Shakin' in my boots...

amcardon

amcardon

Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
942
Hey guys, I'm sure some of you can relate to this but today I spent more money than I have in a long, long time... I know to some of you its no big deal but for me this is huge. I bought a GIB kit (from Jamie @ Polar Bear Forge), a motor (from Wayne Coe) and wheels/accessories (from Tracy/USA Knife Maker) and will be ordering belts tomorrow. All-in-all, over a grand... I've been saving up for this for a while and had to sell off a rifle to put me up to budget but am still a little shaky knowing that I just dropped a lot of coin. I'm a med-student and this is a hobby to keep me sane while going to school and up to this point I've been working on a 1x42 Delta that has been good to me for the most part but I've never so much as stood in front of a 2x72 grinder, let alone worked on one... As much as I don't like the thought of selling knives I think I'm going to have to sell a few here and there to keep my supply shelves stocked. This has been quite the hobby and one hell of a ride so far, I'm excited to step up to a "real" grinder and finally be able to not only make knives but straight razors (there's a good chance I'm more excited about the aspect of making straights than knives).

So, I do have a few questions for you guys who have been in my shoes and gone from an under-powered hobby type grinder to a 2x72. What should I expect in the way of a learning curve? Is it basically the same, just scaled up? Anything I should watch out for that I am most likely not expecting? What is the likelihood I might start crying when I grind out my first knife on this puppy when all I have to compare it to is my delta? BTW, I don't cry easily, I'm just sayin'... :D

I can't believe my wife gave me the green light on this... Best Valentine's gift ever! She did say that now I have to make her a pink folder within 12 months (not because she likes pink, but because I hate it; pink camo works, right?) but since I've never made one before I'm not sure how that's gonna go down.

For what its worth, there is no way I could have gotten to this point without Blade Forums and all the help, encouragement, critique, criticism (always constructive) and generosity of all the members on here. Definitely going to have to do a giveaway here soon to show some appreciation.
 
Congrat's. I too was nervous of spending that kind of $$ but it was well worth it. Something that can last a lifetime and once good at it will bring a return. Only difference is you have a more versatile heavy duty machine now. Just remember the machine doesn't make the knife, you do. There was just a thread on the knives made with the $150 Craftsman 2x42. The knives made by guys on here with that grinder just shows talent trumps machine :thumbup:
 
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The things to be prepared for is that it will remove metal faster than before.....wood a lot faster....and finger tips in a flash.

As a med student, protecting your hands is of prime importance. Think ahead on every task, and work smarter, not harder. Push sticks, grinding magnets.jigs and clamps, etc. are good ideas. Watch placing your fingers next to the running belt,the thin taught abrasive edge can slice into soft flesh like a rotary knife blade.

You will read pros and cons about wearing gloves while grinding. On rotary tools, like mills, drills, and lathes, a glove can be very dangerous. But, on a moving belt, a glove is an expendable layer to add over the skin. I don't know how many times I have bumped the belt and ground through the glove ( sometimes doubled gloves) and saved my finger tips ( and, yes, I have ground a few spots on my fingers down when not wearing them).
I purchase a case ( gross pair) of the knit safety gloves make for workers who handle metal industrially. I get them at the safety supply store for $75/case. At 25 cents a glove, I consider that cheap finger protection, and toss a glove as soon as it gets a hole.
 
amcardon said:
I can't believe my wife gave me the green light on this... Best Valentine's gift ever! She did say that now I have to make her a pink folder within 12 months (not because she likes pink, but because I hate it; pink camo works, right?) but since I've never made one before I'm not sure how that's gonna go down.
QUOTE]

You do realize that if she thinks of this as the gift she gave you for Valentine's Day, that you have to redeem yourself with a great gift to her also! I would do something before the folder! :eek: :D

Congrats and it always makes me nervous laying out big money!
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It's only money! Your time is your most valuable resource and if you know how you want to spend it, then you are on the right track. Having money won't make you happy anyway, you have to put it to work if you want it to have real value.
 
The one thing i can tell you is: if you do get cut on your grinder do EVERYTHING in your power not to let your wife know.
 
