REK Knives
Well-Known Member
I posted this elsewhere but figured I'd post it up here too. This post is basically functioning as a review/intro
Hey guys, really excited about this but first - full disclosure. I have had Darren Nutt (Owner of Contender Machine Works) do some lathe work for me on contact wheels in the past when I needed them re-surfaced. When I heard that he was in the process of developing his own grinder I offered to help out with the design aspect and blasted him with a bunch of ideas. He was very gracious in listening to me and as things progressed he offered (and I accepted) some prototype parts. I nit picked everything to death and Darren is an incredible machinist so this work rest is the first major grinder part he's bringing to the market.
Having a good work rest is incredibly important to me as a full time maker, one that helps work flow and doesn't hinder it. Most of the work rests for 2x72 grinders out there today function well enough to get the job done, but in my opinion most don't excel. The Contender work rest brings a couple of really neat things to the market* in addition to just being the best out there functionality wise.
Here's the highlights of what I really like about the Contender work rest:
Linear rotation
One thing that annoys me about most work rests is the fact that they don't swing out of the way. So when you want to switch to full platen use, or swap from the platen to the small wheel attachment you have to first remove the work rest before that can be done. This is annoying and time consuming, especially if you only have one grinder like me! So the swinging aspect is huge imho. And not only can it swing out of the way, but this allows you to hit all sorts of positions when your grinder is operating in horizontal mode.
Quick adjustments
We went back and forth deciding what should go where and in the end we decided on one quick adjust handle and 2 knobs. The positioning of each of these and their specific types offer a high amount of holding power for a rock-solid work rest yet they can be adjusted on the fly. Sometimes it's the small things that make a big difference in daily use!
Tilt-ability of the table
The pivot point for the table is towards the rear of the table which allows for some pretty extreme angles, especially if you turn the long table sideways!
* Modular Design
Another thing I wanted to see incorporated into this build was a modular design that is user friendly. In other words, something that allowed for quick changes between different table sizes and even jigs. This makes the Contender work rest INCREDIBLY useful for us knife makers once you realize the potential. Wait 'til you see the sharpening jig Darren is designing... it is based off of what I have used for years in professional sharpening.
* Electromagnetic Chuck
But how could we make a modular design actually work? I had worked with magnets before on my old work rest to make it modular, but the magnets would always accumulate steel shavings and it was quite annoying. So Darren and I decided look into electromagnets and let me tell you - they are AMAZING. No retained magnetism but strong holding power. And Darren's idea with locating pins was ingenious as it keeps the table from sliding at all. But he also had a great idea of incorporating a couple of bolts through the modular base into the bottom of the table so the electromagnet could be an upgrade. This allows him to get it into more hands and knife makers can upgrade later as needed.
So in the below video what you will see is the prototype that I've been using for a couple of months... the final product is even better as it's more refined and all the parts are either stainless steel or aluminum (except for the bearings for the shafts and the tables themselves). The stainless aspect is important to me because I wet grind.
Anyway, if you have a position you are curious about this work rest hitting, please comment below and I'll see if I can accommodate. I'd love to be challenged
Hey guys, really excited about this but first - full disclosure. I have had Darren Nutt (Owner of Contender Machine Works) do some lathe work for me on contact wheels in the past when I needed them re-surfaced. When I heard that he was in the process of developing his own grinder I offered to help out with the design aspect and blasted him with a bunch of ideas. He was very gracious in listening to me and as things progressed he offered (and I accepted) some prototype parts. I nit picked everything to death and Darren is an incredible machinist so this work rest is the first major grinder part he's bringing to the market.
Having a good work rest is incredibly important to me as a full time maker, one that helps work flow and doesn't hinder it. Most of the work rests for 2x72 grinders out there today function well enough to get the job done, but in my opinion most don't excel. The Contender work rest brings a couple of really neat things to the market* in addition to just being the best out there functionality wise.
Here's the highlights of what I really like about the Contender work rest:
Linear rotation
One thing that annoys me about most work rests is the fact that they don't swing out of the way. So when you want to switch to full platen use, or swap from the platen to the small wheel attachment you have to first remove the work rest before that can be done. This is annoying and time consuming, especially if you only have one grinder like me! So the swinging aspect is huge imho. And not only can it swing out of the way, but this allows you to hit all sorts of positions when your grinder is operating in horizontal mode.
Quick adjustments
We went back and forth deciding what should go where and in the end we decided on one quick adjust handle and 2 knobs. The positioning of each of these and their specific types offer a high amount of holding power for a rock-solid work rest yet they can be adjusted on the fly. Sometimes it's the small things that make a big difference in daily use!
Tilt-ability of the table
The pivot point for the table is towards the rear of the table which allows for some pretty extreme angles, especially if you turn the long table sideways!
* Modular Design
Another thing I wanted to see incorporated into this build was a modular design that is user friendly. In other words, something that allowed for quick changes between different table sizes and even jigs. This makes the Contender work rest INCREDIBLY useful for us knife makers once you realize the potential. Wait 'til you see the sharpening jig Darren is designing... it is based off of what I have used for years in professional sharpening.
* Electromagnetic Chuck
But how could we make a modular design actually work? I had worked with magnets before on my old work rest to make it modular, but the magnets would always accumulate steel shavings and it was quite annoying. So Darren and I decided look into electromagnets and let me tell you - they are AMAZING. No retained magnetism but strong holding power. And Darren's idea with locating pins was ingenious as it keeps the table from sliding at all. But he also had a great idea of incorporating a couple of bolts through the modular base into the bottom of the table so the electromagnet could be an upgrade. This allows him to get it into more hands and knife makers can upgrade later as needed.
So in the below video what you will see is the prototype that I've been using for a couple of months... the final product is even better as it's more refined and all the parts are either stainless steel or aluminum (except for the bearings for the shafts and the tables themselves). The stainless aspect is important to me because I wet grind.
Anyway, if you have a position you are curious about this work rest hitting, please comment below and I'll see if I can accommodate. I'd love to be challenged
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