Craftsman 2x42 Grinder, Mods and Troubles

Hi Knifedogs.

I am not a regular poster and haven't really contributed much content to the site. I have decided to fix that!

I am a new (hobbyist) knife maker, and would like to share some of what I have learned so far, and learn some more from any ensuing discussion.

In this post, I will be going through the mods I have performed on my Craftsman 2x42 belt grinder, what problems I have had with it, and give my general impressions of the grinder.

First off, some mods:



I took one of the hand adjustment knobs used to position the table for the disc sander on the unit, and replaced the hex screw that came as the method of adjusting tracking. It works so far, better than the screw that was intended to be the tracking adjustment actually, and if you want to know, the threads for both the screw and the knob are 6x30mm.



I removed the top part of the belt guard. While I don't have a before picture, I think you should be able to pretty clearly see where I took off the top part of the guard. While I haven't seen any other people do this to this grinder, it seriously helped me out as I can now grind on the tracking wheel and grind out round concavities.



The regular platen on this grinder really sucks. The fix was simple and easy: JB weld and a usaknifemaker ceramic platen.

And as you can also see in the last picture, I cut one of the "rabbit ears" off the work table so I can more easily switch out belts.

And now for the problems I have had so far:

All my previous problems were fixed by the mods to the grinder listed above. They made using it a whole lot easier and more enjoyable. I have, however, had one nagging problem that threatens to ruin almost everything I try to do with this machine:



As you can see from this picture, the belt has ridden way over to the left on the bottom wheel. This seems to happen after a few seconds of the machine being on, even when the tracking up on the top wheel is set right. This really bums me out, because it decreases the effectiveness of one of my mods, the ceramic platen. When the belt does this, it hangs off the platen on the left side. This has dissuaded me from attempting to grind a bevel on a knife with this grinder. It is the one fatal flaw on an otherwise decent piece of budget, easily mod-able machinery.

So, overall I would say this grinder is OK. It can easily be modded, isn't very expensive, there is a decent assortment of 2x42 belts out there, and it is powerful enough for a beginner like me. The only mod I would say is a must do for this would be the better platen, and if you aren't having my bottom wheel belt tracking problem, you should be able to produce some excellent work with only that modification to the machine.

If you have any questions, or know how to solve my problem, please reply.

Thanks, Knifedogs.

Solving the problems will be near impossible. I mean no disresept, but you're trying to use a machine that was designed for light duty woodworking. Its simply not intended or built to handle the rigors of grinding steel.

Most of us have been down the same road. I myself built my first couple of grinders.....burning up motors, and having many of the same issues you mentioned. Later I purchased a machine similar to yours.....again, with many of the same problems. After that, I went to a "cheaper" 2x72" grinder, and although the parts held up better, it was nearly impossible to come out with a decent ground blade. Finally I saved my money for almost 2 years..... and purchased my first "top end" grinder, a wilton square wheel, which at the time was considered one of the best available grinders for knife work. That was over 25 years ago, and that machine is still in service in my shop. I also have 2 other 2x72 machines, and from experience, I can say without reservation, that NOTHING will move your knifemaking forward faster and easier then a "good" grinder. Yes, it is expensive, but the up side is that you will likely use the machine EVERY day in the shop....even if you're not making knives, and.... the "top end" grinders hold their values so well, that if you ever decided to sell it, you will likely get nearly as much as you gave for it.

The moral of the story is this: By the time I got around to giving in and spending the money on one of the top end grinders, I had already spent enough, trying to make lesser machines work, that I could have purchased two "top end" grinders.

I sorta agree with Ed, sorta not. He's absolutely right that it's worth it to get a good machine. Nothing will move your work farther, faster than a good 2x72 with variable speed. And they hold their value, etc., etc. This is all true.

