General Grinder Question......

T

Trick

Joined
Mar 3, 2001
Messages
351
Hi all,haven't posted in a while.A while back I had the money to get a griz and backed out.I ended up paying bills.
Anyway,now my stupid question.
Does a 2x72" grinder with say(Just an Example) a 1.5 horse,3450 RPM motor,remove material quicker than a 6x48 with a 1.5 HP 3450 RPM motor?
I have an old 6x48 with a 1HP now and it takes me hours and hours to even flatten out a piece of 5160 annealed steel.(Well,I followed the instructions I got from here on how to anneal)I just don't get it!How can Alan Blade make a knife in one video(well,almost) and I can't even get the forge pits out in hours?
huh.gif

Thanks,Ric
 
Ric, a 2 by 72, like my wilton square wheel, will remove steel 10 times faster than a 6 by 48. My 6 by 48 seldom gets used at all anymore. It just turns too slow for blade grinding.
 
Thank you very much L6!I for the life of me could not figure out what was going on.I know that the more knives you make,the process gets quicker,but this is just ridiculous!
I guess I am back to figuring out how to get enough money for a grinder. :(
Have a Happy New Year! :)
 
I have done woodworking my whole life and am very familiar with the smaller belt grinders. I thought I had an idea about removing stock. Then I tried a piece of steel. Man, it took FOREVER!

I remember when I got my first 2x72. These things will flat turn steel to dust in a hurry. As i have learned, taking material off is the easy part- taking it off with any sort of plan is the hard part. I finaly went to variable speed to have more control over the removal rate.

Get with a local maker or blacksmith for a few hours just to watch how the tools work- they make knifemaking fun instead of boring and draining.

I was lucky to spend time with Blind Dog [Terry McMaster] early on to get some general ideas, and to have him fix my first 10 really bad mistakes. The many hours spent with him showed me the need for decent tools.

I was then lucky again to get to spend several hours with Nick Wheeler and have him take me through many steps in working the tools instead of letting them work me.

These two guys saved me at least a year bumbling around on my own. I don't know if I would have grown to love knifemaking without these guys and their willingness to help a total stranger.

Find someone local who will let you watch and try to understand what they are telling you while they work. There is a whole universe out there that you can't even see yet- and MAN is it fun!

Good Luck,
Dave
 
I gave my 6x48 to my brother in law. The 2x72 does everything it did, only better. As Winddancer notes, 3450 RPM isn't the only thing to look at, going slower with a variable speed is really more helpful than just knocking off steel quickly.
 
then get quality belts, it wount'nt matter what grinder you have if you buy cheap belts, i use 3m, norton, hermes, or klingspor. mostly 3m and norton ceramics. cheap belts are no bargain. it cost less in the long run to put out the money for good ones that will cut cleanly and evenly.
 
I'm a newbie that recently got into knifemaking. I got a Grizzly and since you're also in IL, you're welcome to drop by sometime and try my machine to see if its the kind of machine you're looking to buy before you order it. Go ahead and e-mail me if you're interested. I'm free until Jan 14, then I have to go back to class.
 
Thanks alot for the responses!You guys have got me wanting this more now!I was getting so frustrated trying to even get a piece shaped and was about to give up!
WinDancer and tmickley,I understand what you two are saying about slowing down.My problem is even getting that far along in the first place! :D I think I am going to take Chang up on his offer and take a drive to check out his.I really want a frink,but right now I am sure a grizzly would be a good investment for awhile.I would like to see one in person and try it a few minutes and I will know.Then I think I can set up a Grizzly with the Step pulleys from all the help on this forum.I think the soft touch slow work will be no problem if I can ever get to that point.
RHINOKNIVES,plan on it!I bought some cheap 6x48 belts on Ebay and think I like the Nortons better.I agree with you,I think good belts on any grinder would be better than cheap belts on a good grinder.I am not going to put cheap fishing line on my $200 outfit!Give me the Spiderwire! :D
Chang,Thank you very much for the offer!I very much appreciate it!I sent you an email.
Thanks again all!
Ric
 
does anyone have the link for the gizzly website,
internet callenged here I cant seem to find it?
 
right now I am sure a grizzly would be a good investment for awhile.I would like to see one in person and try it a few minutes and I will know.
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When you try the Grizzly, do make part of your test to finish a good grind line using smaller grits to make your decision. The Grizz does great at it's fast speed hogging off metal and getting close to a general shape/grind line. To be fair, you can make an absolutely dandy knife with a Grizzly. Hundreds (thousands?)of makers do just that. Having used one and then moving to a variable speed made a lot of difference for me. I bought the Grizzly knowing I was taking the less expensive way into the hobby as a test of whether I wanted to persue it or not with out spending a whole lot. I also needed the buffer part of it. I don't consider it a loss to have purchased the Grizzly first and then moving to a a KMG1 variable. I planned it as a natural progression if I found I liked making knives.
 
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