craftsman 2x42 1hp with 8in disc

Chuck,
Thanks for the input on the usefullness of this grinder as is. What did you do about the platten being so easy to bend?
 
ty and yes winding springs can be a mess sometimes. if tracking is an issue tightening it up would help solve the problem wouldn't it.
 
well I got it today. just played with it for a min. the belt seems to wobble back and forth a little to much. anyone got a fix for this.
 
A couple of things could be the culprit. Number one would be, it needs a new belt. If left on the grinder, belts, especially lighter weight cloth-backed ones, will stretch and deform. This makes them wobble.

If it is an old belt period, it could be stretched and deformed, thus causing it to wobble. Again, replace the belt.

If it is a new, fresh belt that hasn't been sitting on the grinder, then you need more tension on the belt. The spring may need to be tightened.

Those are the first three off the top of my head. If none of these fix it then we'll have to delve deeper into the machine, such as the tracking, idler, or drive wheel.

One other quick tidbit, check to make sure the drive wheel is sitting flush with the arbor and that the set screw is nice and tight. Mine loosened a bit and started walking on the arbor, made the machine make a funny noise when it ran without any load on the belt.
 
I never ground on the platen, I used the section above it to grind my blades. I tightened up the belt tension by pushing the handle all the way up and ground away. I learned to make the grinder do what I needed it to do and adjusted my grinding style to make it work for me.

I made all these knives in 2001 using that grinder.
 
wow those are some nice knives. way beyond my skill at this point lol.
it was the belt. put a different belt on runs perfect. I need to make a ceramic platen tho. I cant stand for the platen to be wider than my belt.
the disc sander part works really well on fingers. only touched it just a little, darn thing chewed a small piece of my finger off.

now is there any stores that carry 2x42 belts before I get mine in.
checked sears, ace hardware, and lows. none of them have them in stock.
 
Using the 2x42 myself. I glued a 2x piece of ceramic tile on my platen and made an additional platen with a 1 piece of tile on it also as I had a bunch of 1x42 belts that I got for free. Ive made 5 knives on this ceramic setup so far and am very please for just a few dollars. They will cut it for you at the big box stores or I just used my portaband.

Though Ive mail ordered belts, my sears keeps a bunch of the 2x42 in stock. this is a decent setup, just keep your work cool with water.
 
yea I learnt that it will fry a blade in a hurry with a wore out belt. mine don't seem overly fast tho like I had read. just im used to a 1x30.
 
kevnkar said:
Chuck,
Thanks for the input on the usefullness of this grinder as is. What did you do about the platten being so easy to bend?
Click to expand...

the platen on mine is not easy to bend at all. mine is the old 3 wheel one tho. the new ones may be different.

heres a little neck knif I started todat. will finish it tomorrow hopefully.
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feel free to let me know if there is something I should do before heat treat on this one.
 
Even up the grind, you are deeper just after the plunge then it goes shallower where the bright reflection is. Take care that the blade moves smoothly in a parallel slide across the belt and endeavour not to work the edges of the belt harder. Looking down from above helps you see when you are biasing your pressure on the tip or handle end.

I found on my 3 wheel that the platen flexed a bit. I welded a piece of 3/8 mild to mine and faced it with pyroceramic glass, so that the top of the mild steel rests just below the tracking wheel prevent it bending the platen joint. I used to jam a piece of wood in there so it prevented the top of the platen flexing back.
 
ok ty. yea I could see it flexing if you used the top maybe. I use a jig I made and grind on the bottom. the was accident to start with. after I noticed the curve in the grind I knida liked it so I done the other side the same.
 
im going to have to lower my table I cant see from above on my grinder im short lol. ty for the tip. I been having a hard time getting grinds even. I may try freehand again with your tip.
 
yea I just ordered a bunch from trugrit yesterday. tough decision between the two. next time ill try super grit. one reason I went with truegrit is they had black eyelets, and I couldn't find black anywhere else lol
 
My on off switch has died luckily its in the on position so i can unplug and plug it in to use it.
I haven't took it apart yet. Is this a common problem. With a easy fix maybe just cut the cord and put in a new switch.
 
Hey crank. When I got mine the switch didn't work. I popped it out, opened it up and cleaned it a little and it started working. Just be careful, there are some small parts that fall out easily which I had to cahse around the garage floor.
 
To keep from chasing parts around, open it up inside of something like a large tupper-ware storage bin or a paper bag if it'll fit.
 
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