disc grinder

[tomh]

How many of you guys regularly use a disc grinder in your shop?

I have to say that when I was in a rush to get my shop going, and having just come from a hammer in where a lot of the master smiths were saying how great disc grinders were, I rushed to set one up.

Mine is a 1hp Baldor with a rob frink disc.

I have not used it once. Am I missing out or am I just too new at this to appreciate the virtues of this machine?

how can a nice disc grinder improve my knife making experience?!

[Ed Caffrey]

Funny you bring this up Tom. I just ordered one of Robs horizontal disc grinders. I already have two smaller disc grinders in the shop, one set up for folders and another for dovetailed bolsters. I built myself one for grinding and couple of years ago, but went too small and got frustrated with it.....I sold it and have missed it ever since. There are a lot of operations that have to do with flattening that a disc grinder just makes plain easy. Sometimes it just takes a person a while to discover its many uses. Keep yours, and eventually you'll be glad you have it!

[Steven Kelly]

Hey Tom,

I did basically the same thing you did.. I went to Josh Smith's hammer-in a couple of years ago and watched Tim Hancock using one of Rob Frink's 9" disks. I told myself, "I gotta have one of those!!!" I put out the $800 or so bucks and got the one with the 1 degree beveled face .. Then I messed up a bunch of stuff with it and so, there it sat. I was afraid to use it because I didn't want to mess up anything else with it. Then one day I convinced myself that I had to learn how to use the darn thing because I paid a lot of money for it. I spent the next couple of weeks really figuring out what it could and couldn't do.
Now.... I use it everyday.... I don't know how I could ever live without it!!
I would strongly suggest that everyone has one!!

I guess the bottom line is.... You have to take the time to figure out the learning curve!!!


Steve

[tomh]

Hi Ed.

I imagine at some time I will wonder why I never used it earlier. I took the switch off it when the one on my kmg motor crapped out... now it is operational again, but just sits.
I need to put a foot switch and figure how to reverse it, but there is no hurry!
Too many other things need doing first.
Got a small flurry of orders since getting the site up. Talk to you soon!

[tomh]

Hi Steve, I think you are right. We get in a habit of doing things that we know how to do so we don't mess up. I may try this more, that has been my thought, I paid good money for this, so use it dammit!
I have the beveled disc too.
I will try to use it on my next knife-- do they work good for tapering full tang knives? That is an area where I have trouble getting the tang tapers the same.

[Erik Fritz]

i have two one is a six inch set up vertically with a foot switch. the other is a 9" set up horizontal with a foot sw. that i use for flattening stuff. liners/bolsters/ricasso's etc.

[Suicycle]

9" Vert disk is all I use as a grinder. I have never taken the time to use a 2X72 since I can make flat grinds with my disk. That and I like the appearance of the radiused plung grind it makes.

Rick Menefee and I built me one this summer and the other day I commented to him how much I USE IT. I take flat from 220 grit to 2000 and have used it to flat grind some chef knives . I have two disc on the ends of a 1 inch shaft and the discs are 5/8 inch flat 9inch disc steel. They were welded and turned by Bill Kennedy and I have never seen a truer spinning machine. I flatten all handle material and also use it after the flat platten to taper tangs. It is unbelieveable. It has the shaft mounted on flat plate on a 8 inch column welded to a truck disc drum for a base . I DON'T and can't move it unless it is intentional. Mike

[tomh]

OK now I am properly inspired to put my disc grinder to work! Thanks for the feed back.

[bbarnettAUS]

Gday fella's,

I have a 12" Sherwood and used it a couple of times and then stuck it in the corner. I found if I was trying to flatten blocks or slabs of wood that it would always radius the leading and trailing edge of the block. This maybe because I am using hook & loop backing on the discs and not glueing them straight to the face plate????

I did do some tapered tangs on the disc but now that I have my variable speed KMG I find it easier on that.

Maybe i need to revisit the disc. What do you guys find it is most useful for and what tips do you have for each process?

Cheers Bruce

[Woodchuck Forge]

Used a 9" disc for the past 16 years. Don't even own a belt. Forge it close and the disc is just fine. I think a belt might be a little faster but the I have never really used one. I love my disc with the VFD. I use the 9" so I do not have to buy precut discs. I just buy 9x11 sheets and trim them in place. Much Cheaper.

[cdent]

Anyone hold the work against the disc and then start it up. I'm curious if a foot switch is worth picking up.

Tom, I'd think it's possible to taper a tang, but since you have a flat platen set up, it might be worth it to do the bulk of the work on the belt. I've been doing like Chuck and using spray adhesive to stick a 9x11 sheet on (9" disc).

Happy New Year, Craig

[chris moore]

can somebody post a supplier for discs? i have a couple of 1 horse motors waiting to be used

[Bob Hartman]

Originally Posted by chris moore

can somebody post a supplier for discs? i have a couple of 1 horse motors waiting to be used

http://www.beaumontmetalworks.com

[rancher]

I have a 9 hotizontal gringer with the variablespeed motor and just ordered another and use it all the time for flattening, I find it's really handy for folders and other things that need to be flat or sqaure for me its like a poor boys surface grinder, its one of the most vertsitale tools I've got, I to like Steve messed up a bunch of stuff but you just need throw it away and start again and get used to your macine then you start using it all he time.

K A Willey