Beaumont rotary platen worth the money?

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Nov 19, 2016
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I'm visiting the US (from Mexico) in a few weeks, and am debating whether to stuff my suitcase with the Beaumont rotary platen. It's an expensive piece of equipment, and I'm wondering if it's truly worth the investment.

I'd love to hear from other owners: Is this something that really makes your life better, or would you advise putting money to better uses? How often do you use a rotary platen ... and "how" do you use it? For example, I've been sharpening and doing light handle work by removing the KMG platen. Would I see better/easier results with a rotary?

I love new toys, but don't want to be a moron. Your thoughts? ...
 
I never owned one but that seems to be the one piece that people RAVE ABOUT!!!
 
I both love it and hate it.

It is really useful for shaping handles, grinding convex blades, and sharpening with a convex edge. No other tool arm will those tasks as well.

What I don't like is the bearings wear out far faster than I like. I just live with the screaming bearings until it wears enough to have some play in the wheel.
The price is higher than I think it should be ... but the developer has the right to make money from his labors.

Anyone with reasonable shop skills could look at some rotary platen images and make one themselves for less than half what one costs from Beaumont. Basically, it is a 1/2" aluminum plate quadrilateral with something like 5/6/7/8 " sides (just a guess). A grooved 2" aluminum wheel is on each corner. A simple tensioner slide on the longest apex allows the belt to be installed and tightened. Look at the "How I set up my Nathan Carothers flat platen" thread for ideas on what it would take with part numbers, etc.
Depending on your grinder setup, you make have to make a cut-down or off-set tool arm.
 
Like others have said, great for handle work and for convexing edges, etc.
 
It's supposed to allow for higher grit and j weight belts on a flat platen without belt bump correct? This is the reason I would like to get one, or make one at some point.
 
I built my own for about 1/2 the cost, give or take, although shortly after I made a larger one so that I could put a glass platen behind the rubber belt for a flatter grind. The top (or bottom) and back sides can still be used as a traditional "slack" rotary platen. Here's a picture of it on my instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfCXo6egvSl/?taken-by=arcustomknives

(and here's a pic of my original beaumont copy):

https://www.instagram.com/p/Beyt0p4gRLb/?taken-by=arcustomknives

It definitely adds another dimesion to slack belt grinding, and adding the platen is a game changer too, IMO.
 
It's supposed to allow for higher grit and j weight belts on a flat platen without belt bump correct? This is the reason I would like to get one, or make one at some point.

Don beat me to it - no flat platen ... just four spacings of semi-firm slack belt.

Matthew's thread on his chiller-flat palten setup shows how you would have to set one up for a flat platen. It would be expensive unless you do a lot of grinding.
https://xf.bladeforums.com/threads/...s-platen-chiller.1557823/page-5#post-18404820
 
Much thanks for all the thoughts. If anyone else cares to chime in, I'll be reading replies carefully. If I had any machine skills at all, I'd definitely follow Matthew's lead. But he has a special gift for these things. Since I don't, I'll be rewarding Beaumont for their labors. It does look like a handy piece of gear. I've been doing okay with a slack belt, but there's really too much slack to get real purchase. The rotary might be the ticket.
 
I love mine. Use it for handles and for slightly convexing blades from large kitchen knives to small hunters.
I do a plungless grind and it works wonders for this particular aspect.
The belt can be loosened or tightened based on your desired grind, so it is very adjustable.
You can also grind in the middle of the slack, or up toward the wheel and it makes a difference in the grind.
There are just so many variables this tool adds. If you are into fine grinding nuance then you can't hardly beat it.
 
Yet another vote for buying one or making one. As others have said they are great for handle shaping and convex grinding. I use mine on just about every knife I make.
 
I love mine! Highly recommend it. I've had mine 12 years with no bearing problems despite fairly high usage.

Regards,
Steve
 
Much thanks for all the feedback. I'm reassured that it will be money well-spent. I hadn't thought about the advantages for a convex grind. I'm curious when you bring the rotary platen into play for this. Do you do the bulk of your grinding on the wheel or flat platen, the bring out the rotary for final thinning of the edge--say, when you're still at about 60 grit?
 
I do the shaping work on the flat platen and then convex on the rotary platen starting at 120 grit and finish with increasingly finer belts.
 
Much thanks for all the feedback. I'm reassured that it will be money well-spent. I hadn't thought about the advantages for a convex grind. I'm curious when you bring the rotary platen into play for this. Do you do the bulk of your grinding on the wheel or flat platen, the bring out the rotary for final thinning of the edge--say, when you're still at about 60 grit?

That's about right, but it can vary. It depends on the project at hand and the particular blade geometry and goal. But generally all the rough grinding is done and you are thinning and final shaping. You got me thinking though. I've never tried to just do serious stock removal with it. I have no idea how long rough belts last for that kind of grinding on the rotary. Could be an interesting test.
 
I find that a rough belt will "over-convex" things by cutting too much on the edges of the bar/blade. The tendency is to push harder on them, thus flexing the rotary belt too much.
 
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