No belt grinder, only stone bench grinders.

G

Gendry

Joined
Jul 19, 2014
Messages
92
I know I need to find a way to get a half decent "belt grinder", I have looked online and in stores. Here the best I could do is $240 for a 1X20 something inch. I don't have the funds to buy something that needs upgrading anyways. I do have unlimited access to 3 different width stone bench grinders at work. So I have been making do. For shaping a blade, damn an angle grinder, drill press and bench grinder will have my exact knife shape in 15 minutes. The bevel though.. It is never even on both sides, or even nice and clean on a single side, no matter how much I use that tool to even the stone out.
Easy answer, files and jigs. Yes, I have seen this, and it could work. Assuming I could install a vice on my kitchen counter, which I cant, and assuming I had like at least an hour a night to just file away, which I don't.

For now, I make my bevels on uneven bench grinders.. Are there any tips you can give me? Or have I simply done as much as I can for now until I can upgrade?
 
"have I simply done as much as I can for now until I can upgrade?"

I think you've answered your own question.

By the way, draw filing doesn't really take that long if you use good sharp files and keep them clean. Also, you can find a 1x30 belt sander from harbor freight for fairly cheap ($40ish) but the 2x42 sander from Craftsman is a better machine for $140ish
 
You can get quality belts for the craftsman too. to me as well it seems like you are trying to go too fast. If you don't have an hour to file, then you can file for an hour in 15 minute increments. You'll just get faster over time naturally.
 
Another option would be to "rough" the bevels on the grinder and then finish with a file, or abrasive on a flat surface.

Almost any flat surface will do, a granite tile, thick plate glass, chunk of plate steel, melamine board... and you need some way to keep the abrasive paper in place on the flat surface...a little bit of repositionable spray glue, rubber cement, duct tape... Years ago before I had access to the proper equipment, I "full flat ground" a 4" blade on a scrap of MDF (medium density fiberboard, any cabinet shop should be willing to part with a scrap) using mostly garnet paper that someone had given me. It took a few hours, and I used up almost all of that free paper, but the only real investment was my time and the only workspace I needed was the corner of a sturdy table. If I had spent some money on the right abrasives, I could have been done much faster.

Now I do the same job in minutes on a belt sander. Perhaps you can convince your boss that a belt sander/grinder would be a good addition to the workplace, preferably something with a belt wider than 1". It can be a bit challenging grinding smooth even surfaces sometimes with a belt that's only 1" wide
 
If you can learn to rough in even bevels on a belt grinder you can learn to do it on a disc or bench grinder. It is a little more likely to hurt you if you accidentally dip your blade into it too much though. The stone wheel can be a bit 'grabby' at times.

As far as filing goes, I like Maelstrom78's advice. I often can't make myself go longer in a session in fact. My back just doesn't want to take it and anyway, breaking it up can help avoid burnout on anything as tedious as that. Sometimes you're in the zone, but sometimes you just need to take it slow, not ruin the enjoyment, and above all not force it until you make a mistake that adds a lot more work.
 
I use a 1x42, and do not have a problem making nice bevels. you can find them on craigslist for $40-$100. A 1x42 is not in the same league as a 2x72, but it's much better than a bench grinder.
 
I am currently starting my 4th blade with a 1x30 from Harbor Freight. I paid a little over $40 with an online coupon. Obviously, I am still new to everything, but it has served me well so far. Just my 2 cents.
 
I've also done a handful of blades on a 1x30. They're nothing to write home about but it works ok.

I recently build a jig out of some aluminum angle bar that I can clamp a blade to for bevel grinding. It lets me hold onto something that's about 20" long instead of 6", and with both hands, which gives me more control over what I'm doing.
 
Pawn shops.

And I hate to say it, but a cheap Harbor Freight 4X36 is better than nothing. If will work, it just may take some time.

Larry
Tinkerer
 
Large Bastard Files and go to Sears and get one of the 2 x 42 Crapsman grinders. That will help you hog off metal and some have added a larger motor and made them adjustable by adding that motor, a step pulley and some link belt.

Then when you have saved up a bit the next step I did was a Coote www.cootebeltgrinder.com

Thats the progression I did and many have used there Coote machine for ever. I made mine into a mobile 2 x 72" setup after I purchased my Hardcore Products 2 x72"

Stay safe and have fun.
 
I think I might try files for a while. It will have to wait until my work opens again after Christmas to get into the shop, they have everything id need to make a jig. I imagine with a couple c clamps I could improvise some type of vice on my countertop.

Even if I had any extra money at all, I have no idea where you guys are getting these $50 grinders from. I live in Canada, no HF here. I've been down to sears and home depot, and even the saddest beginner looking grinders are going to run me over well over $100, and none of them seem suited for making blades. Been to the main pawn shop in town several times, closest thing I could find was a 4X something that looked beat up, and it was the type you would hold against the floor to smooth it out, not a free standing one, and even that was too much. The sites I've seen online have just had utterly ridiculous prices.

One day I absolutely will get a 2X72 or something to that effect, that day is just not in the foreseeable future..

Well I just checked the HF website, for some reason I just assumed they wouldn't ship to Canada, apparently they do. Thinking about ordering this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-in-x-30-in-belt-sander-60543.html
Next time I have the extra cash on hand, doesn't look too impressive, but I imagine it will do a better job then the bench stones.
 
Mahoney said:
Another option would be to "rough" the bevels on the grinder and then finish with a file, or abrasive on a flat surface.
Click to expand...

I did this for years... I got pretty good with that stone grinder too, I could get the blade to around 90% and did the last 10% with files. Good filing technique will get you to a 150-220 grit level, then switch to sandpaper. Good filing technique, quality files, and quality sandpaper will get the job finished quicker than you might think. Make sure your stones are of good quality and not damaged in any way, they have been known to explode.....
 
Before all of these lessor cost 2 x 72 machines were around and there were Burr King, Bader and Square Wheel many makers used stone grinders.

The main concern from what i've read was that the stone particles would inbed in the steel and give some problems with HTING?
 
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