USA knifemaker no-weld grinder plans

J

JBaker

Joined
Nov 11, 2010
Messages
34
Has anybody used the plans from USA knifemaker for the no-weld grinder?
If so, how much do materials end up costing, how sturdy is it, and is it worth it (compared to buying new, since I can't find used)?

Thanks!
 
If you are good at scrounging and have access to a metal lathe you can build one pretty I expensively. If you buy everything new, you are probably better off just buying a KMG.
 
I built one this past year.

If you have easy access to the various pieces of steel like I did it only ran me $100 for the whole frame. I originally bought pulleys for 3 speeds but stumbled in to a heck of a deal on a motor and VFD and couldn't pass it up so that was a tad bit of waste. I bought the wheels from Beaumont which was for a 10, 2 and 3 inch contact wheel, tracking and drive wheels also.

A fair bit of work but I have a flat platen, 10 inch contact and a small wheel for well south of a KMG. I am only in for $850. I would say roughly $1000 is a reasonable expectation depending on attachments you want.
 
Have you found a junk yard to generally be a good place for steel? I know I have one nearby.
$850 sounds pretty good, the KMG I was looking at was $1400 for the whole package. Was it difficult to assemble?
 
Cost of just cutting and getting the steel from the shop local in my town was like $250 for the plans. That doesn't cost, wheels, drilling, bolts etc. The wheels cost the most. I went with just purchasing a KMG.
 
I built one of those no weld from the plans , and I built a grinder from polar bear forge with that being said I have a kmg now, but the Polarbear forge was way better than the no weld grinder, but my suggestion would be to buy the kmg and be done or you can spend the thousands saving money and still end up with a kmg because if you have been bitten by the knifemaking bug thats where your going to end up anyway
 
I went to a local fab shop and dug through their cut-offs / drops. IIRC, I had under or around $100 for the frame, and that was with a few pieces left over. Depending on what you have access to or who you know, it could be more or less. The biggest cost is motor and wheels, though there are a handful of options for wheels.

All things considered, you could probably get into a flat platen NWGS with a step pulley setup for around $500 to $600 if you're careful and patient and get a used motor and some lower priced wheels.

Again, it really boils down to what you have access to. If you can weld, you save a few dollars on bolts and flat stock. If you have a lathe, you save some on wheels.

How sturdy it is depends on how well you put it together. Personally, I used 1/4" tube for the base (plans call for 1/8"), and 3/16" flat stock for the "straps" (plans call for 1/8"). I also used a 1/2" bolt for the piece that holds the spring to the tracking arm, as the (I believe it was 3/8") bolt that the plans called for started bending on me.

Finally, the pillow blocks really should be spaced farther apart so that there isn't as much shaft hanging out past the bearings. That, or you should use a 3/4" shaft.
 
Y'know you could look in Google images and see dozens of USA Knifemaker NWG builds. There are a myriad of versions and mods that people have made including welding it down tight.

You could also call USA Knifemaker and discuss it with them. The HEAVY DUTY one that Drew/Knife to a Gunfight made sounds like a great example of someone improving on the original design. I believe USA Knifemaker also sells the NWG in several kit forms now with all the steel cut to size and maybe even drilled for you (not the cheapest way to build it tho). If you're capable of fabbing it and have access to cheap (maybe even free metal) and a decent shop where you can do the work ACCURATELY you can build it for a helluva good price.

The contact wheels, drive wheel or belts and pulleys, motor and VFD are where you're really gonna have to make some $$$$ choices or go hunting for deals.

Awhile ago, in 2 separate transactions, I bought a Leeson 1.5HP DC motor and then stumbled into a Leeson VFD too, all for around $500 (shipped too) as I recall. There are deals out there on good stuff.

BTW, show us some pics when you're done.......................

Corey "synthesist" Gimbel
 
Last edited:
I was thinking of going this route a while back but decided on getting a complete package with motor and VFD right from the manufacturer, I know I can save money finding the motor and VFD elsewhere but this way I don't have to mess around with it as much and I know it will work right away. I don't know enough yet about the motors, etc.. Rather not mess around and just get it done for the extra $$. My only problem now is deciding which grinder to get
 
I built one last year. I thought I would be fun, and it sort of was fun to build. The biggest pain was drilling holes with a cheap Harbor Freight drill press (If I were to do it again, I'd try one of those step bits.)


I purposely didn't keep a close track one the total amount I spent, but I think I came out ahead of a KMG, especially since I built it with a multi-platen from GIB with 2" and a 8" contact wheels.

I also built mine a little beefier than the original plan, partly on the advice of others and partly because of the availability of the tube steel. I 'rounded up' when I could.

I think it runs well, though to be honest I've never had the chance to use a KWG or a 'real' grinder so I can't make a good comparison.

However, if you factor in the amount of time I spent working on the thing and two trips to Tractor Supply to buy a motor and various parts, I didn't come out ahead. Not even close. But, while I'd like to have those Saturday mornings back and do something else with them, I don't charge my time like that, of course. (If I did, I'd hate to know how much all the time I've spent browsing this forum over the years has 'cost' me.:D)

I haven't built the tool rest yet. I wish I could fabricate an adjustable tool rest. The tool rest as designed is pretty cumbersome.

It's one of those things that I'm glad I did, but if I had to do it again I'd buy a Wilmont Little Buddy grinder.
 
Last edited:
I built one a couple years ago, for a cost of about 500 bucks including the close to 300 I spent on wheels. I got the steel and had it cut to length for 80 locally, got a 1hp motor off a tablesaw with a broken table I picked up at a yard sale for 20 bucks, spent around 75 bucks on pillow blocks, drive shaft, belt, fasteners etc. it works great but even the 1hp is a bit weak, so now I need to decide if I upgrade this to 2hp with VFD or keep it as is and buy a premaid grinder like a pheer or kmg. If you can salvage anything to use and save some money, I think it's totally possible on 5-600 dollars.

Edit. As the last poster said I also overbuilt mine based on what was available. My tooling arms 2 inch, as are all other parts that stated 1.5 inch tubing, and believe me it's solid.
 
I first built a KMG clone from plans found on the internet. I made several changes the biggest one being I made it direct drive and used a VFD. I have a mill, lathe, 7x12 metal cutting band saw , drill press and a mig welder. I would consider this to minimum equipment needed to take on this project . I have wondered what the percentage is of completed grinders to the number of plans and kits sold.
I have built 6 so far and have it pretty much figured out where I can build one pretty quick.
I haven't been advertising the grinders or jigs lately until I get caught up, but look back in tools and supply for ANGLE PRO grinders and jigs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top