It is my personal opinion that a blade ground on a smaller wheel looks better,The grind is deeper and grabs your eye.
Jerry Hossom if I am not mistaken uses an 8 inch wheel.
The bigger wheels give more of a flat ground look,why hollow grind if you are looking for a flat ground look?This is just my 2 cents worth.One thing I have found is a smaller wheel is easier to learn to grind on.I have a 10 inch wheel and I still find myself grinding
the most on my 8 inch wheel and a 5 inch wheel.If you are doing more complexed grinds some of the bigger wheels just are to hard to work with.;) ;)
 
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