First's & what i have been up too

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Dixieblade57

Joined
Jun 20, 2007
Messages
1,361
This post is full of firsts, and it also explains what I have been up too for nearly the past two years!

These are the first knives I have actually worked on in a while. My wife has been very ill for the past two years and even though she will never be entirely well again, her condition has reached a stable point. A quadruple bypass this past November for myself and a lot of other life had me questioning if I still had “the fire in my belly” or not!
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Click photos for larger view:

I have kept up with things on the forum and even built me a KMG clone


also a new cart to roll the new clone around on, (I have a small shop and with a bad back and heart problems my entire shop is on wheels). The forge pictured below is monuted on top of the cart allowing for ease of movement when the need arises.



(I have yet to forge my first knife at this time and continue to do only stock removal.) That first forged peice will be down the road, however I am working toward getting ready to learn that side of the equatrion!


a new bench and a organizer to sit on it, complete with sand paper slots, drawers, shelves for refrence books and slots for organizers as well as large bottles on one end for small parts,




and a new stand for my porta bandsaw.



So you can't say I have entirely rested on my laurels, while I was not building knives, I continued to work on my shop!:eek:

I just recently I decided that I was going to get off my duff and build some new knives! Knife making is not a career for me but I do have a passion for it and occasionally I make a dollar or two more than I spend!!!:D

Now back to the firsts these blades are being cut from 1080.



They are the first knives to be profiled on the new KMG clone.




I have got to say I love that machine. I am not sorry for the knives I built using files, right angle grinder, and a few other methods of stock removal. Because, they were all a learning experience. However it only took less than two hours to profile those blades this morning and I was just taking it easy!





The first time I got up at daylight in an attempt to beat the Florida heat, to work on my knives. I have a small shop without AC and I prefer grinding outside in the natural light when it is possible. It just works better with my eyes as well.

This is the first time I decided to start a dozen knives at a time. I am hoping that in that moment that things are not necessarily going right, or when you need to take a little away time to think something thru; I can lay one aside and work on another if need be. But they all get finished the same way one at a time!

This is also the first Bowie knives I have attempted.

One large and one smaller one!

So I have several skinners that I will be working on. A few hunters and a couple of Bowies and a couple I have yet to characterize with a name!

So as you can see I do actually make knives now I have got to start working on these blanks to give them some real character and bring each of them to life!
 
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Hey Dixieblade, that grinder is awesome looking!!! Where did you get the "bearing" just to the right of the three step pully? Did you get it locally? If so, where? Glad you are able to get up and around in your shop. Knives look good. Where do you get your HTing done?
 
Everything looks great, the grinder and toolrest you built, the bowie blade, and the portaband stand. Nice work. Props to you for keeping the interest alive and keeping going in the face of adversity. I'm sorry to hear about the health problems, I hope that you and your wife are and continue to be well.

Did I say nice grinder? You'll love bevelling with that thing.

Salem
 
Thanks Railrider and Salem, the grinder was a lot of work for someone with out a metal shop. I used the plans from off of one of the links for the no weld grinder. I printed them out and if needed blew them up. I went back and referred to the prints and pictures of the real KMG constantly, you know measure twice and cut once!;)

I just took my time and worked on it when I had time and I was in the right frame of mind. I did it all with my drill press, a square, and a 4x36 belt/disk sander. All the holes were hand tapped and we won't mention how many taps I broke, but let's just say I learned what not to do! The key to making one turn out well is everything has to be the right measurements and square.

I can understand why the real KMG costs as much as it does. I would say after building this one if you got the cash it is well worth it! Yes there it is, a shameless plug for Beaumont.:D
Rob is a stand up guy and will answer questions even when he know you are building a clone and not buying one of his! There ain't too many people who would do that!!!!!!

The bearings themselves I ordered off ebay. Something like these,

http://cgi.ebay.com/FLANGE-BEARING-...415?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aabe69597

Except for they are for a 3/4" shaft which is what I used as a drive shaft! You just have to keep an eye out for them on ebay. You can also get them at places like Grizzly, ENCO, MSC.
The ones I got are the same number as the ones on the KMG,. Specs were on the KMG site!

So far I have been doing my own HT. 1080 is one of those steels that is fairly easy to HT. However I am not sure if I will do it with these or not since there is a dozen of them.

The forge on top of the cart was set up with a thermocouple and a PID controller and that is what how I was controlling temps to HT. It was something that required constant monitoring as I did not have it set up with gas solenoids. It allowed me to monitor temps but you had to stay on top of it to control the temp.

I did not have the forge mounted down, but it is now ! On a trip out of the garage one day when I was in a big hurry the cart tipped slightly. Before I could stop it the forge came off of the top. :eek:@#%&^(*:mad:
Let’s just say I am in the process of relining it and reworking the thermocouple and PID controller. I think I will add in gas solenoids and then the PID can control the gas flow which controls the temp. Stacey has a diagram showing how to do it and I have it all except for the solenoids! So I think I will do it right this time!
 
Railrider I see you are in NW Florida. Have you ever heard of this place?

