How many of you profile knives with a bench grinder?

C

Calaustria

Joined
Sep 5, 2009
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23
I don't have a belt grinder, and don't really want to drop the money on one. Do any of you guys just use a bench grinder? What else do you use if you don't have a belt grinder?
 
Ugh...bad memories. Back when I first started, I tried using a bench grinder to profile a blade. I thought it would save me belts on my Grizzly. However, I quickly realized that there is a reason that the marority of makers use a bandsaw or a belt grinder to profile. It's noisy, vibrates like crazy, and takes forever. Now if you had a big bad bench grinder, it may be different, but I had the little Lowes-type bench grinder, and it just wasn't worth it.

If it's all you have, get some hearing protection and try it out. Believe it or not, you may enjoy using a drill press (drill holes around the profile) and a hack saw (connect the dots). But you'll never know until you try it.

Personally, I haven't used my bench grinder in 5 years. Of course, I've got belt grinders, so that's just me.

A better idea is to invest in a decent 4.5" angle grinder. They can be had pretty cheaply, and you can mount cut-off discs and grinding discs to make short work of steel. They're noisy too and make a mess, but I used one to profile blades for a couple of years before I got my bandsaw.

--nathan
 
I profile mine on a BG, I've got a nice bearinged 8"er. However drop the money on atleast a sears 2x42... or build a NWG for clean up and plunges. you WILL NOT regret it

Jason
 
Yeah, I thought about using my bandsaw, but that sounds even worse than the bench grinder, lol. I might also try the drill press idea, since that's one tool I've always been good with. Thanks for that! I may buy a bench grinder, but I want to see how my first few knives turn out first.
 
Don't knock the angle grinder idea if you happen to have access to one. It's pretty fast.

Also, keep in mind that there is a huge difference between typical wood-cutting bandsaws and bandsaws designed to cut metal. Speed is the huge difference. If you try cutting metal with a wood-cutting saw, even at it's lowest speed, you'll likely burn/knock all the teeth of the blade in a very short time. Metal cutting saws run at blade speeds of, say, 50-200 fpm whereas wood saws run at 600-3000 fpm.

--nathan
 
Well, with the angle grinder, I'd end up totally destroying the knife because of the kickback. I'm not very precise with that thing :p

I really like the drill press idea though... might try that tomorrow.
 
Nathan is giving you some great advice, you should listen! Tha angle grinder is where it's at for removing steel. Coat your blank with layout fluid, scribe your pattern, go slow, When you near the line, swithch to a sanding wheel on the grinder instead of a grinding wheel.
Matt Doyle
 
Angle Grinder and HF Belt Sander are pretty cheap and work. I "used" (I say used, because I'm getting a band saw) a very nice Bosch angle grinder with Norton cut-off wheels. When I needed to cut a radius, I'd cut a bunch of "teeth", like a comb has, around the radius. Then, cut the teeth off around the radius. Then, switch to a grinding wheel and grind the teeth down to my scribed line in the Dykem coated blank. I've become very good at cutting out a smooth radiused blank with this method because it's all I had. I would then use the HF belt sander to clean up the profile, and if I needed a tight radius, say for an index finger groove, I'd use sanding drums chucked in a drill press.
 
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C_Kyle said:
Angle Grinder and HF Belt Sander are pretty cheap and work. I "used" (I say used, because I'm getting a band saw) a very nice Bosch angle grinder with Norton cut-off wheels. When I needed to cut a radius, I'd cut a bunch of "teeth", like a comb has, around the radius. Then, cut the teeth off around the radius. Then, switch to a grinding wheel and grind the teeth down to my scribed line in the Dykem coated blank. I've become very good at cutting out a smooth radiused blank with this method because it's all I had. I would then use the HF belt sander to clean up the profile, and if I needed a tight radius, say for an index finger groove, I'd use sanding drums chucked in a drill press.
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+1 except I use a dremel or hand files for the tight spots.

You definately need a respirator when using an angle grinder though. Mine kicks up enough dust and fumes to set off the smoke alarm just off the garage in the house when I open the door.
 
