grinder help

Knifemaker87

Knifemaker87

Joined
Jan 2, 2006
Messages
1,073
i am needing a new grinder. i have seen several different optin but i am also looking to spend as little money as possible. currently i have made all of my knives on a belt grinder from northern tool co. i really like the KMG... but it is a tad expensive...i also saw a burr king on ebay for relativly ceap....
i need some help here..
part of me is saying... you know you can get another belt grinder for like $65.... then then i look at the kinda grind you get with the other grinders...

i have a pic of my grinder here:
CIMG0075.jpg


thanks for your help
~chris
 
KMG is a big chunk to spend but I am taking the plunge tomorrow morning. I just picked up a 1.5hp Lesson motor on Ebay in excellent condition for $76!:eek: For the $$ I saved on the motor I have to take the KMG plunge.:rolleyes:
 
If you can't afford a KMG, get a Coote ( www.cootebeltgrinder.com ). I run one and so do a lot of other folks here. Very good machine for the money.

By the looks of the machine you're running now, it runs screaming fast. If you get a coote you can put step pulleys on it to get multiple speeds, or you can set it up with a variable speed motor.
Also, you should look into sitting your grinder up on a stand so that you can use it comfortably. You'll better work when you're comfortable, and if you can stand in a more consitent postion you will be able to do more consistent work.
 
Okay, I don't know what you do for a living, but:

GET SOME SAFETY GLASSES PLEASE!

Metal particles don't rinse out of your eyes, they stick and/or burn into your cornea. I had grinding particles in my eye from work, and trust me, it hurts like hell and the doctor scraping the particles out with a needle isn't much better. You only have two eyes and you need both of them to make blades (depth perception being a necessity).

With that said, I just set up a coote last week and like it a lot. Great machine for the money.
 
LOL
Dang Chris I think I gave you a hard time about glasses when you posted this same pic in another thread, didn't I? Man that's funny.

I think you should go draw some glasses on your face with MS Paint and then upload the pic again :p :thumbup:

Mike
 
you know.... i thought about not using this pic.... but then it was cold and dark and didnt want to take another.... heh...
yep... understand about the eye protection... so if i have gotten metal in my eyes... its still there? should i get it looked at?

okay...
i like the look of the coote.... but is there a best size? longer belts? bigger diameter? what is your recomendation? what kinda motor would i need? and how do i connect it to the grinder?
also where is the best place to buy belts?

thanks!
~Chris
 
You've probably heard this enough already, but please get some safety glasses! I've got a 2mm hunk of iron in my right eye that has caused me serious trouble with cataracts the last couple of years and the specialists I've seen don't know what to do with it (too risky to remove). Take care!
 
hello
i bought a grizzly after reading all the post about
not wasting your money and geting a bader or kmg. now i know to listen to these guys. just got a kmg about a week ago. the veriable speed is so mutch better.now the grizzly iz in my brothers shop and i am out the $468.25. it is just too fast.
only problem with the kmg over the bader is the small wheel attachment is bilt diferent and you cant grind the lock bar on a frame lock butt i just go to matts "pontiaker" to do that.
 
I just bought a Coote and it's a really solid machine. It set me back under 500 bucks too. I'm really happy with it :thumbup:
 
Knifemaker87 said:
you know.... i thought about not using this pic.... but then it was cold and dark and didnt want to take another.... heh...
yep... understand about the eye protection... so if i have gotten metal in my eyes... its still there? should i get it looked at?

okay...
i like the look of the coote.... but is there a best size? longer belts? bigger diameter? what is your recomendation? what kinda motor would i need? and how do i connect it to the grinder?
also where is the best place to buy belts?

thanks!
~Chris
Click to expand...


Get the 2"x72" model. The selection of belts is better, and they will last longer.
I went with the 10" wheel because I like to hollow grind. If you only intend to flat grind, its probably a non issue. An 8" wheel works fine too, but I like the 10" better especially on larger knives.
For the motor, just buy a 1725rpm TEFC farm duty motor, 1-2 hp is fine. Norm will sell you a set of step pulleys to go with the ginder. One will mount on the grinder shaft, one on the motor shaft and then just a standard V-belt to connect them. You're sort of stuck making you're own mount for the grinder and motor but you will find lots of ideas for that if you search this forum.
I generally buy belts from pops, but there are lots of good places to buy them anymore.
 
I went from a 1X30 to a 2X42 to a cheap 2X72 to a KMG in less than a few years, and wish i had just started with the KMG. I got mine used for a crazy steal (500$ for the KMG, motor, two tooling arms, contact wheel, platen etc) but dont see too many in the second market so i understand the pricing aspect. My suggestion? Keep what you have, make a batch of knives that you know when sold will equal the price of a KMG, and do it. I made a pact with myself to not get a KMG until i had sold enough knives to pay for it. I was able to pay for the KMG with knife profits and felt that it also gave the machine some soul knowing it was born from the trade...
 
I personally like the KMG grinder If you have acess to a machine shop and abou 30 hours to spend you can make your own. I looked at all the parts on line and made a set of blueprints from them. I spent200 dollars and have an excellent grinder that can use KMG attatchments. the contact wheels are the expensive part so I made one from a 8"x2" cast iron wheel with a red pvc tire on it(idusterial supply shop20$) I bored the hub out to 1.250" to acomadate a set of sealed ball bearings(7$ea.) then trued up the tire on a 9" southbend lathe...would you like to hear more? could mail you plans if you want.
 
My bad the site I was looking on was a similar spelling but not the site that you sugested to me...Thanx again
 
ciphery said:
I personally like the KMG grinder If you have acess to a machine shop and abou 30 hours to spend you can make your own. I looked at all the parts on line and made a set of blueprints from them. I spent200 dollars and have an excellent grinder that can use KMG attatchments. the contact wheels are the expensive part so I made one from a 8"x2" cast iron wheel with a red pvc tire on it(idusterial supply shop20$) I bored the hub out to 1.250" to acomadate a set of sealed ball bearings(7$ea.) then trued up the tire on a 9" southbend lathe...would you like to hear more? could mail you plans if you want.
Click to expand...

I am in the process of building a KMG Clone but my set of plans are incomplete. I'd like to take a peek at your plans :-)
t_megow@yahoo.com
 
well I can scan them but it is not my computer that I would be doing it on. I could mail them or you can simply ask me what parts you need to know about.
I got ALL my plans from the KMG site with only a few modifications. I will try to get a good portion of the plans online soon but I made my plans on a one to one scale...this makes scanning a little bit difficult.
 
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