Grizzly grinder?

B

byersj79

Joined
Nov 17, 2007
Messages
156
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Knife-Belt-Sander-Buffer/G1015

Does anyone use this grinder? Price is right so I thought I’d give it a try. I'm new to knife making so I really don't want to spend a lot of money but I don't want equipment that I can't get the job done either. But honestly I really don't know what I need to get the job done. This one was just in my price range and it looked like a machine that I wouldn't want to upgrade after a few knives. Any help would be much appreciated.
 
i have that grinder. it greatly speeded up the time it took to make a knife for me. took me awhile to get used to it , but know im starting to get the knack for flat grinding on it. One miss move on it and u will mess up fast, i find that i have to really focus on my grinds with it. Hoping to upgrade soon to a variable speed kmg. from what i understand as has often been stated here is that if u can grind on a grizzly u can grind on anything. when i do get my kmg ill keep the grizzly as a second grinder for profiling blades out and use kmg for detail work. i have 3 knifes in the works now should be done next week maybe ill get some pics up.
 
Before you buy the Grizzly do a search on this forum and read every thing about it. I have the Grizzly and I would say you'll get your moneys worth out of it, BUT it has some issues that some people are not happy with. I bought the Grizzly knowing that I was going to build another grinder.
Look at the no weld grinder plans offered here.
http://www.usaknifemaker.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=723
I have 3 sets of plans for home built grinders and these are the most well thought out.
 
I bought a Grizzly as a back up to my every day grinder just because it was so much machine for the money. I use it for flat work so I am not changing platens all the time: a real time saver.

The objections I have to the machine are:
1) The belt tends to wander as you move steel back and forth across the platen.
2) The motor is so large that it bangs me in the hand if I try to hollow grind. (I bought it with the 8 inch wheel, the 10 inch might help)
3) The tool rest is very stout but you almost need a PHD to get it installed. (I never did get it hooked up.)

The positives:
1) It is a lot of machine for the money and you can live with the foibles to turn out a decent knife.
 
G L Drew said:
3) The tool rest is very stout but you almost need a PHD to get it installed. (I never did get it hooked up.)
Click to expand...

HE HE I almost laughed out loud when I read that cuz it's sooo true! I never got mine installed either.
As everyone will tell you, the Grizzly is a lot of machine for the money. i had one and sold it to a fellow forumite so that I could upgrade to the KMG.

I realy think that if you were at all mechanically inclined, you would be farther ahead to build your own. Once I got my KMG I was very embarassed that I did not build the grinder myself, using the KMG attachments and wheels, as I certainly could have. I absolutely LOVE my KMG, but can't help but think that I could have done it myself and saved a little cash. Then again I'm just cheap like that!:D
Good Luck
Matt Doyle
 
G L Drew said:
1) The belt tends to wander as you move steel back and forth across the platen.
Click to expand...

Try wrapping some electrical tape around the top wheel to increase the "crown" of the wheel. Also, see if you can tighten the belt up some. I don't use a Griz, but I know that when my belts start to wander it's usually too little tension.


mdoyle said:
I realy think that if you were at all mechanically inclined, you would be farther ahead to build your own. Once I got my KMG I was very embarassed that I did not build the grinder myself, using the KMG attachments and wheels, as I certainly could have. I absolutely LOVE my KMG, but can't help but think that I could have done it myself and saved a little cash. Then again I'm just cheap like that!
Click to expand...

I built mine Matt, and it did save a little $$ (I think I have about $800-850 total into it, but that was with a new VFD and 1.5HP Baldor motor) but you have to weigh time into it. It took me 2 months of weekends and a fair bit of screwed up steel to get it right. I learned a LOT from the build though so if I ever make another it'll go much faster.


I say get a Grizzly and you'll be happy. It's a great machine for the money.

-d
 
http://www.anvilfire.com/news3/news3208.shtml

I was thinking very seriously about making this one. Only thing difference is I would make it to fit 72in belts. I've found all the parts and the price was surprising. $256 for the parts not including the motor, the steel and all the smaller hardware. That's using a 6" contact wheel too which I assume I need bigger. It brings up the price another $115 with the 8". This is buying all the parts from Beaumont though but I really couldn't find another place. I thought I’d save big, I guess I would if I were building a KMG, but I think I'll go with the Grizzly. I see the disadvantages a faster belt now. Can I get around that by using higher grit than normal belts for a while until I get used to it? Thanks guys for all the help.
 
I just picked up a Grizz for a great price and man I love it! As G.L. Drew said I did not like it with the 8" wheel either, but a 10" took care of those problems. The electrical tape on the top wheel also helped with belt wobble and a ceramic platen liner finished it off. I have increased production by about 300%. Be sure to buy quality belts or you won't like any grinder. I've been checking out the KMG attachments and with a shorter extension rod on the Grizz I think any of those could be adapted to fit.
 
I bought the grizzley for my first grinder and the one thing i can say is that it was the best grinder i could afford at the time, and it did get me started makeing knives. Now i have a square wheel and i use it for grinding bevels but the grizzley gets used on everyknive i make for profilieing and handle shapeing.
 
G L Drew said:
I bought a Grizzly as a back up to my every day grinder just because it was so much machine for the money. I use it for flat work so I am not changing platens all the time: a real time saver.

The objections I have to the machine are:
1) The belt tends to wander as you move steel back and forth across the platen.
2) The motor is so large that it bangs me in the hand if I try to hollow grind. (I bought it with the 8 inch wheel, the 10 inch might help)
3) The tool rest is very stout but you almost need a PHD to get it installed. (I never did get it hooked up.)

