Help choose a grinder

After struggling with a Craftsman 2x42 for some time, I recently went through all the same thoughts you're going through. I did a bunch of research and talked to a few makers and finally decided that the KMG was the way for me. The Coote might be fine, but someone above mentioned that he has one and would rather have a KMG. It seems to be the most bang for the buck when you consider it's price and flexable nature. Hopefully it will be here in mid July as Rob sold out at the Blade show and is now working to catch up.

Regarding the investment, if you get one and decide that snorting steel dust isn't for you, you should EASILY be able to sell it for very close to what you paid for it very quickly as nobody discounts these things.

I thought I was going to use a VFD and a 1.5 hp motor sourced elsewhere for mine, but the 1.5hp morot I got won't really work for this application, so it looks like I'm going to have to suffer with a 2hp variable speed drive instead:)
 
Well guys is that true if I buy a KGM grinding set up and decide I not very good at it or it is not for me, do you guys think I will have a problem selling it below my cost e.g. if I paid $1000 and ask $800 (just asking I really don't have one for sale).
 
court jester said:
Well guys is that true if I buy a KGM grinding set up and decide I not very good at it or it is not for me, do you guys think I will have a problem selling it below my cost e.g. if I paid $1000 and ask $800 (just asking I really don't have one for sale).
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You would have no problem selling it. I personally have been looking for a used KMG for a while. I can't find anyone willing to part with one, and when one does come available, it's snapped up long before it can be put up on a sale forum.
 
Okay you guys sold me on the KMG grinder now I will convince my wife about the purchase telling her that if I suck at knife making (I have the desire it is only if I am any good) I could always sell it (and get most of my money back) and you guys will buy it off me.
 
Court Jester, good luck. Unfortunately, as I'm sure you know, a grinder won't make knives for you. It'd be cool if they did, though! :D A good knifemaker can make a great knife on any piece of equipment. The skills make the knives, the tools are just that. Best grinder in the world can make royal dog rockets depending on the skill of the person using it. So, just put your nose to the grindstone (haha) and work at it. It's extremely frustrating at first, but all of a sudden you'll get a feel for it. I had to grind about 6-7 before I got a decent flat grind to happen, because before that I'd been using files to grind everything for years. Totally different skills, so I went from making decent knives to total crap for a while!

Anyway, practice, practice, practice, and you'll get the hang of it. Good luck!
 
Ditto. Though I'm only doing knife 3 right now, haven't quite gotten it down yet.

So grab some junkier steel and go to it! You'll enjoy the KMG.

_z
 
It's sure rewarding to see you shift your focus to the KMG. The nice thing about it is that you can continue to add applications as you want and can afford them. You'll find you will want the flat platen and a small wheel very soon, and Rob's rotary platen is one of the best attachments I could imagine. I use the rotary platen as much as anything else, and not just for convex grinding. It's great for handles and all kinds of around the house stuff.

You will also want tool rests for your wheel and platen. Rob's are the best I've seen anywhere. The KMG is just the best machine for the money that there is.

Go for the most powerful motor you can justify. I have variable speed 1.5 hp and wish I'd sucked it up and gone with 2 -- or 3 -- hp. I fully recommend variable speed; once you've used it you won't be able to see how you'd have managed without it. Not only does it save on the finer grits but it greatly shortens the learning curve because you can slow it down and have better control. As you gain experience you'll naturally speed it up when appropriate. It made all the difference for me. Switching pulleys is a big pain too, compared to being able to adjust your speed on the fly.

One thing no one's mentioned is how useful your grinder will be for everything else too! You'll find that your grinder does all kinds of stuff around the house that used to be a pain in the keester.

As for the 10" wheel for small blades, it wouldn't be traditional but the very shallow hollow grind has a look all its own; one that I like. I'm building a platen with a 2.5 foot radius - it'll be like grinding on a five foot diameter wheel, just like the old bowie makers in Sheffield used to do. That shallow grind looks almost flat - but not quite. Very cool.

One other thing I'd mention is that I personally would prefer a smooth vs serrated contact wheel. The serrated wheel is great for hogging off steel and maybe it runs a bit cooler (wouldn't swear to that), but when you start getting to the finer grits it's more difficult to get a good finish. Just my experience, your mileage may vary.

And if you ever do decide you want to sell your KMG, I'll buy it (so long as it's variable speed). ;) Good luck and have fun! You'll find all kinds of help and ideas here, you can't do any better than Shop Talk.
 
Wayne Goddard has some books out which are compilations of his column in a knife magazine. One of them covers his segment on the $50 knife shop. What he proves and shows is the fact that tools won't make up for skill or create enthusiasim. You have to possess the "want - tos" To where you want to make knives so bad you will find ways to do it! And its possible to start with near nothing and make / sell knives till you have the money to fabricate or outright buy better equipment. I am glad you have a chance to start with a good good machine. Don't make a half-assed throw at this just put your all and do it till you go insane because you could give up and quit right before you reached the genius level where you see where you haven't reached. Theres a quantum shift at some point where all of a sudden you are trained or grasp what to do to make the knives at the level of quality that is light years of whatevers behind it in line..... thats when you are really starting to learn the skills of knifemaking that have inherent value!
 
Chiro75 said:
It's extremely frustrating at first, but all of a sudden you'll get a feel for it. I had to grind about 6-7 before I got a decent flat grind to happen...
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It took me three years of part time grinding until I was happy with my hollow grinds, but I guess everyone has their own definition of "decent." Maybe I am just too hard on myself. ;)
 
Another vote for the KMG, Rob Frink is a hell of a guy, and a pleasure to deal with. Like some have said, those hollow grinding gadgets will only cause you to put off until later what you may as well learn now. I know for myself, I flat ground for a year before trying hollow grinding, and it was easy to pick up. I would say that it is easier than flat grinding...in my opinion. Good Luck. Frank
 
Okay You guys have sold me on the KMG grinder but now the question is the motor, for a variable speed motor from KMG site it is about $700!!! I want a variable speed through the above recommendations and through watching some knife making videos (I can slow it down for ma as a beginner). Any where I can get a less expensive variable motor with controler for less or don't go cheap and save for the cats a$$ and pay $700. Thanks!
 
It took me three years of part time grinding until I was happy with my hollow grinds, but I guess everyone has their own definition of "decent."
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Yes, you are too hard on yourself, but note, I also said "decent." I mean going from a more or less choppy, multifaceted monstrosity of a "convex" grind to something that is actually flat and even.

As far as motors go, you can do pretty well with the three pulley system. Also there are instructions for a poor man's variable speed all over Bladeforums, although that seemed too advanced for me to handle. When it comes to electricity I need to be spoon-fed! I found a 2 HP (had to take it back because my electrical service souldn't handle it without major work) Baldor in practically new condition at a local motor shop for $100. Took it back and got a 1HP Baldor for the same. Haven't stalled it yet. With some woods (koa comes to mind) even my slowest pulley speed will burn the edges of the wood, but for 95% of my work the slowest speed is adequate. If you can save for a real variable speed setup, though, go for it!
 
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