2 x 72 belt grinder

D

Diamond Saber

Joined
Nov 3, 2015
Messages
9
Hello everyone! I'm new to this site, and new to knife making. I starting developing the interest in November 2014. It soon grew into a passion. I'm in the "buy the required supplies" stage right now. I don't have a A LOT of fun money, so I can't afford high dollar items. I just don't want to buy anything that won't last long and that I'll regret dropping a dime on. But now to get to the point of this post...I am looking into getting a 2 x 72 belt grinder and as I said before I can't afford one that costs 700 plus. I found one online that's made by Oregon Blade Makers. I haven't found a whole lot of info about it. I did find some Youtube videos on it though. It appears to be very good quality. Here are the links to where it's sold and the Youtube videos. >>>


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Belt-Grinde...068108?hash=item3aafe426cc:g:pZUAAOSwyQtV1zcx


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buGjNeQngsY


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJdRJYtpiVM


If anyone has more info or insight on this brand and machine it would be greatly appreciated! :)
 
by the time you purchase a motor, drive wheel, and pay for shipping you'll be close if not over $700. then you will be at a single speed unless you get a vfd.
 
Electric motor wholesale

Get a leeson 1hp 1725 tefc 56c face motor and a kbac 24 vfd and your sitting at about $500 and you have speed control from 1-100%

Get something like the little buddy grinder from wilmont or Oregon knifemaker and you have a variable speed grinder for $1000 and no regrets. If I had to start over that's what I would do. You'll have people tell you you need more hp but 1 they are using a kmg which is belt drive, with your setup it will be direct drive and not robbing you of power, two if you profile with a contact wheel and finish with the platen you definitely won't need 2+ hp and greatest of all it will run off any standard 110v outlet.

Pm me if you need more help
 
OR - go with an iron horse 2 hp motor for $127 shipped, and a Chinese NEMA 1 VFD for $120 or so shipped and have full speed control for about $250. Of course, with a NEMA 1 enclosure you'll need to either cover intakes with filters or mount VFD inside an enclosure to keep the dust out.

Ken H>
 
Ken H> said:
OR - go with an iron horse 2 hp motor for $127 shipped, and a Chinese NEMA 1 VFD for $120 or so shipped and have full speed control for about $250. Of course, with a NEMA 1 enclosure you'll need to either cover intakes with filters or mount VFD inside an enclosure to keep the dust out.

Ken H>
Click to expand...

install in junction box with face plate sticking out.
 
If you try to save too much money on a grinder you MAY make the mistake of a lot of knife makers who later buy a better tool and wished that they had bought the better tool in the first place. I did ths at least twice and now have 2 grinders that are 220 volt with KBAC drives and 2 hp motors. I now buy the best equipment that
zYmxqSGl.jpg
I can even if I have to save money to do it. Live and learn! Larry Lehman
 
LARRYZ10 said:
If you try to save too much money on a grinder you MAY make the mistake of a lot of knife makers who later buy a better tool and wished that they had bought the better tool in the first place. I did ths at least twice and now have 2 grinders that are 220 volt with KBAC drives and 2 hp motors. I now buy the best equipment that
zYmxqSGl.jpg
I can even if I have to save money to do it. Live and learn! Larry Lehman
Click to expand...

I've heard this many times and this is how I try to be. It makes a lot of sense
 
if you are on a budget start with 3 speed pulleys like kmg supplies with their grinders and save money on the vfd.
 
I agree with the buy once, cry once philosophy. It may be wise to spend a little more and get something that will serve you well for a longer period of time.

The Oregon Blademaker grinder seems like a fair deal and its direct drive.

When I was looking for a grinder a year ago I went with an Esteem from Brett Mathews and haven't regretted it. One of the features I really liked about it is the direct drive.

Remember that you will end up wanting more than one attachment for your grinder. A tool rest, flat platen, at least one full size contact wheel and probably a small wheel attachment. Like some other tools, like mills, you end up investing a fair amount on tooling/accessories.

Don't underestimate the importance of power. I have only been using my grinder for a year and am happy to have 2hp. When I want to profile a thick blade I can out on a 36 grit belt and really remove material without bogging the grinder down.
 
