Can I use a table router with grinding bits for stock removal?

Well... if it's that hard for you to figure out, I'd suggest you build one of those very simple machines and see how much you would charge for it. :)
 
I'm glad you are doing the research. Many just plunge headlong into an idea and see how it pans out. Some of those get hurt and some get lucky.

I often remind people who say, "I did that and I didn't get hurt." with an analogy to Russian Roulette. Not every player gets hurt....but those who do get hurt bad. It is not a good argument to justify Russian Roulette in saying , "It didn't hurt me."
I have always felt that forewarned is forearmed.
Take care, and be safe.
Stacy

BTW, Filling out your profile will always help.
Stacy
 
I use a router with a slow down speed control and sanding drums ,1/2', 5/8", 3/4", 1" to shape the inside curves on bolsters. It works super. I've done this for years. Frank
 
Hey Welcome and enjoy yourself relax.

Look at the plans for the no weld grinder. A KMG isn't $2000 and it is a great machine. But, as Nick said, if you were to built a good grinder you would understand why they cost what they do.

Find a good 2hp electric motor with a speed control (step pulleys work)
find a good contact wheel (or a make a platen with 2 small wheels)
Drive wheel
idler wheel and tracking adjustment
pulleys and belts
assorted steel.
Then figure out how long it will take to fabricate and assemble a QUALITY simple machine.

I have a lifetime of metal skills, a welder, a lathe and a milling machine. access to some pieces of free metal and hardware. I have a KMG and I have built a semi copy. It isn't complicated but, it isn't cheap, easy or fast.

If you want to know how, people here will help you built a machine and find the parts as cheaply as possible. Heck even the guy who makes and sells KMG grinders told me how to set up the bearings when I modified a Grizzly wheel to have bearings. But, you should ask it nicely. If you do you will get all the help in the world.

By the way I have a some carbide rotary files and a milling machine also. It is way faster to profile with a bandsaw and a belt grinder.

Now Nathan the Machinist has a thread where he show how he machines a knife. But he uses something WAY more expensive than a $2000 grinder.

Your idea may work, but, not real well and not very safely. I have am 57 and have a lifetime of those kind of ideas. I learned even with the bad ideas. Important thing is don't get hurt, keep thinking and learning.
 
Pesky , when I first started making knives I had a Craftsman router and tried doing just what you are asking. I used a 5/8" carbide burr (not spiriel) and removed all guards, extended it full length and hand-held it.( 0-1 metal) It would remove metal if you moved at a slow pace but metal chips would fly everywhere including getting in everything you did not want them in and when I turned it off to check the results all the dogs had jumped ship and I was left with a piece of metal that had harded in places and had to be annealed . From personal experience my advice is to use a rock or angle grinder until you can get yourself a belt grinder. To answer your question , yes it will cut but way too noisy and dangerous . Just a personal observation.
 
This was years ago ,I was young and there was no local knifemakers or forums to seek advice....I was 10 feet tall and bullet-proof ...lol
 
NickWheeler said:
Well... if it's that hard for you to figure out, I'd suggest you build one of those very simple machines and see how much you would charge for it. :)
Click to expand...


Thanks bruh. That's my reality because I am not waiting to create based on my ability to buy a $2K tool. Snark with some explanation is far superior to yours, and would actually be appreciated by this aspiring member of your craft. :)

©
 
Charley75631 said:
Pesky , when I first started making knives I had a Craftsman router and tried doing just what you are asking. I used a 5/8" carbide burr (not spiriel) and removed all guards, extended it full length and hand-held it.( 0-1 metal) It would remove metal if you moved at a slow pace but metal chips would fly everywhere including getting in everything you did not want them in and when I turned it off to check the results all the dogs had jumped ship and I was left with a piece of metal that had harded in places and had to be annealed . From personal experience my advice is to use a rock or angle grinder until you can get yourself a belt grinder. To answer your question , yes it will cut but way too noisy and dangerous . Just a personal observation.
Click to expand...

That is rock-solid, real-world experience and is duly noted. Thank you. ©
 
ib2v4u said:
Hey Welcome and enjoy yourself relax.

Look at the plans for the no weld grinder. A KMG isn't $2000 and it is a great machine. But, as Nick said, if you were to built a good grinder you would understand why they cost what they do.

Find a good 2hp electric motor with a speed control (step pulleys work)
find a good contact wheel (or a make a platen with 2 small wheels)
Drive wheel
idler wheel and tracking adjustment
pulleys and belts
assorted steel.
Then figure out how long it will take to fabricate and assemble a QUALITY simple machine.

I have a lifetime of metal skills, a welder, a lathe and a milling machine. access to some pieces of free metal and hardware. I have a KMG and I have built a semi copy. It isn't complicated but, it isn't cheap, easy or fast.

If you want to know how, people here will help you built a machine and find the parts as cheaply as possible. Heck even the guy who makes and sells KMG grinders told me how to set up the bearings when I modified a Grizzly wheel to have bearings. But, you should ask it nicely. If you do you will get all the help in the world.

