Still fighting plunge cuts on 1x30

[Hurley]

Here is one before heat treat, will fix the plunges after the HT with a new grinder, prolly a 4x36, lowe's has a porter cable direct drive/ My two- 1 x 30 are giving me fits!

[Ray Rogers]

I hope the 4x36 helps, it should at least do better, but don't hold your breath. Those light weight wood sanders tend to move their belts easily if you put much pressure on them, i.e., they track all over the place with a little encouragement. You may just have to get used to cleaning up the plunges manually...

[Hurley]

Grizzly also had a little 2" x 27" with a disc grinder on the other end for 109$ or something, or I just might end up saving money and doing it manually.

[Ray Rogers]

Buy enough of those little sanders and you could easily pay for the Griz 2x72. I know that on paper it may not seem like there's much difference for the money when you look at the 2x27 or the 4x36 and see that they have 1/3rd hp motors and the 2x72 has 1 hp - three times nothing still seems like it couldn't be much. But, if you believed that you couldn't be more wrong. Those little sanders can be stopped very easily with just a little pressure but you can park a truck on the 2x72 and the grinder will flip that truck across the garage. Not to mention all the belts available for 2x72 that simply don't exist for some of the little sanders. Might be time to look for some creative financing ....

[Hurley]

Wish I could afford just a 2x72 clone. I have a brand new motor with a vsc out in the shop. Creative financing, would love to do that but just about every cent of my disability check is spoken for. Can't get real creative with what you don't have......lol

[Hurley]

Originally Posted by Hurley

Wish I could afford just a 2x72 clone. I have a brand new motor with a vsc out in the shop. Creative financing, would love to do that but just about every cent of my disability check is spoken for. Can't get real creative with what you don't have......lol

The Porter Cable 4x36 has a 3/4 hp motor

[pmeisel]

I have a Porter Cable 4x36 and it has plenty of power. Just not always easy getting to tight spots with a 4"belt. I use it mostly to rough things in and do final work with hand tools.

[Icho]

Since you already have the motor and vsc you may be closer than you think to a 2 x 72. Here is a pic of the grinder that I threw together. It was supposed to be temporary but it is working so good for me that I am not even thinking about making a new grinder. I used a set of longboard wheels which were about $35 with bearings. It was a set of 4 but you only use 3 so you have a spare. I have been using my grinder for over 6 months now and had to replace the one wheel because a bearing seized but I was u and running in about 5 min. I did have to buy a drive wheel because I didn't have a lathe at the time. The frame was made out of treadmill parts so you may even have the steel in your shop to make a frame. If not you can probably get it for real cheap. Just a thought but maby keep going with what you got and save the money you would spend on the other grinders you are considering and use it for materials. If you need any machining maby you can trade a knife to cover the time for someone to do it for you. Hope this helps.

[Hurley]

Very cool idea there. may have to look into that!

[Ed Tipton]

Hurley...Most of the guys who get into knifemaking do so because they have worked with their hands and they see it as something they can do with skills they already possess. Whenever I meet a new knifemaker, I just assume that person has at least a modicum of shop knowledge. I have built two 2x72 grinders...both of which work perfectly, and I have less than $200.00 in the total expense of both of them.
The current crop of 2 x 72 grinders that are commercially available are hugely overpriced. These are simple machines, and can be easily built by anyone who can cut, measure, drill, tap, or weld, and maintain squareness. They require no special tools to fabricate. having welding eq. helps things go easier, but is not a requirement.
A trip to a local scrap or salvage yard will likely get you everything you will need for the entire project including a suitable motor, and building it yourself can be an enjoyable day in your shop.
You can always fine tune it to fit your individual needs at a later time, but you can get up and running for small money...and once you use a 2 x 72 grinder and the wide assortment of available grits, you'll understand why they are the standard of the industry.

[Crex]

Keith here's the "other thing", whether you buy or build a grinder for metal, if made properly it will still be in service and running long after the made-for-wood machines burn out. Even the store bought knife grinders are the better deal over time. My home built lasted over 30 years and is now doing hard time in one of my students' shop - still running true after a minor tuneup.

I agree with you Ed T, however seems most of the newer knifemakers and wannabes have no fabrication skills or mindset. Some can't figure it out, some can't visualize applying their skills in that direction, and some can/could but don't want to bother with it. Used to be that anyone with decent tools and hand skills just "did it". Now....well..... I just don't know. I see it in the kids these days, they marvel at what you can do with simple tools but don't want to take a little time to learn how for themselves. If they can't do it with or on an i-phone they're not interested, and they surely don't want to get their tender little hands dirty.

Hope you understand Keith, this is not aimed at you, I do understand your situation. Just making a general observation.

[Imakethings]

Hurley, I posted a thread with instructions on how to make a 2x72 grinder. Granted I didn't write em, but it gives you most of the basic information.

Marc.

[Hurley]

No problem Ed and Carl, I understand where you're coming from. I too am from the "old school" as I was born in the 60's. Suppose I am just a little leery of my skills because of the accident I was in. The know how in building a grinder is there, hell I was the lead fabricator in designing a fully hydraulic manure spreader in my younger days. Just my confidence in doing so these days is a bit lax.

I wholeheartedly agree Ed, the "KMG" and clones out there are way overpriced considering that it can be made from scrap mild steel, a spring and a few skateboard wheels.

I do think it's time to overcome this "unsure" mindset I am in, make a run to the local scrapyard and just build the #### thing! Not sure how local it is, never been there. Guess I will give them a call! (I do have a cell, but it's not an i-phone! One of those that takes pictures, that's it.)

[Ed Tipton]

Hurley...My take on this is pretty simple. Building a grinder is a simple task. Anyone who does not have sufficient skills to build a grinder would probably be well advised to avoid sharp, pointy things in the first place.
Salvage yards offer tremendous opportunities for anyone who is a DIY type person. The amount and type of materials that are available is virtually unlimited and the prices simply can't be beat.
Whenever I start a project such as building a grinder, I simply sit down with a suitable beverage, pencil, paper and proceed to build the thing in my mind. As I go through the process, I try and visualize the size, weight, etc. of all the pieces and parts and I write it all down on the paper. Then after another beverage, I go over my list and change or modify it as needed. I generally omit such things as nuts and bolts, but if drilling and tapping will be done, then I also add in the cost of any tools that will be needed that I don't already have on hand.
An important part of this procedure is that I design in the features that I want the grinder to have....not the features that are on a store built model.
I borrow ideas from looking at different models and adopt the good ideas and discard the ones that are meaningless to me.
The advantage of doing all of this is that my final product is almost always built to a much heavier standard than what is already on somebody's shelf, the cost advantage is tremendous, and I get exactly what I want instead of what some salesperson wants to sell me.
For me, this is a no-brainer. The best of all worlds.

[MVPeterson]

My first grinder was/is a Grizzly 2x72 . I've been happy with it, but now that I've used it to make a bunch of knives, I know its good points and bad points. I will always have a use for it in the shop, but I'm ready to make my own, the way I want it. I have no regrets getting the Grizzly, had to start somewhere, and wanted to use my limited time for making knives, not making tools to make knives. Now that I know exactly what I want, a little time invested in making it, will save me more time in the long run...