What is your dream KMG attachment?

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fitzo said:
I think a little comparison could shed some light on costs:

$72 KMG toolarm (square stock, 4 tapped holes, rounded end)
$38 KMG workrest (Slotted flatstock with welded plate)
$60 KMG toolarm receiver "box"
$170 Total. All fair prices. Rob is a good guy. I love my KMG and don't begrudge a penny of what I've spent on it.

Add 2 radiused articulation joints, several axial adjustments, and a multi-faced work surface with indexing stop. Add the parts for connecting the whole thing to the grinder. The degree of complexity has changed dramatically.

Factor in the consideration that this is "short run" and the setup costs have to be absorbed in relatively few units. (There is no way he could commit his family savings to purchase 50 units to bring the price down 10-15% and then sit on them waiting for them to sell because those that initially said "sure" changed their minds when it came time to dig in the wallet.)

That all adds up very quickly. I've seen the drawings and I've seen the quotes. This isn't a simple device to make.

Michael is searching for the best price he can get on all this as it is currently designed. While it could possibly have eventual potential as a "manufactured product" at this point it is "custom machining" and that always costs a bunch. It will be what it will be and if enough people are committed at the best price he can provide then he will probably have some made.

While it would be very sweet for the purchaser to see it in a $250-300 price range, that seems unrealistic at this point. Do that comparison and judge for yourself.

Michael, if I've spoken out of turn, smack me.
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Rob's prices are very fair. My experience was that the KMG variable speed that I bought was a least a couple of hundred less than the Bader machine. But these things do cost some serious money to build. Look what Rob has to charge for his rotary platen and we are buying KMG stuff direct from the manufaturer, so at worst, we are paying a lower retail bump. Does Rob have too much on his plate to price this thing out and think about making it? he already has the economies of scale and some of the parts available.
 
Michael,
Are you going to bring the proto to Blade with you? I saw you have a table there. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would love to see it.
-John
 
Barker said:
Michael,
Are you going to bring the proto to Blade with you? I saw you have a table there. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would love to see it.
-John
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I have a table there? Thats news to me. Im going to the guild show this year but I have no plans to go to blade. If I was going I would probably bring it.

Thanks
 
jdm61 said:
Rob's prices are very fair. My experience was that the KMG variable speed that I bought was a least a couple of hundred less than the Bader machine. But these things do cost some serious money to build. Look what Rob has to charge for his rotary platen and we are buying KMG stuff direct from the manufaturer, so at worst, we are paying a lower retail bump. Does Rob have too much on his plate to price this thing out and think about making it? he already has the economies of scale and some of the parts available.
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Im not going to speak for Rob but I believe thats the case. I'll talk with him about it again after the Blade show and maybe we can work something out.
 
Michael,
Man, I'm sorry. I misread and thought Adams International knifeworks was you for some reason. Sorry, I should have slowed down and actually read the thing. I was really excited when I thought it was you. Again I apologize.
-John
 
adammichael said:
We did find a hamster that night, Michael. The way I cook them you can hardley taste the fur at all:thumbup:
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Ahh, on that topic we definitely agree. I have always preferred eating hamster with the fur still on it, too! :)
 
fitzo said:
Ahh, on that topic we definitely agree. I have always preferred eating hamster with the fur still on it, too! :)
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There a bitch to clean though.:barf:
You know how I do it? I set up the rotary platen and my MAP Arm (Multi Articulated Positioning Arm) and I dovetail the little bastrds.

You know what else is good? Skeet! I love Skeet.
There small so you need alot of them to make a meal. :rolleyes:
 
Barker said:
Michael,
Man, I'm sorry. I misread and thought Adams International knifeworks was you for some reason. Sorry, I should have slowed down and actually read the thing. I was really excited when I thought it was you. Again I apologize.
-John
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No problem. People have been calling me Adam on this forum for years now. Are you going to the Guild show? I might bring it down there.
 
jdm61 said:
Rob's prices are very fair. ....... Does Rob have too much on his plate to price this thing out and think about making it? he already has the economies of scale and some of the parts available.
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Yes, I'm absolutely buried right now. Spring time brings a 1-2 punch from tax returns and the Blade Show. I've stopped attending spring hammer-ins just to get more time in the shop over these months.

