For Hollow Grinders - 8 or 10 inch wheel for me?

Just got off the phone with Norman Coote. The 10 inch machine can be field modified by the user for 8 inch contact wheel use without complex effort. Sounded pretty simple to me and after seeing the machine it will all seem straight forward, I'm sure. The 8 inch wheel is currently 89 bucks extra if wanted and can be gotten later.

Pulleys are available. The 2 three gang pulleys (one for the grinder and one for the motor) total 38 bucks. A 26 inch V-belt is available for $4.25. All from him. Keys are included. Keyways are 3/16 and the shaft is 5/8. Using a 1725 RPM motor, the 3 gang pulley set provides: 1725, 1035, and 577 RPM at the contact wheel.

I'm getting a Coote. Now for a motor.

Roger
 
Roger
Keep an eye on ebay,somtimes there are some good buys on there
I hope it all works out for you.I will be looking forward to seeing
how you like hollow grinding,keep us posted
;) Nathan
PS What part of WV are you from,I live on the border and my wife is
from WV.If you are close maybe you could come up and test drive
my KMG.:D
 
Okay Nathan and thanks again for all the help. Please remember though I am still content with flat grinding and am not planning any hollow grinding soon. I just want to get the best size wheel available for hollow grinding when I first get the grinder because I know I will want to learn the hollow grind as time and knives pass by.

Roger
 
I started with a 8" serrated wheel and then went to the smooth, I like the smooth much better, within the last 1 1/2 year I have switched to a 10" smooth contact wheel, and I really like the results I have been getting, eventually I plan to go to a 14" smooth contact wheel. My 2 cents.:D
 
Thanks largely to this thread, I have decided to get the Coote with the 10" wheel, with the pulley set up, as well. I can do this now that my wife's school money came in. :D
 
Nathan,

Sorry. forgot to answer your question. I am located at Nitro, between Charleston and Huntington. We border five states. Ohio is closest to me.

Poboy. Great. Tell Norman Coote he owes me a commission:).

Roger
 
For what it's worth, I think If you are learning to hollow grind an 8" wheel is much easier!!! It is also much easier to use thicker stock to learn on. I ground my first 15 blades with an 8" wheel. But now that I have the hang of it, I grind almost everything on a 10" wheel. I really only hollow grind small hunters and utility knives with blades under 5". An eight inch wheel will leave a more dramatic looking hollow, but the ten inch hollow grind cuts better. I recently got a 12" wheel, and I think it is perfect for hunting size blades. But it is harder to control the grind.
Kyle Fuglesten
 
Don't read anything into this (I'm not throwing rocks) but if you can flat grind then you should be able to hollow grind on any size wheel.

C Wilkins
 
Kile, yes - I have seen another post or two here that say that. I'll go for broke and start with the 10 inch. If I have to trash a couple blanks I will. I'm stubborn. Thanks though, and I believe what you say.

C.L., I'll most likely stick with the flat grind for awhile any way. I like the flat but I might like the hollow better after I do some. Maybe not.
 
Hey bubba, you need to talk to Rob about these
Maska, 3 groove step pulleys 4", 3", 2" diameters
Cast iron, machined and balanced for smooth vibration free performance. If its was me I would get the Power Twist
V-Belts from Grizzly. I`m sold on them. But what the
hell do I know
 
I agree,I have a belt from grizzly,they are one tough belt not much stretch on them.I run one on my KMG and I also had it on my coote
and it is showing no wear.
 
Sylvester,

Rob who about the step pulleys??

I looked at the Griz V-belt the other evening. Thanks for the tip. Looks like I might be getting a motor from them too.

Roger
 
check harbor frieight for a cheap chinese motors. rob is rob frink of beaumont metal works. maker of the KMG grinder. another great guy to work with. he made a 9" disc for me. i use a auto fan belt. no stretch at all.
 
One thing about the Coote (or Pro-Cut and Grizzly) is that for flat grinding, it is hard to "belly up" to the platen. You may want a "curb feeler" of sorts while grinding so you don't grind any hide off your forehead. Not a big problem, just be aware of it. A ballcap with a good bill should work as a "tattle tale" or "curb feelers". I can't recall how I know such things... :D

One other thing, take off that tool rest thingy...but that's another story.

C Wilkins
 
I have a Wilton Square wheel that I use and it came with a 8" Serrated wheel. I then bought an 8" smooth wheel and didnt like it. Didnt transfer heat well so I went back to the serrated wheel. I recently went to a 10" serrated wheel from Rob and theres not alot of difference from the 8" IMO. You can get the grind up a little higher without rolling the blade but not alot more like I was expecting. When I get another wheel it will be a 14" serrated but I will need a different grinder for that since the square wheel wont accept it for sure. The 10" is crammed in there prety tight as it is now.
 
I use a 10 inch wheel. Mine is serated and I have used a mates which is smooth. I like his better, a much nicer feel for my taste.
However the groves on mine are very wide a narrower grove may be better. If I was going to buy another wheel it would be smooth.

Also the same mate has a small contact wheel that is a bolt on attachement to his bench grinder. It is only 3 or 4 inch. For narrow blades it is very nice you can see the hollow in the grind much clearer.

the machine I have can be converted to any size wheel but I am just to cheap to get a smooth wheel and a smaler wheel.
So the moral of the story is which ever you get you can addapt there is no wrong wheel. Personal prefference will always play a part. They will all take practice. Have fun with it.
 
It just dawned on me what I use an 8" wheel for. I use it to grind the hollow in the tang, preperatory to tapering, and to grind the top bevel on a knife with a false edge.
A 10" wheel would be too big for many of those tasks. A lessor wheel would be too small.
If you can get the 8" for not too much $ extra, do it, you will find a use for it. :D
 
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