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A few notes on the angle grinder. Try to limit how long you use them. I burned out the brushes in 3 by hogging too hard. Get one that will turn off when you take your hand off too. If you have an accident and drop it, you don't want something that cuts through steel that fast cutting into YOU. I have also found that I blow through metal cutting discs very quickly. I also discovered that the more expensive discs don't really last all that much longer. I would just get a massive quantity of the HF ones and call it good. I've got about 20 left from my last order. Will probably blow through 4 or 5 cutting out my last two gladius designs.
 
bladsmth said:
Yes, it will be a better setup to wire it for 220VAC. That also allows you to hook up a larger motor later with no changes to the wiring.

You left one startup item off your list....and it is free - Fill out your profile. Location, age, occupation, interests and hobbies, etc.
Some of the things on your list might come to you cheaper, or even free from a nearby maker if they knew who you were and where you were located.
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Updated my profile. Thanks for the tip!

crimsonfalcon07 said:
A few notes on the angle grinder. Try to limit how long you use them. I burned out the brushes in 3 by hogging too hard. Get one that will turn off when you take your hand off too. If you have an accident and drop it, you don't want something that cuts through steel that fast cutting into YOU. I have also found that I blow through metal cutting discs very quickly. I also discovered that the more expensive discs don't really last all that much longer. I would just get a massive quantity of the HF ones and call it good. I've got about 20 left from my last order. Will probably blow through 4 or 5 cutting out my last two gladius designs.
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Thanks for the heads up! Do you think it'd be better to just go the high tension hack saw route? I seem to see equal amounts of people that favor either the hack saw or the angle grinder when it comes to blade profiling techniques (other than a band saw, of course).
 
I can't really say, having never used the hack saw. I suspect the angle grinder is faster, but you also are somewhat limited in what you can cut out, and I also suspect from my own experience that you'll waste more metal, particularly in the handle area, unless you stick to really simple handle designs. Neither is particularly expensive though.

Also, don't forget to save money for steel! I generally spend around 100-200 dollars per steel order, which gets me several feet from Aldo, and that tides me over for a while. But then, I buy inexpensive steels like 1095 and 5160. If you want stainless or a CPM steel, that gets expensive fast. And sending out for heat treat, while not that expensive per blade, adds up too. It's not exactly a cheap hobby. I'm excited to see your first blade! I'm also saving up for a real grinder. I started with a bench grinder and a 3x18 belt sander. Then graduated to a 1x30 belt sander, and am now on a 2x48 Craftsman. I wish I'd done what you are doing, and just gone straight for a good grinder, although I still use all of them for different things.
 
bladsmth said:
Skip the band saw and accessories, and get a good high tension hacksaw frame and a pack of 24TPI lenox Bi-metal blades for it. That should cost about $40-50 for the set.

Don't even think about the HF files, even if they were $5. Get two good 12" Nicholson or Simmonds files - one bastard cut and one second cut. A #0 cut 1/2" rat tail file and a half round bastard cut are also nice to have.

Get a set of drill bits that comes with multiples and more sizes. This set is almost always on sale:
http://www.woodcraft.com/product/20...twist-drill-bit-set-with-drill-bit-gauge.aspx

Before reading the next lines,it must be said that you can make excellent knives in the beginning with just the basic tools on your list and no grinder at all.

That said, with the money you saved on the band saw, stand, and blades, upgrade the underpowered 2X42 to an entry level knife grinder. The Kalamazoo and Coote are popular starter grinders. Money spent here is well spent. Get the basic no-motor unit and add a 1HP motor and 2/3/4 pulley.
http://www.cootebeltgrinder.com/prices.html
http://www.kalamazooind.com/products/belt-grinders/2fs72-belt-grinder/

I can't express the importance of getting a knife making grinder over a hobby sander. If you buy one at all, buy a grinder that will do the work for you.
A used 3/4-1HP motor will run it well to start.
Later on you can upgrade it to VS with a VFD and a 3Ph motor for an around $300. The old 3/4-1HP motor can then be made into a great disc sander for the $100 it takes to get a good steel disc.
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+1. You'd get better results with a decent knife grinder and use an angle grinder with 1mm or thinner cutting disks to cut out your basic shapes. You would find that at least 3/4 HP on your belt grinder makes steel removal much easier. You also might want to consider a few carbide or cobalt tipped drill bits for those air hardening/improperly annealed steels that you might come across.
 
crimsonfalcon07 said:
A few notes on the angle grinder. Try to limit how long you use them. I burned out the brushes in 3 by hogging too hard. Get one that will turn off when you take your hand off too. If you have an accident and drop it, you don't want something that cuts through steel that fast cutting into YOU. I have also found that I blow through metal cutting discs very quickly. I also discovered that the more expensive discs don't really last all that much longer. I would just get a massive quantity of the HF ones and call it good. I've got about 20 left from my last order. Will probably blow through 4 or 5 cutting out my last two gladius designs.
Click to expand...

Part of the reason for using the thinner disks is to avoid overheating the metal you're cutting. If you do one thin line in the steel and make it progressively deeper with each pass you have less chance of the disk binding (and possibly breaking) and the steel gets heated less. It's kind of like cutting thick cardboard with a scalpel, many cuts through the same line rather than trying to cut through in 1 go.
 
i like the new list, if you dont have all the money on hand, buy a bit every week, or month, be worth it in the end...... glad you liked our advice

Only thing i do suggest to save yourself some money is see what you can find second hand.... doing this has saved me countless amount of dollars and the motor also theres that many floating around second hand. Also if your going the 220v route, then as (bladsmth) you can get a bigger motor which i would do straight off, try finding something in the 3hp range 1500-1750rpm. 3hp is luxury on a grinder and well worth doing it instead of worrying bout upgrading later
 
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For some of your dykem and other tooling you should check out www.use-enco.com It is a little bit better than Harbor Freight from my experience and they are always having sales and usually you can get free shipping!
 
Agree with others' recs to start visiting estate sales and scan craigslist every day. Visits to the hardware store for this and that will nickel and dime you to death. Myself, I focus on estate sales advertised on c-list and things like contractors having a moving sale, etc. Vises, files, clamps, nuts-bolts, drill bits, hammers, hacksaws, blades, material for building jigs and such, etc etc.

I'd get files from an industrial supplier. I like Nicholson magiccut and simmonds multi-kut. My hardward store files dont last so long.

Also, I dont see safety equipment on your list aside from a welding apron. Respirator? Full face cover? Shop ventilation?
 
pullrich said:
Agree with others' recs to start visiting estate sales and scan craigslist every day. Visits to the hardware store for this and that will nickel and dime you to death. Myself, I focus on estate sales advertised on c-list and things like contractors having a moving sale, etc. Vises, files, clamps, nuts-bolts, drill bits, hammers, hacksaws, blades, material for building jigs and such, etc etc.

I'd get files from an industrial supplier. I like Nicholson magiccut and simmonds multi-kut. My hardward store files dont last so long.

Also, I dont see safety equipment on your list aside from a welding apron. Respirator? Full face cover? Shop ventilation?
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Thanks for the advice. I'll try and find some local listings. I didn't include any other safety gear because I already have everything I'll need safety-wise (minus the apron) in my garage.
 
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