The Cost of being Cheap

Hankins

Hankins

Joined
Dec 7, 2008
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The cost of being Cheap... A word to the Wise for the Newby's
Bought a Coote grinder ... Wound up with a KMG two years later
HF drill press's ... Wound up with a Delta floor model 1yr later
HF Bench top Beadblast cabinet ... Wound up with a Floor model 6mths later

Anyone else care to share :o
 
Thought I was buying a good brand, bought a dewalt 4.5" angle grinder, got not even 6 full discs out of it and it is dead...my 20 year old craftsman 9" still works...
 
Being cheap has worked well for me as long as I was fixing up old equipment.

I dragged home the farm's big old stick welder that was electrocuting the the guys (they bought a nice new MIG welder because of this); I redid the wiring in the machine, bought sticks, and put a breaker/big outlet in my shop for $20. My other was my bandsaw I dug out of the farms scrap pile, took it apart, replaced bearings, welded a few parts and *wala* $60 bandsaw.


When I first started I purchased a 4x36 belt grinder for $50, it must have been 4 months later that the bearings were fried and I bought a grizzly to replace it.
 
montana guy said:
Thought I was buying a good brand, bought a dewalt 4.5" angle grinder, got not even 6 full discs out of it and it is dead...my 20 year old craftsman 9" still works...
Click to expand...

My Dewalt 4.5 angle grinder is still kickin and the HF version died years before. The Dewalt did puke grease when I was really punishing it on a hot day with a cup brush. Re-greased a it's working fine.

I don't think that I have ever read of a Coote's failure. I have one and I am looking at a KMG clone. No regrets on either account. I got an old Sears floor mount 1 HP drill press used for $125. Still kicking as well.

The only gripe I have is the HF stuff, but at the same time the chop saw from HF is still kickin. Had to replace the brushes once, but she runs today.
 
I can't even begin to tell you much money I've wasted in my 55 years having to buy the better product I should have bought in the first place! Thousands!!

Do you research and ALWAYS buy the best you can first. I will save you not just money but time, grief, maybe even injury from not forcing things.
 
Okay. But what about the cost of not being cheap.

When I was first building my shop, one of my first purchases wiped me out where I couldn't afford some of the more auxiliary equipment. So there I was with half a shop, but no budget for the rest of the stuff I would need. I stumbled along for a long time without two nickels to rub together before I could finish the package and do work.

Here is a simplified example: lets say I want to set up to put threaded holes in stuff and all I have $200. I can buy a good set of drill bits for that or a good set of tap and dies for that. But either way I can't drill and tap a hole. Or I can buy import drills and import tap and die and at least be able to thread something.

I think it is wise to plan what you're going to need for what you want to do and look at a workable budget for your operation and plan your purchase accordingly so you don't over spend in one area and have to skimp in another. Don't go into debt unless you have a real business plan with real work to get you out of that hole quickly.

I strongly recommend to folks building a shop that you keep in mind what you're looking for, but don't get in a hurry. Wait for a good opportunity to buy it and keep a supply of cash on hand at all times so when you get a "once-in-a-lifetime deal" you're ready to jump on it. I had the cash on hand and was ready to swoop up and basically steal this minty machine for nothing because I had money and somebody else didn't. http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss107/Nathan_the_Machinist/083109_vmc/bridgevmc1.jpg I had that money because I'm cheap. That mill paid for itself very quickly.

So, in conclusion, don't put a new Kurt vice on a $500 mill or buy $100 coated carbide endmills to hack and wack in your garage. Spend your money wisely.
 
I think it all depends on how you are cheap. My wrench and socket sets from 1 1/4 up are china specials. I rarely use them, but, the get it done when that rare time comes. My smaller stuff isn't Snap on either. Mostly Proto, SK and stuff like that. Grizzly mill, but, not the smallest one.

You have to balance it out a bit. Don't buy junk of course.

Montana guy. Dewalt actually makes a pretty good grinder. Most of mine have survived quite a while with all but the hardest use. I work in the piping industry and have used a bunch of them. I have a small collection of parts laying around and might have what you need. There newer, larger 4.5 is a big step up too.
 
