Kalamazoo grinder

M

Mark G

Joined
Aug 20, 2006
Messages
358
I am a newbie in the knife making world and am looking for a belt grinder (money is somewhat of an object...can't aford a Bader or Burr King!!). I came across the Kalamazoo model 2FS72 which is a 2X27 belt grinder without motor.
Does anyone have any experience/knowledge about this grinder?

Thanks
Mark
 
Welcome to Bladeforums!

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Look into a Grizzly or a Coote grinder.

Those 2 grinders are the best for entry level machines (I prefer Coote), both costing about 400 bucks.
 
Hah! I have that kalamazoo grinder. It's the only one I've ever had. It serves me fine but I want to upgrade someday. I hear great things about the KMG and it's not a whole lot more money. You should look into that.
 
I have the Kalamazoo grinder also and its done well for me. There are times when I wish I could control the speed but otherwise its a fine machine with a great Baldor motor on it. Belt changes are a snap. I've done a lot of flat grinding with mine and limited hollow grinds but it isn't because it won't do that, just that I prefer the flat grind overall.

For what its worth a while back I got in touch with Kalamazoo to send me a new tilt table for mine. Keep in mind that I've had this machine since 2000. They sent me another tilt table N/C. Kind of wins ya over when you get that kind of customer service IMO.


STR
 
They do have pretty good customer service. When I ordered mine, they mistakenly sent me a 1/2 Hp motor when I ordered a 1Hp motor. So they sent me a new 1Hp and let me keep the other one free!
 
I have one and I made it into a surface grinder, after getting a KMG. The tracking on mine wasn't good at all.
 
Thanks all - looks like I might be leaning towards the KMG after seeing some other postings. Being a newbie to this I truly appreciate the input.

Mark
 
I was looking at the Coote grinder. If I set it up with a good rheostat(sp?) and a quality motor (1HP?) it ought to do what a novice/beginner needs and wants for a while, yes? I make fixed blades and tomahawks, which wheel (8" or 10") is more versatile?

Rick
 
hss_forge said:
I was looking at the Coote grinder. If I set it up with a good rheostat(sp?) and a quality motor (1HP?) it ought to do what a novice/beginner needs and wants for a while, yes? I make fixed blades and tomahawks, which wheel (8" or 10") is more versatile?
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Just a note. A rheostat will not do you much good. You'll get variable speed, but lose your torque so you'll stall the motor. If you want variable speed, you're better off saving $$ and getting a proper VFD setup.

That being said, you can do plenty of good work without a variable speed setup. A lot of folks do.

-d
 
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