Ameribrade vs Northridge grinder

REK Knives said:
Have you ever watched ameribrade's set up video? It's pretty slick. I used to prefer the mounting set up you describe (that's what my Wilmont is actually) but after seeing ameribrade I believe it would actually work better. It's mounted like that because it has a separate tracking integrated in the foot mount and once it's locked in place its not moving.
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Linky tinky ?
 
12345678910 said:
I've got a hand full of things to mention, but start with one.

Motor mount

North uses C face.
The motor housing is machined flat and the shaft is pretty true right angle to it.

Ameri uses foot mount.
The foot plate of a motor is stamped, welded on, holes are oversized for adjustment.
If you have tracking problems, the solution is to fiddle with and shim the motor mount in three axis.

Now go and look at which other grinders use which system.
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The Ameribrade motor mount is threaded and part of their tracking system, so it's a design feature to aid in reverse tracking. That may or may not appeal to everyone, but I didn't consider it a flaw. YMMV.

ETA: It's the last video on their grinder product page
 
I have a northridge and haven't ever seen an ameribrade in person... so keep that in mind.

Personally a 1.5x1.5 tooling arm in a must... I plan on having multiple 2x72s in the future and they could potentially be different brands. I'd like all my tooling arms to work interchangeably and 1.5x1.5 seems to be the closest thing to a standard.

The northridge has been awesome for me. Great machine with a high level of precision in its construction.

I do like the motor adjustment for reverse tracking on the ameribrade, however, you can set up a grinder without this by shimming the motor.

I have ordered a 2'' contact wheel from ameribrade and it was great. I'm thinking of adapting one of their rotary platens in the future as well.
 
I bought the Ameribrade Fastback with 2hp motor and VFD combo a bit over a year ago, and love it. I don't have anything to compare it to, as it's my 1st 2x72. At the time I felt it was a good bang for the buck. I can say that it's super sturdy and tracks perfectly both forward and reverse. I have been surprised how much I run it in reverse! I've called or texted the guys at Ameribrade a couple of times with questions and their response time and helpfulness has been fantastic. Not saying it's the better machine, but I can confidently recommended it based on my experience.
 
One of my requirements for a grinder is ratcheting tension. Yes, hundreds of makers get by with spring tension, but once you use ratcheting tension you'll never go back.
 
Thanks for all the great input. I did do a detailed cost breakdown of like-to-like functionality: Northbridge is about $1,000 ($3800 vs $2800 shipped) more than Ameribrade. Beyond fit/finish (which is hard to define), it seems that the key functionality tradeoff is getting a ratcheting tensioner for Northridge or reverse tracking with Ameribrade. I'm not sure which is really more important in practice, but I think it might be reverse tracking. After all, without ratcheting tensioner, it still have spring tension, which seems to work reasonably well. But without reverse tracking (assuming difficult enough with engine mount shims that unlikely to do it), you would not be able to a reverse grind, which some people seem to like a lot. With cost taken into account, I am leaning towards the Ameribrade now.
 
Richr19 said:
Good input. Could you describe how it is better than just a spring? BTW, what 2x72 do you have?
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All but one of my grinders runs in reverse. Pretty sure the Northridge will run fine in reverse because I remember talking to Chuck at the Blade Show a few years back about how they made adjustments so it will run fwd or Rev. The ratcheting tension allows you to adjust belt tension with out moving your work arm. Ratcheting tension holds tracking better than spring IMO. I have a TW90 and 3 Burr Kings the one Burr King is spring tension because they don't make it that model with ratchet. It tracks well, but not nearly as well as the ratcheting.
I've never heard a bad thing about Ameribrade either, but between the Ameribrade and Northridge I'd take the Northridge. I'd buy a Northridge in a second if I had tool arms for.it.
 
Also, I should have mentioned I almost never run my grinders in reverse
 
I use reverse on my AmeriBrade when grinding convex chef knives edge up. It gives me better control on the final grind when it gets really thin. I use F3 felt on the metal platen so it has some give.
 
Bühlmann said:
I just got done agonizing and overthinking/over analyzing 2x72 grinders just like you are doing now. I won’t muddy the waters with my decision, but I will say that of the grinders you are considering you cannot make a bad decision.

You are not splitting atoms, you are grinding steel. Plenty of very, very skilled makers out there that make knives that’ll make you cry with files or a HF 1x30. Pick a grinder and go. You’ll never remember what you were so concerned about in a few weeks or months anyways. YMMV.
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Since I’m just dipping my toes into this, after seeing this post, I picked up an HF 1x30 on close out today for under $60. Took it home and used it on my first project. I’m just putting handles on a Zhen kitchen knife kit from woodcraft. I’m using ebony, maple and rosewood. Damn that cheap little sander did a great job! If I get deeper into knife making, I’m sure I’ll upgrade, but to start out, it worked far better than I expected.
 
Have you compared availabilty of these grinders yet? I've always heard Northridges have a long long wait.
 
I have a northridge for the past couple years and I much prefer the ratchet. Some belts work better with higher tension and some with less.
The tracking is excellent too.
 
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