Stone Grinding VS. Belt, the pros and cons..

Battle Creek Knives

Battle Creek Knives

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Feb 23, 2010
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Just curious why it seems everyone is using belts nowadays, seems to me I remember seeing some knife makers using stone grinders, some still do but its a rarity.. I've only used one for sharpening once, and it moved metal super quick..

I can see the obvious advantage with a belt grinder, but is the stone grinder that bad?? or has the flat grind killed it??
 
Those stone grinders arent really made anymore. and a 10" or greater stone wheel for your bench grinder is very expensive. although I'd love to have a large cutlery water cooled stone they just arent practical. Murray Carter is the only guy i know of using them, and he has to have 3-4 different grit stones. I use a 8" bench grinder to profile with but thats about it.

Jason S. Carter
 
I did the stone thing for a while. I had some of the best to use about 10" in diameter at no cost to me but rounded on the ou8tside edge.The word was "the harder the steel the softer the stone to be used should be". It was a way to do it but --- The stone wheel used in the past were often 3' 0r 4' in diameter and were turned by water wheels. The grinders often layed down to do their work. In time it could be done in a sort of smooth manner but with the motor drive not as even as I wanted and I went to a 4" X 36" belt grind to a 6"X 48" and now am at a 2" x 72" with a flat platen and one I most often run a 10" wheel on. The stone wheels were not a practical way for me to get the results I wanted. Frank
 
I think one of the biggest issue is consistency. Stone wheels wear out, get dished, and ultimately your angles and diameters change. With a belt grinder/sander, you can just throw a new belt on and you're good to go.
Also, you have a seemingly infinite variety of grits and belt types to choose from, for relatively cheap, where as stone wheels can get quite expensive and not offer as many options.

Besides that, there's just so much more you can do with your after 2x72.
 
Many years back ( 35 if I count right) I built a stone grinder. It had 2X12" wheels in coarse and fine and a set of vitrified 3X12 wheels. It was nice, but a belt grinder made it obsolete. It sits under a pile of gloves and supplies. I will still set it up in the new shop, and hopefully get some use from it.

In the new shop, one tool will be a hybrid belt grinder that has a 36", 200 RPM (max) VS wheel, and a 3X180" wet belt. It will be a sit on bench style wheel, like the old Sheffield ones.
 
I heard someone blew up a stone grinding wheel and almost killed himself. You can get the radius platens that will give you a grind similar to the large stone wheels
 
Radius platens work well, but are not suited to long grinding sessions or wet grinding. The wheel that Sam blew apart was an old grinding stone with a crack. He also powered it way too fast. They are made to run safely and efficiently at 100-200 RPM. The wheel I am building is a large contact wheel on a dedicated wet grinder, ands will run a long grinding belt. The belt will drive from 3.5X6" aluminum drive wheel.
 
On occasion I see VERY large stone grinders (wheel size roughly 24 inches, for example) at antique shows and swap meets. I'm always intrigued by them, and think of them as potentially interesting tools. The real problem with it is that you can't change out the grit to match your need... you're stuck with the one grit.

But if I was going to pretend to make swords or knives at a Renaissance Fair, or something similar, I'd get that thing and power it with a leather belt run by a water wheel. :)
 
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