Bur king grinder

S

Swain66

Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
2
Howdy,i found an old bur king belt grinder model 760 3/4hp. Just wondering if anyone knows anything about it and if it will work for knives? Im new to knifemaking and dont want to spend alot right away.

Thanks,
 
You should be able to do OK on it. Way better than no grinder, if the price is right. Burr King is quality stuff, too.
 
I know the one you are talking about. If it were within 200 miles of me, I would buy it in a second -- it's really hard to find a used one under $700. I just watched one at a poorly advertised auction in one of LA's industrial districts go for $1270 three days ago in used-half-to-death shape. I just bought an old burr king 760 two weeks ago after after looking for this particular model for a couple months. In the knifemaking community, they are much less popular than the model 960-272. However, among welders/fabricators/machinists, the 760 is known as one of the best machines on the market. All parts are still available from the manufacturer (though parts are not cheap). Because it's a used machine (and the one you're looking at was made prior to 1995, I think, judging by the version of the guard and wheels i'm looking at), you may have to replace the bearings. I haven't priced bearings for mine yet, but I've rebuilt many machine tools and usually pay $6 to $12 per bearing for replacements (this machine needs 2 in the motor and I believe 6 more in the grinder). The 3/4hp is a bit underpowered, but that's actually convenient: a typical household outlet can't handle more than 1hp safely anyways (so you can use this grinder on any normal household outlet without changing anything about it). If you outgrow the power, the machine is designed to handle up to a 3hp motor. It also happens to be a very easy machine to work on/rebuild should you need to (although one could say this of most grinders) See my thread here for some pics/info:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-Bearing-Replacement-how-do-you-get-it-apart3

Seriously though, I'd be very surprised if it's still available after tomorrow. The way it's advertised may help you there, but I would run, not walk. Top of the line US-made tools don't normally sell for that kind of money. And if you do end up getting it, then I would be happy to lend a hand on rebuild/tuning advice, as other members here have done for me.
 
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Did you grab it? If not, I would! I have 4 burr kings in the shop now, but looking for another as a single function machine and the model you mention is perfect.

Pics of mine are on my site...
 
Burr King is the king IMO. All that flipping and flopping on these new 'do all' grinders from no name companies don't do anything for me.

Edited to add that all my grinders are KMG's. They are good grinders, but if I had a special one for myself it would be a BK.
 
Fiddleback said:
Burr King is the king IMO. All that flipping and flopping on these new 'do all' grinders from no name companies don't do anything for me.

Edited to add that all my grinders are KMG's. They are good grinders, but if I had a special one for myself it would be a BK.
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I gotta agree with you. I have nothing against other grinders. There are some great ones out there. But you get used to the Burr King and it is a high quality machine. That's why we keep buying more of them. Out of four I have had zero issues (except when someone dropped one when we moved the company - dropped like 3 feet onto concrete . Replaced one small busted part and good as new!)
 
Nice knives Markus. I kinda wish I had started with the Burr Kings, but I already had a KMG when I added the second, so I only needed a base and motor. Same with 3 and 4. Now I can't imagine changing even though I could afford to add a BK, why not just add another KMG base? I can tell you that I'd rather use 4 grinders than one that I have to stop and reconfigure every 5 minutes. I really like the new grinders on the market, but the idea of one 'do all' machine turns me off. Plus, I like that when I need a part, KMG is at the other end of the line, and has been for years. Makes me think they will be for years to come also.

BTW, have you used the Hardcore rotary platen? I'm almost 4K curious about it.
 
Fiddleback said:
Nice knives Markus. I kinda wish I had started with the Burr Kings, but I already had a KMG when I added the second, so I only needed a base and motor. Same with 3 and 4. Now I can't imagine changing even though I could afford to add a BK, why not just add another KMG base? I can tell you that I'd rather use 4 grinders than one that I have to stop and reconfigure every 5 minutes. I really like the new grinders on the market, but the idea of one 'do all' machine turns me off. Plus, I like that when I need a part, KMG is at the other end of the line, and has been for years. Makes me think they will be for years to come also.

BTW, have you used the Hardcore rotary platen? I'm almost 4K curious about it.
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No - never heard of the Hardcore rotary platen? Any info on it? I agree on the multiple grinders. Its easier to jump from one to another rather than reconfigure. Right now the only real reconfiguring we do is on our reversible grinder for pre-sharpening.
 
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