LARRYZ10 said:
If you try to save too much money on a grinder you MAY make the mistake of a lot of knife makers who later buy a better tool and wished that they had bought the better tool in the first place. I did ths at least twice and now have 2 grinders that are 220 volt with KBAC drives and 2 hp motors. I now buy the best equipment that
zYmxqSGl.jpg
I can even if I have to save money to do it. Live and learn! Larry Lehman
Click to expand...
Larry, what size wheel is that!?
 
Ken H> said:
OR - go with an iron horse 2 hp motor for $127 shipped, and a Chinese NEMA 1 VFD for $120 or so shipped and have full speed control for about $250. Of course, with a NEMA 1 enclosure you'll need to either cover intakes with filters or mount VFD inside an enclosure to keep the dust out.

Ken H>
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing this!
 
Hello drysideshooter! Thanks for the response. It seems almost everyone out there has wayyy more disposable income than I do. I for one can't afford a grinder that STARTS between $700 and $900 - without a motor and only one attachment - maybe. I realize that I will have to invest in more tool arms in the future, but the flat platen will do just fine to start with. That is what the Oregon Blade Maker grinder can come with if I so choose. In one of the video links I put in my original post, it showed them using a variable speed Porter Cable bench grinder for the drive. Would that be a good "temporary" alternative to having to buy a vfd and whatever else must go with it? I'm NEW to this so I won't be working on anything crazy yet so I don't believe I will need the serious horsepower - yet. I just want to get started. I have a couple knives that only need to see a grinder and they'll be almost finished. Sorry for the lengthy message. Thanks again for the input!
 
Diamond, I understand the concept of not having enough disposable income and wanting the biggest bang for the buck. I have no experience with the Oregon Blade Makers Grinder, but my impression is that it would do a reasonable job with the right motor, but the Porter Cable Bench Grinder is not going to do the job for you. It's way under powered and only adjusts from 2000 to 3400 rpm. Not much of a speed reduction and I'm sure it's designed this way because you would have absolutely no torque at any slower speed. I not even sure they make it any more.

My suggestion for a new knife maker on a budget would be to get a Craftsman 2x42 or maybe a Grizzly 2x72 that is plug and play and then save your money for a nice variable speed 2x72. This is how I started and I made quite a few nice knives before I moved up to a 2x72. I still find use for the Craftsman even though I now have a 2x72 machine.
 
You might look into a NWGS. It's one of those things you can upgrade/expand as funds come in, but still start out with a decent machine for not a lot of money. If you source your steel from fab shop drops or a scrap yard, and then find a used/surplus motor for relatively cheap, wheels from ebay, and some misc odds and ends, I don't see why you couldn't build one for $500 or less. Heck, even with Ken's recommendation for a VFD/Motor setup at $250, you can still POSSIBLY get a flat platen going for about another $250 on top of that, to keep around $500, but it'll be tough. If you have any access to a welder, you can save a few bucks on the nuts and bolts, and a little bit of the steel. Keep in mind, the price mentioned above assumes your scrounging a bit for the misc parts like pulleys, electrical cords, fasteners, knobs, etc... as these things do add up quick. Now, I suppose you could save a little more by setting up the NWGS as a direct drive, just mount everything to a base plate accordingly.

FWIW, the grinder in the first post looks pretty solid, but as is already mentioned, still needs another good chunk of change to be usable.
 
Thanks for the response knife to a gun fight! I had looked into the NWGS but I don't really have access to a whole lot in the realms of scrap steel or a welder (to save on the nuts and such). The grinder I originally posted only needs a motor and drive wheel. It comes with a flat platen. I know that is the tool I would use the most, especially considering that I'm just getting started and have A LOT to learn before I start even thinking about hallow grinding. By the way, what does FWIW mean? haha.
 
I recently purchased the Oregon Blade Maker Grinder. It is a very solid, well built machine. I purchased the chassis, drive wheel, work rest, 1.5 hp motor, variable speed drive, and a bunch of belts and ended up around the $1200 mark. I remember comparing prices, and I think it was about $175 more to get the full variable speed set up. It was absolutely worth it. If you're looking for your first 2x72, this will not disappoint
 
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