Belt grinder

Reeder was on my short list, eventually went with Northridge. I did find that the Reeder folks were very, very responsive to questions, some vendor never got back to me.
 
keep your eyes peeled on craigslist, OfferUp/letgo. some really good deals pop up on a fairly regular basis. I was about a day away from pulling the trigger on a new machine then a deal popped up on craigslist. got a $3000 setup for 500.
 
My first grinder was a Kalamazoo, which did the job. Nicest grinder I ever had was a Northridge, hands down. My favorite was my Coote, because it did the reverse-grinding sword blade thing perfectly. Now I have a direct-drive KMG because it weighs like 4000 pounds which is good. 😁
 
If you're not committed to the concept of making nice quality knives, don't commit to the investment in quality tools.

THE Grinder is by far the most important tool in the shop (besides your brain). Knife making is a "Black Hole" for disposable income when it comes to Tools. I won't offer recommendations because I have 5 grinders with close to 20K invested for all the parts and accessories I've purchased or built in my shop. Quality is expensive, but I have No Regrets in my choices. A runner once told me "if you're running a marathon you don't buy your shoes at Goodwill Stores" makes sense with equipment also.
 
I have narrowed it down to 4 options with similar features and similar costs:

1. OBM - with with 1.5 hp motor (single speed), 10" contact wheel, tilt table, bench and extra arms as necessary for tilt table and contact wheel.
2. KMG - 3 speed with 2hp motor, 10" contact wheel
3. AmeriBrade - 3 hp single speed motor, combination platen with 6" contact wheel, tilt table (This comes out a couple hundred less than the other two, but I have an email out as to whether I need their stand, or a baseplate, or just bolt it to my bench.
4. AlecSteele - This one came one way. So it has their own custom VFD, 2hp motor, a fully revolving platen, that will allow me to use 2", 3" or 5" contact wheels, or the platen, or slack belt, without pulling the arm or removing the platen. Claims to be plug-n-play, as it is already wired with a NEMA 6-15P plug, which will plug into the 220 outlets in my shop. There are some user images, at least one of which shows it mounted in the horizontal orientation. They want an additional 97.34 shipping which is still under 2000.


The OMB tilts right off the bat, and has its own bench to mount it to. The KMG doesn't look like it could ever go horizontal. The AmeriBrade can later be converted to tilt horizontal. All three could later be converted to some kind of 3P/driver motor, though I question whether I would want to do so with the KMG. All of them have the ability to take other tools at some point, such as small wheels, or larger contact wheels. Although, I have been warned that very small wheels should be run on variable speed so they can run slowly enough to not burn up the bearings. I can also jiggle things around to get the AmeriBrade to come in right around the same as the others, or perhaps 100 higher by purchasing their stand, and horizontal flipper.

This is right in the 1800-1900 range with the AmeriBrade coming in around 1644.

The one nice thing is that AmeriBrade's website has no problem showing their warranty statement. Where, I couldn't find it on the the other 2. It also seems that buying the KMG from USAKnifeMaker comes out just a hair cheaper than from Beaumont metals. But I am not 100% sure exactly why. In addition to that, OBM wants 438.91 in shipping, where the other 2 are free based on the cost, and fact that I am in the US.


This is what I have come up with so far, pretty sure OBM will be eliminated first, just for their ridiculous shipping charges. :)

Any personal experience opinions on the other 3? Good, bad or otherwise?
 
JMJones said:
I have two Reeders in my shop and am happy with them. However the flip feature design must be accommodated with your bench setup. If you are building a new bench or stand it is not a big deal but you cant just toss it on your bench and have both vertical and horizontal options.
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You could if you simply mounted some blocks underneath the tilt stand anchors, right?
 
Okay, finally down to 2

The Alec Steel 2x72 kit Grinder
or
Similarly configured AmeriBrade based off of the Fastback 2x72


Any strong last opinions before I just flip a coin? :)
 
Which grinder is it that claims to be "American" whilst the parts are all manufactured offshore and one gets a very slow customer service response when parts don't fit for squat?

Be careful with these cheaper toolarm grinders, Bradley. It's easy to get something you'll never be happy with. I'd love to help more but I have no real experience with the cornucopia of choices available today. My KMGs are ancient, comparatively.

When you're certain you're certain, wait yet another day for comments...
 
I think the AmeriBrade is pretty adamant that they are American. The Alec Steele one is Australian made for some reason, but I think it is coming from Bozeman, Montana. Not sure I understand it. Unfortunate side effect of being a n00b is simply not knowing the names of the famous and infamous companies. :) They may as well all be Jeaux Bleaux, from Idaheaux :)
 
BradleySmall said:
I think the AmeriBrade is pretty adamant that they are American. The Alec Steele one is Australian made for some reason, but I think it is coming from Bozeman, Montana. Not sure I understand it. Unfortunate side effect of being a n00b is simply not knowing the names of the famous and infamous companies. :) They may as well all be Jeaux Bleaux, from Idaheaux :)
Click to expand...
Again..... Check out Pheer grinders.
I'm Thrilled with mine.
I believe the guy who makes them (Jose Navarro) out of Oregon is a one man shop.


Many knife makers here on BF use them.
I just bought mine for $850 (I supplied my own motor and drive)
he have Tons of packages on his website. More than most....

Its very heavy duty.
 
That's my problem, too, Bradley, is I have been away 15 years and don't know all the new names, and there are a bunch.

