Favorite belt sander

Jarrett Fleming

Jarrett Fleming

Moderator
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jun 5, 2011
Messages
1,435
So what kind of belt sanders do you experienced makers use?
Im a new maker and I absolutely love this new hobby. The first knife that I made I just used an old 1x30 belt sander from harbor freight. Since making my first knife I went to the GA guild meeting and met a lot of great guys. For the past few weeks I have been going to a local knifemakers house with a fully equipped shop. I have learned SO much in these past few weeks. The improvement from my first knife to my second is unbelievable. Scott Davidson from Solidrockknives has been so much help and I can not thank him enough.
He uses a bader 3 belt sander and now that I have been spoiled with the bader I can not make myself go back to my 1x30. I am planning on buying a bader 3 in the next week or two, but before I do I just wanted to ask what some of you use.
 
Take it for what its worth coming from a relatively new maker, but I use a GIB from Polar Bear Forge. If I had had the money I probably would have bought a KMG from Beaumont Metal Works, but the GIB was a kit so I could buy it a piece at a time, frame first, then motor, then wheels, and finally my VFD. I spread the cost of my grinder over 5 month, it was sort of like layaway but each part came from a different source.

If you have used the Bader and like it then it would be a good choice for you. I can't say yay or nay on it because I have never used one, but enough of the big boys use them, so they must be good
 
For what it's worth - from another new maker - I went with a variable speed KMG setup. At the time, it was one of the two main grinders with a lot of support among knifemakers... the other being the Bader BIII. They are similar grinders in basic configuration, but I ended up choosing the KMG for several reasons:
  1. The shear volume of KMG users who are vocal in favor of the KMG.
  2. Rob Frink's customer established costomer service record (which is not to say that Bader does not have good customer service... I just didn't hear as much positive feedback as I did with Beaumont.)
  3. The KMG's belt drive set-up allows for a bit more versatility when it comes to drive options. By selecting the correct motor/grinder pully combination, you can get away with using just about any (adequately sized motor out there). I ended up going with a 2hp, 3600rpm, VFD driven variable speed setup. The belt drive also allowed me to hide my motor under my workbench. That being said, the fixed drive Bader has some flexibility in drive wheel size to allow for different motor rpms.
Below is a video of my grinder taken back in February of 2009... right after I got it running. (It is way dirtier now.) :D
[youtube]wf4grrMjbxk[/youtube]

It seems like these days there are quite a few more options out there. The Grinder-in-a-Box (GIB) might be fun to build, if funds are limited. Tracy's No-Weld-Grinder plans can also be useful for somebody in the same situation. One grinder that I am REALLY interested in these days is Travis Wuertz's TW-90. It's a spendy option, but looks to be a very solid machine with a few extras that look promising.

Can't go wrong with the KMG though. Built like a tank. :thumbup:

Good luck.
Erin
 
I knew that KMG was going to be a popular choice. I have heard and read many good things about them here on the forums. Im going to look into this a bit more before I make my final decision. The bader 3 is available at a local shop so I won't have to pay for shipping, and I know that I will like it because I have used it. I also think that he is asking a fair price. It has a 2hp variable motor and he wants $2440 for it. He also carries all of the accessories for bader grinders, so that is a huge plus for me that everything is available locally. Does anyone here have any bad experience with a bader?
Thank you Count for that link, lots of good info!
 
I like the features of the TW-90, but the cost is outta sight, so if he keeps offering the coolest attachments for the Bader & KMG that's pretty nice.

I like to buy local too.
It makes things so much simpler.
 
I have a KMG from Beaumont. It's a good grinder; no major issues. Not sure if I'd buy another one though.

The Baders that I have used worked great. No real difference compared to the KMG IMHO.

The next grinder I buy will most likely be a TW-90 or a Bader.
 
I have the bader II, Wilton square wheel and a homemade grinder. I really like the Bader for hollow grinding. If you plan on hollow grinding, I recommend a 10" wheel or larger for most grinding except daggers (5" & 3") works great. I have used a Burr King and it tracks exceptionally well. I have never used a KMG, but only have heard good words about it. Good luck and let us know what you decide to purchase. One last tip is to use good quality belts, you will not be sorry.
 
I have a "Bee" made in Canada. It is much like an old Wilton, but it does have a variable speed drive as does the clone I made. I'm most impressed with Travis's TW-90 but getting it to me would cost a huge handful of money. These two of mine do everything I want except what the TW-90 also does which is the surface grinding in an accurate way. I still do that by hand. I too have a few made up aids for my machines. Frank
 
I love my Coote!

I have never used a KMG or a Bader etc, so I dont have those to compare to, but it's better than the HF and Craftsman speed demons I have. It does everything I ask it to do. My grinds are cleaner and more consistent, and it didn't bust my wallet up too bad. I'm not the most mechanically inclined guy, but this thing was a snap to set up. Very nice rig. I have not wanted for anything else.
 
12345678910 said:
I like the features of the TW-90, but the cost is outta sight
Click to expand...

Agreed. I did a side by side cost comparison of KMG options vs a TW-90, and I figured I could get both the regular KMG AND the horizontal, BOTH in variable speed packages for the same (or less) than ONE TW-90. Granted, there were some differences in a handful of options, but the KMG still won, hands down in my book.

I just can't see the justification for a $3400 price tag on a single grinder. Might as well get two dedicated machines for that kind of money.
 
I believe you have no need for the surface grinder the TW-90 and therefore didn't allow for that in your cost comparisons. Frank
 
Well I got the bader 3 today! Now all I have to do is wire it up.
 
I think you will be very happy with your purchase, i own a KMG, but have used a Bader also, great machines both, just a little different. VFD will be your new best friend!
 
Frank Niro said:
I believe you have no need for the surface grinder the TW-90 and therefore didn't allow for that in your cost comparisons. Frank
Click to expand...
The TW-90 costs as much as the two KMG's (horizontal and regular) WITHOUT the surface grinding attachment.

The comparison was simply between grinders: A horizontal AND vertical KMG setup with essentially the same features as what comes stock with the TW-90; 8" wheel, flat platen, VFD, etc...

The additional surface grinding attachment was not factored in since KMG does not produce one.

That being said, I can also do a quick cost comparison between his attachment and a dedicated machine:

As far as I know, JUST the attachment is $895 + shipping. But let's not even factor shipping costs in right now.
If I understand correctly, you need a harder wheel than what comes stock with the TW-90 or KMG. That's another $100 to $200 minimum, not to mention the additional tool arm and I can only guess what the "KMG/Bader" adapters are going to cost. So we are already looking at 1000+ for an attachment.

That's well within the price range of a used surface grinder, including a belt conversion.
 
Last edited:
If I had the loot, I'd go with the TW90, but since I don't and I didn't I built my own. It's fun and I learned a bunch, plus you'll appreciate it all that more! As long as it works that is lol!
Good luck with your decision!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top