Building a new shop

J

jimbobwashere

Joined
Jun 13, 2016
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23
Hi everyone,

The name is Jimbob. I am in the process of building a new shop and I am looking for some good advice on what I should purchase. All i have right now is some files and a redneck version of a 2x72 belt grinder that i made from welding some scrap metal and powered it by a 9in heavy duty angle grinder. It is definitely time to upgrade haha.

Anyways my budget is $4000. I am wanting to get a new grinder (I am looking at the TW90, TAG 101, KMG, or Oregon Blade Maker), drill press, metal cutting bandsaw, anvil, and heat treating oven. Now i know i might not be able to get all of these for this much money but please list what you think and we can discuss it. Thank you guys for the help.
 
Also, I am in the US military stationed in Germany, so I am having a lot of trouble finding a person who can ship a grinder to an APO address. It would have to be broken down into multiple 70lbs or less boxes with a standard US customs form attached. Has anyone on here ever had a grinder shipped to an APO address? If so would you please share who?
 
jimbobwashere said:
Also, I am in the US military stationed in Germany, so I am having a lot of trouble finding a person who can ship a grinder to an APO address. It would have to be broken down into multiple 70lbs or less boxes with a standard US customs form attached. Has anyone on here ever had a grinder shipped to an APO address? If so would you please share who?
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Any reason you can't just go out and buy one? It is Germany after all, home of exquisite engineering. A forge and foundry are probably worthwhile investments if you're planning on making knives...
 
RANCD said:
Any reason you can't just go out and buy one? It is Germany after all, home of exquisite engineering.
Click to expand...

Excellent idea and save you a load on shipping that can be put towards other "stuff". If your German isn't great find someone who's is but from experience English is the common tongue and widely spoke in them parts.
 
i can but it is like twice the price and in euros so its more like 3.5x the price as in the US. Plus i would rather look into getting a grinder that everyone recommends.

i will be building my own forge so i won't have to worry about buying one
 
Hi JimBob :)

You'll get a chance to try out one of these - http://www.angele-shop.com/shop/de/radiusmaster-rm-48 - when you swing by my shop. In the meantime there are a couple Italian grinders that might also be worth looking into. I'll see what I can dig up.

Also what kind of electrical outlets are you using?

P.S. the German word for belt-grinder is "Bandschleifer" or "Bandschleifmaschine"
 
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Couple more thoughts
For an anvil ("amboss" or "schmiedeamboss") you'll be able to find a nice used one locally for a good price. Check ebay.de or the local listings on https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/ which is kinda like Germany's version of craigslist. You might also be able to pick up some hammers and tongs this way.

Also check out this page for used blacksmithing gear - http://www.angele.de/schmiedeszene/flohmarkt.html

If you're planning on doing your own heat treating you'll probably need a quench tank with some decent quench oil. Durixol V35 is great for shallow hardening steels while Durixol W25 is a little slower and works well for deep hardening stuff like the O2 a lot of guys use here. The V35 is a bit harder to find but I know a guy ;)

Also maybe it would be worth your while to call the guys at Schmiedeglut and ask them if they can recommend a good belt grinder locally. They speak very good English and are always happy to help.

Plus there's me and you know where to find me :)
 
Derrick,

How have you been man? I have been doing a lot of research on building my shop lately. I was cutting out a blank profile of that blank on my redneck grinder but one of the bearings busted so I an SOL. I guess I will just have to use some files. I had to adjust the size of the handle and finger groove so it would better fit in my hand but it seems like it will turn out great.

I really like the grinder you sent me pics of. what a great concept!! no need for swapping out arms or anything. I like it and can't wait to give it a try. By the way, I a have 110v and 220v plugs in my house so I can use equipment rated with either voltage. I really need to get an automatic translator for out here so looking things up online is easier haha.

So I have several MK-19 grenade ammo cans (the really long ones) at my house I was planning on using for quench tanks, at least to start out with. What do you think?

I am going to look up the links you sent me right now.
 
I quench in an ammo can too. They work well. Always good to have a lid in case it flashes up ;)

So does your house have American style outlets then?
 
yea I still have the lids for them and everything. let me know if you need one and I will bring it with me when I come down.

yes my house has American style outlets (110v) and German style outlets (220v) throughout the whole house.
 
Nice, so you can use both!

You should start by getting this Beche airhammer for €850 - https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s...thammer-fa-beche-und-grohs/470889693-276-6395

That is a seriously awesome hammer for a ridiculously low price and it's not far from you at all. Come on you know you want it :D

and check out this grinder - https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s...stermaschine-bandschleifer/441039025-282-5641

That thing is rad. You can run multiple belts and buffers at the same time and the whole thing is less than €200 - even comes with a bunch of belts! It's actually an old cobbler's machine, meant for shoe repair, but if you have the space for it I think you'd easily get some good use out of it until you find a better machine. Beats draw-filing anyway. Probably only a 20 minute drive away from where you are.

OK now that you have an airhammer and an old shoe-repair machine what else can I help you find? :D
 
i would love to get the air hammer but I have to think about weight for when I move back to the US. That thing looks incredibly heavy haha. I will be getting my money in some time around next week to buy my grinder and other tools and then they should be in some time around the end of july most likely.

That cobbler machine looks pretty interesting. I wonder what size belts it takes...I don't think I will have room for that either. If you would like it I could always bring it down to your shop in my truck bed if it isn't too heavy haha.

Things I will be getting with my grinder:

2x72 grinder (oregonblademaker on ebay)
flat platen attachment
10 inch wheel
small wheel attachment with wheels
rolled steel and O1 tool steel flat platens
4 inch drive wheel
customized bench made specifically for grinder (pre drilled holes and adjustable legs)

I need some advice on a motor and VFD that would work best with it. I have 220v (German) and 110v (American) plugs in my house and would like a motor with 2hp or more. Does anyone know the place with the best prices for motors and VFDs?
 
The worry is running a 60Hz motor on 50Hz. That caused overheating, a 16% drop in power and speed, and increased current draw. In many cases, you have to change the motor to a 50Hz motor.

Running a 50HZ motor on 60Hz makes a 20% increase in power and speed, increases cooling, and draws less power compared to the output increase. Unless the increase in speed is a problem, there is not any big reason to change the motor out.

Professor Tony will probably check those statements out, but that is how I remember it.
 
So i should get a motor that is 230v and runs on 50Hz? Sorry electronics and computers are my weak points so i am trying to learn
 
Lieblad said:
A couple points,
Be sure your frequency of mains power will be compatible on your German machines if you bring them to USA.
Voltage wont be problem if everything you German purchase is 230v, but at frequency of 50hz, many motors wont work on 60hz.

Had you checked if you could order machines through AAFES ?
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What machines are you talking about ordering through aafees?
 
Oh yes but things are usually cheaper through amazon these days. Aafees prices are pretty high now. I did look up a drill press that they have but it had really bad reviews so I think I have decided to go with a WEN 10in variable speed drill press.
 
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