KMG? Chose the Esteem by Brett Mathews

I got my Esteem packages last Saturday and finally had time to get started today! It was packed well enough, the VFD box took a few hits to one side particularly the outside cooling fin corners, looks like the post man was pretty rough with that box, maybe because it was the lightest box and he was angry? Just one of the cooling fins was bent a bit, no big deal.

Anyway, I wanted to give the variable speed a quick test with the motor to make sure it all worked. As it turns out all of the outlets in the garage are protected! It turned on for a second and I could start the motor at the lowest speed but as soon as I started to give it any power it tripped the protected circuit. I did read the manual before I powered it on and I already knew it didn't work with protected circuits, I just didn't know ALL of the garage circuits are protected, strangely they are all on the same circuit as the upstairs bathroom! I will finish testing it tomorrow with an extension cord to an inside outlet... I am certain it will work fine. For now it seems I will be wiring in a 20amp unprotected outlet or I will have to hire someone to do it. I have to look into code yada yada yada... Good thing I am in no major hurry, but I am excited to give it a try.

Well here are some pics;

Here are all of the parts before I built it, mostly unwrapped, so far unwrapping things and cleaning up packaging peanuts took the longest. It only took about 10-15 minutes to get the frame together and the motor mounted and wired. Brett did a great job wrapping the metal components:



Here is the partially built grinder. I will probably finish it tomorrow if I get time. I can't use it until I get that new outlet so I will be sad looking at it when it is done.

 
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Good news for me and possibly every other person that doesn't think they have non GFCI outlets in their garage: look up! Turns out the outlet above my garage door opener is NOT on a GFCI circuit and the grinder works fine plugged in there! Newer houses this may not apply to. Might as well give it a try...
 
I got the Esteem too, with VS. It's a great grinder and I love mine. You going to post a picture of your setup? :)
 
Here it is nearly done, I just have to mount the VFD, Brett included the mount for it I just need to buy some screws to mount it to the cart. I did make a video, I may upload that if anyone wants to see the tracking and slowest/fastest speed. It was very quiet at low speed, full speed was louder but still not bad at all. It tracks extremely well! Very easy to adjust every setting. I like the work rest and will be making an aluminum knife holder. I plan to adjust the work rest angle to get the correct bevel angle on the knife.

I was using a VSM 36 grit and it tracked well.

One thing I noticed when I took the belt off: the platen wheels were warm. This was only after running the machine at top speed for about 2ish minutes. Should I be concerned about wheel temperature? How tight should the belt be? Maybe I had it too tight?

Pics:





Motor:



VFD:

 
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That cart looks very low in the pictures. Do you work sitting down, or is that just the camera angle?
 
It is pretty low. I will likely raise it up with some wooden blocks. It is only about 2 and a half feet off the ground. It is a bit of a stretch to reach the platen standing...

I forgot to mention Brett's instructions were clear and I was able to get the entire build done in about 3 hours. That includes unpacking, building the grinder, and mounting to the cart. I still have to mount the VFD, I am getting bolts for that today.

I did have questions:

Is it normal for the platen wheels to get warm? I noticed they were pretty warm after 2 minutes of running full speed... Maybe I had my belt too tight. Which leads to: is there an easy way to know how tight a should be? I suppose it is something I will learn after I break a belt or two, haven't broken one yet...
 
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Grinder looks good.

I think the wheels getting warm is normal, but don't quote me on that. Just figure it's something spinning at high speeds, some heat will be generated.
Belt tension is something I got a feel for, although I've tensioned belts way too tight before- I've never had one break *knock on wood*
 
Excellent. My Esteem just came in on Friday, and I've not had time to take it out of the box and assemble yet. I'm glad this one is working out for you. Brett is a great guy to deal with.
 
zingo156 said:
It is pretty low. I will likely raise it up with some wooden blocks. It is only about 2 and a half feet off the ground. It is a bit of a stretch to reach the platen standing...

I forgot to mention Brett's instructions were clear and I was able to get the entire build done in about 3 hours. That includes unpacking, building the grinder, and mounting to the cart. I still have to mount the VFD, I am getting bolts for that today.

I did have questions:

Is it normal for the platen wheels to get warm? I noticed they were pretty warm after 2 minutes of running full speed... Maybe I had my belt too tight. Which leads to: is there an easy way to know how tight a should be? I suppose it is something I will learn after I break a belt or two, haven't broken one yet...
Click to expand...


I had about the same build experience you have it sounds like. Went together pretty quick and no glitches. It just fit together and worked. And that is exactly why I opted for that one over one of the build it yourself kits. I didn't want to worry about sourcing different parts and maybe have trouble getting them all to play well together.

It's hard to describe how tight one sets his belt. Mine I wouldn't consider crazy tight by any means, but just good and snug. I don't have to manhandle the tension arm much to get a belt off/on.
Never checked my wheels for heat. I've ground out maybe 20 blades to date and never a problem, so far.
The only issue I am starting to see is a little wear on the glass platen. Which means I should probably be thinking about replacing it before long.

Thanks for posting the pics. You have wheels on your stand? You won't want it rolling on you.
 
Yeah there are wheels on that stand. I got a feel for how dangerous it could potentially be when I was setting an angle on the flat platten with the belt on, my pinky finger nicked the belt and I rubbed off a bit of skin. I definitely won't want it rolling when it is running.

That said, those wheels lock up tight! It is still too low for comfort so I have some 6" x 6" wood blocks I will be putting under the cart to lift it up a bit.

I still haven't had a ton of time to work on my knife. I am actually in the process of moving this weekend...
 
I finished my first ever bevel on my large camp knife. I posted pics in my other first knife thread. I love the Esteem grinder! Thanks everyone for pushing me to the variable speed option. It definitely made things easier. A joy to use. Tracking was perfect on all of the belts I tried today: VSM 36, 60, 120, 3M 220, scotch brite belt (green).

Thanks again for the suggestions.
 
When it comes to work rests on a grinder, I'm a bit picky about getting bang for the buck. The KMG work rest is a bit pricey and doesn't really catch my eye like the D-D work rest on ebay. http://www.ebay.com/sch/donalddtz/m..._DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

If you're going to invest in a grinder, definitely get the best that you can afford. It will get used for far more than making knives. No idea how I ever got along without one!
 
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