About to buy Power Tools for a new shop.

A

Apollyon

Joined
Jun 18, 2013
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Hi all, this is pretty much my first post and I had a few questions on some equipment. I have read the sticky's and used the the search option. :D
I have spent many many hours reading and researching on making knives, having never made one. I will soon be dropping quite a bit of cash(to me) on some big tools to start a shop, mostly for a hobby, I do hope to get good enough to sell some knives down the road. I don't want to spend a bunch of money and just read here on the forums "That's no good for making knives you want this" that would make me sad lol. I am going to list the four big tools I am looking at getting. So basically what I want to know is does it look like a good set up or are any of the tools drastically wrong, under powered or a complete waste of money for the job? I have chosen Grizzly as the main brand I'm looking at.

G4030 6-1/2" x 9 1/2" Metal-Cutting Bandsaw
http://www.grizzly.com/products/6-1-2-x-9-1-2-Metal-Cutting-Bandsaw/G4030


G7943 12 Speed Heavy-Duty Bench-Top Drill Press
http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Speed-Heavy-Duty-Bench-Top-Drill-Press/G7943


G1014Z Combination Sander 6" x 48" Belt 9" Disc Z Series
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Combination-Sander-6-x-48-Belt-9-Disc-Z-Series/G1014Z


And the Evenheat KF 27 10"Wx6.5"Hx27"D w/ Rampmaster control 240v
 
Buy less band saw and more drill press.Re-think the beltsander.That one is not what you need.Most people don't buy a heat-treating oven untill after they get into the craft a bit.
Eddie
 
This Bandsaw will do just about everything you need, just upgrade the blade to a better quality one.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/4-x-6-Metal-Cutting-Bandsaw/G0622

For a belt grinder you might be better off with something like this.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Knife-Belt-Sander-Buffer/G1015

I would check your local craigs list, you can pick up Drill presses, bandsaws ect for good prices. Just take your time setting up your shop and you can save quite a bit of money which you can spend on materials and belts.
 
you may want to get a few knives under your belt and make sure its something your gonna keep doing before spending thousands on equipment.
 
Wow fast replays this is just the kind of info I was looking for. Surprised that the smaller band saw would be suggested I was starting to look at the bigger one, guess there more powerful then I thought for what I am doing.
 
You would be surprised how well a portaband with some good blades works for cutting knife blanks. I have the HF one but would have bought a better brand if I had the money.
 
If I were you I would get a drill press and a 2x72 belt grinder. You can use a hacksaw to cut steel to length and use the belt grinder to hog the profile on the grinder wheel. A port-a-band and disc grinder are great but can come later.
 
Don't turn your nose up too much at HF stuff. Yes, a lot of it is crap, but some of the shop machines are decent, especially for the price. I just picked up an HF 16 speed heavy-duty bench top drill press 2nd hand off CL. Their drill presses, stationary band saws, portabands, welding machines, etc. are all decent machines.

The guy I bought it from bought all of their items with damaged boxes that they can't sell to the public, replaced anything that was damaged with new factory parts and resold them. With the exception of a very small dent on the capacitor housing, it is brand spanking new, still has the grease on it and everything.
 
I personally would stay away from Harbor Freight. Grizzly is better and is decent stuff, they are also fantastic if you need parts, or help. Go with the smaller band saw these guys recommended, I have one that's over 20 years old, but I also have the larger Grizzly as well. Also upgrade the drill press, no larger, but a higher quality model, they have more than one line. 2x72 belt grinder is what you Need. I'd get a Bader B-III or KMG, spend the money now and save a headache later.
 
Apollyon said:
Wow fast replays this is just the kind of info I was looking for. Surprised that the smaller band saw would be suggested I was starting to look at the bigger one, guess there more powerful then I thought for what I am doing.
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You're making knives, not bridges. The smaller saw is fine.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys, those KMG grinders look wicked I think ill save the money for one of those and go with the smaller band saw. Going to look into the drill press more but the saw and grinder will get me started making blanks and getting in good practice.
 
