Surface grinders(Travis Wuertz) and flat Steel

D

DaveErving

Joined
Sep 17, 2015
Messages
1
I just bought a Travis Wuertz surface grinder. I faced the table some, but stopped because it doesn't seem to be grinding flat. The worse part, is on a surface plate, one side is perfectly flat and when I flip the knife blank over(after deburring it) the other side wobbles. How is this possible? Also, does anyone that owns the Travis Wuertz surface grinder know how to fix these issues or have any ideas. When I 1st received the grinder. The back of the table(opposite the handle was 1/8" lower than the handle side. I adjusted the screws that attach the table to the slider and it hit the wheel evenly. I'm at a loss. I contacted Travis Wuertz, but he hasn't returned my messages(I know he has to be a busy guy.) ANY HELP would be appreciated. THANKS
 
First of all, call Travis. Could you knife blade be warped. Also, have you checked the magnet area to make sure it is straight. If it is straight, check the run out from one end of your slide to the other as you move it through its motion. If all that is true you should be getting a straight cut.
 
Dave, There are two 3/4 inch nuts on the top of the table. When you loosen them the table will swing out on the right side to allow you to taper a piece of flat stock. Make sure to loosen those two nuts and pull the table flat to it's back and retighten them. If the table is not flat against it's back then the right end of your blade will be tapered. Also, there is a small piece of steel fitted to the groove on the extreme right of the table which acts as a stop for your blade to keep it from flying off when you grind. If your blade is not behind that lip then it will grind more on one end. Check these two things first. Larry
 
You should be able to check the actual flatness of the attachment's "table" with a straight edge. Similarly you can check the blade as well. It's possible that grinding on one side caused it to warp.

If you've got a surface plate, that's even better for checking flatness.

What kind of steel are you grinding? Hardened? Annealed? Hot Rolled? How much are you taking off per pass? Is the blade getting hot while grinding?

If you originally put a warped blade concave side against the table (where only the ends were making full contact), it could have felt solid, but still not been flat. You would have then ground it "flat" on the first side, but removing it from the table would have likely allowed the warp to return, such that the opposite side would only be contacting the table in the middle, causing your rocking.
 
Let's make this straight...

That attachment made by Travis (no offence) is a TOY.
There is a reason why magnets in surface grinders are that big, to have propper magnetic power.
Also they are solid and rugged.

For me better option is to go get surface grinder (used) and convert it to belt with a possibility to go back to grinding wheels..

Warping of a working piece can be caused by and this is probably a reason:
- lack of coolant = building more stresses and temperature
- lack of stiffness of whole construction.

That make the piece warp.

If you get propper wheel speed, workpiece speed and propper cooling (with a grinding coolant) you can avoid building temp and stresses in steel.
 
I certainly would not call Travis Wuertz's surface grinding attachment a "Toy". I have been using one for about two years now and grind all my blades and taper the tangs on many of them. I have to pry off the blades with a screwdriver each time I remove a blade from the table because the rare earth magnets are so strong. I can measure he thickness of my blades from the very front to the very back and have less a thousandth of an inch variance. While I think a 1500 pound surface grinder may have some real advantages space saving or portability isn't one of them. My knives are flat and that is all I need from the tool. Larry
 
I wouldn't call it a toy but I would say it is not as precise as a real surface grinder (duh). But because of this I wouldn't try to grind in the "chuck", I think that would be asking for trouble or could cause problems if you switched grinders. I'm curious though, does Travis recommend you grind the chuck on these?

I don't know why your knife would wobble like that unless it warped. I don't run coolant on my sg at the moment and I can't grind AEBL on it because it warps. One side will be flat and I flip it over and its got high spots. I grind those down flat and flip it over and I have high spots again... So I just stopped doing it until I build a coolant system for it. Not sure if that is your problem but it sounds familiar.

-Clint
 
yeah, I think calling it a toy is a bit overboard. There are heaver more precise machines, but for its intended uses, it does a great job. It has some great points, lighter, much smaller footprint, doesn't weigh 2000 lb, measurements are repeatable etc. Obviously coolant can be added and it is precise enough to get the intended job done.
Would I take a flat plate grinder for the same price, perhaps, but also maybe not for the same reasons I have one of Travi's.
It works within it's intended purpose [light duty work] very well.
 
LARRYZ10 said:
I certainly would not call Travis Wuertz's surface grinding attachment a "Toy". I have been using one for about two years now and grind all my blades and taper the tangs on many of them. I have to pry off the blades with a screwdriver each time I remove a blade from the table because the rare earth magnets are so strong. I can measure he thickness of my blades from the very front to the very back and have less a thousandth of an inch variance. While I think a 1500 pound surface grinder may have some real advantages space saving or portability isn't one of them. My knives are flat and that is all I need from the tool. Larry
Click to expand...

I agree Larry. Travis' SG attachment is one of my favorite toys. LOL
 
I agree with Darrin and Larry, I have one of Travis' surface grinder attachments and it does a great job for me.
 
Machining doesn't create stress. Quenching creates stress. Machining relieves it. Heat relieves it. It doesn't always relieve evenly through a cross section of material.

But it doesn't create it.
 
Dave
It is quite hard to trouble shoot something via text. That being said, check your belts. Some belts wobble side to side, some have an uneven coating thickness and some don't wear even forming a wavy surface.
Jim A.
 
I've had the same thing happen with mine. It's kind of a pain in the neck, but it's not too bad. If I pull the knife across the belt fast enough it doesn't leave the waves. A few straight pulls with hand sanding will do the trick too. I could probably fix it, but it just hasn't been enough of an issue for me to deal with it...

Anyone who says the TW surface grinder is a "toy" obviously doesn't have a clue what they're talking about, as they've likely never used one. If they had, they wouldn't be spewing the BS. For knifemaking, the wuertz surface grinder is all I need.

To the OP. What is your grinder sitting on? A table? Bench? Adjustable table or cart? If the grinder is on something that has some wobble to it, that might be the issue. Also, how is the tracking with your machine? Are the wheels all lined up? Ar you running the belt as fast as it will go? My KMG is sitting on one of those adjustable tables/carts(rated for 1000lbs). It's way sturdy enough to support the grinder, but there may be some wobble with it. Like I said, I could prob fix this issue, but it hasn't been that big of a deal. I think one of the problems might also be the pulley system on the KMG grinder. That doesn't move near as smooth as a direct drive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top