Delta 1 x 42 belt grinder

I have one just like that!! It works pretty well although the platen could be beefier.. Do yourself a favor and buy the best belts that you can find. The cheap aluminum oxide belts are nothing but frustration. Zarconia belts work great on this machine..I think that you can get them at truegrit.com ..good luck and have fun!:thumbup:
 
After going through some similar equipment I followed the guide in $50 Knife shop and built a 2 x 72 out of mostly scrap. If anything you could use your $100 on a good idler pully. The belt wear really quickly and it is very difficult to get a good grind on these small grinders. I really love my 2 x 72, easier to grind and get alot more belt life.
 
rocketmann said:
I have one just like that!! It works pretty well although the platen could be beefier.. Do yourself a favor and buy the best belts that you can find. The cheap aluminum oxide belts are nothing but frustration. Zarconia belts work great on this machine..I think that you can get them at truegrit.com ..good luck and have fun!:thumbup:
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Thanks for the info on the grinder. I have seen good reviews and a few bad ones on it but one thing I have seen is how delta is willing to solve problems anyone is having with the belt grinder. I am just starting out and did not want to invest to much right now ( until tax season is over anyway lol ).

After reading from this forum and some advice from others I figured draw filing would take me a long time but I am still going to get a set of diamond files and work 1 or 2 by hand just to get the feel of the steel I am working with tho. My goal is to work with damascus steel. I have done forge welding before but never done any folding that I remember and the welds I did was nothing like wire damascus welds. If I do manual hammering ( got a big bother inlaw that can swing a sledge very well I think ) would I lose to much carbon doing it this way? I know a power hammer is faster and I am sure as I get even more hooked on knife making I will end up with one ( home made is a good price for a disabled EMT ) I have not seen many posts on how much carbon loss you will have using an anvil only for folding. Also is there a trick or something to add more carbon into the steel ( like adding a high carbon on the last weld or something ).

I feel so new at this even tho I have been around a forge when I was 6 y/o. After reading some of your posts I can see that a bladesmith can be a blacksmith also but not all blacksmiths have the skill to do bladesmithing without working at it.
 
a 1X42 will work fine...

Down the road , after you get a few knives under your belt and you know for sure if this stuff is something you want to do more of, then you can start to look around for the next jump up in size.

But for now, there is lots to do and many knives to make in your future.

I dont have a power hammer too, and more than likely i never willl have one given the money they are.
But I ask my wife to come out and help at that step. She hold the steel and I hit it with the biggest 2-handed sledgehammer I own....
The forge work goes very fast and so it's not such a big deal that I dont have a power hammer.
 
PCRKnives said:
$50 Knife shop .
Click to expand...

Everytime I see that book for sale, I have to smile...
It's like,,,,a suduction...."For so little money you can make knives!"

But....well , it's like with drugs, "The first one is always free"

I have yet to meet a knife maker that only spent $50 bucks before it was all over and done with..
We spend a TON of money of tools and belts and oil, and gas and handles and etc , etc, etc...

I started out with a $100 1X30 belt sander...I told my wife thats it was: "All I will need"....I think I was convinced of that myself too,,,at the time...

Now Im telling my wife that the $1,2000 buck power hammer is "All I will need" again....
and again Im totally convinced that this is really the last tool I will ever need to get....Im sure of it.
 
Alan Molstad said:
Everytime I see that book for sale, I have to smile...
It's like,,,,a suduction...."For so little money you can make knives!"

But....well , it's like with drugs, "The first one is always free"

I have yet to meet a knife maker that only spent $50 bucks before it was all over and done with..
We spend a TON of money of tools and belts and oil, and gas and handles and etc , etc, etc...

I started out with a $100 1X30 belt sander...I told my wife thats it was: "All I will need"....I think I was convinced of that myself too,,,at the time...

Now Im telling my wife that the $1,2000 buck power hammer is "All I will need" again....
and again Im totally convinced that this is really the last tool I will ever need to get....Im sure of it.
Click to expand...

Humm I told my wife that the belt grinder was " all I would need " to get started on making a knife. lol. Looks like I have a long ( and most likely poor but happy ) path to walk.
 
Alan Molstad said:
a 1X42 will work fine...

Down the road , after you get a few knives under your belt and you know for sure if this stuff is something you want to do more of, then you can start to look around for the next jump up in size.

But for now, there is lots to do and many knives to make in your future.

I dont have a power hammer too, and more than likely i never willl have one given the money they are.
But I ask my wife to come out and help at that step. She hold the steel and I hit it with the biggest 2-handed sledgehammer I own....
The forge work goes very fast and so it's not such a big deal that I dont have a power hammer.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I have someone that can help me with the sledge ( or just holding it for me to forge ). I guess with a large sledge you should not lose to much more then you would with a power hammer ( all but the pain for swinging the hammer that is lol ).
 
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