Sears 2x42" sander/grinder?

Oh really? HAHA, I never knew that, that's hilarious...I grew up with my dad swearing by craftsman too. Oh wow, I feel remedial.

Anyway, he says it's an "older model"....the newer ones are 139.99. Is this one going to be worth the $95, if it works like he says?
 
That's the model I have.

Pros: It's 1HP! I don't think Sears even makes one over 1/2 HP any more. I've never had mine to bog down. Mine tracks true, but if you can, ask to try it out and make sure it tracks well. The disk on the side is good for flattening scales. It's also 3 wheel, the new ones are all 2 wheel.

Cons: It's fast. Make sure you dunk your blades often, especially after heat treat. It'll burn up an edge if you plan to use it for final sharpening and you're not careful. Another con is that the "platen" is not all that robust compared to the new 2 wheel versions. It's basically an L shaped piece of metal that clamps in place with a single bolt. When mine is tightened down it does stay put. It is somewhat adjustable forward/back, so it's easy to loosen up the bolt, slide the platen back, and go from flat grinding to slack grinding. I've never attempted to put pyroceram on mine.
 
I'd look around at the usual places for belts and see what's available. Certain sizes are just not common in belts meant for steel or are only available in certain brands for extra cost...

can it slack grind at all? does the belt go all the way over to the edge of the platen? Is the edge fairly crisp or very curved?
I'd also be a bit worried about how close to the motor the belt and lower wheel are. Might be a pain when trying to work both sides of the knife evenly.

Some of the above come from my recent experience working with a 4x36 hitachi that is a great little machine, but definitely not designed for this kind of work.
 
I have the new one 1/3 hp I think. its a really good grinder for the price I have stopped my bet a couple of times, but its not really a big deal.
 
I have that same craftsman 2x42( the two wheeled one.) I would honestly build the file jig and use it. and even shape the handles with files first. I tried to go the easier way and buy the 2x42 and had alot of trouble grinding without knowledge of how to actually work your grinds up the blade towards the spine and totally effed up like six knives. after fighting with that and ruining more knives my friend Bill told me to just use files and pay attention to how the grind is formed and grinding knives out with files has helped me understand alot about what goes into knife making. if I were you Ide start with the file jig and work your way up. better yet get the 2x42 and practice walking your grinds up the blade on paint sticks they hand out at any hardware store but still use your file jig... you will be better off in my opnion.
 
I just bought the two-wheel model this spring after burning up my hand-held belt sander. It works a LOT better than my hand-held sander. It runs a lot faster which means that it is easier to make worse mistakes faster than with a slower running grinder. After I got it home I quickly set it up on my bench, put a blade blank to it and 1.2 seconds later had ground off part of my fingernail and a little bit of the tip of my thumb. Be careful with any power tool. I was making a lot of stupid mistakes of letting the blade accidentally bump the running belt. Though production increased with the grinder, quality when down until I learned how better to use it. I'm back up to my former level of quality (or level of less "badness") and I've only recently started to experiment with belts from somewhere other than Sears. I've not used the disc sander part yet either.

I am having a challenge getting the grind lines to match on both sides of the blade. This is more an operator problem than an equipment problem though. The 1/3 HP motor is normally OK but I can bog it down if I try to be real aggressive at removing metal.

2X42 belts are not the most popular size but Janitz carries a good selection if you want more than the three grits that Sears sells.

If I could I would run out and buy a Bader or something, but for about $120 it's a pretty good grinder for a novice like me who can't afford to plunk down $700 for an entry level 2X72 grinder. It ain't the gun, it's the gunner. It ain't the camera, it's the photographer. It ain't the grinder, it's the guy running the grinder. This grinder is carrying me to a different level of knife making that will serve me well if the time comes when I can afford a better grinder.

If I stay interested in building knives long enough I hope to grow up and get the mystical 2X72 grinder and have perfectly ground blades come off it with no effort on my part, just like in the videos. Yea,... right. ;-)

LonePine
AKA Paul Meske, Wisconsin
 
I have the 1/3 HP model. It's not a bad little machine for the price, yes it's fast. So I use a fairly gentle touch, well at least I try. I really haven't tried getting too much into finishing with it. But it's a helluva lot better than making a knife with just files. If you get it go to Midwest Knifemakers supply and get the ceramic glass platen and put it on as per the instructions on the site. Don't even bother trying to grind on the metal platen it comes with. I Basically just use it to get the bevels with 80 then 120 belts and I'm off to hand sanding after that. The disc sander on it really isn't worth much from what I can tell plus changing the discs is a pain. I think with that and Fred's bubble jig you can get some fairly decent knives out of it without going through too much steel in mistakes. There are a few people who have used that as their starter machine and made some respectable knives off it. TruGrit carries some belts for it also.
 
I just found out about this place thats in my hometown that makes custom sanding belts.
You can get an instant quote online and looks like they can make just about anything you need at a great price. http://www.econaway.com/
 
Lots of good info and advice guys...I appreciate all of it.

I think what I'm going to do is use the money I have to build my file jig, then maybe go sell some plasma for a couple weeks and get a grinder. I just want to get started.
 
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