decision time

[facewizard13]

ok guys. tax time is right around the corner for me and I'm wanting to dive head first into knifemaking. I've been doing research for months and playing around with making a couple knives hand made. I want to have a 2x72 grinder.

here's the big question - buy a grinder? or build one myself. I've discussed this at length with my friends and weve come up with very convincing arguments for both sides. making a grinder yourself allows you to save heaps of money that you can spend on steel, abrasives, etc. Buying a grinder outright allows you to have the peace of mind that, once you get it set up, you turn it on and it works. no trouble shooting, jury rigging, etc. Since the bench grinder does about 90% of the work on the knife, I feel like buying one would be the better course of action.

some worries my friends had about making a grinder myself -

may not be aligned right
if something happens, i have to troubleshoot myself
no warranty
welding might not be as easy as i had thought, or mastered in an afternoon (yes i understand there are no weld options but this is a great excuse to learn how to weld)
not choosing the right welder!
bad motor choice

worried about buying a grinder outright-

no room in the budget left for just about anything else
cost of shipping is horrendous
expensive pre-made tool arms, wheels, etc.

I'd like some help making this big decision from the only forum where I know to ask this question. Personally, I feel like making a grinder myself would give me an enormous sense of accomplishment, plus I'd have welding under my belt. Should I skip the headache of making one myself altogether and just buy one?

 

[David LaFerney]

If you are also going to have to buy a welder and learn to use it - just buying a grinder would probably be more expedient. I built mine, but it took months to gather all the parts, much less build it.

 

[Mahoney]

To paraphrase some advice I was once given, "do you want to build tools or build knives?"

If money is not an issue buying the grinder is the way to go. If you have more time than money, building it is a good option, but it would not be my first choice as a project to learn welding on. Maybe an anvil stand or a workbench first before the grinder. A grinder as a second project is still a bit chancy.

MIG welding does not take all that long to learn, I can have most students running a decent bead in about a half hour of "arc on time"...But...there's a lot of other stuff to learn about how to prepare the joints, jig stuff together, weld things so that they don't warp or bend out of alignment, protect yourself and others from the various hazards...that will take a bit longer than an afternoon to learn. If there's a local community college that offers a welding class, it will be money well spent. Without a good coach watching you it's easy to spend a lot of time practicing "doing it wrong". And you get to try out some different equipment before spending money on your own welder

 

[Jonathans]

Check out an Esteem. You won't be disappointed. Great quality and value from a member of this forum.

 

[Justice4all]

http://stores.ebay.com/oregonblademaker

His basic setup with a flat platen is from my research, the best deal going. I could've built a homemade grinder, but I wanted to start grinding, not spend my time making tools. I actually bought a much more expensive unit than what I shared in the link and honestly, this unit would work just as good.


I also bought a "grinder in a box" as a secondary unit http://www.polarbearforge.com/grinder_kit_order.html

But it requires the hardware and a bandsaw and a couple of taps to finish. The steel is half inch plate and seemed to be surface hardened on one side which made tapping some of the holes nearly impossible. The gas strut part # in the very limited instructions is incorrect which also caused a delay in getting the unit setup.

The Oregonblademaker unit just needs a motor and controller and you're all set. Plus, I really like the standard tool rests he sells. Much better than the one that came with my $2500 unit. Another plus with his grinder is that the tool arms and platen plate are aluminum which makes tool changes much more pleasant.