Tool list

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rolluron

Joined
Oct 7, 2018
Messages
6
I see post of people who want tool list for the least amount of money to start knife making. I've made a few with a hand grinder, bench grinder, and a few files, but that's not the case today.
I just retired, and I'm going to start making a few knives. I have about 6500.00 to buy tools with. Here is some item I already have that could be useful.
welding machine
plasma cutter
vise
bench grinder
hand grinder
drill press
I'm looking at the Oregon 2x72 belt grinder with a 2hp motor, it come with quiet a few goodies for 3000.00. What else would you buy with the 3500.00
 
rolluron said:
I see post of people who want tool list for the least amount of money to start knife making. I've made a few with a hand grinder, bench grinder, and a few files, but that's not the case today.
I just retired, and I'm going to start making a few knives. I have about 6500.00 to buy tools with. Here is some item I already have that could be useful.
welding machine
plasma cutter
vise
bench grinder
hand grinder
drill press
I'm looking at the Oregon 2x72 belt grinder with a 2hp motor, it come with quiet a few goodies for 3000.00. What else would you buy with the 3500.00
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Aside from a bandsaw, thats a decent outfit right there. If you farm out heat treating,
I suggest just put money as needed into consumables and nickel & dime shop expenses. Lighting, magnification, dust control, etc.
 
HSC /// said:
I would not spend it.
I would save it in my knifemaking account,
you can easily spend that over the next year as your knife making evolves,
frankly I think it takes 3 years to figure out your equipment needs as you develop your skills.
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+1
 
Unless you have been making knives for a while at a friends place, I suggest you don't buy much equipment. Buy three or four good files, a stack of Rhyno-wet or similar good paper, 48" of 1084 steel, a high tension hacksaw (not a regular one) with Lennox 24TPI blade, and one or two C-clamps. Make five to ten blades that way, and if knifemaking is still exciting, get a grinder, disc sander, and a carbide shoulder jig. Kilns and forges are not needed for a while for new knifemakers.
 
If a 2X72 grinder is at the top of the shopping list I would walk past the "Vertical ONLY" machines and shop for tilting Vertical/Horizontal machines. There are more on the market now than ever and I find the extra cost worth the versatility!!
 
If you are ok spending $3000 for the Oregon 2x72, just spend the extra $600 and get the TW90 for $3600. It comes with an 8" wheel, platen, small wheel holder and tilts to horizontal and is probably the best grinder built right now. Then spen the $2900 on the other stuff including a bandsaw/swag table setup and good files and rhynowet paper.
 
Jrmysell said:
If you are ok spending $3000 for the Oregon 2x72, just spend the extra $600 and get the TW90 for $3600. It comes with an 8" wheel, platen, small wheel holder and tilts to horizontal and is probably the best grinder built right now. Then spen the $2900 on the other stuff including a bandsaw/swag table setup and good files and rhynowet paper.
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I misquoted what the Oregon Grinder cost. Look at all the add on I get for Oregon Grinder https://www.ebay.com/itm/Belt-Grind...ombo-EXTRAS-/263793994394?hash=item3d6b58ea9a . For 1750.00 plus 200 shipping. Now I know this it's going to be near as smooth and if I were making knives for money I would buy a KMG or TW90. I haven't studied much on how they mount, but I figure I could weld together a table that would tilt in a couple of hours for way less. What's your opinion on a table tilting rather than the machine?
 
I have a Pheer grinder that is just vertical right now, but plan on building a tilting base, so I'm fine with a tilting base. Oh and a KMG is not a good machine anymore. They've had a bunch of quality issues lately I've seen people post about on here with not good customer service.
 
Jrmysell said:
I have a Pheer grinder that is just vertical right now, but plan on building a tilting base, so I'm fine with a tilting base. Oh and a KMG is not a good machine anymore. They've had a bunch of quality issues lately I've seen people post about on here with not good customer service.
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i do like that surface grinder attachment TW90 but that's an extra of 1800.00 plus the 3600.00 that out of my price range as a hobbiest!
 
I stole this post from another thread about Grinders....Like Alan I have multiple grinders and a machine shop to build just about anything I want or need for knife making IMO there is no other machine I would rather have than a TW-90....

Alan Davis Knives said:
I would take one tw-90 over 2 of any other grinders. I have 5 grinders, a tw-90, a kmg, an amk horizontal, an outlaw 2 and a homemade horizontal. I would trade 2 of my other grinders for another tw 90. I wish I had bought two of them when they first came out and been done.

The tw 90 is simply the best thought out machine imo and is designed and built by a knife maker/engineer. The ratchet system makes changing belts extremely fast and easy(saves a lot of over the years) The tool rest is supported only inches away from whichever attachment you are using be it the contact wheel, the small wheel attachment or the platen rather than an arm sticking out 10 inches from a receiver channel. The tool rest goes from tilted back to 90 degrees automatically. It is extremely easy to change attachments and to change tool rests, the small wheel holder holds two sizes at once and flips between each in only seconds. Another nice thing is the little square metal plate just above the belt by the ratchet arm, it will save your face when you break a belt. I have had my tw90 since 2012 and use it for many hours just about everyday, it still runs butter smooth, tracks perfect with most belts and is the machine I use for most of my work. I like my tw 90 so much, I would actually be willing to trade 2 of my other grinders for another tw 90.
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Busto said:
There is a Tread on building a Surface grinder attachment for a fraction of the TW model...
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/home-built-surface-grinder.1532559/
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Dang Yall! I never have seen people say a product is far superior as you all are saying about the TW90. What attachments is a must for the TW90? The other grinder I was looking at came with 3 or 4 small wheels, platen, and a 10 or 12-inch wheel for 2000.00. The TW90 at 3600.00 if I have to buy any other attachments it will take all of my money.
 
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