Ken Onion Blade Grinder vs Bench Grinder

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flphotog

Joined
Jul 10, 2014
Messages
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OK guys here's a question for those of you who dabble in making knives. Just to be clear, I'm not talking about starting a business or really even selling the occasional knife. I'm strictly talking about a possible hobby and an occasional knife, nothing more.

Is the Ken Onion Blade Grinder sufficient to grind a blade from stock steel or is it necessary to have a bench grinder as well.

Thanks
 
This guy does some stock removal on the WorkSharp...

[video=youtube_share;_qI7_LGddZU]http://youtu.be/_qI7_LGddZU[/video]
 
not to hijack your thread, but curious to know what members think about the Worksharp by Ken Onion. The more I read and watch youtube videos, the closer I'm getting to pulling the trigger.

Thoughts?
 
For the occasional knife, I would suggest one of the generic 1x30s ($45ish with coupon) and some belts from trugrit...

Next step up in cost, quality and value would be a sears 2x42.
 
Bollingern said:
not to hijack your thread, but curious to know what members think about the Worksharp by Ken Onion. The more I read and watch youtube videos, the closer I'm getting to pulling the trigger.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Actually it looks like you did a pretty good job of hijacking it.
 
flphotog said:
Actually it looks like you did a pretty good job of hijacking it.
Click to expand...

Actually much post was more directed to you...

Making a knife is Much more than putting a bevel on a piece of steel. Geometry plays as much if not more of a role.
On top of that, the larger the belt the less likely you will be to overheat a knife, less likely to wear through belts, more pressure can be added and you have a larger array of belts at your disposal (at a cheaper price point too).
 
Bollingern said:
not to hijack your thread, but curious to know what members think about the Worksharp by Ken Onion. The more I read and watch youtube videos, the closer I'm getting to pulling the trigger.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Hi,
Its easy to be sold on any product if you don't seek out negative reviews, alternative options, and compare features and prices and decide what you find important
 
With the exception of cbwx34 who gave me a useful answer, you all missed the point of my post. I wasn't asking for a review of the KO Blade Grinder, I already have one. I was simply trying to determine if it or for that mater any belt sander could be used for my purpose or if I would be better off getting a bench grinder. The link posted by cbwx34 resolved the issue for me.
 
Neither a sharpening tool or a bench grinder will work well for grinding blades.
The sharpener is a light-duty tool, and a bench grinder is not designed for blade grinding.
You can make a blade with either, but you can also make one by scraping the steel on concrete. A good file will work better.
There are people who make knives on the cheap 1 X 30 belt sanders, but I suggest using at least a quality 1 X 42, or even better a 2 X 48 belt grinder-even for hobby knifemaking.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Neither a sharpening tool or a bench grinder will work well for grinding blades.
The sharpener is a light-duty tool, and a bench grinder is not designed for blade grinding.
You can make a blade with either, but you can also make one by scraping the steel on concrete. A good file will work better.
There are people who make knives on the cheap 1 X 30 belt sanders, but I suggest using at least a quality 1 X 42, or even better a 2 X 48 belt grinder-even for hobby knifemaking.
Click to expand...
Thanks very much Bill that's the kind of info I've been looking for.
 
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