The disagree part comes from my own experience, wherein I made about 80 knives with the same grinder you have. At the time I started making knives I was in graduate school making no money with a wife and kid at home. A "good" grinder was out of the question financially. More than that, I'm a serial hobbyist--my really hobby is hobby collecting, and there's no telling what will stick. In that situation, and in any situation where you want to test the waters of making knives without diving in $2000 deep, I think you chose the perfect grinder. You will not be able to make the knives you could make with a better machine. The quality of my work improved dramatically when I upgraded.

However, I could not have begin the journey if I had thought I had to climb Kilimanjaro as the first step, so to speak. In fact, it was the presupposition that I needed expensive equipment that kept me from starting this craft in earnest when I was 12 instead of when I was 28. That's it! I wasted 16 years of potential knife making because I thought I needed a $2000 machine, when a $100 machine was adequate! So, I think one should start where they can with what they can. In my case, I sold enough of my 2x42 knives (at prices appropriate to the quality) to fund my 2x72 within about 2 years. It could have been sooner, but I was also paying some bills. Now, 6 years in, I'm selling my first 2x72 and upgrading to variable speed. They DO hold their value, and I'll likely get for my old grinder about what I paid for it.

So, to sum, Ed is absolutely right if you can afford to go big. But don't discount small beginnings. As a bonus, I guarantee that if you can grind a good blade with that lightspeed Craftsman, you'll be solid gold once you upgrade.

Agreed Travis.... all I'm saying is by the time I spent all the money on grinders that didn't work.....thinking I could not afford anything better, I'd spent enough money to buy TWO of the top end grinders....... as I mentioned, it took YEARS for me to save the money for that Wilton Square Wheel.... but its still in use 25+ years later, and I've had people offer me DOUBLE what I paid for it.

I think we're on the same page, Ed, I just wanted to offer some encouragement to folks who aren't prepared to shell out for a TW90, or even a Bader or KMG.

Totally agree with Ed and Travis and yes, Im fortunate enough to have quality machines.

In the meantime lets focus on your problem.
*Try the simplest fix first....tape is your friend. Try a few wraps of tape on the top idler wheel going from the center to the side you want the belt to climb to. Remove or add wraps if this shows improvement. Use the tracking adjustment in combination with the tape.
*I'm not familiar with that machine but can the wheels be flipped inside to outside, if so try it.
*Is there room to add a washer or two to the inside of the top wheel ? Move the drive wheel out on the shaft ? If so, try it.
*It could be as simple as the platen being out too far out or tilted side to side and it's guiding the belt in one direction.


All of this takes a lot of back and forth experimenting but may solve the problem before you consider actual surgery. Keep at it and don't get all booboo faced if it takes a while. You may get to the point where you'll need to "adjust" either or both wheels with sand paper or a file. In which case I'd rip a belt down to about 1/2" and see how it behaves while adjusting the wheels with the machine on. This is a last resort, there's no coming back from it. I've always loved this kind of stuff and can't resist the challenge. Good luck.

Rudy

There are MANY more choices in 2 x 72 machines these days than when I started some 19 Y/A .

There was Bader, Square Wheel, Burr King & Coote. After I screwed around with at least two of the Crapsman 2 x 48"s I finely Bought the www.cootebeltgrinder.com 2 x 72" 8" wheel. What Ed has told you is right on the money with how much we all spend messing around with light rudy cheap machines we could have purchased one or more of the Real Big Boy grinders..

I still have the Coote and she works great some 18 years later along with the Hardcore products 2 x 72 that until the TW-90 came out, Was the smoothest and best tracking of all the machines I've tried. There are also Peer, Grinder in a box and a few others out these days.

You can put together a adjustable speed Coote for around $800.00 if you can find a decent used motor. They are around. You want at least 1hp and it doesn't have to be a sealed of TEFC. I;ve used open motors in my shop no problem. Just don't get it wet!:46:

work with what you have for the moment. a fix not listed that would be a pain, is remove the glass platen and replace with a wider platen of glass or ceramic tile. if you have the room, maybe a wider ceramic tile above or below the glass platen.

rhinoknives said:

There are MANY more choices in 2 x 72 machines these days than when I started some 19 Y/A .

