Do you use a Tilting/Horizontal Belt Grinder?

B

boy&hisdogs

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Dec 9, 2015
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Long story short: Is there anything you do horizontally that you couldn't do vertically? Is there any reason I NEED a tilting grinder rather than an upright only?

I'm still a beginner but I have made enough knives to know that I want to stick with this long-term. I'm a hobby maker mostly interested in kitchen knives and pocket knives, though I still want to try a bit of everything.

I'm slowly but surely working my way towards building my first 2x72. I have all the parts picked out, I know I want to do VFD direct drive with KMG style interchangeable "arms", I'm just trying to come up with a final frame design. I'm wondering if the extra work to make it tilt would be worth it. I know that plenty of knife makers go without and do just fine, but I can't help but think to myself "Now's your chance, you might as well." That being said, I'm having a hard time trying to come up with a tilt design that keeps things fairly compact since I'm working out of a small shed and I'd like to have this set on a bench top rather than it's own stand, though that isn't entirely out of the question.

If I decided to forgo the bench-top idea then I'd build one like Jeremy Schmidt because I like the way his keeps the table in place while the belt portion tilts. But, as you can see the motor hangs low and it needs to be mounted pretty high if not hanging off the back of it's stand/table. If could make it tilt the the other way that would be ideal, but I haven't quite figured out a simple and compact way to do that yet.

il_570xN.1216314140_nn33.jpg
 
I have two TW-90's and I do use the horizontal. Most of the time I use the vertical, but there are times the horizontal is nice. If I made pocket knives I would use the horizontal a lot.
 
I get by without using mine a lot, because mine is single speed. I expect to use it on every knife I make when I swap it out for a variable speed. More than the vertical, honestly, not counting bevels.
 
A lot of horizontal grinding can be done vertically with a vertical table, however, a horizontal grinder does make things a lot more comfortable, and it’s easier to maintain precision when gravity is keeping the blade on a work table, rather than trying to hold it against a vertical work rest.

Is it 100% necessary to make great knives? Not at all. Is it really nice to have? Absolutely.
 
boy&hisdogs said:
Long story short: Is there anything you do horizontally that you couldn't do vertically? Is there any reason I NEED a tilting grinder rather than an upright only?

I'm still a beginner but I have made enough knives to know that I want to stick with this long-term. I'm a hobby maker mostly interested in kitchen knives and pocket knives, though I still want to try a bit of everything.

I'm slowly but surely working my way towards building my first 2x72. I have all the parts picked out, I know I want to do VFD direct drive with KMG style interchangeable "arms", I'm just trying to come up with a final frame design. I'm wondering if the extra work to make it tilt would be worth it. I know that plenty of knife makers go without and do just fine, but I can't help but think to myself "Now's your chance, you might as well." That being said, I'm having a hard time trying to come up with a tilt design that keeps things fairly compact since I'm working out of a small shed and I'd like to have this set on a bench top rather than it's own stand, though that isn't entirely out of the question.

If I decided to forgo the bench-top idea then I'd build one like Jeremy Schmidt because I like the way his keeps the table in place while the belt portion tilts. But, as you can see the motor hangs low and it needs to be mounted pretty high if not hanging off the back of it's stand/table. If could make it tilt the the other way that would be ideal, but I haven't quite figured out a simple and compact way to do that yet.

il_570xN.1216314140_nn33.jpg
Click to expand...

FWIW, I really like Jeremy’s design. If you go that route, I’d just cut a hole in the back of your workbench. It’s not like it’s useful space anyway.

I think a lot of people get hung up on trying to save space in small shops, and probably overestimate the actual space savings of a 2x48 vs a 2x72, or even bench mounted mills vs a full sized knee mill, bench top drill presses vs floor presses, etc....

Yeah, one tool is smaller than another, but how much are you (or can you) actually utilizing that “saved space” immediately around the tool. Most guys still mount their grinders on the front corner of a table or work bench. Having an extra foot of empty space behind the machine doesn’t really gain you anything. Not unless you like throwing grinding dust all over whatever you’re trying to place there in the mean time.
 
I just tested my scrap steel frankentube grinder today. Started out as a ameribrade copy, but then didn’t like a few things in my construction and cut it apart. Too many design changes caught up with me, so I need to adjust tracking design, but swivel to horizontal works well. Playing with different mock ups, the TW90 design simplicity really makes sense. Kuraki’s latest design looks really nice and if I make another one.....

Starting with a flat piece of 1/4” plate (flat is a relative term) to use as one side and index everything off it has a lot of merit. I looked at Jeremy’s design hard, but then went another way. Ended up using the ebrake out of a jeep for the ratchet, but spent enough time that I would have been ahead just to lay it out and cut the teeth with a bandsaw and file.
 

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I believe usefulness flows something like this:

Single speed grinder
VFD grinder
Disc grinder
Surface grinder
Horizontal grinder

So it all depends on where you want to end up.
You could get a surface grinding attachment for a horizontal machine.
 
I didn't think a horizontal grinder would make much difference for me. But I was wrong, I run two of my three grinders almost exclusively in horizontal mode.

It's just much more comfortable when using the small wheels, lengthwise grinding platen, flat platen, SGA and contact wheels. The only things I grind vertical are bevels, edges (sharpening) and slack platen for handles.
 
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boy&hisdogs said:
I know that plenty of knife makers go without and do just fine, but I can't help but think to myself "Now's your chance, you might as well."
Click to expand...
This one statement is all you need...Don't regret not building a tilting machine from the beginning. Now you have the capability to build what you want and as you grow in experience you will figure out how useful the horizontal feature can be for certain tasks.
 
I'm kicking around the idea of building separate vertical and horizontal grinders side by side. Both sharing the same k-bac VFD. Identical motors on both grinders. Any reason why that wouldn't work?
 
This is the perfect solution having dedicated grinder splitting the VFD....Wire in a dedicated switch between the two grinders. Its been done and there are few threads explaining the process in here somewhere.
 
PecanGrafter said:
I'm kicking around the idea of building separate vertical and horizontal grinders side by side. Both sharing the same k-bac VFD. Identical motors on both grinders. Any reason why that wouldn't work?
Click to expand...

I think this is a very cost effective solution. At least for me, who work alone in my workshop, it has proven to be a well suited solution. I imagine it would be somewhat more painful if there were more people and the need for simultaneous use of the machines.

I have two VFDs, one with two belt grinders and the other with a belt grinder, a disc grinder and a buffer.

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I've made several thousand knives without a horizontal. Bought one earlier this years and love it! That said I use it 97% of the time on folders. Just about all grinding I do on fixed blades is free hand vertical with no tool rest.
 
I use mine horizontally for profiling inside curves and for making the handles. I would hate to go back to not having it. I could hold it upright but it would be a pain in the arse.
 
I’m still running one speed. I use an adjustable vertical flat plate. The only time I wish I had horizontal is when cleaning up the area near the finished edge. Really hard to see/judge holding the blade vertical.
 
Stromberg Knives said:
I think this is a very cost effective solution. At least for me, who work alone in my workshop, it has proven to be a well suited solution. I imagine it would be somewhat more painful if there were more people and the need for simultaneous use of the machines.

I have two VFDs, one with two belt grinders and the other with a belt grinder, a disc grinder and a buffer.

33RtJyn.jpg


MUc5mtJ.jpg
Click to expand...
Stormburge knives is your grinder from Nick At Black Dog Tools?
 
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