Pheer Grinder arrived - Review wip

Ok, nearly done hogging out the bevels on a small knife. I stuck with the same 50 grit I've been using just to get a feel for how the belt holds up. HUGE improvement over the super fast two wheel machine I was using. Tracking stays rock solid, I set it and didn't touch it at all after that. I can press as firmly as I want and not have it act up, and I can slow it down far enough to be easy to control. I used a few different speeds, from fairly slow to almost what I consider max effective grinding speed. Since the VFD is programmable the concept of 0-100% is a flexible thing and I haven't calculated sfpm yet.

At nearly max it was still rock solid. This is no surprise, but it's a huge improvement from the little machines. The real pleasure was being able to slow it down and not be tearing up the steel while making contact for the first time and settling the bevel against the belt. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, but man what a difference variable speed and the right style grinder makes. I wouldn't say I worked any faster overall, though part of that is the worn belt and me fooling around trying different speeds. The difference was that I have much better results at this point, far less to clean up, and it was a lot more enjoyable. I didn't feel like I was fighting the equipment at all. With the 2x42 I was always aware of the equipment and the limits it had. Don't do this, don't do that, be really careful there...

Not really a Pheer grinder related thing, but it's such a pleasure not having belt hop either. Between the lower rpms and the longer loop, and maybe just better quality on the belt, I didn't notice it at all. I'll know more as I go through finer grits with thinner belts, but at least for the coarse belts it was much better and that too makes a difference in control. 10x easier to get nice clean lines. The belt in question is a cubitron 50 grit, the 967 line, and I'm pretty happy with it. I haven't really done a ton of work with it yet but it got a lot of abuse while I played with the grinder yesterday and seems to still work well. I'll have to use the second one to really get a feel for it without the abuse and see how much work I can get done with one before it is relegated to profiling. I kind of went in reverse on this one.
 
Thanks Remy for your review. I believe you posted that you had ordered this a while back and Daniel Fairly just showed me this post that it had arrived. I appreciate the in depth review. Last Thursday I ordered one off of ebay after doing as much research as I possibly could on what was out there. He had a deal on ebay where he sells them at a lesser rate than what he advertises on the website. My machine will come with a 10" contact wheel, platen like yours and a tool rest and 1hp motor with vfd. Not sure which vfd it will be but I am sure it will be similar. For under $900.00 I probably could have purchased all of this myself and had a friend weld everything but a) I have never done this before and b) I have no plans and lastly c) I don't want to =] . The 4 weeks I am told is to build it and test it. Probably that and also what was said in the above post that ordering parts and waiting for them to arrive is what takes more time than anything. I am a little concerned about the damage in transit. I run a packing and shipping company of my own and when I see things packed like that I never surprised when they are damaged. I am not so surprised that even steel like that can bend. UPS does tend to "handle" their packages in a rough-shot manner about 95 percent of the time. Out of 10 shipments a week coming in here I would say at least one or even two have damage. Looks like an easy fix but I would probably use a bolt on method for those L brackets rather than welding them. Just a hole drilled across that down tube and secure L brackets with the same sort of bolts holding the platen tool arm on maybe. All in all, I look forward to getting my pheer grinder now that I have seen someone actually have one in their possession. I will do a similar review and hope that it is as thorough as yours is. Thanks for sharing and post more info if you feel like it when you have time. happy grinding.
 
ob1, I think I would have put a sheet of plywood in the bottom or something, that would have protected things pretty well. It really was pretty well packed, my shots don't show all the other spacers and such keeping stuff in place, but there wasn't enough room on the edges to protect from being dropped on one side, and nothing on the bottom to absorb impacts and spread it out. The motor and vfd were VERY well protected, the motor actually did have a piece of ply under it that it was screwed onto and then that box was attached (hotglue I think, but it was not coming out) to the bottom of the main box.

I definitely think that someone with the tools, experience and time could build something similar or better for less, since obviously he's making a profit on these or he wouldn't bother. The difference is that time and equipment. I'm not a welder, I'm not a milling machine operator and I'm not terribly interested in spending a ton of time and money on the equipment to make one. If someone has the equipment and skills it would just come down to time and I imagine most folks who fit that description would rather do it themselves if they have time to give it.

I think you'll be happy with your grinder. My main concern was actually the power. 1hp is considered pretty minimal but on a direct drive like this, and with the good quality motors he's including, it's plenty. It's not MORE than enough, but it's enough. If someone said they'd do the wiring and cover the costs for an upgrade to 3hp I'd be an idiot to say no, but after doing the bevels on that knive I am satisfied that power will not be an issue for me. I never even came close to maxing it out. With a big contact wheel it will probably cut even faster with less load on the motor once it's up to speed. I'm not sure but i imagine that getting the bigger wheels spinning takes a bit more oomph than a platen setup, but I could be totally wrong there. Either way, once spinning they're easier on the motor.

Now back out to run through the grits on those bevels and get that one ready for ht.
 
Ok, I took it through 220 grit and since it's a 1084 blade getting HT'd in a propane forge I'm probably set there. I need to drill holes in the tang and put in a tiny choil but otherwise I've done all the grinding I do pre-ht for 1084. Well, sometimes I go to 400, and I might after I do the other work since I will need to touch up after that anyway.

I'm loving the control offered by the variable speed. I took it way down, just past half the speed I used for most of the profiling and hogging, and the control was so much easier than my old machine it's not even funny. The consistent tracking, slow speed and smoothness made it so much easier to work. My double bevel technique still needs practice but it's a lot easier to get right when a minor bobble doesn't involve huge consequences. Working near the tip and plunge was much easier. Again, much of this just boils down to the variable speed and the differences between this kind of machine and the super high SFPM 2x42 I used before, but wow what a difference.

