Vertical Disc Grinder

J

John Frankl

Joined
Oct 16, 2001
Messages
1,917
Hello All,

If I already have a KMG with a flat platen, is a 1/2 HP disc grinder enough for finishing off tapered tangs and flat grinds. I'm thinking of something like this to take blades and tangs from 60 on the platen to 120 and up:

http://www.trugrit.com/knife-tg-92.htm

To be honest, my flat grinds are pretty decent, so it's just a matter of going through the finer grits. But my tang tapering skills on the platen suck :(. I never seem to get truly flat, nor do I do a very good job of keeping the ricasso a uniform thickness top and bottom.

So do you all think that 3/4 or 1 HP is necessary for this kind of work?

Thanks.
 
I have a .5 hp disc sander that I set up a month or so ago and it works fine. you can bog it down if you really lean into it but I dont see the need to do that with fine grits.
 
A friend of mine has the baldor in 1/3 or 1/2 not sure and it's pretty, but will bog down just looking at it. I have the Leeson 1hp 3ph with VFD and it is a fantastic machine. When I taper my tangs I hollow grind in the middle, making sure I leave about a 1/4" all the way around the profile of the handle to flat grind with the disk. I saw this technique on an SR Johnson video. It leaves the tang absolutely flat, no gaposis.
 
I have a 3/4hp disc and a 1.5hp. The 3/4 is good for wood, but I prefer more power for metal... Also, those you linked are a little pricey. I would suggest either building your own(cheapest), or checking out Beaumont metal works. They have a 1hp variable speed with a 9" disc for a little over $800. Whatever way you go you'll use it far more than you think. One last thing. A lot of people dis the shopsmith and supershop multi-tools but they have a 12" disc that is unstoppable. I see shopsmiths on craigslist in my area going for $5-600 at times. With that you would also have a good drill press, decent lathe, and mediocre table saw....just another option.
 
Hi John,

I have the 1/2 horse dc from tru grit and really like it. It is very accurate with no wobbles in the disk. My only issue is that it could use a little more power. If I had a choice I would get a 1 hp minimum and 3600 rpm variable speed.
 
I don't think that you can beat this Grizzly.

g7297.jpg


It has a 1 horse motor that reminds you of a Baldor the way it continues to spin after turning it off. It is the best Grizzly tool that I have used and I have had several (not all would I recommend). For $159 it's a dandy.

Gary
 
I use the flat platten to taper then come back with 220 grit on the disc to make sure everything is flat flat. I even think you don't have a true flat on any belt grinder because of the splice of the belt. I have always used the disc and after the belt you can see areas that do not match up.
 
Thank you for all the replies so far.

Just to be clear, I want something that is both reversible and can use normal sheets of sand paper (8" disc). The non-reversible, 12", etc. are not really practical for me.
 
I noticed you are in Seoul. How much access do you have to steel and such to make your own chassis? If not then buying a chassis is the way to go.


I got a 3/4hp motor cause I wanted to make sure I did not stall it out. I do not really hog on it per se but I just wanted to make sure. I had nothing to base my purchase on HP wise so I just picked the 3/4. Being reversible is a huge plus and variable speed is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

--Side note-- Do you do your own HT in Seoul?
 
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I have pretty good access to materials in Seoul. I actuall already own the TruGrit from way back, but I also have an extra BMW disc and variable speed, reversible controller. So the question is whether to use the TruGrit for everything, or build a bigger version and save the TruGrit for finer work.

And, yes, I do my own HT here. Though I may send some 3V to Paul Bos.
 
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