Grinder choice (advice)

J

jago434

Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Messages
21
hello everyone just wanted to reintroduce myself. My name is Jason and I am about to dive into the custom knife making world. I have been a hobby woodworker for the last 10 years but I have always wanted to build and design knives. It's been years since I have posted, I hope to become a part of your community here again.

Now on to my question, I have been doing tons of research over the last two month into grinders. I am down to
KMG
Esteem
Pheer
These are the grinders in my budget, I know there is a lot of info in this forum on these models but I am still asking for a final opinion from anyone who has used these models and can help direct me into my final purchase. I am ready to buy it today I just don't want to choose the wrong one and have buyers remorse.
Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.
Jason
 
I have an kmg and five it a strong thumbs up. Since it is made from 1/2 cold rolled plate, modifying it to suit your need is quite easy. If you have a drill press and can tap then the sky is the limit with this platform. After the purchase support is very good and there are all kinds of attachments. You will see Beaumont metal Works contact wheels on all kinds of machines and that is a strong endorsement. You won't go wrong with a kmg. With that said, I would go with a vfd setup and get a 2 or 3 hp and never look back.
 
PT Doc said:
I have an kmg and five it a strong thumbs up. Since it is made from 1/2 cold rolled plate, modifying it to suit your need is quite easy. If you have a drill press and can tap then the sky is the limit with this platform. After the purchase support is very good and there are all kinds of attachments. You will see Beaumont metal Works contact wheels on all kinds of machines and that is a strong endorsement. You won't go wrong with a kmg. With that said, I would go with a vfd setup and get a 2 or 3 hp and never look back.
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PT,
Those contact wheels are made by http://www.contactrubber.com/products.asp Making the contact wheels is very specialized and I don't think any grinder maker builds their own wheels.
 
Thank you very much for your input. I was thinking of going with the kmg 2hp variable speed. Then I saw the build quality of the esteem grinder and the savings and that just made me hesitate. I guess I should stick with my initial plan and go for the kmg grinder.
Thank you for your reply
Jason
 
I just got my Esteem, and I'm extremely happy with it. Talk to Brett first, and learn about the differences in machines before you buy. I did, and I'm thankful that I did.
 
Pt Doc. As of a couple months ago Contact rubber corp. did not have any min. requirments. I have had several wheels made there over the years with the last one being a 14" wheel for a customer. When you contact them make sure you have all your exact details like bearing bore size, and offsets you want hardness and type of serrations (if you want them). Lot of options available but you need to know exactly what you want when you call them. They have a good website with detailed ordering options if your unsure.

Brett
 
Brett Mathews said:
Pt Doc. As of a couple months ago Contact rubber corp. did not have any min. requirments. I have had several wheels made there over the years with the last one being a 14" wheel for a customer. When you contact them make sure you have all your exact details like bearing bore size, and offsets you want hardness and type of serrations (if you want them). Lot of options available but you need to know exactly what you want when you call them. They have a good website with detailed ordering options if your unsure.

Brett
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How is pricing directly from contact rubber compared to BMW pricing?
 
brett I will contact you tomorrow to discuss the grinder. We spoke previously through email. I have not purchased the kmg yet as I am still going back and forth between yours and the kmg.
Jason
 
You would have to call them to find out. The wheels I have had made where not like BMW wheel. Most them where different surface grinders I have over the years. For example though the 14" wheel was under $500 shipped. But like I said there are many options that can effect the final price.

Brett
PT Doc said:
How is pricing directly from contact rubber compared to BMW pricing?
Click to expand...
 
I just sent Brett a PM. Very interested in one of his grinders. Was going to go with a KMG VDS 2hp with platten and 10" wheel. What is a good size wheel for a beginning knife maker?
 
Of the grinders you listed, the Esteem is the best option.

I have a KMG, and can't say that I would recommend it.
 
I have been corresponding with Brett via email. I am blown away! What an obviously genuinely nice, helpful guy! I will be in his neck of the woods for the holidays and will pick up one of his grinders. If anyone is on the fence I would suggest they call Brett. He us exactly the kind of guy I want to do business with.
 
And since the Esteem is direct drive it should be quieter than a grinder setup with sheaves and belt.
 
Thank you to all that have replied to this thread. I know there are tons of threads like this on the forum so I appoligize for the redundancy.
I have been speaking with Brett over the phone and email and like all other have said he is sincerely a great person to deal with. We are in the final stages of putting the options together. I will keep you all posted with my final setup.
 
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