I know this is a bit of a ressurection, but it the last post was only 2 months ago, so it isn;t too bad!
nabok: I grind my blades with the edge up, but I sharpen with the edge down. I figure that a buffer can catch an edge and throw a knife, so a belt sander might be able to as well. So I will put my edges on holding the blade with the edge downward. Works for me! I can even see the burr pop uo pn some steels.
MC Chan: The Sears is a great option I think for a person who wants to try knifemaking, but isn't super gung-ho about it yet. I'd love a Bader! But they are expensive, and you don't want to shell out those bucks and not yuse your grinder. What the Sears allows you to do well is sharpen knives, lawnmower blades, axes, etc. You can customize your production knives too. With the Sears and a drill press you can make all kinds of back spacers for folders, different handle scales, etc. That is a great way to get into playign with knife making. Now if you want to make blades, the Sears I find is great too, but here is where its limitations come up. You can only flat grind or convex grind. The platen is junky, but functional. It is slower to use than a 2x72. Variable speed sure would hep when finishing blades!
I have trouble finishign on my grinder, so I use it as a fast file. I use it to profile and rough grind blades, but then I'll take a fine file and draw file my blades to make them perfectly flat. After hest treat I will grind up to 220 grit or maybe 320 grit if I can get the belts and then switch to hand sanding.
Overall I think it is a great beginner machine for the person who wants to make a few knives and see if they like knife making. I have made 15 or so knives, from 3" belt knives to 8" chef's knives. I know now that the price of a Bader isn;t expensive, for me it will be worth every penny. So I am very satisfied with it.
If anyone does get a grinder liek that with a disk on the side, e-mail me and I'll tell you a great trick!
By the way, I missed this thread because I've been working on my thesis! When I am not grinding knives, I'm working on my masters thesis. judging by the 2 months it has taken me to respond, guess how much knife making time I have had
