What to look for when shopping used Grizzly 2" x 72"

[JC in SC]

There is a used 2" x 72" Grizzly (Model G1015) availabe nearby at what looks to be a reasonable price ($375) depending on condition. Obviously, Craigslist photos are typically of insufficient resolution to see much detail. Anyway, what things should I look out for when I go to look at this thing?

I know these grinders don't compare to a KMG, NWG or many of the other popular grinders for knifemaking, but at the price I wouldn't really expect them to. I'm just wanting something better than the 1" x 42" that is available to me here at work. I'd rather have one of the nicer grinders, but I don't want to part with that much cash right now and my home electrical situation could be an issue as well.

I know I've seen a lot of very high quality knives on this forum that were ground using a Grizzly, so I don't think I'm too crazy in hoping that this thing can hold me over for a while. I've been making some decent progress on my first slip joint just in my 30 minute lunch break at work. As such, I'm really excited to think about the possibilities of having access to a grinder in the evenings at home when I could easily put in 2+ hours per night!

 

[Jim Rieck]

I have a Grizzley grinder and experienced great relief when I was finally able to afford a Hardcore. The Grizzley still gets hard use, but I only use it to hog out profiles and use the other end for my buffing. I always was a bit afraid of the Griz for flat grinding and certainly hollow grinding. You can't slow the thing down and the sound it makes rivals my Harley. It is also a bit difficult to set up. I suppose it would make a good stop gap grinder if you approached it with a very light hand and with great care. Try and talk them down a bit on price. I only paid $500 for mine, but that was quite a few years, ago.

Take a good look at the brass bushing that the main shaft goes through that has the contact wheel attached to it. If the owner had difficulty setting it up it could be worn out of round. If you buy it make sure you have something solid to mount it on or your workbench will shake and all your tools will end up on the floor. That said, mine has and continues to do hard service. The only thing that I have had to replace was the on/off switch and that was years ago.