Yes....I think we've all been there and done that. Sometimes, trying to save money ends up costing more in the end.

But, I like to look at it with a "Glass half full" approach. Many times, it just wasn't justifiable to spend heavy amounts of money upfront. Mainly because I had no way of knowing where the journey wwas going to take me...so you make your best guess and see what happens.

Now you can look back and appreciate the steps taken to your success. The Coote was needed and probably a vital step...and by the way Robert, I'm still loving the Kitchen knife that I got from you....(ten years ago) FROM THE COOTE?

The journey is just as much fun as the destination!

-Rob
 
I didn't buy or make any disc grinder or 8" wheel attachment for my grinder, didn't spend money for good ceramic belts, lately I bought/made them. The cost is in total : HUGE. What I could do in 2 days, now I can do it in a couple hours (profiling, flattening). I could have built maybe twice as many blades as I did in 2-3 years of professional knife making...

Emre
 
rfrink said:
Yes....I think we've all been there and done that. Sometimes, trying to save money ends up costing more in the end.

But, I like to look at it with a "Glass half full" approach. Many times, it just wasn't justifiable to spend heavy amounts of money upfront. Mainly because I had no way of knowing where the journey wwas going to take me...so you make your best guess and see what happens.

Now you can look back and appreciate the steps taken to your success. The Coote was needed and probably a vital step...and by the way Robert, I'm still loving the Kitchen knife that I got from you....(ten years ago) FROM THE COOTE?

The journey is just as much fun as the destination!

-Rob
Click to expand...

This pretty much sums up my expereince. The Coote does indeed have limitations but with a Coote and an EERF (Grinder in a Box) both for about the price of fully-equipped a KMG I certainly don't feel that I have wasted any money on grinders. Every penny I have spent is in the shop, ready to earn it's keep.
Unless you get a chance to use one extensively first, making a major machine purchase can be a bit of a crap shoot, especially for a purpose as specific/obscure as knifemaking. Very little is standardized for our use, and it is hard to know exactly what you should expect from a complex tool until you have used one for a while. In this situation it is sometimes worthwhile to go cheap, knowing that your first purchase will not be your last.
 
ib2v4u said:
I think it all depends on how you are cheap. My wrench and socket sets from 1 1/4 up are china specials. I rarely use them, but, the get it done when that rare time comes. My smaller stuff isn't Snap on either. Mostly Proto, SK and stuff like that. Grizzly mill, but, not the smallest one.

You have to balance it out a bit. Don't buy junk of course.

Montana guy. Dewalt actually makes a pretty good grinder. Most of mine have survived quite a while with all but the hardest use. I work in the piping industry and have used a bunch of them. I have a small collection of parts laying around and might have what you need. There newer, larger 4.5 is a big step up too.
Click to expand...



How do you like the Grizzly Mill? what model do you have? I've been looking at some of the Grizzly models.
 
My lesson was learned with belts and sandpaper. When I was over at HF they had these packs of sandpaper for super cheap. Well need less to say, I stocked up. Also picked up some 4 x 36 belts from there too. Well the sheets of sandpaper are virtually worthless because the grit basically falls off the paper, and the belts wouldn't track well and the seams were lumpy so the sander would thump with every rotation. :eek:

L
 
Hi Friends,

I hear you all. I think this is a case where all points of view are right. At least they are for me. Although, as a former subsistence farmer, current school teacher and striving father of two, I tend to err on the cheap side. Primarily, because I never have a sizable lump of cash at one time.

