Beginner needs to know which 2" x 72" belts to use?

K

Keninphilly

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Nov 3, 2001
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I am a beginner and just purchased a Grizzly knife grinder-I need the forums recommendation as to which belts-What kind of abrasive and what grit- (2" x 72") I should start with and where I should purchase them at (via internet). I will be starting with carbon steel. What kind of belts should I use with stainless steel. Thanking all of you in advance for your help.

Ken in Philly
 
I'm a newbie too, and I found that the 3M Regal series ceramic belts work really great. I use a 50-grit to profile and grind my blades. They cost a lot, but they cut for a long time before stopping. For handle material, all you really need is aluminum oxide. You can get belts real cheap at http://www.popsknifesupplies.com . The Carbo Schroder belts he carries are a great inexpensive belt.
 
It is true....the most expensive belts end up being the cheapest..
I would buy (in equal amounts) 50 grit, 120 grit (both in the orange 3m ceramic) 220 grit, 320 grit, 400 (all in the flex blue norizon) and 600 grit flex (only comes in brown aluminmum oxide as far as i know).......that will get you set for a while....maybe get 10 of each and then figure out which ones you need to order more of.......later you might decide that 40 grit are better for profiling and 60 for grinding the bevels (the coarser grits put BIG scratches in your grind and arent the best for this).....there are a few in between grits but I have come to using mostly 50//220//400 more than anything.... and take a tip...when they get dull THROW THEM AWAY!
except the 400 and 600.........when they get real dull they are great for polishing.
I buy mine from TruGrit (link on my links page) but I know Pops has great prices too......Rob Simonich swears by those new yellow belts but have only tried a few. Good luck...youll need it... :):):)
and remember.....to get good at anything you have to practice... and if you give up......you will never achieve your goal! ;)
 
3M for sure.I like the 966 yellow and the 977 orange ones. They cost more but keep grinding when the others start burning. Hermes work good for the finer grits. I learned my lesson the hard way a couple of times. Ebay had some great deals but they were imports. Never again.
 
Do yourself a BIG BIG BIG Favor, listen to these guys!
I started out thinking cheaper was better WRONG.
Save your self alot of $ and headache and buy good belts.
The 60grit yellow 3m from K&G or whoever are a great buy. You will get 2-3 good blade grinds from each one then retire them to cleaning up profiles ETC. TOSS them whem they start to burn handle material or get the metal too hot.

Get in the habit now of expecting to get just a couple good blade grinds from each belt.
You will find that it is much harder to take out all the mistakes you grind into a blade using too much pressure trying to get more use from a worn out belt. Than it is too change to a fresh belt EVERY 2-3 blades.
Best of luck!
And oh yea Practice practice practice.
 
I do most of my roughing work using Paco Belts, 36 grit. I get them from American Abrasives. For the serious stock removal they work great for me and are cheaper than the expensive belts, seem to last worth the money. Then the 3M belts, 60, 110, 220, then to an A30, A16, A6.
 
I was a huge fan of the 3M Regal Ceramic belts. But, on my last trip to Tru-Grit John Mallet gave some sample Norton Super Hoggers (also ceramic) to try. They gave the same performance (maybe even a little better) and cost over $2 less per belt. From here on out I am only using the Nortons.

In the ceramics I use 50, 120, 220flexable

Then I use the flex blue Norizon in 400

And a flexable 600 in (just like Mayo said) AlumOxide.

I find from a single ceramic belt I can get 15-20 Model 1s or 2 14" camp/fighters.

Don't throw out your "dull" 50s. Once they are to dull for flat grinding, they will come back to life for profiling.
 
I want to thank everyone for the great advice. I will be ordering some belts this week. I have found that buying the cheapest is usually a bad idea when it comes to most things especially tools. By the way what do you recommend I put on the left shaft of the grinder. Some kind of flap wheel or?

My wife and I already have an 8" rough grinder, an 8" slow speed grinder with a wolverine jig for my woodworking tools, an 8" buffer and a 8" wire wheel set up (my wife is an artist and works with metal and we share the two car garage size shop).

I plan to build a pedestal stand for the grinder. What height do you recommend for comfortable grinding. I need to save my back.

Any other recommendations or modifications with respect to this grinder will be appreciated. I have read the earlier threads and have found them very helpful.

Ken
 
The better belts not only last longer but you will find they usually track better also. I use a 36 grit Norton blue hogger or a 60 grit Regalite for quick removal. Then, any of the better 3M belts in the snaller grits. You will want to try the 3M Trizac's -- very smooth.

For grinder height, consider putting the work area right above your navel so that you can have your arms tucked to your sides for added stability. A tip from the Loveless knife making video.
 
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