OT: Speaking of Belt Grinders...

Any 2x48 will fit that price range and the belts are widely available. The nice thing is that you can run both 2" wide and 1" wide belts on it.

I'd recommend a Craftsman at Sears so that you can take it back to the store if anything goes wrong.
 
Originally posted by Bill Martino
If I could find the sander without the motor I'd buy a couple and a couple of hundred belts and send them over to BirGorkha. I think they could learn how to use a belt sander in about 15 minutes.
Click to expand...

UB,
I ordered a golok recently and Suwandi was in the process of taking a sander to his bladesmiths somewhere in the East. I would love to hear what your BirGhorka's have to say with a couple of those available to work on. I bet their production would double and their quality would be awesome. Please let us know what happens if you send them these fine tools.

I just placed a second order with Kim at Discount abrasives for another bunch of belts which I figure should last me well into the 22nd Century.

http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/discount_abrasives/

email: discount_abrasives@yahoo.com

Others may have sources that they like to deal with and will offer their names.
 
Originally posted by Ripper
Yvsa,
Here's a pic of how I modified mine:

Regards,
Greg
Click to expand...

Thanks Greg and 777!!!! Greg would you mind e-mailing me the details of how you modified your Grizzly as well as where you got your parts?
A slower speed would really help when trying to convex the point and belly of any knife and getting them perfect the first time.:)

777 what is Pyroceram? And is it expensive? I know that trying to use the Grizzly platen without anything on it sure isn't going to result in a perfectly flat grind.:(

The other thing I have trouble with is grinding the plung cuts and getting them even with the way the belt tracks on mine. I think sturdying the unit up would help a great deal.
 
ON the tracking, it may be your grinder, but if you're using cheap belts, try upgrading. Good belts make a differnece in my experience. J flex blets are supposed to be good for plunges(least, if you track belt off edge of platen to round the plunge like I do).

Pyroceram is basically just tempered glass, like in pyrex casserole dishes or the glass window in oven door. Steve will cut them to fit your platen if you give him the size. I have it on one of my platens, not the other. Only ever use the pyroceram one anymore, though thinking Since the other one is slightly rounded might make interesting shallow hollow grind for big blades(would be about equal of 20" or so wheel)
 
Sorry Yvsa, forgot you asked about price. Pyroceram for my platen cost me $32 shipped. And it's Steve Pryor, not Primos(just looked through my old records for this stuff)
 
Originally posted by pendentive
Any 2x48 will fit that price range and the belts are widely available. The nice thing is that you can run both 2" wide and 1" wide belts on it.

I'd recommend a Craftsman at Sears so that you can take it back to the store if anything goes wrong.
Click to expand...

Sears had one on sale today for $88.

HAD being the operative word here. :D
 
Nice thing about Sears - it'll be on sale again...just give it another week or two...:rolleyes:
 
Raghorn:

That was a good move IMHO. I recall paying $85 for my 1" x 42" during a "sale" at Sears 8 - 10 (I forget) years ago. One thing I eventually did was remove the circular wheel on the side, since it comes off with no problem. I never did use it for anything and the machine has a much smaller footprint without it.
 
tRUGRIT at www.trugrit.com sells quality belts in 1x42 and 2x48(not sure which you got). Good eramics and similar quality belts cost more out the door, but the increased life makes up for the cost. Or so everyone tells me, i have some cheap AO belts now, but will be going all with good kingspor/norton/3ms once I use up these.
 
Mike - what are you going to be using the grinder for?

If you have a specific idea in mind, I can help you find the right kinds of belts. Discount Abrasives has the best prices on your more "generic" brand belts I've ever seen - better than Pop's, Supergrit, Tru-grit, and any other supplier.
 
Originally posted by raghorn
I grabbed it. Have to go rearrange my workbench to accomodate it this weekend.
Click to expand...