By the way I have a some carbide rotary files and a milling machine also. It is way faster to profile with a bandsaw and a belt grinder.

Now Nathan the Machinist has a thread where he show how he machines a knife. But he uses something WAY more expensive than a $2000 grinder.

Your idea may work, but, not real well and not very safely. I have am 57 and have a lifetime of those kind of ideas. I learned even with the bad ideas. Important thing is don't get hurt, keep thinking and learning.
Click to expand...

Very helpful. Thank you! I love this place! ©
 
Thanks Jim :)

I was kind of short, but I'm warming up for my new years resolution for brevity... lmao ;)

Jim's answer was written better than I would have done, and hit on all the points I was thinking of.

A belt grinder is NOT cheap, but the engineering, machining, and materials costs that are involved in making a QUALITY grinder... make them worth the price.

MY SUGGESTION is to buy some GOOD QUALITY files to start with. With good files and good technique, you can remove material pretty fast, and the skills and files will still be used/needed 10 years down the road after you have 1, 2, or 10 grinders.

I see a lot of guys get so antsy they rush out and buy a cheap-O belt sander/grinder just so they can get started. Well, if they had instead spent $75 on some good files... made some knives, sold them, and saved up the dollars from the sold knives, pretty soon they'd be able to buy that $2000 quality grinder. SOONER than they'll be able to after spending $200-350 on a grinder that isn't really what they want.

That's my 2 cents. Or, my 1/100th of a gallon of gas, if you will. :)
 
Balin said:
A fairly large massive brittle grinding (?) bit spinning at up to 25,000 RPM being engaged with steel makes for some hellatious stresses. I can envision the bit exploding and sending chunks into whatever or whoever is nearby. I have never seen a grinding bit for a router. Nothing larger than a dremmel at least. I'd move over to a sander or files before trying for the Darwin Awards.

Best of luck.
Click to expand...

Die grinders spin at 20,000 to25,000 rpm there should be no problem using any grinding bits made for a die grinder. The problem I see is size. They are only avaialable in a max. dia. of about an inch. You could also use carbide cutters. again size would be an issue.
 
Thanks for the continued feedback. Starting with files seems to be the way to go, at least during the learning process. Nick - your follow-up response was helpful and actually sheds some light on my question. I appreciate it. Any particular tips for brands / types of files? I will check out the other threads to see if I can come up with an answer, but any and all guidance in this respect would be helpful.

Thanks again! ©
 
Regarding grinder costs, the grinders custom knife makers use are basically custom built machines. That is, they are not assembly line mass produced ones. If they were mass produced cost of production, thus purchase cost, would probably come down. But then, that would mean there would be many many many users of such machines, which would imply the custom knife market would be either booming big time, or supply of custom knives would be flooded beyond customer demand....and that would not be a good thing. Therefore, for yet another reason, custom made, thus somewhat costly machinery might not be a bad thing?!

Here are some threads on filing and files.

DRAW FILING - http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=558642
DRAW FILES -- http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=558994
FILE VISES --- http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=558641
FILING ------- http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=551794
DRAW FILING - http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=341886
BEVELS ------ http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=548500
JIGS/VISES -- http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=533856
FILE JIG ----- http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=530151
BEST FILES -- http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=522507

All the best, Phil
 
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Also there is a ton of great information in the threads at the very top of the list we call em stickys. Take a look at those for all kinds of great information and to help you learn and you reading them will help you get the basics. Enjoy. I love making blades Jim
 
The Grizzly 2X72 grinder is still the best deal for beginning knifemakers-and they don't cost $2000.
 
ib2v4u said:
Also there is a ton of great information in the threads at the very top of the list we call em stickys. Take a look at those for all kinds of great information and to help you learn and you reading them will help you get the basics. Enjoy. I love making blades Jim
Click to expand...

Most definitely. I have been abusing my laser printer with BladeForums newbie material for the past couple of weeks. I am an artist and craftsman in a variety of areas and so I am constantly learning and researching. I can truly say that BladeForums is one of, if not the most robust, informative forums I have ever come across. The level and knowledge of talent present here is quite unique.

Bill - just checked out the 3x79 and that seems like a real option at that price of under $700. Thanks for the heads up. I'm off to see if I can find some reviews of this machine.

Peace, and thanks again for all the help - up to and including the preservation of all 10 of my healthy and rather useful fingers. ©
 
You might get Goddard's The $50 Knife Shop. There are plans for a belt grinder on the cheap. It's a good referemce fpr getting started without being out a fortune. I've used his belt grinder and it works well.

Gene
 
Gene Martin said:
You might get Goddard's The $50 Knife Shop. There are plans for a belt grinder on the cheap. It's a good referemce fpr getting started without being out a fortune. I've used his belt grinder and it works well.

Gene
Click to expand...

Yeah I read his Wonder of Knifemaking - actually a few times at this point. I like the way he explains things. I am going to grab a copy of this one. Thanks. ©
 
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