Belt sander or the wheel style grinder

B

brandondferrier

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Jan 20, 2011
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What would be the best piece of equipment if you could only afford one of them to start making knives. Grinder or belt sander. What are pros and cons?
 
Read all the stickies. I would get the best belt grinder you can afford. There are a couple of threads from the last few days about belt grinders. A bench grinder (w/ a grinding wheel) is not very good for making knives.
 
Actually if I could only have one power tool it would be a cheap drill press. Harbor Freight, Sears and so on can hook you up for under $100.

For making sparks, a belt grinder is better, no question. A belt grinder can do anything a bench grinder can do, much better, when it comes to making knives.

EDIT: If you're really on a tight budget, I suggest a 4" angle grinder (under $50 if you shop around a little) for rough profiling and very basic beveling. You can do the rest with files. Then save up for a belt grinder.
 
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Belt grinder, definitely! Bench grinders eat wheels very fast. A $3 belt will last a lot longer than a $15 wheel. Belt grinders start under $100 and give very nice results.
 
I have been wondering about this. The conventional bench grinder is one thing, but see videos of craftsmen in Sheffield, England, using huge, maybe 3' diameter, composition wheels, water running onto them to cool the blades, for hollow grinding. Interestingly enough, the wheels turn upward, away from the worker. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlO-fo_xLRU These are not hobbyists.
 
I have three grinders. Two are set up to buff and the third never gets used in the knife making process.

It is a belt sander when it is working on wood and a belt grinder when working on metal

Jason
 
i already am getting the drill press. harbor freight......
could comeone maybe point me in the direction of a "good" grinder between 200-300 bucks.

i have a vise, files, sandpaper, drill press is coming, and just need that last "big" piece of equipment for now......

just want your opinions on what to grinder to buy........
 
i have really been thinking about the kalamazoo 1sm.......that any good? anything out there better for knives in the 200-300 price range?
 
You'll be hard pressed to find a grinder for 300 or less. This isn't just one of those "you get what you pay for" type of deals, there just aren't many grinder options at this price point. There are some belt sander options, but I'd not spend the money on them.

I think Andy Sharpe on here started with a Kalamazoo. Maybe he'll come by and give his opinion. I seem to recall him not thinking so much of it, but I'm not sure how much worse than a Grizzly it could be since it's a similar design.
 
I started with a Kalamazoo, 2X48. Not a bad grinder I still use it for handle work. I would recomend the 2X72. Actually it was OK until I used a Bader BIII.
 
If you actually want to keep this under two hundred dollars: You really can do quite a bit on a 1x30" grinder with premium belts. USA Knifemaker sells those orange 1x30" 40 grit ceramic belts for something like 3.50 a pop. Amazingly aggressive stock removal, and the finish it leaves is much better than you'd expect.
 
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