KMG (grinder) questions and concerns

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bullet101

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Dec 1, 2003
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I've come to a point where I think that it will pay out to invest some money in good equipment.
This purchase will heavily cut into my savings but with several orders waiting and hopefully some more to come, I think it'll pay out in one to two years.
Knifemaking just seems to eat money like nothing :D.

And as here in Europe there's no real grinder made for knifemakers, I would like to get a KMG.

Now I'm asking myself what package and which of those cool gagdets I should get.

So far I would love to get the 14" wheel package and small wheel attachment with spare arm.

But considering the amount of money I'm not sure if I'll need a grinding wheel at all. So far all my work is flatground and my handles are ground on the crappy 2" wheel of my little grinder.
Another thing is that the 14" wheel will probably not that great for grinding handles "the loveless way" (I guess you know what I mean with that term).
That would mean that I would have to buy another 6"-10" wheel for grinding handles. And with all that it really gets expensive.

So now I'm in the situation if I should lend me some money and get the big package with an extra wheel for grinding handles and deeper hollows, or if I should only get the grinder with platten and small wheel attachment ( and maybe later kick my butt, if I want the wheels and have to buy them extra for even more money).
This situation is really getting me frustrated :grumpy:.

That's why I wanted to ask you if a 14" wheel is "the must have" and what all you KMG owners would suggest me to get.

Another question I have in mind is what size(s) of small wheel(s) to get. I think I'll be using them for grinding integrals and for tight spots on handles and guards.

Now that I've written quite a lot in my lousy english I hope you could at least get my main questions and concerns :).

I'm really looking forward to your advice.

Best regards, Marcus
 
I have a 14" and rarely use it. I use my 8" all the time but I'd prefer a 10" and that would be just about perfect I think. One of these days, I'm going to get a 10" and switch to that for everything.
 
Marcus, believe me if you're serious about your knifemaking, get the KMG. It's the best money I've spent on a piece of equipment. As far as which one, I got the standard model with the flat platen. If you're flat grinding you really don't need to get a large contact wheel yet. You can get that later. All these guys recommended me to get the 10" for hollow grinding. The small wheels are good for finger grooves and such. Which size depends on what works for you.
Scott
 
I went for an 8" wheel on Rob's recommendation, along with a flat platten & small wheel attachment with tooling arms for all of them. I don't generally play with hollow grinds at the moment, but I do find I use the wheel a lot more than I ever expected to - for general shaping it works better for me, probably because there isn't the friction between the belt & support as there is with the platten. I've got the 1/2", 1" and 1 1/2" small wheels; again, I find I use all of them (although I possibly use the 1/2" a little more).

It was a lot of work to bring it in - for both Rob and myself - but it was worth every bit of it.

My suggestion would be - especially given how much fun it is to bring oddball goods into the EU - if at all possible, get *everything* you need in one hit. I'd quite like a larger contact wheel as well, although it isn't essential at the moment. I'd probably make the tooling arm for that one myself, as I have some suitable stock lying around - they're flipping heavy.

Added - I'd also quite like a 1/4" wheel, but Rob doesn't do them.

HTH

Peter
 
Sounds like you need the set up I have. What I have Rob calls the Ed Caffery platen. What it is is a flat platen with a 1.5" rubber contact wheel on top and a 3" contact wheel on the bottom. Its able to rotate so you can use the wheels seperate.
http://www.bgoodeknives.com/images/kmg.jpg

I also have a small wheel attachment that I LOVE!! It uses anything from .5" wheels to 2" ones.

Here is Eds website that discusses this set up.
http://www.caffreyknives.net/KMGarticle.html
 
blgoode said:
Sounds like you need the set up I have. What I have Rob calls the Ed Caffery platen. What it is is a flat platen with a 1.5" rubber contact wheel on top and a 3" contact wheel on the bottom. Its able to rotate so you can use the wheels seperate.
Click to expand...

I wish... No, just the standard flat platten in my case. Whilst I haven't seen why I would want a rotary platten yet, the one Ed describes would suit me down to the ground.

Peter
 
I only rotate mine to grind angles for the front of scales instead of using my small disk benchtop grinder. I love it! :D
 
I don't use the small wheel atachment anymore,I bought Rob's contour grinder
and it is the most important thing in the shop besides the grinder,IMO a 14 inch wheel is really not needed,that large of a wheel gives more of flat grind bevel,You do manly flat grinders,just buy the ginder with the platen attachment,and get the contor grinder with a small wheel set up,it almost endes up costing the same if you are to do it that way...Just somthing to think about.The contour grider let me do designs I would have nver been able to do if I did not have one
 
Thanks a lot for your answers.

I'm probably going to get the 10" wheel package, and if possible replace the normal platen with the Caffrey one (that just looks mighty fine:D).

@Nathan: The edge finishing grinder looks like a fine tool for the job. Kevin Wilkins of Berlin has one from Rob and seems to really like it. But that would be another 600 $ (shipping to Europe not included) to the bill and another motor to get here in Germany. I guess I just have to take the troubles and grind my stuff vertical on the small wheels :).

If anyone has some more advice on what to get, don't hesitate to tell me.
I'm going to make a list of what I'll order, s you can correct me, if there's something vital missing. Cause shipping a small spare part sums up pretty fast if it has to over the great pond :D.

Regards Marcus
 
One thing that I thought of is to check if you can get a pully that will fit the shaft on the grinder if you are not getting one with it. The shaft is an english measurment (I don't remember what) and I have no clue if those are available where you are.

Oh yea your english is better than a whole lot of the college kids around here.

WS
 
Well, I can probably help from the UK on Imperial sized pulleys if needed. Motors - hmm, could be awkward. Over here, we use 220VAC @ 50Hz, whilst Germany uses, er, 220VAC @ 50Hz (oh alright, +/- a bit) :D

Joking apart, different people want different things from motors - mine is not what I would describe as optimal, but my idea of optimal is not what other people might want.

Marcus, feel free to hassle me off list if you wish. There's a bit of a spiel about my ordering one over at British Blades, I just don't have the precise link handy right now.

Peter
 
I have a 10" wheel and it's great; I much prefer it over 8". A 14" wheel would be an excellent supplement but I don't think it should be considered necessary; if choosing between the two I'd probably still go with the 10" no matter how much I'd like to have the larger wheel. Mine is serrated, I recommend a smooth face wheel.

As far as small contact wheels go, mine is 3/4" and I've often thought I'd be better off with a 1" wheel. But that's kind of up in the air; maybe I need both. ;)

The flat platen is in my opinion essential. I don't know how well the Caffrey wheels on the ends would work for me, I tend to want to work all around the wheel's radius and I think the platen would get in the way. I have a 2" wheel on the end of my BIII platen and I don't use it for that reason. I have a rotary platen and use the 2" wheel on that when I need one. The rotary platen is really worthwhile, I recommend biting the bullet for it if you can; you're going to want one eventually anyway. It's so useful I don't know how I lived without it before.

Finally, be sure to get tool rests all around and tooling arms for all the attachments. After you get used to making quick tool changes, having to switch wheels on one arm seems like a real pain in the neck. :D

You're making the right decision to buy this machine. I'd take it all the way, because it becomes very hard to order additional attachments later - at least it has been for me. And your extra shipping cost would make it even more of a hurdle. Go for it!

Dave
 
I think Peter's got it right. Roger Linger has one of those beauties too and he swears by it. Someday I'm gonna have one too - after my HT oven, salt pot and second grinder (KMG!). :D
 
One of these days I gonna have all the accessories. :D
Scott
 
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