Recommendation? Variable or Naw

T

Theforerunner

Joined
Jul 11, 2018
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So I have this Frankenstein grinder I made out of the steel from an old work out bench, and a treadmill. Oh, does she ever work for what she is... but I think it’s time to upgrade, at least a little. I’ve been following Dan of DCKnives’s blog for a while now and used his tutorials to help design my grinder. I want to build one of those sweet saber machines but I don’t think I could afford to have the steel water jetted and such. A local place quoted me like 600$? Which sounds like double the rate most people get to have them cut etc.

So I’m thinking in the name Of having a real robust and sturdy machine with the ability to change attachments like large and small wheels, I might just go for a BG-272 with fixed speed? I mean.. I have “variable speed” now but I’m almost always running her at full speed. And I figure, if I ever need to run slow speed, I can use the grinder I have now, for like finishin and what not but I want something that will hog through steel like butter ya know. Also want to make a surface grinding attachment at some point too.

So what do y’all think? Should I just do a simple, but powerful and sturdy one speed bg272 or should maybe live with what I got right now and invest in something like a small ferrier’s anvil so I can do some actual smithing type stuff for once instead of just stock removal? I do already have a paragon oven a nice person sent me from California and a home made, very hot, decent sized gas powered forge etc. although if I was gonna do some serious hammering I would probably need like one of those 20lb propane tank forges or something that just
Holds heat better since mine is basically just an arrangement of fire bricks with a big ass black iron forge burner coming into it lol....
 
General consensus I have found over the years is that variable speed is nice. Pay for convenience. Small wheels you do want to run slow to not burn out the bearings.
 
OK, pick a question and ask it before a squirrel runs by. :D

I'll try and help.
Variable Speed is something you never regret doing.

Build a good forge and make it right. Look at the forge building info in the stickys and use the Custom Search Engine (also in the stickys).
 
Just to agree with Stacy, no question about variable speed. First grinder I built was a 3 pulley setup, and worked good. BUT - it was no comparison for the next grinder with direct drive and VFD.

As far as having parts water jetted - build an aluminum frame, you'll never regret the aluminum and you can order all the parts cut to size for no extra cost. Seems like the total cost of frame is around $100 to $150 or so for all the parts cut to size. Then all you've got to do is drill holes and bolt it together. Of course you'll be building a MUCH better design than you have now.

Forge, no question build the forge and follow Stacy's directions completely. They're in the stickies. Build a blown forge. Charles of Atlas forge has shown a small DC blower can work just fine for a small forge. I built one just to try, and darn that burner did good with the small forge.
 
I built the DCknives grinder and am new at the game of knife making, Dan was very helpful when asking questions, great guy. It works perfectly for me and I just change the drive wheel out for a slower speed, have 4 and 7 inch drive wheel with 1800 rpm motor at 1 hp. I will get variable some day just from everyone stating night and day difference, just can't afford yet. I am a novice so may not know enough to comment though. I live very close to Ameriblade so used their parts for wheels and platen, great guys as well.
 
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You can save a lot of $$ on the motor and vfd if you go second hand. I watched Craigs for a few months and bought a 2hp 3ph motor for $25...it was a lot of luck....but I see lots go by around $100 too. Picked up my vfd used off ebay for $95. There are new chinese vfd that people are getting and seem to work well for around $100 too on ebay.
Because my vfd wasn't sealed I put it in a electrical box and made and external control for it....cost me under $50.

I made Dan's DC Knives grinder....works really well, but it has taken a bit of fiddling around to get it tracking really well.
Most expensive part was the wheels...I got the nylon set from oregon knife maker for about $70

For about $350 I have a variable speed grinder.
I don't know how many times I adjust or change my speed on the grinder. I never have to "make do with the speed"..its just a quick turn of the knob and the speed is where I want it.

I love my vfd and am so happy I went that way.
 
too. I never have to "make do with the speed"..its just a quick turn of the knob and the speed is where I want it. I love my vfd and am so happy I went that way.[/QUOTE said:
I have that now, with my machine, and quite honestly, I feel like I would miss it. I’m definitely gonna start scouring eBay. My control is inside an electrical box too, lol. I didn’t think about that option with a vfd. Thought it might over heat. Mine tends to bump on low speed when it’s been ran for a long period of time
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jeepseahawk said:
I built the DCknives grinder and am new at the game of knife making, Dan was very helpful when asking questions, great guy. It works perfectly for me and I just change the drive wheel out for a slower speed, have 4 and 7 inch drive wheel with 1800 rpm motor at 1 hp. I will get variable some day just from everyone stating night and day difference, just can't afford yet. I am a novice so may not know enough to comment though. I live very close to Ameriblade so used their parts for wheels and platen, great guys as well.
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I pretty much fabricated my entire rig. And used long board wheels lol. It’s solid, but something just tells me that with some added weight and proper wheels and more than 3/4 hp I’d be a lot better off. With or without variable ya know?
 
Theforerunner said:
I pretty much fabricated my entire rig. And used long board wheels lol. It’s solid, but something just tells me that with some added weight and proper wheels and more than 3/4 hp I’d be a lot better off. With or without variable ya know?
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I have three different machines. Two with 1 1/2 hp & variable & a 3/4 hp with a variable . If you’re making hunters & Paring & others on the smaller size. A 3/4hp works fine. If your making 8” chefs, Bowie’s 8” & larger with stock over about 5/32” Get a 1 1/2 hp or larger..
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
I have three different machines. Two with 1 1/2 hp & variable & a 3/4 hp with a variable . If you’re making hunters & Paring & others on the smaller size. A 3/4hp works fine. If your making 8” chefs, Bowie’s 8” & larger with stock over about 5/32” Get a 1 1/2 hp or larger..
Click to expand...


Yeah I’ve made some pretty large boys on this machine. It’s not too difficult to bog the machine down, but it sort of forces me to just cool the steel down more often, which can’t hurt. It’s just that, grinding bevels seems like a chore at this point, and is undoubtedly the most stressful portion of the making process, I think at least. I’d probably like it even less if I started forging blades first and just gave myself a whole lot more grinding to do in the end lol.. so maybe new grinder > everything else next.
 
I went from a single speed motor to VFD just a couple weeks ago and it is a huge upgrade especially for grinding thinner and getting a nice belt finish. You can slow it down for sharpening and water will stay on the belt. I wish I had just done it in the first place as it’s cheaper then buying two motors (first single phase then a three phase later on for VFD).
 
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