Please retread my post above. Saws are great but not necessary so spend your money on a good drill press first. I bet you can cleanly profile a blade on a bench grinder in under 20 minutes your first time out (with a KMG and good belts that is).

Edit: out of context my statement may not come across as clear. You said you were looking at a KMG so I meant to say a drill press should be next after that. A drill press is good bang for the buck, especially if you score on CL.
 
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Consider the amount of use a tool will get and put your money where the time and efficiency is.

Sawing the steel bar - one time , one cut ( usually) and only a few minutes. As said, a high tension hacksaw will do this nicely for $25. 5% of shop time and difficulty.
Drilling holes - Two to three holes per knife, about five minutes max. They need to be fairly precise, and the bits need to be able to drill tough steel. A good drill press is an advantage, but a moderate one is fine. 5-10% shop time and difficulty.
Grinding - The main task on making a knife. From 15 minutes to several hours, depending on what the project is. 85-90% shop time and difficulty.

As you can see, put the most money where the most use will be - in a good grinder, belts, and accessories. KMG is a good choice. The power hacksaw is the last tool needed.
 
bladsmth said:
Consider the amount of use a tool will get and put your money where the time and efficiency is.

Sawing the steel bar - one time , one cut ( usually) and only a few minutes. As said, a high tension hacksaw will do this nicely for $25. 5% of shop time and difficulty.
Drilling holes - Two to three holes per knife, about five minutes max. They need to be fairly precise, and the bits need to be able to drill tough steel. A good drill press is an advantage, but a moderate one is fine. 5-10% shop time and difficulty.
Grinding - The main task on making a knife. From 15 minutes to several hours, depending on what the project is. 85-90% shop time and difficulty.

As you can see, put the most money where the most use will be - in a good grinder, belts, and accessories. KMG is a good choice. The power hacksaw is the last tool needed.
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Totally agree with this. When I stepped up from a 2x42 craftsman to a 2x72 Coote, I noticed a huge difference in my ability to grind more, faster, and made it more enjoyable. When I went from my Coote (which I did like) to my KMG, I noticed my
ability to control my grinds dramatically increase as well as having many more attachment options... making it even more enjoyable to make knives. Bottom line, out of drilling, cutting, or grinding, the grinding makes the knife (stock removal).
 
Can't agree more. I have that Grizzly 6x48 sander as well as a Craftsman 2x42 and a VFD controlled 2x72. Use the hacksaw and buy the KMG. I can't say that I would buy that 6x48 again. I've replaced bearings 3 times, and recovered the platen in ceramic. Its tensioning system is archaic and you need tools to make any adjustments. I use it and use it a lot but not for blades. Later if ya want a metal cutting bandsaw I can't say enough good about a portaband and a Swag table. Less $$$ and a smaller footprint in the shop. Having had one for some time now, (portaband and Swag table) and having the money to do so I have seen no reason to upgrade to a free standing metal bandsaw.
 
KMG grinder and drill press (the secret is get the one that runs slowest) use an engineers vice with it, I use a really cheap titan press that's seen 10 years use already and no indication of giving up. These are the essentials.
An angle grinder with 1mm slitting disks will happily cut up your steel so you don't have to do too much hogging of the shape.
I'd also recommend the Fred Rowe Bubble jig for starting out.
 
So sounds like I should hold off on the band saw completely and just see what I can do with a really good grinder like the KMG a drill press and hack saw. Glad I asked this before buying anything.
 
^:) I bet old drill presses come up a lot for sale by you. Unlike most of what is made today in great quantities, older machinery was built to last. I picked up a Craftsman Industrial floor model with a slow speed pulley from the early '40's for $120 and it looks like it will last another 70 years. My point is don't be afraid of age in a quality machine that looks to not be abused.
 
Apollyon said:
So sounds like I should hold off on the band saw completely and just see what I can do with a really good grinder like the KMG a drill press and hack saw. Glad I asked this before buying anything.
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Where are you located? Someone might have something that you can use.
 
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