2x72 belt grinder

kenneth m said:
It looks cool,but what makes it better?
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I did this quick video showing the improvements over most platen C frames. There are quite a few improvements.


I re-designed it a bit with some rounding, as I found the original could tear belts if not careful with those sharp corners.
Brett has also enhanced the build quite a bit over my crude prototype. He sent me another pic of the platen mount bar last night. This bolts to the C-Frame to hold the platen/rod assembly.
Overbuilt and beautiful, like most of his work. :)

EsteemPlaten2.jpg
 
kenneth m said:
Thanks guys for the recomendations.I was leaning towards a north ridge and just paying more for it,but the lead time is 3 months and I can't do that lol.
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on 2 x 72” grinders, I’ve heard very good things on the Pheer, Esteem, the Northridge, I’ve owned a Beaumont and sold it! Have a Hardcore products and have Great things to say and a Top if the line Wiltmont and happy there too! Research & Only cry once! Buy the best possible and wait if need be!
 
I recently talked to Brett and he is doing a run of 2nd tool arm slots for the Esteem also. Bolts right on, no modification needed.
 
I just want to point out here the kind of service Brett provides for the Esteem. It's that kind of relationship that pushed me in that direction. A while back I was having a new tool rest made (DD workrest) and Daniel had questions about the Esteem tooling arm. I email Brett and have a pdf blueprint in my inbox that evening.
A bit later I discover that he has made 2nd tool arm slots in the past, I give him a call and he agrees to make another run of them even though it's not something he normally does.
Brock Cutlery Brock Cutlery designs a new platen, and bam, Brett puts them into production.
You can't put a price on a relationship like that.
 
Esteem is really nice. But I much prefer the second tooling arm slot of pheer, Ameribrade, and Northridge.
 
I built my own 2x72, and would likely go the same route again when it comes time for another machine, HOWEVER, if I were going to buy one ready to go, it would likely be either a Northridge or a TW-90, though the Northridge is much closer to your budget.

All that said, there are more grinder options on the market today than there ever has been, and I think most of them in that price range will serve you well. I will add that it seems like KMG quality has slipped over the years, but your experience may vary.

As for waiting 3 months for a tool that should last you 30 years, I don't think I'd let a little wait time be a deciding factor against a quality machine. 3 months from now, you may wish you'd waited.
 
I have a KMG, which is probably my favorite possession aside from my house. It kind of seems like it was put together from parts you could buy at Home Depot, but it also means I can build new parts for it by buying parts from Home Depot. Still, if I had to do it over I would get a Northridge. It looks like the most well machined, well thought out grinder out there that isn't a TW-90 (the perfect grinder, but at what cost–just kidding–the cost is $3600). You can get the standard package now ($1800). For a little extra, you can get an extra arm from Knife Grinder Parts ($50), and get a 10 inch wheel from Ameribrade ($100). Later, you can upgrade to the tilting stand ($500) and ratcheting tracking arm ($?), and you'll have pretty much all the functionality of a TW-90.

The nice thing about grinders that use 1.5" arms is that attachments are mostly interchangeable between machines, and aftermarket parts are readily available. I worry that the design of the Ameribrade locks you in to their attachments and makes a tilting setup quite unwieldy.
 
Problem with these questions is the plethora of recommendations you will be given! Grinders are a subjective topic. I can easily say(and I'm sure most in my position would say the same) that the grinder I built is by far better than any on the market! And I only spent about $600 or so in total! But of course I'm biased towards it...BECAUSE I built it with my own hand, & built it exactly as I wanted! So the same goes for people who have saved for a time and purchased this brand or that. OF COURSE they will be biased towards that particular machine.

All of the brands listed are high quality machines. I don't think you will regret the purchase whichever way you go.
 
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