- Joined
- Jan 17, 2015
- Messages
- 13
Hi all, long time lurker, first time poster with a grinder buying conundrum. I've got a 4x36 benchtop wood sander, but that doesn't cut it for what I want to do, make knives and axes and such (pun intended). I've got a little cash burning a hole in my bank account so I figure it might be time to pull the trigger on something better.
I thought about building a grinder, but that could take me a while to find the right round-to-it, plus I'm not an experienced metalworker. I figure the time I could spend kludging one together and making it work right would be better spent learning to do what I actually want to do, making blades and other neat, sharp things. I want to spend south of $2,000 at the moment, which isn't a ton where grinders are concerned.
I happen to have a few 2x48 belts (they may be 2 1/2 x 48, actually) that I picked up with a whole mess randon of Klingspor paper, most of it in small rolls, from a salvage building supply place that folks donate unused or still usable stuff to. So that had me thinking about 2x48 grinders, which led me to the 2x48 Steele Grinder, which is ~$1,600 for the non-tilting model with a 2 horse motor wired for 1.5 horse with a VFD for 115 v house power. The flat platen on the Steele grinder has a neat design with a 2" contact wheel on top and a 4" contact wheel on the bottom. I figure buildind a tilting base similar to the one they sell wouldn't be too hard and I probably have all the steel I need for it laying around.
Alternatively, I could get a Brodbeck 2X72 with a single speed 1.5 horse motor, flat platten, a small wheel attachment and a 6-inch contact wheel for ~$1,840. I like that the Brodbeck tilts, but I'd have to paint, assemble and wire it while the Steele maching is pretty much plug and play.
I know most folks prefer the bigger grinder, but becuase I'm looking to do this for fun and not income, maybe the difference won't matter, at least in the next few years.
Some considerations: At some point I could probably get a VFD for the 1.5 horse single phase motor that comes with the Brodbeck at this price, or even upgrade to a 2 or 3 horse motor and VFD down the line. But I'm pretty clueless about anything electronic. I figure it might be possible to turn the 48 inch Steele Grinder down the line as well and it's motor can be reqired to get the full 2 horses off of a 220 circuit if I decide to get one put in my shop.
So, what it boils down to is this question. Will I be happier right now and for, say the next 2-3 years, with a smaller variable speed grinder or a larger single speed unit? From what I've picked up 1.5 horses is the bare minimum for a 2x72 inch machine, so that power might feel better with smaller belts. I know the 42-inchers will wear faster and there's not as wide an array of selections, but they are cheaper, right?
Oh, and one more conundrum. The VFD on the Steele (A KBAC model like a lot of other grinders use) apparently doesn't play nice with GFCI/GFI outlets. And, of course, my shop is wired with GFCI outlets. If I use a spike bar, would that short circuit the problem (there's one of them there puns again...)? I guess I could always run a power cord out of the shop into the hall to a normal outlet... that would be stupid fun, or just stupid.
Love to here what folks think. Thanks in advance.
I thought about building a grinder, but that could take me a while to find the right round-to-it, plus I'm not an experienced metalworker. I figure the time I could spend kludging one together and making it work right would be better spent learning to do what I actually want to do, making blades and other neat, sharp things. I want to spend south of $2,000 at the moment, which isn't a ton where grinders are concerned.
I happen to have a few 2x48 belts (they may be 2 1/2 x 48, actually) that I picked up with a whole mess randon of Klingspor paper, most of it in small rolls, from a salvage building supply place that folks donate unused or still usable stuff to. So that had me thinking about 2x48 grinders, which led me to the 2x48 Steele Grinder, which is ~$1,600 for the non-tilting model with a 2 horse motor wired for 1.5 horse with a VFD for 115 v house power. The flat platen on the Steele grinder has a neat design with a 2" contact wheel on top and a 4" contact wheel on the bottom. I figure buildind a tilting base similar to the one they sell wouldn't be too hard and I probably have all the steel I need for it laying around.
Alternatively, I could get a Brodbeck 2X72 with a single speed 1.5 horse motor, flat platten, a small wheel attachment and a 6-inch contact wheel for ~$1,840. I like that the Brodbeck tilts, but I'd have to paint, assemble and wire it while the Steele maching is pretty much plug and play.
I know most folks prefer the bigger grinder, but becuase I'm looking to do this for fun and not income, maybe the difference won't matter, at least in the next few years.
Some considerations: At some point I could probably get a VFD for the 1.5 horse single phase motor that comes with the Brodbeck at this price, or even upgrade to a 2 or 3 horse motor and VFD down the line. But I'm pretty clueless about anything electronic. I figure it might be possible to turn the 48 inch Steele Grinder down the line as well and it's motor can be reqired to get the full 2 horses off of a 220 circuit if I decide to get one put in my shop.
So, what it boils down to is this question. Will I be happier right now and for, say the next 2-3 years, with a smaller variable speed grinder or a larger single speed unit? From what I've picked up 1.5 horses is the bare minimum for a 2x72 inch machine, so that power might feel better with smaller belts. I know the 42-inchers will wear faster and there's not as wide an array of selections, but they are cheaper, right?
Oh, and one more conundrum. The VFD on the Steele (A KBAC model like a lot of other grinders use) apparently doesn't play nice with GFCI/GFI outlets. And, of course, my shop is wired with GFCI outlets. If I use a spike bar, would that short circuit the problem (there's one of them there puns again...)? I guess I could always run a power cord out of the shop into the hall to a normal outlet... that would be stupid fun, or just stupid.
Love to here what folks think. Thanks in advance.