One thing I will say, if you can manage: 2HP and variable speed 220/240V. You'll appreciate the power eventually. I ground a lot of knives on a single speed Bader and variable speed is one of those things you'll say, "Never go back."
 
Crag the Brewer said:
Again..... Check out Pheer grinders.
I'm Thrilled with mine.
I believe the guy who makes them (Jose Navarro) out of Oregon is a one man shop.


Many knife makers here on BF use them.
I just bought mine for $850 (I supplied my own motor and drive)
he have Tons of packages on his website. More than most....

Its very heavy duty.
Click to expand...
I will look at them again. I guess it would be simpler if I were supplying my own motor/vfd. But I am halfway counting on the supplier knowing more than I do about such things.
 
Crag the Brewer said:
Again..... Check out Pheer grinders.
I'm Thrilled with mine.
I believe the guy who makes them (Jose Navarro) out of Oregon is a one man shop.


Many knife makers here on BF use them.
I just bought mine for $850 (I supplied my own motor and drive)
he have Tons of packages on his website. More than most....

Its very heavy duty.
Click to expand...
So I went back and looked at Pheer. The one thing they don't have is an ability to "flip". There seems like a dizzying number of different options. But pretty much the only difference I see from one to the next is the size of the contact wheel, and motor configuration. Poor guy is stuck using PayPal for his shopping cart, and that makes for a very noisy page. I assume that one could fabricate a mount that would be able to hold it that way, but that is beyond my convenience. They do make a good looking machine though.
 
a couple machines I haven't seen mentioned here are the Wuertz TW90 and any of the Vashti options, (I have a Rift). There's also the Velocity grinders out of eastern Canada which look pretty sweet
 
REK Knives said:
You could if you simply mounted some blocks underneath the tilt stand anchors, right?
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No, not really. Even on risers the motor will not clear the bench when horizontal. It really needs a bench that accommodates the design. They sell one for $400. You could also cut a hole in your bench to let the motor pass through. In my case I already had a kmg on my bench and was looking to add another grinder. With the riser installed the working position of the grinder is significantly higher than the other grinder.
 
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I'M not trying to push you to a Reeder, but:
Basic Reeder chassis with wheel kit and all the arms/extras - $995
2HP eBay BVFD and motor package fully wired with all the switches - $804
10" Reeder serrated contact wheel (top grade) - $295

$2094 total for a top-grade grinder. Shipping is very reasonable, and the quality of their packaging is unbelievable. Everything comes bolted to a plywood sheet. You could drop it out of an airplane, and it would be fine. Needed assembly and adjustment tools, like Allen wrenches are provided. There is even a place on the grinder to store them, so they are easy to find when needed.

Add the rolling stand for another $395 and you have an uber-grinder setup.
I also recommend the indexable locking handles for an additional $40 (you can get them on Amazon/eBay a bit cheaper if you want. I keep a box of them in the shop for things I adjust often.) These are pro-upgrades and make adjusting so much easier than the provided Allen wrench.

Some other things I didn't mention are:
The double tracking adjustment on the Reeder is amazing. It eliminates most every tracking issue.
The parts are all machined from heavy aluminum. Steel inserts and grade 8 bolts.
Not only is it a functional grinder, but it also looks beautiful. Machine turning, fancy knobs, etc.
Every possible accessory or part you need is available from them. If they don't list it, they will make it. As your skills grow, you can order new accessories (small wheel kits, surface grinders, etc.) and know they will fit perfect.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I'M not trying to push you to a Reeder, but:
Basic Reeder chassis with wheel kit and all the arms/extras - $995
2HP eBay BVFD and motor package fully wired with all the switches - $804
10" Reeder serrated contact wheel (top grade) - $295

$2094 total for a top-grade grinder. Shipping is very reasonable, and the quality of their packaging is unbelievable. Everything comes bolted to a plywood sheet. You could drop it out of an airplane, and it would be fine. Needed assembly and adjustment tools, like Allen wrenches are provided. There is even a place on the grinder to store them, so they are easy to find when needed.

Add the rolling stand for another $395 and you have an uber-grinder setup.
I also recommend the indexable locking handles for an additional $40 (you can get them on Amazon/eBay a bit cheaper if you want. I keep a box of them in the shop for things I adjust often.) These are pro-upgrades and make adjusting so much easier than the provided Allen wrench.

Some other things I didn't mention are:
The double tracking adjustment on the Reeder is amazing. It eliminates most every tracking issue.
The parts are all machined from heavy aluminum. Steel inserts and grade 8 bolts.
Not only is it a functional grinder, but it also looks beautiful. Machine turning, fancy knobs, etc.
Every possible accessory or part you need is available from them. If they don't list it, they will make it. As your skills grow, you can order new accessories (small wheel kits, surface grinders, etc.) and know they will fit perfect.
Click to expand...
I agree Stacy... While I don't have a grinder by them I do have their surface grinder attachment. I had an issue with their contact wheel on their SGA and Don actually revised their whole process due to that and started precision grinding their wheels in house. Talk about good customer service!!!
 
Michael Black said:
I've heard amazing things about Northridge and Reeder, but haven't used them myself. I absolutely love my Brodbeck grinder and see no reason to ever need or want a different one! 10/10 would recommend to anyone.
Click to expand...

I have a Northridge and I can vouch for the quality and the customer service I was given...
 
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