I took a second at various speeds to put my hand on the frame to see about any vibration, nothing other than the very light hum you'd expect. I will have to do it with a chunk of steel being pressed into the belt but I was focused on getting the knife ground. I'll use a piece of scrap for that later.

I was a bit miffed because my 120 grit 707JE belt isn't cut perfectly and has a slight wiggle, and then the 220 grit 707JE was a bit worse. Still useable and not really any worse than I'm used to with most 2x42's, but after the really nice 967's it was a let down. Not the grinder's fault though. :)

I really liked how the 707JE's worked so I'll definitely get a couple more and hopefully I just got a couple "bad" ones. Sometimes that effect settles down after some use too. For those not familiar with them, the 707JE regallite is basically a J weight belt actually designed for metal. Really soft and thin, but essentially a cubitron media with the grinding aid to keep things cooler. Once again, no noticeable belt hop from the joint while using it. I completely forgot I was using a thin belt, it was silky smooth.
 
I actually just received mine about an hour ago. I had no issues with the packing and was actually surprised at how fast I got it set up and tracking. I haven't had any real time to play with it yet but the little work I did do it seems like an all around great machine.
 
Nothing new to report, it's running like a champ. I did put on the glass plate from USAknifemaker.com, it's a nice fit and running well. I probably have 15 grinding hours on it now, maybe twice that actually running though, since I spent a lot of time playing with tension adjustments, tracking changes, setting up and making sure the glass would be secure, programming the VFD the way I wanted...

I am VERY happy with how well it works with the grinding clamp/guide from Fred Rowe. I couldn't use it with my craftsman but it works perfectly with this guy, with the glass and before it. That's nothing special for a good grinder but is worth mentioning. Talk about making life easier for getting clean crisp and EVEN plunges. It goes from being a chore to almost automatic.

The only adjustments I've had to make are adjusting the bolts on the wheels a bit so they spin nicely without any extra play. They started a bit too snug in my opinion so I backed them off a tiny bit then tightened them back down as the bearings settled. Nothing odd there, typical mechanical device break in.
 
Remy, good writing on the grinder. I got a Pheer427 the other day and will be reviewing it as well for my grinders page. I agree with almost everything you've written about it. Mine is a little different, a 2 hp. motor and a solid aluminum tooling arm for the platen.
 
Remy,

Congrats on getting the new grinder. The Pheer is a huge step up from the Craftsman. [I have personal knowledge]:thumbup:

Thanks for posting your feedback.

Fred
 
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My pleasure, guys. I think he's got a solid product between the low end lightweight stuff and the high end machines. You can get a lot of different options and you're not limited to what you start with so easy additions and upgrades like the more high end stuff. Sure, you can build something for less if you have the equipment, skills and time, but this gives an effective prebuild option that does the job.
I'm really enjoying mine, it's doing everything I hoped it would. Now if only belts really were free. lol
 
What is the shaft size on the motor? I've been thinking about getting one of these without a motor and seeing if i can scrounge one up.
 
Well, it wouldn't matter what shaft size you got since you'd just pick a drive wheel to match. Mine has a 5/8" shaft and a 3.5" drive wheel on it. That gives just about 1600sfpm at 60hz on the vfd.
It's direct drive, but the motor isn't mounted onto the grinder, the two are only attached by the belt, so you can position it pretty freely and use just about any suitable motor/drive wheel you can come up with.

I was scanning through the thread while checking some pics and saw that I forgot to answer one of Phil's questions. The frame came painted as you see. I didn't do anything to it. It's hardly been long enough to know how it will hold up long term but it appears to be an automotive type paint job.
 
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Glad to hear you are close to a month into it now and no problems so far. I am getting pretty antsy myself here. Been a month since I ordered it and it should be a matter of a few weeks now before I get it. I can't wait!
 
Yup, still working great. I just finished up my first two knives on it. I still have to sharpen the second one and do maker's mark's and sheaths, but otherwise, done. I've got a bunch of other blades profiled and two more heat treated with another almost ready for ht.
A little practice getting back in the groove with the new machine and I've turned out the two best knives I've done yet.
 
That is even better news. I know this will improve my efficiency ten fold and I am sure the quality of workmanship will improve as well. Thanks Remy. Really appreciate the time you take and review and update us.
 
A few folks have commented on the difference a good grinder makes to efficiency and quality so I figure I'll add my 1 cent. It isn't so much that the better grinder improves the work as that it makes it easier for you to do things. Fewer errors, fewer mechanical difficulties to overcome... In my case the biggest differences are the ability to slow it way down and the better platen setup allowing me to use a grinding guide to set plunges. In comparison to the super high speed of the craftsman and less than ideal platen setup even with a glass plate added it's a huge improvement. The lower speed gives me more control so I can do cleaner work. Fewer errors, less time wasted fixing them... The guide simplifies one of the most demanding parts of the work and turns it into something that requires care and attention but is less of a struggle.

The old saying about the right tool for the job making the job a lot easier is still true. The high speed 2x42's have a place as an inexpensive way to get into knife making, but they don't make it easy to turn out clean work. They just help you screw up faster than with a file. Now, if someone would make something like the craftsman but with variable speed for around $250... That would be a good introductory grinder. Even if it was just "slow" and "medium" speeds. We can just skip the full speed ahead they currently run at.
 
Yup, no issues other than the heat wave keeping me out of the shop the past couple weeks.
 
Cool man! I love my pheer 2x72 ! This thing is a boss! I've done things with this grinder I never imagined I could do. :)
 
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