Help finding grinder link or fresh opinions

Eberjager

Member
Being new to knife making I have visited hundreds of sites lately. I'm hoping someone can help me find the one about someone making a grinder with simply a large wheel with a strip of abrasive glued to it. I'm pretty sure the wheel was made of something besides metal, MDF maybe?

Up until now I have been doing stock removal with just a file, except my current Tanto project where I used a mill. I'm trying to fabricate some sort of grinder on the cheap before I am able to get a belt grinder.

Even if you don't recall the link, any info or opinions would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
There are cone wheels that you put on a buffer that have a keeper to put different grits on it, I think www.knifeandgun.com
may have those or try jantz.
How Cheap is cheap. My first grinder and one that is still used in my shop was a www.cooteginder.com/
A very nice two wheel and I can tell you how to set it up or Norman Coote himself will. He's very helpful.

Good Luck!
Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/
 
Thanks for the info. The correct link for Coote is http://www.cootebeltgrinder.com By "on the cheap" I mean cheaper than even the Coote set-up for now. I have access to motors, shafts and pulleys here at work but I don't want to waste my time if the premise of "just a wheel" is flawed.

I guess I'm looking for a low cost way to use thicker stock than I currently can by filing alone.
 
I saw a video on here somewhere?
A guy made about a 20" x 2" wooden wheel, that ran a 2/72" belt, that was powered by a 2" pulley on a motor.It was single speed, But That would be a easy setup on the cheap! Wood will work for a contact material.

Laurence.

www.westsidesharpening.com/
 
There are cone wheels that you put on a buffer that have a keeper to put different grits on it,

My grinder is a cone-loc-drum sander
IMAG0024.jpg

IMAG0023.jpg

IMAG0016.jpg


it does the trick for me for now. deffinately has it's limitations ie: no flat grinding, a bit of a bump as the split goes by ( it goes by so fast that its not a big deal), ect...
 
Almost sounds like a bench grinder is better than nothing.:biggrin:

If you're wanting to place a belt on a wooden wheel, I have heard of that being done.
I have never tried it, but it's almost certain to cause more headaches than it's worth.
You don't have the benefit of mechanical expansion (like a rubber drum) to tighten the belt to prevent slippage.

Gluing the belt onto the wheel may seem like an option, but I can't imagine any easily removable adhesive withstanding the heat generated from grinding steel.
If you use a premade belt, the circumference of the wheel would have to precisely match the belt length. Not a problem if you're splicing strips, but in either case you still have the adhesive problem.

For years I used greaseless compound on a buffing wheel. A very flexible system available in grits from 80 to about 600.
But that is mainly scratch removal. It's not good for grinding due to lack of backer support. The same system on a hard wheel might work better, but by that time you're better off going with a grinding wheel.

Some people have used the little woodworking belt sanders turned upside down and held in place. Not really the ideal speeds for grinding steel, and tool life may be questionable. But probably better than removal with a file.

Many have successfully used an angle grinder as a "first step".

If you already have access to motors, shafts, pulleys, etc., then building a disc grinder/sander will get you to your goal quicker and more economically than any of the other discussed options.


Good Luck,
Rob
 
I have a nice disc sander/grinder that I can use here at work. Being fairly new at this, I'm having a hard time figuring out how to grind a blade grind on it though.
 
Michael Morris uses a grinder with a very large wooden wheel and does some nice work on it, uses 2 x 72 belts . You can do a search on it, he has some stuff on you tube also.

Jerry
 
I forgot about the Michael Morris setup.
Here is one of his videos with it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlsQrQ3aLuQ&feature=related

I was under the impression that Eberjager was talking about fabricating a big grinding wheel using either strip abrasive or a belt enveloping the wheel (same thing).
Applying strip abrasive to a wheel still doesn't seem like a good option to me, but you never know.....
 
Back
Top