knife making tools, the good the bad and the ugly

M

magnum .44

Joined
Jun 12, 1999
Messages
1,110
have any of you guys used any of the fallowing: 301 standard panavise, pin press for setting pins in bolsters, personalizer plus, surgical black arkansas stone, satin finishing wheel, tapfree II chemical compund, bader BIII. they're all from sheffield supply, i'm not going to buy them right away but, your imput would be nice, so i can prevent buying anything that doesn't work, or is crappy. thanks in advance
 
Magnum,
My panavise doesn't have enough B**Ls to hold anything very tight, now collects dust. I have a pin press that I made and it works OK. That one should work OK. I use a proprietary photomask process under agreement from a friend for my logos, I never liked the etched ones. I never us any stones except for the DMT diamond ones. The Scotchbrite wheels cost more than the no name ones but also work better. You can get them from MSC. The Tap Free aluminum formula is great for aluminum, COOL TOOL II for everything else including Ti. I know people that swear by a Bader. I used to swear at mine. I built my own two wheel grinders and will never go back.
Neil

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Update in process! New knives, pictures, Sheaths!!
http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Meeting/5520/index.html


 
what was wrong with the bader? if that one is bad, i'll go with a j&l. the satin finishing isn't scotchbrite, it's aluminum oxide. and the chemical compound is for hard steels, not hardened just a pain in a** to work with.
 
Magnum,
I had a Bader and the company I used to work for had a variable speed, brand new one.
On both of them the belt would track fine as long as you didn't touch anything to it! While working with it it would drift from one side then to the other. I put more crown on the wheels. Played with the adjustments and it still was a pain in the *&$%!I know lots of makers use them and have no problems!
If they were used for just deburring parts they would be fine. I could never do the grinds on a Bader that I do with my own!
Neil
EDIT: I should have said, 3M wheels, not scotchbrite!
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Update in process! New knives, pictures, Sheaths!!
http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Meeting/5520/index.html




[This message has been edited by Dr.Lathe (edited 26 November 1999).]
 
thanks, the bader is off my "to buy" list, i heard J L vertical grinders track well, so i'm gonna go with one of them. i don't want to take a chance with such a large amount of money.
 
Surgical Black Arkansas are very good sharpening stones from my experience. They're really hard and don't need to be dressed or shaped for a long time as long as you clean the excess oil off when your done.
They polish very well too so you won't have much work to do with a strop or whatever you use after them either.The only downfall I've found to them is that a sizeable stone is kind of expensive compared to other stones.
From a woodworking point of view, I don't like diamond stones all that well. They're good for sharpening things if you want an edge that has bite instead of being polished.But because of the way the diamonds are sprayed onto the backing they follow an irregular pattern and don't leave a very fine edge.On the other hand they cut very fast and you don't have the hassle of using a lubricant on them.You will want to clean them once in awhile because as they cut the steel sits in the grit as a very fine powder and gets all over everything.It can work its way into wooden handles and make them black also.Especially if the wood has an oil finish instead of something that hardens over the grain and compltely seals it.
Just my opinion hope that helps.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
Sorry Dr. Lathe. I kind of put my foot in my mouth in my reply. I was trying to remember everything Magnum had asked about and remembered seeing diamond stones in the post somewhere. I wasn't trying to say you were wrong in using them. I just haven't had much luck with them myself. Judging by your work, they work pretty well for you.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
thanks for the input, i use arkasas stones for tools, but the dmt stone is for the ruff edge, if you chip the blade, or just plane beat until it's dull beyond use, i do this sometimes. i'm getting a dmt coarse and fine, then fallowing up with a surgical black. thanks guys, i'm diffinetly staying away from the baders.
 
Matt,
That's no problem! When the diamond stones first came out I couldn't get used to them. Now that's all I can seem to use. The only time I use them anyway is for field sharpening. I sharpen my knives off the belt grinder with a very fine belt and water. Then I use a strop with compound on it. It gives a "Factory" looking edge and is MUCH sharper than I could get a blade with ANY stone.
I would love to watch and learn how someone sharpens a japanese sword with those SOFT WET STONES!! I know it works, I would just like to see it done.......
Neil

------------------
Update in process! New knives, pictures, Sheaths!!
http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Meeting/5520/index.html




[This message has been edited by Dr.Lathe (edited 26 November 1999).]
 
neil is certainly correct about the bader.. but i have had one for many many years and continue to use it for my primary hog off tool...its not good for fine work but the 2 horse motor is great for getting lots of steel off in a hurry and then i switch to my variable speed square wheel...am getting a hard core soon...check out their site at hardcore-products.com.. and dont forget the dash or youll get some xxx stuff..

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http://www.mayoknives.com


[This message has been edited by tom mayo (edited 27 November 1999).]

[This message has been edited by tom mayo (edited 27 November 1999).]
 
I use the same method as neil does to sharpen the blades, much faster too. Had the
same luck with the BaderII so built my own (2 of them, one horse and a quarter variable and one two and three quarter single speed).
I understand that the BaderIII has most of the tracking problems solved, don't know since I haven't tried one.

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old pete
 
i'm gonna stay away from bader's altogether, thanks guys. i'm gonna look into the hardcore grinders.
 
My Bader B III seems to track well, even under heavy loads. I haven't got enough time on it yet for this to be a very definitive statement though.

Bob Couture
 
nah, i don't want to take a chance, i'll make one using the best materials, and make sure it tracks well.
 
I've got a baderIII and love it!!! Ive used burr-kings and wilton square wheel grinders and still prefer the bader. I heard the tracking problems were on the older machines and the problem is gone now. Or at least it is'nt a problem on mine.Also changing set ups is alot faster with the BIII.Besides wiltons are cheap&LOUD and burr king no longer makes grinders so Ive heard(or only industrial models,thank the lawyers)
 
yeah, i heard what happened about the burr kings, them lawyers destroy everything. trust me it wasn't burr kings' fought. well, i've decided to make my own becuase it's half the price.
 
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