Variable speed disc grinder Yea or Nay?

AVigil

AVigil

Adam Vigil working the grind
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Feb 17, 2009
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Looking at Trugrits website they now have 1hp Disc grinders in variable speed or not.

I have used a disc grinder for many years but am looking to possible upgrade.

So for real world knifemaking how valuable is the varible speed for the disc?
 
I have VERY limited experience with knife making and even less with a disc grinder, but I love my VS Disc.
It helps tremendously with kitchen knives, but haven't figured it out with other blades yet.


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J. Hoffman said:
I wouldn't have a disc that wasn't VS
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I have only used a fixed speed disc and I know a couple of knifemakers who have VS discs but say they just set them and rarely use the VS.

What are some of the tasks you find the VS most useful for?
 
I love vs on the disc. Just like your belts, they heat up quick with higher grits.
 
Nothing will flatten steel like a slow moving disc except a surface grinder but the disc is a quick way to clean up the flats after heat treat. Also if you want to control the amount of heat you generate when using the disc you need variable speed. I would not use a disc grinder without a speed control. Larry

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I worked for years wth discs that were not variable. That being said, I am now running 3 - 9" variable
reversing discs, one a 1/2 horse, and two 1 horsepower units. I'm pretty sure I'll never look back. If I
had to pick one single speed it would be around 800 rpm
Ken.
 
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I usually run my disc at about 40% or slower. I spray it with Windex to keep the blade cool and to extend paper life. If I had it spinning at 1800 RPM the Windex would fly all over the place.
 
kind of off topic but Wouldn't you be saving a lot of money if you just purchased their base, table and disk for $240 and then got a motor or motor/vfd separately vs the extra $435($675 for the 1 hp single speed) or extra $635($875 for the variable speed) to get the ready made unit?
 
VS is a must, most of the time you are doing fine work on the disc and you want the control
I use my one KBAC VFD to power all the sanders using twist loc male/female plugs
so that made the cost per disc sander to about $250 total
 
kungfucowboy said:
kind of off topic but Wouldn't you be saving a lot of money if you just purchased their base, table and disk for $240 and then got a motor or motor/vfd separately vs the extra $435($675 for the 1 hp single speed) or extra $635($875 for the variable speed) to get the ready made unit?
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Well, if you could get the same build with a Baldor motor and same VFD that would be great.

But you are right you could build one for less with lesser components.
 
It's worth your time to talk to Jose at Pheer. He had one of the Tru Grit table/discs in stock and I picked the motor and he wired it to the VFD for me, and when it got here I had to simply attach the power leads into the VFD--easy peasy--and make a mount for the VFD--I just bent a piece of 2" wide piece of aluminum stock to 90 and drilled a few holes in it an tapped them and mounted the VFD to the base of the table of the disc sander assembly and the VFD to the aluminum upright piece. Jose got it to me in about 1 week--just an FYI, ended up with a 1.5 HP baldor motor a good bit cheaper than from Tru Grit--and variable speed, and reversible!
 
AVigil said:
Well, if you could get the same build with a Baldor motor and same VFD that would be great.

But you are right you could build one for less with lesser components.
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in one word, SHOP. you can go to eBay right now and find a 1hp Baldor and a 115v 1hp Teco drive for about $350 delivered. or go to Dealers Industrial or Automation Direct. I have been using a Teco for several years without any problems. with a disc grinder, you variable speed for longer disc life, lower blade heat and better blade control.
scott
 
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Have you looked into getting a Rod Nielsen magnetic hub and a few thin discs for it? If you are going to up grade your disc I recommend the VS and a system where you use use several discs for different size grits. I am also now trying out diamond discs for some of my work.
Frank
 
I have two disc grinders. I use it fairly regularly but I would use it a lot more and for more types of tasks if I had VS. It's on my short list when I get funds for upgrades.
 
Highly recommend variable speed and the neilson disc system. I never found an aluminum one that was true enough to not have wobble/chatter issues. The steel discs that nathan made are the most precise, but the Neilson ones are close enough, and add a huge convenience factor. You change paper enough as it is, especially once you get 220 grit or higher, it's really really nice to be able to have a few other discs with courser paper mounted for quick switch outs when you realize you need to get a bit more aggressive with it.

I also really like the knife edged discs, these allow you to get into tight spaces. I use them primarily for cleaning up the inside of the back-square of the tangs on slipjoints, where the regular discs I always end up with a little spot that I can't get to grind.
 
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