Grinder

N

North woods Knives

Joined
Feb 25, 2014
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Hey Fellas! I have an angle grinder and sander. The angle grinder is extremely difficult to get an even grind with should I look for a bench grinder of something different. What is the easiest to use for a begginer.:confused:
 
I'm sure there will be someone to chime in with the giant list of beginner links and such. They can be found in the stickies at the top of the page.

Alot of guys will say to start with files and sandpaper. I'd stay away from angle grinders and bench grinders for any knife finishing work. The angle grinder is good with a cutoff wheel to cut some bars in half, and simple profiling, and I've seen them used by forging makers to remove scale, and establish plunges.

I started right away with a 2x72 belt grinder, and was doing some very clean work pretty immediately. (after studying this for many years). It just depends on what you wanna do with this.
 
I am new at this as well. Just got my first blade profiled. I used the angle grinder for cutting out the blank and I can say that it is NOT a good tool for the job. It eats steel like a monster and I will not be able to get as many blanks out of my stock as I thought I would originally. I am looking into the harbor freight portaband that a lot of people on the forums recommend for cutting out my blanks. If I could get a 2x72 I would in a heart beat, but I was lucky enough to have someone offer my their old 2x42 on the condition that I give them a knife I make with it. I've seen some 2x42's for around 150-200 but I cant say anything about their quality. I would highly recommend a grinder of some kind for profiling though. I used files for my first profile and it didn't turn out exactly like my design and it took a LONG time to get to where it is. Hope you find what works for you and have a good time doing it. Like I said I've barely started my first knife and I'm hooked. It's very rewarding.
 
The Count will be by, but there is a whole sticky at the top of this forum for noobs, make sure to read it indepth.

You can't grind a blade with an angle grinder, at least not one that will look good.
Get some good files and make your first few using them.
When ready to move up to power, get a Craftsman 2x42 for $150 and some belts from Tru-Grit (80, 120, 220, 400)
Get some carbon steel from Aldo
Get a good respirator and proper filters and protective glasses or a shield
Get some pins and handle material from one of the popular online knife supply stores
Get a small Harbor Freight Drill press and bits from Enco or alike.
You can still use your angle grinder, but just use it to chop up your stock into workable size pieces for your blanks.

All this is lower-end but you can still make professional knives with it as long as you have the skill set. Just like anything, the proper tools help, but it's the person that is the craftsman. Using these tools will give you a chance to see if it's something you want to stick with and excel at, or if it's just a passing hobby. I'd hate to have 6K in a shop and never use it.

Also, if you are going to have a name like "North Woods Knives", I think you need to move up to a Knifemakers membership, but the Admins will let you know. Just FYI
 
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I like my Ken Onion Work Sharp, you can pull the guide off and free hand it and their are also add ons you can buy that turn it into a full on grinder capable of pretty much anything.
 
I don't think that hard wheel bench grinders are of any value in knifemaking, except to sharpen a drill.
 
I think Walter Sorrels has produced an outstanding series of 25 videos covering tools for the knifemaker's workshop. You don't need everything he covers and he is very clear about that but if you want to see what making knives can start as and evolve into, check out the series. Here's number one to get you started.

Tools for the knifemaker Part 1 - The File

Bob
 
mattking said:
I like my Ken Onion Work Sharp, you can pull the guide off and free hand it and their are also add ons you can buy that turn it into a full on grinder capable of pretty much anything.
Click to expand...

Call me skeptical.

The Craftsman with a ceramic platen is fine. You will eventually be limited by it, but I made badass knives for several years on one before finally upgrading.

If you have more money, the Grizzly would be a nicer option simply for the 2x72 belts and better workrest and platen.
 
"You can't grind a blade with an angle grinder, at least not one that will look good. "

In response to Hawk's Quote here is one I just did using nothing but an angle grinder . The grind is nearly perfect and I think it looks good for one of my first three knives. Also my first kydex Job.
 
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North woods Knives said:
"You can't grind a blade with an angle grinder, at least not one that will look good. "

In response to Hawk's Quote here is one I just did using nothing but an angle grinder . The grind is nearly perfect and I think it looks good for one of my first three knives.
Click to expand...

FYI... not the best way to start off a conversation here, claiming you got "nearly perfect" results using what is undeniably the wrong tool.

Also, your links don't work (they send me to Google Mail, not to pictures)
 
Sorry man about the pictures Ill try to fix it.

I'm perfectly willing to admit that the angle grinder is not the right tool But it can be made to work.
 
No offense, but as a newbie you aren't in the best position to say what does and doesn't work well. The very fact that you are asking about a bench grinder attests to this.
 
Sorry man still tryng to get used to windows8 here.
By the way what are your impressions of the pictures. THINGS IM DOING RIGHT OR WRONG.
 
I'm not the best one to comment, but I will anyway. The pictures are a little hard to judge, mostly due to poor lighting. I think the profile looks pretty good, but it's hard to judge the quality of the bevels from those pictures.

If you're happy with it and it works for what you want it to do, that's the most important thing.

By the way, did you seal the paracord wrap, or leave it so it could be unwound and used?
 
No, sealing the paracord is usually done by coating it with thin epoxy to form a sort of solidified wrapped handle.
 
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