Several 'firsts'

[Hesparus]

Hi Everyone,

I mentioned briefly in another thread that I just got a Grizzly 2x72, and I used it for the first time today. This encompasses three of my 'firsts:' (1) it was my first time using a grinder with more than 1/3hp. (2) It was my first time grinding on a 2x72. (3) It was my first time using ceramic belts (Norton blaze). It was also my first time grinding a blade 1/4" thick.
I know that a lot of people don't like the Grizzly, but compared to my POS delta 1x42, I freaking love this thing! In only about a half hour, I went from bar stock to a (simple) 4" blade that's basically ready to heat treat — this won't impress many people here, but it used to take me hours to grind a 4" blade out of 1/8" stock on my old grinder. It was my goal today to grind this one blade, but at this rate I could easily make another 2! (although I really should get some school work done today.)
I'll post pictures later on.

- Chris

p.s. People who complained about the tracking on this weren't kidding. I assumed they were comparing it to a KMG or Bader, but I think the tracking is worse than on my delta. It's a good thing I'm not trying to get crisp plunge lines...

 

[Robert Dark]

Absolutely nothing wrong with a Grizz. That was my first grinder also and it took a little getting used to. You may have already done some searching on how to make the Grizzly a little better than it came out of the box. If not, there are some good reads somewhere on this forum.

One simple thing to try on the tracking is to wrap two or three layers of electrical tape around the top wheel. This gives the wheel a little more "crown" and may help some.

Another thing is to get rid of that soft piece of graphite tape on the platen (I guess they still come with that). Get yourself a piece of pyroceram and put it on your platen. Makes a world of difference.

With a little ingenuity, you can make a slightly larger tool rest (if you need to), from flat bar or even angle iron.

Most of all, have fun and be careful. That thing runs twice the speed of light and your blades (and maybe your fingers) will disappear quickly if you happen to get a gnat in your eye while grinding.

I made many knives on mine before selling it to the Brother-in-Law.

Robert

 

[Hesparus]

Finally got a picture taken. These are just out of the fire.

All are Aldo's 1084. The three big ones are 1/4" thick and the others are 1/8". For scale, the biggest one has a 6.5" blade. Last night I profiled two more in 154cm.
I still can't get over how well these belts work: I used a single belt to profile and grind all of these blades! It's slowed down some for sure, but I'll get some more life out of it yet.

- Chris

 

[mgysgthath]

Ya I was thrown off by the cost of good belts, but they do pay for themselves and then some. I had the same 60 grit blade on my 2x72 for nearly a year, for general shop work (I share the shop with my father), grinding just about everything. Hardly any grit left but it still works great for mild steel etc.