The positives:
1) It is a lot of machine for the money and you can live with the foibles to turn out a decent knife.
Click to expand...

I have the same problem as #1 and I have tried to tighten constantly; in fact I have trouble keeping the belt tracking correctly period.

I actually did manage to get the tool rest on, but quickly took it off as I realized that it did not improve my grinding at all.

That being said it is still a great step up from filing the blades and is a good deal for the money. I also like the fact that you can use it as a buffer also. That is certainly a plus!
 
i JUST went through this and....

i got a coote.

In theory, it's another $150 to $250 total cost because of the need to get a motor, but ... damn, it's sweet. and you can make it as slow as you want.
 
I have the Grizzly (just got it in my Ithaca shop) and I have the 2 inch version of that Kalamazoo in my basement in Syracuse. DON'T BUY THE KALAMAZOO THE MOTORS ARE GREAT THE REST IS SCHIZNIT!
I got my Kalamazoo about 20 years ago, and right from the getgo had to modify it. The platen is a piece of sheet metal held by two bolts in slots, the sheet metal was not bent quite square, the slots do not extend far enough to properly support the belt, so a week after I got it I had to weld a platen prosthesis up out of 2 inch channel. The thing runs faster than snot which is great for taking large amounts of metal off, except that the motor doesn't really have the balls for that, but for working after heat treat it's just too bloody fast. The drive wheel is just a rubber dolly wheel. if you have any illusions of using it as a contact wheel give them up. Also 2x48 belts are not stocked by many places.
The Grizzly is a freakin monster, from shaft end to shaft end the thing is about a yard wide I kid you not, it really doesn't look that big in the catalog. I worry about the polishing shaft as it is just asking to catch something and wrap it up, and the grizzly motor has enoughh torque I haven't been able to stall it easily. At some point I may just cut the polishing shaft off.

Work rest? you mean the extra spare parts? I had the work rest on my Kalamazoo for all of about 20 minutes, it lasted only 5 minutes longer than the yellow painted sheet metal obstructions. If I need to sharpen plane irons I will be doing that by hand on a diamond stone. Come to think of it maybee some of the extra grizzly hardware can become an angle jig for holding gravers at the right angle on the DMTs Hmmmmm.

The graphite platen on the grizzly is some sort of gummy crap glued to cloth which is glued to the platen. It erodes quickly, I took it off quickly. I will be ordering some ceramic from Ellis when I get a little extra cash. DO NOT BUY BELTS FROM GRIZZLY They suck! More accurately grizzly belts fly apart dramatically if you lean on them at all which you have to because their abrasive dulls instantly. Get your belts from Klingspor, Norton etc.

If I only had a Bader or one of those Beumont machines . . . I can dream . . .

-Page
 
What is the size of the shaft that the contact wheel is mounted to on the grizzly? I found a website that has wheels for pretty cheap. I was thinking if I replace the 8" with a 4" it would half the speed of the belt. I know that it would not be good for hollow grinding but I honestly don't plan on doing that much of it. If I do the wheel can't be that hard to change out, right? Another question is will the belt be tight enough if I do this. Thanks again I'm pretty ignorant on this.
 
I would have to drive to Ithaca to measure it. I don't personally reccommend putting a 4 inch wheel in the Grizzley, you have enough adjustment to do it, but I don't think it will be a good thing. JMO.
One thing with the Grizzly that I laughed about then found was a good idea, wear a baseball cap with the brim in the right place. The belt on the Grizzley is right where you want to put your head to see what's going on, I laughed about someone saying that until I buzzed my hatbrim. If you want to start out with variable speed (not a bad idea really) get something like the Coote or one of Rob's machines if you have the money, if you don't have the bread, get the Grizzly, use the heck out of it and save the money you make using it toward something really good rather than trying to hotrod the Grizzly. It's a workhorse, but not worth the investment of trying to hotrod.

-Page
 
You can get an 8 or 10 inch wheel from Grizzly for about $60 each if memory serves. I'm running an 8 on my homebuilt 60" grinder and a 10 on my homebuilt 72". They may not be highly refined, but they work well. All-in-all I have probably less than $400 into TWO machines built from scrap and scrounged stuff, and they both work great!
-Mark
 
B

The grizzy is good for the money if you plan to make pretty straight forward knives, and you are innovative in your approach to building your designs. One of he biggest limiters is speed the thing runs "mach five with its hair on fire". You will be challenge with any type of small contour shaping as well, many guys get drum sanders for the drill press to remedy the problem those little drums can get spendy.

If you can take a serious look at the Coote grinder a guy can at least upgrade to some of the attachments which are available, you can not do that with the grizz. You can scrounge a motor with the step pullys you have cheap variable speed. Customer service is a bit better at coote than grizz as well.

If you decide to get the grizz get the 10" wheel so you can hollow grind, its next to impossible with the standard 8"

Buy good quality belts from someone like Tracey or James at Pops knives and use your belts like they are free easy to say hard to do.

It really does boil down to if you really want to enjoy building knives or spend your time fighting with you equipment.

Good luck
Spencer
 
I think that you will run out of adjustment room on the up right shaft if you go to a 4" contact wheel. You would definitely have to rework the platen attachment. With that much work you mite as well have built your own. IMHO the biggest savings with the Grizzly is for $470.00 your grinding knives in one day. If your going to do all the work of modifying it you may as well build your own and have is the way you want it. Take a serious look at these.http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=496583
Its still an investment of time and money to build a grinder.
 
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