good cheap belt grinder?

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skaterboy

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I am looking at an 8in belt grinders but the ones I've looked at are way to expensive for me(I am on a budget) any help would be great thanks
 
8 inch contact wheel you mean?

How much money you playing with?

When you find a belt grinder, always remember that many are sold without the electric motor....

When I was just starting out, I was told that a grinder is easy to build.
However all the questions /answers and advice were not much help if you have never seen such a tool in real life.

So I went and got the cheapest grinder sold, (Grizzly)

But now that Im making knives I see what they were talking about when they told me that I could have made my own..

Now when I go into parts stores I notice the different wheels being sold and see how I well could have made my own....there is not that much to them....a motor and some wheels to spin some sanding belts around...and the platten....not much else,,,
 
Check Ebay after you look on a few of the knife making supplier websites to familiarize yourself with how the machines look- you can find some deals- in the past year I picked up a Wilton Square grinder for about $400.00 because the seller listed it by the motor name instead of the tool company name and gave the wrong belt size. Also, some people are nearly giving them away used compared to new prices but the catch is you have to pick them up- check with the seller first and see if they will allow freight pickup- most will, they just don't want to provide the freight company for you- you have to do it yourself. I think my freight was about $125.00 including palletizing and delivery from TX to FL.

If you do want to go the build it yourself route, a knife maker named "Mack" McCormick sells plans on Ebay for around $30-$40. He will give you all the support you need to finish the machine. Building this machine was very rewarding. I bought his plans and all the materials from him as a package deal- the machine works great- I just couldn't pass up that Wilton. As far as contact wheels, he shows you how to make them and has plans for a machine to true them up- wheels up to 12". Check out his website- macoshopequip.com I can't say enough good things about Mack. Wayne Goddard's "$50.00 Knife Shop" book also has a section about building your own machines- great book for all aspects of this obsession.

Check local garage sales, too. A few yearsz ago I picked up a craftsman 4x36belt/disc machine and a scroll saw for $50. Not the best machines for the job, but they still work.
 
That Other Guy said:
grinder for about $400.00 .
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Thats the thing...but it's strange , but almost everything a guy wants to try, starts at $350.00 - $400.00 ....
My forge
My welder
My beltgrinder.
My kendo armor
My new speakers .....
My video game
My big-screen TV
My computer
My new washer

The base price for most all such things, is in the same range of $350.00 to $400.00
(Oh and as far as I know, none of such things has an upper-limit to what you can spend on them too)
 
flatgrinder said:
I wouldn't use anything less than a Grizzly.
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Yes, the Grizzly is the low end of the grinders that are good enough to keep around.
Lots of people try to make me feel bad that I only got a grizzly, but I think the Griz had a lot going for it.
Mine was only $280 + shipping at the time, it came with it's own motor, and with a built-in buffer.
Them two things alone saved me a lot of money and trouble .

AND......from the moment the guy in the truck dropped it off at my door I started to follow the writen directions and was grinding out my first knife in 1 hr and 2o mins later....not bad for a newbe...

Now, down the line, I hope to get one of them pro beltgrinders (The square wheel perhaps)..something with different wheels and stuff...but for now, Im very happy.
 
psycho78 said:
Check out a coote belt grinder.

www.cootebeltgrinder.com
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Yes, there are a lot of forum membership that use and love the 2"x8"x72" coote for $434.00 .

The one thing I would always tell a guy thinking about getting ANY belt grinder is to remember to mount the tool over the edge of a workbench.

I wish I had mounted mine out over the edge, but I didnt and now I always have trouble with doing some movements as well and the hassel with all the metal dust building up underneath.
 
The man did say cheap. I'm still learning to play with my 4x36 Ryobi belt sander ($125 with extended warranty) but it has really eased cleaning shaping the raw blanks.