For probably not much more than the price of a fully outfitted professional knife grinder I have outfitted (over several years) my shop with: 2 bench-top drill presses, a couple of bench grinders, a Baldor driven jeweler's buffer, a step/belt driven Coote grinder, an O/A torch, a Lincoln AC/DC buzz box, an HF cutoff grinder, two 4.5" angle grinders, a Sawzall clone, a jig saw, a horizontal/vertical band saw, a Griz knife grinder/polisher, a Griz dust collector, an old Craftsman 30 gallon air compressor, a sandblast cabinet (floor model), a solid fuel forge and a forced air gas one, a jeweler's burnout oven, vacuum chamber and gravity assisted caster, centrifugal caster, two flexible shaft rotary machines, a 6x48 belt and 12" disc sander, a 12" Craftsman band saw, a 10" table saw, a Makita chop/miter saw, a 12" Ryobi planer, various palm/belt sanders and a electric hand planer and numerous wood-, metal-, leather-working and mechanic hand tools.

Sure I've had some equipment failure, but sometimes I able to render repairs. If not, oh well, it was cheap, so's another!

Thanks be to friends and family, yard sales, Craig's List and eBay (for upgrade selling too), trading, even curbside trash and dumpsters. :D

I have found that top of the line consumables are usually the wisest purchase, but even then sometimes not. For instance, I definitely don't buy my chemicals the same place our chemistry science teacher does. A gallon of dry acid pickling compound, aka sodium bi-sulfate, (PH balancer) from a pool supply house can be bought for less than the cost of a few ounces from a laboratory or jewelry supplier.

On-the-other hand, buying the best materials is a definite objective. If truth be told, I've spent way too much of what we can't afford in this realm. I console (cajole?) myself that it's an investment, as the material should appreciate over time. I even fantasize about turning it into stunning knives of superior value at some point in time. Of course, this will only work if I can invest personal time in my shop to further my skill sets too. That's the investment/cost that is the most challenging for me....time!

All the best, Phil
 
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I have also noticed the biggest difference with consumables, like belts, bandsaw blades and sandpaper. I pay a bit extra for blaze belts, but it is well worth it in my opinion, because they seem to work better. I used to think that regular carbon bandsaw blades were fine, until I got some bi-metal ones, and really cut some steel. This also applies to epoxy, and other things that just get used up. I also will almost always spend more on stabilized wood, because I hate it when scales move on me.
 
Some people can afford to be cheap. A close friend of mine bought a laptop computer about 2 years ago and he paid $1500 for it. 2 days after the warranty on it expired the thing crashed on him and to take it in to get fixed would have cost him about $500. I just bought a laptop a few months ago which I only paid $500 for and it has all the same features and power as his $1500 one did. It is a great little computer I got at a great price because we took the time and shopped around for it. I did not even bother paying an extra $100 for the extended warranty...If it crashes on me in a couple years I'll just get a new one...because I can afford to, and I won't still be making payments on a dead useless one. Sometimes being cheap can work out good, you just need to be careful with what you get and shop around.
 
I don't think the Coote is a bad investment for anyone to be honest. Sure, i've got two KMG now (and i love them to death!) but the coote got me going, and it's a damn good machine, that would certainly out last me given the chance. And then when I got the 2nd KMG, I was able to sell the Coote for almost as much as i paid for it new. Good machines retain their value.

I agree with Nathan though that it's good to have some money laying around for when a deal pops up. I DIDN'T have money laying around when the 2nd KMG popped up for a great deal, and now I'm paying $$$$ interest because i put it on my credit card =D
 
I know some of you think I spend foolishly. Frankly, I don't care. I buy cheap tools to begin with because that's what fits in my tiny work area. I'm not a pro, and almost certainly never will be. I'm a hobbyist. A hobbyist doesn 't need top of the line industrial production quality tools. I just need a good set of files, some decent working stock, and a few inexpensive power tools. Will my work compare favorably to those who do this for a living? Maybe not. Then again, maybe that isn't important to me.

I get the message... buying once is buying smart. However, I'm a long way from making any sort of commitment to earning a living by the knives I make or dress out. So when you see me spending money on a damascus bar but saving money buying a cheap sander, maybe you'll understand... and just maybe you'll even see the logic in my decisions. When your workshop is a Steelcase desk in a crowded garage, you make certain compromises.

By the way, I did buy another sander from HF on Friday... their 4x36 belt with 6" disc sander went on sale (for ITC members) at $49.99. I needed a wider sander to work on the handle blocks, and now I have one.
 
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