eastwood 4x36 belt grinder/disc grinder any good ?

[NovaScotiaBlake]

Ive been looking at getting into knifemaking and i need a cheap belt grinder ( like under 200 $ ) and i came across this one , has anyone ever used or heard anything about the quality of them , and i am aware that the quality of a cheap belt grinder is not going to be great but is it worth 130 $ thanks

~Blake

 

[R.C.Reichert]

I would say it's a waste of money. Even a 1x42 would be a much better machine to start with and still probably under the $200 mark. Other option is to save your money for something better. I tried a 4x36 once and it was good for one thing...sanding wood. From that I went to a 6x48 and that is a good machine. I ground many knives on my 6x48 belt sander.

 

[kn4wd]

viel 1x42 if you have a motor right under the 100 mark.

 

[HSC ///]

I have a used Kalamazoo 4x36 which I use rotated 90 degrees so the platen is flat. I changed out the motor to an 1800 rpm. It's quite useful. If u got a 3 phase motor with vfd it would be even more useful. I don't know about the Eastwood. The 4x36 is great for kitchen knives

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[R.C.Reichert]

I have a used Kalamazoo 4x36 which I use rotated 90 degrees so the platen is flat. I changed out the motor to an 1800 rpm. It's quite useful. If u got a 3 phase motor with vfd it would be even more useful. I don't know about the Eastwood. The 4x36 is great for kitchen knives

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That definitely doesn't look like your average gutless 4x36 sander. This looks like a pretty decent unit

 

[HSC ///]

Yes Kalamazoo s4 model. Comes with baldor motor. Try to find it used.

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[scott.livesey]

Ive been looking at getting into knifemaking and i need a cheap belt grinder ( like under 200 $ ) and i came across this one , has anyone ever used or heard anything about the quality of them , and i am aware that the quality of a cheap belt grinder is not going to be great but is it worth 130 $ thanks

~Blake

I started out with a Sears Craftsman 4x36(about $150US) that I still have. Belt speed is reasonable at 1150fpm and there is a very good selection of belts available. 4x36 seems to be the size popular with folks doing lapidary(rocks and jewels) and preparing metallurgical samples, so you can find belts from 24grit to 2000grit.
scott