Grinder for a novice

D

DiverTexas

Joined
Mar 14, 2009
Messages
75
I'm looking to buy a grinder to begin making my own blades and would like to get some recommendations from you guys.
This is just a hobby for me, but I'd like to be able to turn out some nice knives.
I've looked at Coote, Grizzly, Bader and Radius master.
I'm not wanting to make the mistake of buying something cheap and then regretting not spending a little more to get a quality machine that will last as well as be able to accomplish what is was intended for.
If you have any thoughts on what might be the appropriate machine as well as which accessories I should consider, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,

Russell
 
Russel I have heard good things about coote and grizzley's for begginer grinders. I started out with a craftsman 2x42 and now have a bader. It is night and day. If you want something that will be more quality the don't get the 2x42. Although I have made many knives with it. I like the bader I have. Check out the KMG, and no weld grinders on USA Knifemakers supply.
 
I think you'll find that KMG and Bader tops the list if you ask anyone what would your fist choice in grinders be. They're basically THE machines to have if you want top of the line.

Coote and Grizzly would be next in line most likely. I haven't seen much talk about a Radius Master on here though. I'm just getting started in this game though and have a 2x42 but I'm just going off of what I've seen on here. The grinder subject comes up fairly often, and I asked the same question too at one point I think :D.
 
If you can afford the Bader, you will be very happy with it. You should be able to get a fair price out of it later if you decide to sell t.
 
I use the coote and can do anything with it and I am very happy with the quality. On the low end I think it one of the best. I dont think you will regret a Coote.
 
I'd suggest buying a Bader or a KMG. If your serious about making knives, you might as well buy a good grinder. It may be a bit expensive, but they last forever and are worth the investment.
 
Thanks for the input guys, I'll probably break down and spend the money on a good quality one I can use for a long time.
 
EDIT: Russell, I just noticed you're in Austin. PM me if you want to fiddle with the Grizzly.

I'm chiming in here because most of the "get the best!" grinder recommendations I see are by established makers and I figured A) as a noob, I wouldn't notice the difference, and B) they're just spoiled :p

I'm new to making knives and this is my first run at long-belt grinders, but I've used everything from crocus cloth to drum sanders to pneumatic angle-grinders all my life. I thought "good enough" would be good enough to get started, so I bought a Grizzly G1015. While I think I got my money's worth, I honestly wish I had either built a No-Weld Grinder or saved a little longer for a Beaumont KMG.

http://www.mickleyknives.com/html/no_weld_grinder.html

http://www.beaumontmetalworks.com/grinder.html

I spent a good half-day figuring out why the Grizzly wouldn't track correctly (the idler-wheel assembly had a pivot-part preinstalled upside-down) and reassembling it. Once correctly assembled, it runs true and feels solid enough, but I still have a few issues with it:

1) Holy gods it moves fast! A stepped-pulley or VHD arrangement would be a huge improvement, but the Grizzly's design makes that a non-trivial conversion.

2) Slack-belt operation makes the belt want to run off the wheels, even applying very little pressure. I think that's due to the long run between drive wheel and idler.

3) The tool rest assembly is just ass. It's a good, stable wrist rest, but I want a solid framework to mount jigs for precision work. Considering Bitch #4, that'll take some doing.

4) If you look at the KMG or the No-Weld Grinder, you'll see that no matter what tooling you're using, the point of contact - where your workpiece meets belt - is at about the same height. With the Grizzly, the contact point to the 8" wheel is over a foot lower than the center of the platen. This means you have to choose a mount height that's ergonomic for either the 8" wheel or platen (or neither!). A comfortable height for both setups isn't possible. It also means that a rigid tool rest would require two different mount assemblies.

None of these issues are insurmountable, but I can see that by the time I get my Grizzly walking and talking, I'll have paid for a very nice KMG or NWG setup. What I'll probably do is build a NWG for making blades and use the Griz for scales and cabochons... :-P

I'll admit that working with a long belt is a very different process than I've done before. If anyone with a Grizzly has solved the issues I'm having or can identify & correct any mistakes I'm making, I'd love to hear it!
 
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I'm trying to order a Coote next month...hopefully. According to research, it's probably the cheapest entry level grinder that's worth keeping. For a few hundred more, you can get a KMG, though, which is an excellent grinder with a ton of different configurations and attachments.
 
Patrickknives said:
I use the coote and can do anything with it and I am very happy with the quality. On the low end I think it one of the best. I dont think you will regret a Coote.
Click to expand...

Patrick,

Can you post a pic or two of your Coote? I'd like to see how it's set up. Also, do you use the sanding disc attachment?
 
drdoc said:
EDIT: Russell, I just noticed you're in Austin. PM me if you want to fiddle with the Grizzly.

I'm chiming in here because most of the "get the best!" grinder recommendations I see are by established makers and I figured A) as a noob, I wouldn't notice the difference, and B) they're just spoiled :p

I'm new to making knives and this is my first run at long-belt grinders, but I've used everything from crocus cloth to drum sanders to pneumatic angle-grinders all my life. I thought "good enough" would be good enough to get started, so I bought a Grizzly G1015. While I think I got my money's worth, I honestly wish I had either built a No-Weld Grinder or saved a little longer for a Beaumont KMG.

http://www.mickleyknives.com/html/no_weld_grinder.html

http://www.beaumontmetalworks.com/grinder.html

I spent a good half-day figuring out why the Grizzly wouldn't track correctly (the idler-wheel assembly had a pivot-part preinstalled upside-down) and reassembling it. Once correctly assembled, it runs true and feels solid enough, but I still have a few issues with it:

1) Holy gods it moves fast! A stepped-pulley or VHD arrangement would be a huge improvement, but the Grizzly's design makes that a non-trivial conversion.

2) Slack-belt operation makes the belt want to run off the wheels, even applying very little pressure. I think that's due to the long run between drive wheel and idler.

3) The tool rest assembly is just ass. It's a good, stable wrist rest, but I want a solid framework to mount jigs for precision work. Considering Bitch #4, that'll take some doing.

4) If you look at the KMG or the No-Weld Grinder, you'll see that no matter what tooling you're using, the point of contact - where your workpiece meets belt - is at about the same height. With the Grizzly, the contact point to the 8" wheel is over a foot lower than the center of the platen. This means you have to choose a mount height that's ergonomic for either the 8" wheel or platen (or neither!). A comfortable height for both setups isn't possible. It also means that a rigid tool rest would require two different mount assemblies.

None of these issues are insurmountable, but I can see that by the time I get my Grizzly walking and talking, I'll have paid for a very nice KMG or NWG setup. What I'll probably do is build a NWG for making blades and use the Griz for scales and cabochons... :-P

I'll admit that working with a long belt is a very different process than I've done before. If anyone with a Grizzly has solved the issues I'm having or can identify & correct any mistakes I'm making, I'd love to hear it!
Click to expand...

That's a lot of great info Doc and is much appreciated. I don't seem to have PM capabilities, so I will try to figure out another means of contacting you.
Many thanks to all of you for your input.
 
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