There was Bader, Square Wheel, Burr King & Coote. After I screwed around with at least two of the Crapsman 2 x 48"s I finely Bought the www.cootebeltgrinder.com 2 x 72" 8" wheel. What Ed has told you is right on the money with how much we all spend messing around with light rudy cheap machines we could have purchased one or more of the Real Big Boy grinders..

I still have the Coote and she works great some 18 years later along with the Hardcore products 2 x 72 that until the TW-90 came out, Was the smoothest and best tracking of all the machines I've tried. There are also Peer, Grinder in a box and a few others out these days.

You can put together a adjustable speed Coote for around $800.00 if you can find a decent used motor. They are around. You want at least 1hp and it doesn't have to be a sealed of TEFC. I;ve used open motors in my shop no problem. Just don't get it wet!:46:

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All my machines have worked fine right out of the gate, including the Baders and home builts for 30 plus years. There's nothing cheap about them. Waldors came here to solve an existing problem, not get a sermon on could'ves and should'ves. If he's got a pulse and a heart beat, I'm sure he's well aware of what he doesn't have in his shop. Solutions don't always come gift wrapped in a box.


Rudy

I feel your pain! I am using a 2x72" that I built. A while back I built a new platen for it. I fought that thing for two weeks trying to get it to track correctly. Every time I put pressure on the belt, the belt would jump over to the left. The short story is, I ended up having to "shim" my wheels. It runs like a home made top now.
Is there any way you can shim your wheels?

Good Luck
Steve

Rudy Joly said:

All my machines have worked fine right out of the gate, including the Baders and home builts for 30 plus years. There's nothing cheap about them. Waldors came here to solve an existing problem, not get a sermon on could'ves and should'ves. If he's got a pulse and a heart beat, I'm sure he's well aware of what he doesn't have in his shop. Solutions don't always come gift wrapped in a box.


Rudy

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Rudy,
Whoa pal, keep your shirt on!:3: LOL There's some kind of typo in my paragraph,
I didn't mean to refer to you in anyway! The auto correct spell check did something strange?

Also Rudy, And I mean you this time. You had already addressed Waldors concerns as well as anyone can without being there.
I was sharing that I wasted enough to have bought a real machine myself. I guess thats part of the learning curve for us all.

Peace!

First off, thanks to everyone who has replied to this thread.

For all the guys who have said"Get X-brand 2x72", I will certinly leap at the chance when I have the funds. I completely understand that the 2x42 is a weak, kinda crappy machine, but I bought it because it is cheap, and it works for now.

Second, thank you to everyone who has suggested fixes. I'll try the tape fix and report back on my experience.

Thanks Knifedogs.

Hey everyone.

Just letting you know, it dun broke. In trying to fix the tracking problems, I caused the top part of the belt guard (which I stupidly weakened substantially with one of my attempted mods) to snap, causing the tension necessary for tracking to disappear. Now the entire thing is useless.

I will go back to files for now I guess. This entire ordeal id frustrating for me, because I have been trying at making my first (completed) knife for almost a year now, but because of other things, I have been too busy to really focus much time on knife making.

Thanks for the advice, I should have heeded it.

Ed hit the nail on the head. When I decided to try knife making, I did my research and went ahead and ordered a bran new KMG rig. Yeah...it was not cheap but I won't have any of the headaches and frustration to deal with. When trying to improve under powered and cheap tools I refer to this quote: "You can't polish a terd".

Waldors said:

Hey everyone.

Just letting you know, it dun broke. In trying to fix the tracking problems, I caused the top part of the belt guard (which I stupidly weakened substantially with one of my attempted mods) to snap, causing the tension necessary for tracking to disappear. Now the entire thing is useless.

I will go back to files for now I guess. This entire ordeal id frustrating for me, because I have been trying at making my first (completed) knife for almost a year now, but because of other things, I have been too busy to really focus much time on knife making.

