Goodbye to an old friend

Metalhead0483

Metalhead0483

Joined
Jan 17, 2008
Messages
539
After almost a decade of use with me (and it was second hand when I bought it) my old craftsman 2x42 grinder has finally kicked the bucket.

...Moment of silence please.

Alright... Now that that rubbish is done with, I can FINALLY get a new grinder! :D

After some consideration, and looking at what I'm going to be using it for I went ahead and ordered a SLING kit from Jamie at Polar Bear Forge. By my math, and depending on which motor I end up with I should be in to the whole thing for a bit under $500. Not too shabby really. Unless I go a bit crazy and buy a 3 phase and VFD that is. I'm sort of on the fence there. What are people's thoughts? Is it worth shelling out the (significant) extra clams for the variable speed?
 
Metalhead0483 said:
After almost a decade of use with me (and it was second hand when I bought it) my old craftsman 2x42 grinder has finally kicked the bucket.

...Moment of silence please.

Alright... Now that that rubbish is done with, I can FINALLY get a new grinder! :D

After some consideration, and looking at what I'm going to be using it for I went ahead and ordered a SLING kit from Jamie at Polar Bear Forge. By my math, and depending on which motor I end up with I should be in to the whole thing for a bit under $500. Not too shabby really. Unless I go a bit crazy and buy a 3 phase and VFD that is. I'm sort of on the fence there. What are people's thoughts? Is it worth shelling out the (significant) extra clams for the variable speed?
Click to expand...

My condolences... :D

As for the VFD, it is ABSOLUTELY worth it. I can all but guarantee that nobody who has ever paid the extra for a VFD has regretted it. I put it off for YEARS while I bought other tools and such for the shop, but when I finally got one with my new grinder, the only regret I had was not buying one when I built my FIRST grinder years earlier. The difference is night and day, IMO, and for someone coming from a single speed 2x42 to begin with, it will be even more so. You don't quite realize how useful being able to change speeds on the fly is, or the ability to slow to a crawl, until you are actually able to do it, and then you begin to see what you've been missing.
 
I have a Kmg clone with a 4 step pulley. It is very fast and very slow but even with 4 speed options I still plan on upgrading to a vfd.
 
Heh, thanks for the advice guys. I've got a few weeks until the kit shows up from Jamie, so I've got some time to consider the motor conundrum. Really I just need to go out and find the best deal on a motor/VFD combo... Any suggestions?
 
Metalhead0483 said:
Heh, thanks for the advice guys. I've got a few weeks until the kit shows up from Jamie, so I've got some time to consider the motor conundrum. Really I just need to go out and find the best deal on a motor/VFD combo... Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

If you want a brand new 3 phase, it's hard to beat the IronHorse motors for the price. $150 bucks or so will get you a 2hp motor or so. You can find a used or surplus motor that will be higher quality for at or below the same price, but you'll have to search around. eBay, craiglist, local motor shops, etc...

The best VFD for knife grinders is gonna be the kbac series. A kbac-27 will power up to a 2hp motor and set you back around $360 or so, not including wiring, switches, cable glands, outlets, and any other wiring you need to do in order to supply the 220vac. If you want to go cheaper, that's fine, but you'll be looking at an open frame that will need an enclosure to keep out dust. I also prefer that they have a speed potentiometer for easier adjustment. Most of them will allow an external control as well. Teco makes a good drive, or you could go with one of the chinese eBay specials for about $130 to $150.
 
I've gotten by for a very long time without a VFD and doing all my work at an absurd ~3,600fpm but I can definitely tell you if you have the option at the start... jump on it. This is not a road you want to travel on lol! But it's doable.
 
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