I know how you feel. I am still the same way when I have to make a substantial purchase. I have a kiln put aside that I have to buy at then end of the month and I think about it every day. :(
And when you have all the basic stuff what's left to buy are the mo' money items.
Good thing that in a few years you will make a decent salary. :thumbup: Might help a little. ;)
 
my guess , you will cry after your 1st try . Don't let the wife know . It will get better .
 
You're going to love it!

I feel there is a learning curve but I went from a 4x36 grinder ran horizontal with the belt running away from me to a KMG. I felt like I had just gotten the 4x36 down when I got the KMG and was a bit frustrated with my first few knives. It is only about a week later and I feel like I am better then I was with the Sears grinder for sure.

I have probably spent 40 hours on it in the last week, talk about an addictive hobby.

Congratulations on the purchase!

Oh yeah, run it at a medium speed when you first start, I started with mine on high speed and that didn't help any!
 
I didn't see any mention of a VFD.

I learned on a fixed speed grinder and found that going straight to 400 grit or finer belts for bevel grinding.
and changing the drive wheel to half its diameter

helped me slow down enough to do better work.
 
12345678910 said:
I didn't see any mention of a VFD.

I learned on a fixed speed grinder and found that going straight to 400 grit or finer belts for bevel grinding.
and changing the drive wheel to half its diameter

helped me slow down enough to do better work.
Click to expand...

I forgot that is a direct drive, oops.
 
When I moved from my hand held belt sander to a Sears 2X42 (similar maybe to what you'll be doing, sort maybe?? Well at least let's pretend it is.) I ground my finger tip in the first 30 seconds after applying steel to it. Production increased but quality went down because I didn't know how to use it. There is a lot of proof that I STILL don't know how to use it, but that's another issue.

You can justify the grinder by making your own scalpels.

- LonePine
AKA Paul Meske, Wisconsin
 
I'm happy for you. You will soon notice that grinding bevels, especially the rough grind, goes much faster. Your methods may change a bit with the new grinder- for instance, I really hog into the bevels with 36 grit blaze now, doing 90% of the stock removal quickly, then switch to 220 to finish grind. A method totally inapplicable to the 1x42 I started on. Like Stacy, I recommend the use of a push stick to grind with. It will allow you to more fully exploit the power of your machine.

Make sure to set your grinder at the right height. It may seem to low at first, but if your contact wheel is at about navel height, it's easy to lock your elbows into your sides and shift your weight to accurately grind. This is, as far as I know, an almost universally accepted basic to grinding true. It sure works for me. (Not that I'm a super great grinder...)
 
Unfortunately I didn't go with a vfd, I only have access to 110v power here (landlord won't let me run 220v) and I couldn't justify the additional $300 for the vfd from wayne. I got the 1.5hp motor from him, will hopefully add a vfd later, just can't quite swing it right now.

I do grind with gloves, my hands are pretty important and keeping them clean is important as well so I do prefer gloves; i don't like the diminished feeling but the trade off its worth it. One thing I really do need to invest in is a proper respirator, that will likely be my next purchase, and one I should have made a long time ago.

Thanks again for the help and words of encouragement!
 
I have had my GIB waiting to get its first taste of steel for a while now:( but I finally ordered my VFD yesterday, a Teco FM50, so I will see how much longer I have to wait to fire it up. I am only about a month behind when I thought I would have it up and running.

On a side note your oven is 240V isn't it? You could always grind in the kitchen:p
 
unky_gumbi said:
I have had my GIB waiting to get its first taste of steel for a while now:( but I finally ordered my VFD yesterday, a Teco FM50, so I will see how much longer I have to wait to fire it up. I am only about a month behind when I thought I would have it up and running.

On a side note your oven is 240V isn't it? You could always grind in the kitchen:p
Click to expand...

At first I thought you were referring to my heat treating oven, which is 240. Not only would my wife kill me if I ever brought anything into her kitchen (she won't even let me temper my knives inside, sheesh... ;)) but so would my landlord. I was hoping he'd let me run 240V in the garage since the breaker box is out there any my buddy is an electrician, but he denied the request so I'm gonna roll on the 120V... Beggars can't be choosers, right?!?

Where did you end up getting your vfd from?
 
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