Raggie, since my Grizzly is in our small spare bedroom, my workroom, I put the concrete floorboard, about 3/8" thick, on my walls to keep the danger of fire from sparks down. I also have an all purpose fire extinguisher. So far I haven't had any problems with the tanle I have it setting on, but the floorboard might work under a grinder too?
Just a thought. I have no idea if it would hold up under that kind of application.:)
 
Dan - I plan to use it for knifemaking and sharpening. Right now I have a limited variety of belts: 50, 80 and 120 grit.

Yvsa - Good advice. The workbench is made of 2x6, concrete walls and floor. Lots of clutter to remove from the area. I use Wonderboard, which is a 1/2" concrete board, in my living room around the woodstove to protect against sparks and embers that like to jump out. The nice thing about it is I can cut it to form and place it in the winter, then store in the garage during warm weather. :)
 
Raghorn:

It seems to me that the new Sears 2" x 42" has a dust port for the grinding belt shroud which the old one didn't have. It will interesting to hear how that works if you use it.
 
Originally posted by clearblue
If I had it to do over, I think I would seriously consider buying this belt grinder from Lee Valley Tools:http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?SID=&ccurrency=2&page=44884&category=1,43072
Click to expand...
Jay - I think that sander would get the job done, but it's $55 and doesn't come with a motor - so I think the cost would even it out the same as a comparable Sears model.

Originally posted by raghorn
Dan - I plan to use it for knifemaking and sharpening. Right now I have a limited variety of belts: 50, 80 and 120 grit.
Click to expand...
Mike - Here's what I'd recommend:


For knifemaking from RAW material:

Do your rough profiling with an Aluminum Oxide "X" weight belt at 36, 40 or 50 grit.

Get Blue Zirconia belts for heavy-duty metal grinding. They run a bit cooler. They're not as fast as Aluminum Oxide "X" belts, but the A/O "X" belts leave deep scratches while the Blue's don't. ;)
Start with 60 or 80 grit, then go to 120 for touch up.

Then before HeatTreating, go to a 180 or 220 Aluminum Oxide "J" Flex belt. This will help you remove scratches without accidentally overgrinding your work.

HEAT-TREAT


For grindind an already HEAT-TREATED knife

Start with a 80 or 120 Blue Zirc belt to set your final bevel/edge.

Then hit it with a 220 A/O "J" to clean it up and remove the scratches. Keep this belt handy, because later if you see you still have deep scratch marks, come back to this belt (not the 120 Blue Zirc) to remove them.

Then if you can afford it, get a 400x cork belt (Discount Abrasives has them cheap) to remove all scratches and start polishing. These belts need a good break-in time (10 minutes on the grinder with steel held up against it - no less).

Otherwise, do your polishing with A/O "J" Flex belts starting at 320, 400 & 600.

If you want to get a mirror finish, you need a buffing wheel. Otherwise, just start hand rubbing with 400, 600, 1200 & 2000 grit paper. Sounds complicated, but it isn't once you get the hang of it.


Sharpening

After you have taken the finish on the blade to where you want it, start your final cutting edge on a 15 micron belt. Regardless of what kind of grind/bevel you have (convex, flat or hollow) you should try to use the slack part of the belt when using micron belts. They are very thin and every nuance of your platen will be magnified X 10 if you're not careful.

Ok, edge set with a 15 micron. If you want, you could move through the lower micron belts (I don't). I go straight to a leather belt loaded with green compound.

Finished!


I am not saying you have to do it this way, this is just my hard-earned experience given all factors: new to knifemaking, cost of belts, desired output, simplicity, ease of use, etc.


All of these belts can be ordered from Discount Abrasives:

http://www.geocities.com/discount_abrasives/

Email Kim to get the latest prices:

discount_abrasives@yahoo.com


They are the least expensive, hands down. Shipping is quick, and Kim is quite friendly.
 
Rather tired right now, so could be wrong, but cheaper one seems better. Slightly morepowerful engine means you can hog onto the parts a bit more(press harder into belt) and hence remove metal faster, if suchis your want. Speeds are same. 1/3HP one is a tiny bit gbigger in all dimensions, like 1/4" or less, and .3 lbs. plus it's $10 cheaper. Cheap wins. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top