Michael shared this wonderful tool with me last year...and we've chatted a few times since. It is unlikely that I'll get involved due to my very heavy work load. Certainly not for a few months anyway...until after the Blade Show...then after I take some time off to recupurate and get re-aquainted with my wonderful wife who doesn't get much attention during these months.

The reality is that I probably wouldn't be able to offer it for less than what has already been tossed out. My shop rates are comparable with most others...and this tool has a lot of details. I would much rather machine 1 complicated part instead of 5 simple parts. It is just easier to manage fewer parts....at least for me..
 
Michael,

is there any hope left that your attachment will be sold for around $350?

Thanks,
Alex
 
rfrink said:
Yes, I'm absolutely buried right now. Spring time brings a 1-2 punch from tax returns and the Blade Show. I've stopped attending spring hammer-ins just to get more time in the shop over these months.

Michael shared this wonderful tool with me last year...and we've chatted a few times since. It is unlikely that I'll get involved due to my very heavy work load. Certainly not for a few months anyway...until after the Blade Show...then after I take some time off to recupurate and get re-aquainted with my wonderful wife who doesn't get much attention during these months.

The reality is that I probably wouldn't be able to offer it for less than what has already been tossed out. My shop rates are comparable with most others...and this tool has a lot of details. I would much rather machine 1 complicated part instead of 5 simple parts. It is just easier to manage fewer parts....at least for me..
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Rob
Thanks for comment on this. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me about this. I was hoping that we might be able to work something out to make this arm affordable to everyone. If you ever find you schedule less hectic, please let me know.
 
No Michael, your thinking of a skid.

Well, I have a way to produce this cheaper. I can eliminate one of the degrees of movement. It is a costly machining job and it should bring the price down. I dont know how far down though. The arm would still be able to go in all the positions as this was just used to get the arm out of the way when changing the tooling arms.


Or I could sell plans.......

or both...........
 
Without knowing the design details, I can only reply with a partial picture. Many of us could make the simpler parts like the receiver and arm, but lack the ability to make all the detailed little pieces.

Rob Frink makes many of his pieces available to those who want to build their own grinders.

Would it be practical to offer the intricate parts in a package, which would include the plans? From there, one could build his own receiver or farm it out to his local machine shop.

Just trying to help.
Richard
 
rckendall said:
Without knowing the design details, I can only reply with a partial picture. Many of us could make the simpler parts like the receiver and arm, but lack the ability to make all the detailed little pieces.

Rob Frink makes many of his pieces available to those who want to build their own grinders.

Would it be practical to offer the intricate parts in a package, which would include the plans? From there, one could build his own receiver or farm it out to his local machine shop.

Just trying to help.
Richard
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The reciever can be purchased as a complete assembly directly from Rob but I like the idea of just selling the more complex parts along with plans to make the rest of it.

I dont know if China or Mexico machine shops would want to make short runs of 10 or 20 parts. Maybe down the road if the numbers are bigger that would be an option.
 
I've been watching this thread with great interest ever since it started. And I want to thank adammichael for sharing it.
Here is my version of the toolrest:
toolrest3.jpg


What I've done is combine michael's toolrest with one I saw over on knifeforums by tmickley :
http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29443&highlight=jig

I started with a trip to the salvage yard. I already had the 6061 aluminum plate:
toolrest1.jpg


After a little sanding to remove the rust and a coat of Rustolium flat black paint, I cut the pieces to shape:
toolrest2.jpg


The rest is not quite finished. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to attach the rest so that it will articulate in every direction. I need something similiar to the head on this vice:
toolrest5.jpg


Does anyone have an ideas?

The total cost for everything so far is around $15 since I found all of the metal at the salvage yard. And I used set screws from Home Depot rather than locking levers.
 
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