This is a great way to grind a blade

AndyAlm

AndyAlm

Joined
Jun 19, 2013
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21
Before the safety police start attacking, I realize this machine needs better protection. I just set it up the other night and have yet to fine tune it, which will include safety features. However I couldn't resist a limited test run.

This is a great way to grind a blade. It has worked for thousands of years and it still works great today. I will be fine tuning this in the near future and will probably be doing a lot more of my grinding on this machine. Left side will get a buffing wheel with a heavy greaseless compound or perhaps a bear-tex or scotchbrite wheel.


I intend to build a saddle of some sort into it, maybe a big log with some crotch protection, on which is can sit and lean into my work.


My buddy calls it the "Pakistani death trap" since it looks like the machines knife makers seem to use in a lot of middle eastern countries, but all joking aside, it is an astonishingly powerful tool that I see very little of here in the States.


Thanks for looking and any questions, concerns, suggestions, criticisms or comments are welcome.

AAhttps://vimeo.com/144942626
 
Just wear some breathing protection! :)

I found this the other night. Same idea. Very cool. [video=youtube;iCtx8VYxUK4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCtx8VYxUK4[/video]
 
Hey if it works for you go for it.

But it is not a great way to grind a knife. A great way is with a variable speed grinder with the best belts available

Just be careful at the speed that wheel is spinning when it blows up there will be blood.
 
You do make a point about the speed of the wheel. I made a point of stepping this down well below the manufacturer recommended max RPM.
 
Brock47, I like the jig the Japanese guy is using. I have a grizzly, a KMG, and now this. Each has its purpose.
 
I suppose it works, but those wheels are really intended more for sharpening than full stock removal. Diameters and angles will be changing as the wheel wears, so make sure you account for that. As mentioned, there's a reason 99% of makers use belt grinders, besides just being way more efficient.

I'd also recommend a water trough to bath the wheel in, as well as a filter for that open ended motor. Steel dust and electrical equipment are not friends.
 
Yes, a water trough or drip system of some sort is next. It will also make the wheel more efficient because it will not overheat as quickly. And yes, they are very good for sharpening, but they can hog out a bevel pretty quickly too.
 
Here is a better look at this thing running. I installed a log seat with a guard for my wedding vegetables. I'm impressed with this thing so far, despite all the naysayers. It leaves a nice 14" hollow grind. I grind directly on a 120 grit wheel which makes finishing relatively easy. It is a little less forgiving than a belt, which takes some getting used to. Definitely not a useless tool and quite cost effective if the stone is dressed regularly, as it wears slowly. https://vimeo.com/145347227
 
You aren't quenching very long!
If the stone were slowed down considerably and cooled with a water spray, you would get much better results.
 
Kiku Matsuda did a grinding demonstration this year, before the Seattle knife show, at Dave Lisch's shop. He's quite good with a setup not a lot different than yours.
I say if it works, it works. One reason more knives aren't ground on stones in the US is that nice big wheels are hard to get or very expensive here. I'd love to have a big kaiten toishi wheel for kitchen knife and sword work. I'd prefer wet grinding to dry, in my shop.
 
Salem, in my experience, the wheels themselves aren't hard to get. I got mine for less than $120 from McMaster. Just about any industrial supplier carries wheels from 14" to 18". I even found some 24" wheels. The hard part is finding machines that run them. Nobody makes them, so I had to make my own. My guess is whoever is buying those big wheels is probably running them on custom built machines of some sort, for whatever purpose.
 
There's a major safety factor, as well. When a belt lets go, you get belt slap and full underwear. When a stone at speed lets go, you have a bomb.

I agree that the concept is sound, but the application is terrifying. It should be DRAMATICALLY slowed down, it should be wet, and it should be sealed better, with a good, solid shroud around the bulk of the stone.

Stones can be extremely cost effective when used properly. If the stone were as much as $1000, how many 80 grit belts would you need to buy to even approach the longevity of the stone?
 
The thread title should be changed from "This is a great way to grind a blade" to "This is a nuts way to grind a blade"

My first knife grinder was a stone wheel grinder. I wouldn't want to go back to that. Grinding belts cut so much better and going from grit to grit and having a little give makes a better finish, IMO.
 
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