Thanks for the advice, I should have heeded it.

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Sorry to hear that.
Do you have a credit card? mMap three knives, and sell them each for enough to make three more. The first buys more materials, The second pays the credit and the third one goes to the rent/Wifey or towards paying off the card!

That's how I bought the Coote. 18 years later I built it into a portable unit and now I can roll it out on the tailgate of my truck for sharpening work, demo's and making a few.

Craftsman is pretty good about getting parts for their tools. If you still have the paper work that came with the sander there should be a exploded view with part numbers. You can order the broken part and, with what you learned, start over.

I've bought quite a few parts for Craftsman tools on ebay too. I just got a rebuild kit for a Craftsman air compressor the other day for about half of Sears charges.

I modded the same grinder when I started a year and a half ago. It'll make a knife. I made mine variable speed, made a mild steel platen, made a better work rest and cut all the guards off. Used it steady for 6 months ( about 20 knives). Still have it. I use it for light work now ( no blades ). Got a KMG. A good grinder will really up your game! Keep tweaking it. Use it , till ya can get a nice 2x72. The guys are right though, a nice grinder will produce more precise result and open you to a wider selection of belts. Either way keep grinding!

This post has been quite the emotional roller coaster for me. excitement about someone figuring out how to do what i want to do and being successful. then ultimate failure and back to the drawing board.

Waldors, sorry to hear about your predicament. I too have a craftsman 2x42 and have done a few of the mods you have as well. upgraded the tracking knob, cut the right side off of the rest for belt access, and added a 2" platen from USAknifemakers.

i guess it's a moot point now but i'll continue in the spirit of this thread with my experiences and fears.

about the glass platen. the original platen is about 2 3/8" width and is shaped like [ if you are looking down on it. the glass platen only covers 2 of those inches and the remaining 3/8" is the bent over portion of the original platen. while the design is nice and stable the problem comes when i try to use a file guide to grind plunges. the file guide itself, when at a proper bevel angle, hits the original platen before i can get the plunge up to the side of the glass that is glued to it's face. i can kind of fix this by severely hanging my belts over but it's far from precise. i have to use new belts and they must be stiff. a j flex will not work. ok big problem but i can fix this with a new and wider glass platen.

did your structural weakness and ultimate break come from cutting the top round safety guard off? the one that allowed you to use the small wheel up top? i bought a couple of scotch brite belts from supergrit and was super excited to use them. but the clearance around that damn top wheel wasn't enough and the belt would not move. i considered cutting some access room like you did but i thought maybe that it would weaken the entire design and fail. am i correct in thinking that's what happened with you? i'd love to hear exactly what you think went wrong and broke it in the end.

i've come to the conclusion that i'll never make top notch knives without a better grinder unless i do it by hand. while that's totally feasible, it's not very realistic for me. but the good news is, that so far, what i can make is ok with me. i think there will come a time, probably sooner rather than later, when i will either NEED to buy a good 2 x 72 or walk away from the hobby due to the results i can or cannot get. but so far i'm still messing things up that can be perfected with the current gear i have so it's all good. knowing me, i'll come up with a way to drop $3k on a nice variable speed belt and disc grinder but god knows how i can justify it to the wife, let alone me. but i've made plenty of questionable purchases in my life and i'll make plenty more. some i regret, some i don't. i'm happy about the resale value of grinders.

thanks for paving the way and confirming for me what i thought would be the case if i take a saw to my grinder. good karma to you sir.

I have a Craftsman special as well and have used it for years to rough grind blades. The biggest improvements I have are the glass ceramic platen and putting a strip of electrical tape on the wheels to keep the belt centered. The knives I made paid for a mini lathe. Next up is a Wilmont LB grinder! (when I get back to the states.)

One of the biggest pains in the derriere has been the height of the table. It just barely hits the bottom of the platen. I need to make a raised tool rest.