Reynolds Hardware
9326 Pensacola Blvd
Pensacola, FL 32534
850-476-3331

They used to carry them. I don't know what kind of price they have on them but it's local! They carry all sorts of stuff nobody else in town carries. I mean there is things in there that they have even forgotten they have. They buy out alot of hardwares going out of bussiness! It might be worth a try!
 
It sounds familiar for some reason, but I've never been there. I'll see if I can find them one day. Thanks!

I'm in Niceville, south of Crestview. Being a care taker can run ya down sometimes. I'm one too. If you are ever in this area and wanna chat, let me know. I wish you two the best.
 
I did the whole file out a knife thing for a year, then I finally got a true grinder built up the end of January/ mid February. I don't have a lot of time in on it yet, but its light speed compared to the files.

One question, after my sudden move I don't have a fixed place to mount my grinder and will be building a wheeled cart for it, do you find that you cart moves when you start leaning in on it while grinding? I can remember all the wheeled carts I had ever used the wheel locks were garbage and was just planning on making so blocks to compliment the wheel locks, but like everything the locks could be stronger now.
 
I think the cart was a win, win situation. The completed KMG clone is a heavy unit, and not something you want to be moving around a lot.

Built properly and with the proper motor and belt, I don't think you will have to do much "leaning on the grinder". Mine is built as a pretty much identical copy of the KMG. Same motor w/same 3 step pulleys, etc. etc.. I figured if Beumount had a winner here they had worked out all the bugs. So I tried not to scrimp on what went into the grinder. My only problem was I had more time than I had cash!

The cart is still a work in progress but it is going to be great I think, the cart solves the problem of space and light for me. I put some good wheels on the cart I figured I wanted it too roll and work well and figured it was worth the extra money spent on them! These are tight tolerance (not sloppy) and greaseable and for HF I think pretty good quality! Two fixed and two swivelable and locking.


http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-cushion-tire-swivel-caster-with-brake-46819.html

I have had to work on balance for the cart. In other words I use the bottom for heavier items to counterbalance any high center of gravity problems. I am even thinking down the line I will add a steel rack on the bottom of the cart!
That has been the only thing I have had to work on with the cart though, and that was due to the fact I mounted my forge on top of the cart and made it top heavy. But I wanted the forge up where I could look into the belly of the beast, so to speak!

It has two fixed wheels and two locking wheels. The cart is made as long and wide as I thought could work for me in my shop. I noticed that where I usually park it on the sidewalk it is not quite level and so only one of the locking wheels was actually touching the concrete and the cart never moved.
However when I was testing the unit out on the cart after finding it did not sit with both wheels on the sidewalk, I put a strip of 1x2 on the sidewalk to give the wheels something to bit into and I did lean into it. No problems with the cart!

It is pouring rain here this morning and since we are in the 12-14" deficit on rain I won't complain. When it stops raining I will get it out and take some pics and put some dimensions on the cart for you to take a look at!

A cart may not be for everyone but with my medical problems and lack of space it becomes a great answer.
 
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One solution to the cart idea is to use 2 fixed wheels and 2 legs, use it like a 2 wheeled wheelbarrow.

When you set it down, it should be pretty sturdy and not move.
 
As I said this cart is a work in progress. So if it doesn’t look complete its not. I had it in my mind that I wanted to build something like this cart. One day I am driving by a dumpster and sticking out of it are two metal carts that had been discarded. They were crappily welded up and had crappy casters on them. However the steel was just bagging to reused! So I obliged it and ended up buying only a couple of pieces of new steel to complete the cart. Alright so I admit it, I am a packrat!:o

Click thumbnails for larger view:




The cart itself at the base is 38 ½”in length and 27” in width. The second level, where the grinder sit, is cantilevered out on the grinder end another approx. 17 ½” for a length of 56 ½” O.A.. The third level where the forge sits is cantilevered the opposite direction from the second level approx. 4” and it has been reduced in width from the second level (to help with center of balance), it is appox.30” in length and 24” in width. O.A.




Here are a couple of shots of the caster I have under it!







I am thinking of adding a drawer under where the grinder sits for storage of the platen, or 10”wheel when they are not in use, as well as place for the storage of the tools needed for adjustment. Wrenches and Allen wrenches, etc.



The motor on the grinder is under mounted for space consideration.

I had to place a spring on it because the 220V motor kicks up with such force I was afraid it might throw the belt.



The handle off of the motor mount (hard to see in this pic but is sticking out in front of the chain), it allows for ease in changing the belt on the 3 step pulley.

The chain assures it doesn’t get away from me as the motor mount uses the weight of the motor itself is used for belt tension.



The forge sits on the top and makes it close to eye level when looking into it! Like I said it may not be for evryone but for me it solved a lot of problems!
 
Those look like the casters I have been looking at through Princess Auto, the Canadian equivalent to HF, so its good to hear they stay in place. My cart is going to me more of a movable bench that my little drill press and band saw will set up on one end and the grinder (GIB grinder, 1.5hp with VFD) on the other. The garage I am setting up in is narrow and gets used by a car in the winter so I have to be able to get it off to the side to let the car in. My thoughts are to just swing it out to work and swing it back when not in use. I to have medical issues right now, bad tennis elbow in both arms so lifting is a pain literally and figuratively.
 
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