radius master belt grinder

I have a Radius Master - It is great.

The 5 wheels are great.

Where I get my belts the 48" belts are $3.60 and the 72" belts for $4.10 - but I can get a 48" belt at any hardware shop if I run out.

The moveable base is good if you are short of room as well.

Stewart

PS And it is Australian:D
 
stuart, have you found any issues with belts wearing out at a fast pace, or problems with the low power/rpm?

and having owned one, how would you rate it as a first major tool?

would you happily suggest it, or like the others, favor a bigger machine?
 
I watched the Radius Master video and does look like a really cool machine! I like that it can be tilted on its side.

Whatever machine you get, try http://www.scharnau.de/ for belts. They not only have all sizes but can make up belts in any size. 3M and VSM are standard plus a lot of other stuff. As the pound sterling is so strong it might be sheaper to order from Germany, plus our VAT is still only 16%.

Good luck in any case!
 
A 72" belt will do 1.5X more work than a 48" belt -but they're not 1.5X more than a 48" belt in terms of cost.

If you're going to buy a grinder just to do finger grooves, maybe try using a foredom or a dremel tool to clean up the lines. You can get pretty close using the edge of a contact wheel -and you'll save some money.

Something like this isn't hard to build:

http://www.mstarling.com/belt_grinder.html

or

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/752550/post/774815/#774815

Point is, you don't need a dedicated machine shop to build a grinder. Good luck!
 
As I understand it the man who made the Radius Master is the same man who made the 36" and 48" Multitool.

The only problem I have had with the belts is from some of the ones from the hardware shop. Twice I have broken the belts taking them off - they have been well worn - and where you push them to change the belts the join coincided with the join - that might have been the problem. But it is not dangerous.

I have heard of people having belts come apart with 72' grinders and hitting them - with the RM there are guards on each wheels - I cannot see that happening with the RM.

I was recommend by the following by a man who teaches

They use standard 48" belts which if you buy good
belts seem to last better than the 72' ones. Belt changes are fast and
changing the orientation takes a second or so. Tracking is very nice. He
makes a variable speed one for some more $$ which would be a big bonus.
I just got the fixed speed ones which are fine for me.

One downside is there isn't much room when using the big wheel because
of the motor position. This may be an issue if you do a lot of hollow
grinding on wide blades. It is possible, just a bit awkward, especially
if you have big hands. Other than that it is probably the best I have seen.

I would get the extra platen table, as it gives another surface to grind
on when the belt is horizontal. This is useful in flat grinding billets.
I also have the moveable bases, which allow me to change the
configuration of my workshop for the different classes.

I had owned (still do) a 36" Multitool and asked some questions from a Multitool user from Radius Master their reply-

The Multitool motor speed of 2850 rpm with a drive pulley of 5 1/2'” dia gives a belt speed of 4,100 feet per minute.


The Radius Master motor speed of 1425 rpm with a drive pulley of 8” dia gives a belt speed of 3,000 feet per minute. The tracking accuracy not only is far superior and controllable than Multitool but far superior to the American Bur King, Bader and Wilton Grinders.

The 3/4 inch 1 inch and 1 1/2 inch contact wheels are great for shaping. The extra platen is usefull.

I have used KMG type grinders and found the RM more versatile.

I think they are great.

Stewart
 
flatgrinder... i still have every intention on picking up a 2x72 grinder a short amount of time after the RM, or even building one from scratch. the reason i like the radius master is because of its massive versatility. as a main tool (which it will be for six months) i will have to work harder on it, i will use more belts, and it isnt perfect as a main cutter.... but also, theres a 8inch, 5inch, and a selection of any other SIX contact wheels, straight off the bat. (with the deal i can get from the supplier)

it gives me a normal belt grinder, with a lot of options out of the box, and it also gives me a completely new angle to work from (horizontal position) as well as somthing identical to a finishing grinder sold from another company, plus slack grinding. even with my limited knowlege i can see that such versatility would be a bonus.

i can see that after ive picked up a 2x72 that it will become a secondary grinder that will only be used to do very specialist jobs, and finishing, but im absolutely fine with that. fact of the matter is, as far as i see, i will have the capability of using a 10,8,5inch wheel, plus anything smaller and the 8, 5, and lower will be avalible to me horozontally for finishing, and for tasks i cant imagine yet.

i dont think i'll be put off it unless i can have it explained to me why its such a bad idea. its a 1.5hp motor @1500rpm, and it WILL grind steel. so it will technically do the job. its versatile, and i personally think that it would make a usefull addition to a shop.

on the flip side, it is slightly slower than i would like, and has shorter belts that will wear faster. but this is a £500 fix. coote grinder. and i wont need to upgrade to extra contact wheels, or pick up a horizontal machine should i want one, because i will have something that can do this.

or put another way... im not sure theres a machine out there that will give me 2x72 bands on a 10inch wheel, with variable power, plus 2x48 bands on a variity of contact wheels, vertical, and horizontal settingsfor £1700.

but if i can be shown otherwise, i'll take it.;)

*EDIT*
steve, was writing my reply while you were, it would seem.

that info is perfect for what i was looking for. seeing as you own both, you can make a comparitive review for me, and you seem to prefer the RM, over other bigger grinders. the main flaw that was pointed (large blade hollow grind) out can also be fixed with the coote i was thinking about. so i really do believe that all eventuallitys would be covered. thanks for your info, its been very helpfull.
 
I just think that 1700 GBP (equivalent to about $3300 USD) is a lot to pay for a small machine. If it were half the price, it would seem more reasonable -but still overpriced.

You could purchase 3 KMG's with 10" contact wheels along with small wheel attachments for that price.

Or keep an eye on e-bay, I saw a Wilton square wheel go for $340 a few weeks ago. If shipping to the UK is $800 and you have to pay tax, it's still cheaper than $3300. A small wheel attachment can be purchased for $140 brand new.

-Just my .02. Whatever you decide good luck and have fun!
 
shipping is £800 sterling, so more like $1,517 U.S. shipping. so the price is still comparable to the RM, but without the versatility.

i really do appreciate the advice, and it has sold me on a 2x72, just not as my first tool. the reson im stuck on the RM is because if i dont have it, what i want to do would have to rely on my skills with hand tools. and i simply dont wanna risk that yet. i know its all a learning curve, but i would like the capability to do what i want without needing that info straight up. i would much prefer to learn without having too, if that makes sense. not HAVING to learn before i can do what i want.

my eventual workshop will have both machines, and hopefully, someone competant working them, but its a question of which comes first, and despite the advice given by people more knowlegeable than myself, im going with the RM.

im happy to work around its confines. thanks again for all the helpfull info, and kind words. and like i said before, i hope to have some nice work to share with you all, for your scutiny.... maybe my way of approaching this trade might work... we shall see.;)
 
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