What's wrong with the one inch sander/grinder I picked up from Harbor Freight ($28.00):confused: ? Both Items come with disc sanders on the sides which allow me to clean burrs and finish blank outline better, faster, and cooler than my bench grinder (whick has been used primarily for buffing since the "belt's" were wedged onto my bench).

Are the prices I'm seeing in this thread for industrial use grinders? That would explain a lot. Unless you doing more than weekend hobbying, would the extra cost be worth it? That would tend to discourage me (I AM a cheap bastich though :D ).

Jim L.
 
Yes, I also have the 4X36 as well as a one inch sander.
I had them both well before I made the jump to the 2X72 grinder.

Nothing wrong with each. I think what happend is that that as I used both of them smaller sanders I started to see how a bigger one would just be able to remove the steel a lot faster.

Yet even today when I work on handles, both of my first sanders still have they important position to play and help out.
 
Jim L. said:
Are the prices I'm seeing in this thread for industrial use grinders? .
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Well, yes and no really.
While I guess you could use a Coote for industrial work, (they are a great grinder after all).
They are also built for the knifemaker market in mind.

I still think that the "base" price you can ever hope to spend on a 2X72 inch beltgrinder is $350.00 to $400.00,

with no top end price in sight.
 
The one i have not seenisted here is the sear's 2 x 42" belt sander
not a bd little machine for around 100 bucks.
I used one for about 2 years. You can get a good selection of belts from tru-grit.
 
From experience, only a rich man can afford cheap tools.

Honestly save your money and get something that will last you a long time. If you dont know how serious you're going to be about it, the griz. can be nice, but if you know you're going to be doing this for years to come, save the extra money and get a coote or KMG or other quality grinder that will pay for itself over time. If your griz. dies after 4 years, you've just spent 100 bucks a year. A KMG will last more than 10 quite easily making the TCO the same.
 
From experience, only a rich man can afford cheap tools
Click to expand...

That is the truth. Purchase as good a tool as can be afforded (within reason). If the tool needed is out of your financial reach, save up for it.
Stacy
 
Thinking over this topic...
That 1X30 sander idea is not bad ...

If a young man is only in his teens, then there is no harm is just getting a little 1X30 sander...they are found in many stores in town , and they are able to help a young guy learn how to work the steel...

And a 1X30 sander is a good place to learn if you want to save some money and get the big boy grinders....
 
Spend some time looking around. Compare different machines. Look at the many different motor and drive combinations that are available.

While you are doing this, put some money away. Next thing you know, you'll

have enough to buy a decent Grinder. You will see good machines in the for sale area on this forum sometimes.

Don't settle for the cheap stuff.

Good luck, Fred
 
I don't consider myself a knifemaker, but I have made about 6 knives in the last 6 months from stock removal. If you want it cheap, and don't know how serious this "hobby" will become, then I can recommend the Harbor freight 1X30 belt grinder.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=2485

It goes on sale few times each year. I got mine for $29. Then go to Lee valley and get some of these belts:
40X Blue Zirconia $2.50
120X Blue Zirconia $2.50
+ some of the finer grades (15 micron) and the leather honing belts for sharpening.
 
http://grizzly.com/products/G1015
Back when i got my Grizzly, it was $100 less money...

Right now, I dont know if as a new guy I would have made the jump to a 2X72 right away...$400 is a lot of money for a new guy to sink into something he is only just "thinking about"
And the Grizzly is as cheap as you can go for a running setup.

Any 2X72 belt grinder is hard thing to give advice to a new guy about...all of our suggestions require a pile of money....
 
Boy that's the 64 dollar question. With the economy as it is, I do not think you will find belts cheat in price. But you may save a dollar or to, you need to look a round for the best deal and go there. If you are into making knives for the long haul save your money and get one of the top of the line grinder. You will be happy you did.

Barkes :thumbup:
When I leave this world I would like to be known by the one who make his knives from start to finish.

http://my.hsonline.net/wizard/knifeshop
1.812.526.6390
 
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