Beaumont KMG

S

sdemars

Joined
Dec 22, 2009
Messages
156
It up and running . . . :):):)

Built a really sturdy base for it, assembled, wired up . . . . it is a very impressive piece of equipment ! ! !

Now I need to design and build a sturdy rolling bench for it.

It went together with zero problems,

My hats off to all you guys that are successful building a KMG clone from scratch.

Like the "anal" person I am, I had completely disassembled my KMG to remove a few rust spots.

Don't store your NIB KMG for 5 months without doing common sense equipment protection.

American Made hand built is great . . . no cosmoline to remove requiring (3) cans of WD40 and a day of rubbing . . .

In the process of re-assembly I realized that it is not that easy to assemble something that is well fitted & very heavy. :eek:

I can honestly say like so many in this forum . . . I am very happy with my grinder . . .

Now all I need it to locate a "DO & DO NOT" list for safe operation for use of this style of grinder.

Any chance there exist a video of proper / safe use . . . :D

I would guess when this grinder is running 100% speed, heck even 50% speed your time to react to a bad move is about "ZERO" . . .

Thanks to all . . . already making a list for accessories . . .

Steve in Louisiana . . . .:)
 
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Nothing loose, hair, clothes, jewellery.

Have I got my safety glasses, dust mask, apron?

Where will sparks go?

Will belt hit me in the face if it breaks?

Where will the work piece go if I lose grip?

Am I braced?

Am I tired, complacent?

Is there adequate light?
 
Did a search did find some . . .

Does anyone have some pics showing the KMG work rest "modified" to allow belt changes without moving work rest out of position?

Any drawbacks to making this modification?

Thanks in advance,
Steve
 
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sdemars said:
Did a search did find some . . .

Does anyone have some pics showing the KMG work rest "modified" to allow belt changes without moving work rest out of position?

Any drawbacks to making this modification?

Thanks in advance,
Steve
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Less surface area to keep your material flat when you have to work around the side of the platen.
 
Be sure the grinder is set so that your grinding is done right in front of your belly button. Step up to it. Your hands are resting on your beer belly when you grind. Elbows tight. Stand right over the work, don't hold it away from you.

It takes a minute to get used to running a grinder. Its a tool you get very close to. But, most contact with the belt, while smarting like a SOB, isn't damaging enough to stop you working. Micarta dust will stop bleeding. Scoop some up and rub it in there. Go grind your knuckes bare a few times and break it in. Dull old and fine belts will burn. Burnt knuckle bones are a real pita. You have to get comfortable with the machine if you are going to feel how it is grinding on the blind side of the blade.

I start folks out in the shop profiling on the grinder. Its shit work but it gets them a lot of hours grinding very quickly. When they start, 15 minutes/blade is good. Dylan and I can do one in 4 minutes that is perfect. Find some mundane task that takes hours, and get'r done. Find someone nearby and get help with bevel grinding.

Marvin Wynn is down there. You might try calling him to ask who is nearby yourself. Call and ask politely and any knifemaker will let you tour their shop and show you the basics. Try to see more than one shop though. Everybody has different ideas and mixing them all together is a quick way to learn.
 
A table of about 2X4' is good. A bit larger won't hurt. Make it SOLID. You can put pegs for wheels and slots for tooling arms on the sides and back.

As to the rolling bench it is best to make it on a mobile tool base. You can get one from Woodcraft, Rockler, etc. They raise the tool a bit and allow it to be rolled, and then lower it so everything sits flat on the floor. You can also build your own from the plans that are readily available. Wheels and casters, even with locking wheels, aren't really sturdy enough for a grinder table to be solid enough for grinding.

Another type of mobile base is called a "wheelbarrow table". You make a table and mount two wheels projecting off the back legs so they almost touch the floor. Just the barest 1/16-1/8" clearance is what you want. You mount two pieces of 1" pipe on each side of the table about 18" up from the floor. When moving the table, slide two lengths of 3/4" bar in the pipes from the front side and lift the table so it will roll on the two back wheels. Roll it where you want it and set the front down. The 3/4" bars are usually slid in the pipes for storage.
 
Get some cheap carbon and get in there and just do it. Don't rush. Think precision. Soft passes as you start and build memory, more pressure down the line. It's all about reps and awareness. Best of luck!
 
Thank you . . . I will keep watching this thread . . . make a cut & paste list from tips . . .
 
For me, my most important safety lesson was "don't let your finger run into the side of the belt" That hurt pretty good and they bite deep!
 
I don't remember off the top if my head if you have a wheel, and it's not a safety tip, but hog as much steel as you can on a wheel prior to a flat platen. As far as the size of a wheel, I'm happy with my 8" but I think 10" is better (no jokes please :)).
 
Just about all of my youtube videos that have grinding in them are done on one of my KMGs (a handful of stuff is on my Burr King)... It might give you some ideas. I don't have any tool rests that are not modified.
 
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1411324501.465794.jpgI took the tool rest that came with my KMG and ground the side of it. Makes changing belts easy and I can still work around the side.
 
IMHO, the way you modify the tool rest will be heavily dependent on your methodology.

Since I do 96% forged blades with a dropped edge, I have to have some tool rest directly to the right side of the platen so that I can lay the blade on the tool rest and cut-in/clean-up the dropped edge. So a rest like rcetroy's wouldn't work for me... but if you don't grind anything to that side then it would definitely make for fast/easy belt changes.
 
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