need some advice on purchasing my first belt sander

B

backerspit

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Apr 4, 2010
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This is my first ever post on the forums. I've lurked in here for a long time, but the time has come for me to try my hand at making my first "real " knife. I am looking for a dedicated knife making sander and have no clue where to begin. I came across a few youtube videos that showcased the new Burr-King grinder, and it would be my dream set up but I just cant spend that kind of money right now. Any advice on brands or models that I should consider would be great. Thanks for any help guys.
 
Grizzly 2x72 for around $500 includes a motor, runs fast but is a great starting grinder, Coote 2x 72 is around $600-$700 i think without motor. You can rig a pully system on the coote and have a variable speed grinder. Higher ends are bader, burrking, kmg, but those will run anywhere from $1000-$2000 depending on the brand and set up.

I use a grizzly put plan on upgrading to a kmg in the future.

Hope that helps.
 
Thanks for the help guys. I am the type that will "buy once, cry once ". I just want to know what's out there as far as brands and models go. I really like the KMG. Looks like Ill have to save a little longer. Thanks again for the help
 
My advice, buy the best you can. Back when I started knifemaking, I mowed lawns after work to buy a square wheel grinder.
KMG, TW90, Burr King, Bader, square wheel, they are all good. I have a Burr King, a Square Wheel, a Dozier, a TW90, a JL horizontal, and a home made 2x72" ginder.
I like the TW90 the best.
 
I'm a buy once cry once kinda guy and recommend the TW90. Travis is great to deal with and while the price is a steep, it's a very well designed rig and comes with a lot of extras.

Second choice would be the KMG. I worked on Burr kings, Baders, and KMGs at the ABS Moran school and liked working on the KMG the most.
 
Tom Lewis said:
My advice, buy the best you can. Back when I started knifemaking, I mowed lawns after work to buy a square wheel grinder.
KMG, TW90, Burr King, Bader, square wheel, they are all good. I have a Burr King, a Square Wheel, a Dozier, a TW90, a JL horizontal, and a home made 2x72" ginder.
I like the TW90 the best.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mr. Lewis. I never want to make the statement "if I had better equipment I could do better grinds " I plan on doing a lot of research on those. Thanks for your advice.
 
Tom Lewis said:
My advice, buy the best you can. Back when I started knifemaking, I mowed lawns after work to buy a square wheel grinder.
KMG, TW90, Burr King, Bader, square wheel, they are all good. I have a Burr King, a Square Wheel, a Dozier, a TW90, a JL horizontal, and a home made 2x72" ginder.
I like the TW90 the best.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mr. Lewis. I never want to make the statement "if I had better equipment I could do better grinds " I plan on doing a lot of research on those. Thanks for your advice.
 
I use a pheer327 and it is excellent. I have used a burrking, and a bader. Although I have little experience on the other two, I would say that the pheer is not far performance wise compared to the other. I would recommend getting the VFD, and other attachments on the grinder. I have also seen them set on a hinge setup for use as a horizontal. I would think that the total for all the attachments and VFD would be around $1000(give or take). Highly recommended especially for a first time grinder.
 
Another vote for buy the best you can, whether it be the KMG, TW90, or something else as long as it's higher end.

I started out with a Grizzly, and ended up selling it really quick at a loss so that I could buy a KMG. Lesson learned. I understand the desire to get to work as quick as possible, but in the long run you'll be happier with a better machine, in my opinion.

Besides, who doesn't like shiny high end power tools!?:D
 
I was in the same position a few months back and went with a KMG. Very good purchase, plus if you ever decide to get rid of it, should be an easy sell. Plus Rob is great to deal with and helped me out a lot while I was trying to make up my mind.
 
I can only speak to my experience with the KMG and I have been very satisified with it's performance as well as the customer service Rob has provided. I would also chime in with get a top end machine, be it a KMG, Burr King, Bader or what ever other top end machine that strikes you as the one you want. Anything less will be replaced at sometime. With the KMG you could start with a basic setup and add to it as you develop skills and have spare money to buy different contact wheels and other attachments. I started out with a 3 step pulley before I went with the variable speed set up. The one thing that I changed on my KMG that had the most impact on my knifemaking was variable speed. If I had to do it again I would of started with the variable speed option from the start. Save the money to buy a top end machine and in the long run you will be saving money. Top end machines seem to hold their resale value as well.
 
You say youre new to knifemaking and you dont want to spend a lot of money. So what about just going with the craftsman 2x42 at less than $200 as a way to see just how far you want to take this knifemaking business? Lots of folks have and do make knives with it. Might be a good way to start versus going with one of the high end professional grinders. You can re-sell the craftsman easy if you want to upgrade, or keep it for uses on handles and such.
 
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