Wade Jones said:
+1 except I use a dremel or hand files for the tight spots.

You definately need a respirator when using an angle grinder though. Mine kicks up enough dust and fumes to set off the smoke alarm just off the garage in the house when I open the door.
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Good point. I forgot about mentioning that...which, is the main reason I wanted a band saw. I wear glasses and trying to fit a half-face respirator and goggles and glasses doesn't work too well. My current setup is a chainsaw helmet with the lexan sheild instead of the mesh, and the half-face respirator.

I want to transition to a full-face respirator at some point.
 
One thing that works well is to rig a hand bandsaw up for vertical. HF has a variable speed model for 89 bucks- use some HDPE or a piece of lexan for the table/face and 2x4's for the jig support. Use drill press and drill a hole in the Lexan- use a straight cut from your hacksaw to make the lead in for the blade. The trigger is locking and in my case I mounted a cord to the handle with a foot pedal. Clamp the whole thing to the table and youre in business with a variable speed (although admittedly shallow neck) band saw- Hope this helps.
 
Here are a couple of offerings: <<www.johnownby.com/shopxtour.html>> has a pic of a conversion, others on this forum as well.
Here is a simple one without the legs- <<www.swagoffroad.com/images/P9230301-1.JPG>>
Cheers
 
A good vice and an angle grinder(5", or 7") is all you need to rough profile. I have some zercon flapper wheels for a 5" grinder(makkita) that actually do a decent job of roughing in bevels, of coarse file's are used to finish everything. I have never liked the bench grinder for any knife related work.
 
I use a bench grinder to refine the profile after I cut out with my bandsaw. I have an angle grinder too, but it seems way noisier than the bench grinder and puts out too much noxious odor for my liking. An angle grinder requires me to work outside, but with the bench grinder I can use it in my basement with an exhaust fan running.
 
I have a bench grinder. There is a wire wheel on one side, and a Scotchbrite wheel on the other. I can't imagine actually trying to grind something on it though.
 
Not sure what you were expecting to spend on a belt grinder. You can get a 1"x30" for $40 at harbor freight, or a 4"x36" w/ 8" disc for around $90 at Home Depot. They're not the best, but they do a much better job than the round grinders. I'm re-finishing a knife know that I tried doing(years ago) with an angle grinder and bench grinder and can say that the belt sander does a much better job of getting surfaces flat.
 
Calaustria said:
Well, with the angle grinder, I'd end up totally destroying the knife because of the kickback. I'm not very precise with that thing :p

I really like the drill press idea though... might try that tomorrow.
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Buy a secondary handle for your angle grinder and a decent bench vice and practice some. You'll get better with the cutting. Also, if you have a big beefy bench grinder, like my dad's old 8 inch craftsman, that can work. Either way, be prepared for lost of metal dust, so keep a shopvac handy.

Use the angle grinder to rough out the design, and the bench grinder to get a more precise finish to the profile. This will save time and mess, since you can cut off larger pieces with the angle grinder and round out the rough corners with the bench grinder and files. Here is a picture of what I'm talking about. Just use the angle grinder to cut along the dash lines, and the bench grinder to smooth everything out.

SCAN0031.jpg
 
I drilled 1/8 holes around the profile line. Then c-clamped the blade to my work bench (folding leg table) and used a cut off wheel in the angle grinder to "connect the dots". Then I used a grinding wheel in the grinder to knock down the remaining stubs. It is amazing the control you have with the angle grinder--just like "painting" the steel right off.

I do sort of regret the littel 1x30--it just does not have the torque and I'm burning through cheap 120 belts at a rapid pace. Still, I guess it beats sweating over a file. If funds allowed, I think the Craftsman 2x48 would be a better choice.
 
I take local knife making classes and do some grinding at home to get a little bit ahead. I use a 6" stonegrinder and last time noticed some smoke coming from the little pile of grind waste at the bottom of the wheel. It was on a wood surface. So keep an eye out for things burning from the hot sparks . As this was just a quickie job, I just folded tinfoil over several times and placed it under the wheel.
 
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