Coote or Pheer327 grinder

[JGguns]

Hey fella's I am looking at buying a grinder. I have been doing a lot of reading and I have it down between the coote or the one made by pheer327 2x72beltgrinder.com. They both seem like solid machines, I am very new to knife making so its hard for me to really know which is better. Price wise there gonna be about the same. I don't plan on selling knives just making them for fun, plus I have a million other uses for a good belt sander. I dont want to spend anymore than what I would on these 2 but if some one has another suggestion in the 750-800 range please let me know. The only requirement I have is the machine run smooth, and both of these appear to run very smooth. I'm hoping to pull the trigger tomorrow. Any help would be great.

Thanks

 

[Remyrw]

They're completely different concepts in grinder design. I have a Pheer grinder on the way but they're still new in the sense that not a lot of us have gotten them and reported back so the sample size is pretty small. The Coote has a long and well established history of quality but is, in my opinion, the less suitable design for knife making. It's not particularly adaptable and has all the problems inherent in a 2 wheel design. The quality build minimizes some of them, like the troublesome tracking and power. Of all the two wheel machines it's certainly the cat's meow from what I've seen.
Personally, for the money I think the Pheer, assuming nothing horrible comes out to change the current impression, is the more suitable machine. If you order it stock with the 1hp motor it'll be at the low end of that price range with shipping. That's probably less power than you'll get from the Coote with similar money invested, assuming you shop around for a motor and VFD rather than just pay full retail. It's the flexibility of the design rather than raw power that tips the scale for me. You can certainly upgrade the Pheer to a much more powerful motor, it will just exceed the price range you gave.

Something that I've noticed from videos and the few folks who've gotten them and reported back in the knife community, the Pheer seems to run VERY smoothly. Tracking is said to be very very good. Obviously we've got a tiny sample size and I can't speak from personal experience yet so take that with a grain of salt. I have faith, but the proof is in the grinding.

 

[Kentucky]

I love my Coote..Its built like a tank but the two wheel design leave something to be desired when knife making,,You cant look down on your work and with a lot of grinding pressure the belt can move..just an inherent problem with two wheel designs..Its a great grinder and with practice you can mkae just as nice a knives on it as you can a KMG but the learning curve is a lot steeper..

 

[Patrickknives]

I wont comment on the Phere but the Coote is a proven grinder that can make alot of knives and be used in the shop for many other uses. I have had mine for 4-5 years now and really happy. I dont have any issues with belt drift or other problems. Using the step pulleys provide a wide range of speeds. I added the small wheel attachment which is a real time saver in doing the smaller radius of the blade. I dont think you will ever regret getting a Coote.

 

[DannyDiablo]

I just ordered a pheer....Did a lot of looking around and it just seemed like the way to go..The variable speed motor was the deal maker!

 

[JGguns]

After talking to norm on the phone I will be ordering the coote. He is a class act and was very helpful. I really like the track record of the coote. Thanks for the help fella's

 

[Remyrw]

What kind of motor setup are you going with? You should be in good shape with the Coote, it's certainly done right by many makers. Remember to pick up a ceramic glass platen too. Enjoy the huge belt selection.

 

[JGguns]

What kind of motor setup are you going with? You should be in good shape with the Coote, it's certainly done right by many makers. Remember to pick up a ceramic glass platen too. Enjoy the huge belt selection.

In going to a local shop tomorrow to look at motors but I am thinking 1-1.5hp and I am ordering the staggered pullies from Norm.

 

[Remyrw]

Fun fun. I haven't messed with belt driven grinders much but supposedly that red linked belt rather than a solid one is great. I know Tracy has them at USAknifemaker.com. He's got some belts too, and the ceramic glass platens. Hehehe, with my luck you'll be up and running and showing off your new blades before my new grinder even arrives.

 

[JGguns]

Fun fun. I haven't messed with belt driven grinders much but supposedly that red linked belt rather than a solid one is great. I know Tracy has them at USAknifemaker.com. He's got some belts too, and the ceramic glass platens. Hehehe, with my luck you'll be up and running and showing off your new blades before my new grinder even arrives.

Up running perhaps but I doubt I will have anything worth showing for awhile hahaha.

 

[Remyrw]

Just have a good design ready to go and take it slow and easy, don't rush it, but don't sweat it if you goof, just clean it up and keep going. It might not turn out exactly like the original plan but that's just part of knife making sometimes. I think a lot of the problems new folks run into is lack of a plan. Pick a simple to make shape that is still attractive. Something that doesn't require superior skills like a really fine point or exactly symetrical grinds... A nice skinner or EDC design maybe. Keep it to a reasonable size, but not too small, it's actually easier to grind a 3-4" blade than a 2" blade in my opinion.

Remember to think about your available tools when planning the design. complex shapes on the profile are a real pain to grind if you don't have the matching tooling or a fondness for hand work. Likewise the exotic grinds, save them for the future, just do a nice normal flat grind of some variety with a normal plunge line. Some folks have other opinions, but I think the best way to learn is to do the basics first, learn the motions and how to use the tools well. Then branch out to the more complex once you're at least comfortable with the basic process. I'm not far along this chain when it comes to knive making, but it applies to nearly any activity.

 

[Kentucky]

Ive got the Disc grinder attachment and the small wheel attachment..I also made this a while back..
Our Coote isnt designed for more than 2000 rpm's so using step pulleys back to back would be wasted because we couldent use one of the pulleys due to the speed being way to fast..So we made this mounting bracket that lets you use one step pulley and move the motor.The motor mount slides on a piece of 16ga 3/4" tubing which fits perfectly on 5/8" round. Two stops made from the same with thumb screws at either end to stop the motor from drifting while running. One acts as a gauge as the shaft is marked in all 4 spots corresponding to the pulley changes.Just move the stop to the corresponding mark and tighten it.then slide the motor over.Takes about 6-7 seconds to change speeds..The step pulley is 4"-3 1/2"-2 1/2"-2"..The pulley on the grinder is 4".The motor is 1725rpm's, 1 1/2 H.P.This gives us..
1725 RPM's
1509 RPM's
1078 RPM's
862 RPM's
.
Not a VFD but better than single speed and no wasted pulleys..

Heres the bracket before mounting and clean-up.

After mounting. before final clean-up and painting..

 

[JGguns]

Ive got the Disc grinder attachment and the small wheel attachment..I also made this a while back..
Our Coote isnt designed for more than 2000 rpm's so using step pulleys back to back would be wasted because we couldent use one of the pulleys due to the speed being way to fast..So we made this mounting bracket that lets you use one step pulley and move the motor.The motor mount slides on a piece of 16ga 3/4" tubing which fits perfectly on 5/8" round. Two stops made from the same with thumb screws at either end to stop the motor from drifting while running. One acts as a gauge as the shaft is marked in all 4 spots corresponding to the pulley changes.Just move the stop to the corresponding mark and tighten it.then slide the motor over.Takes about 6-7 seconds to change speeds..The step pulley is 4"-3 1/2"-2 1/2"-2"..The pulley on the grinder is 4".The motor is 1725rpm's, 1 1/2 H.P.This gives us..
1725 RPM's
1509 RPM's
1078 RPM's
862 RPM's
.
Not a VFD but better than single speed and no wasted pulleys..

Heres the bracket before mounting and clean-up.

After mounting. before final clean-up and painting..

That's a very slick set up there Kentucky. I havnt figured out what I will use to make it simple to change the belts. Perhaps I can do something like that. Seeing stuff like that makes me want to kick myself for never learning to weld.