belt grinder?

R

Rey

Well-Known Member
Need your opinions on this 2x72 belt grinder that's listed on ebay by Pheer knife and belt grinder maker. Just enter on ebay search for 2x72 belt grinder and it will show his grinders. Rey
 
for the price. They dont look half bad. the only thing that I seen that I would change is the motor size. it comes with a 3/4 HP motor. I would upgrade the to a 1 1/2 HP or even a 2 HP http://www.ebay.com/itm/Belt-grinde...ndblasters&hash=item256a26d257#ht_1220wt_1270

He states that he gets some or most of his PARTS from USA knife makers so the wheels and assembly should be good. :)

I I were shopping for a grinder on a budget this would be a hard one to pass up!

Let us know if you get it and how it works for ya.
Randy
 
I'm not trying to be rude, but PLEASE do no WASTE your hard earned money on that thing! I looked at the pics and can see that the "contact" wheels are "roller skate" wheels, things are not aligned as they should be, and the workmanship looks pretty shoddy to me. The type of tracking on that "machine" (tension spring tracking) simply doesn't work well for a belt grinder/sander. There's no doubt in my mind that you would constantly have belt tracking issues.

The type of controllers shown in the photos are a major pain in the butt!

My advice is to not walk away....but run away! IF you spend the money on that, your going to be kicking yourself, and looking for another grinder in short order. Save your money, and build it up until you can purchase a KMG or one of the other "top quality" grinders. If you do, you'll be happy from the start, won't have to be tinkering with it all the time, and you'll never have to purchase another grinder.

Many have heard me say this before, but it's worth repeating....the reason that the "top end" grinders cost as much as they do is because you are paying for the precision. That means that everything is square, true, and straight. All the wheels are top quality, lined up/centered perfectly, and the machine will operate smoothly right out of the box.....and with only minor care, will last a lifetime.
 
He does have some other options as to motor size and voltage requirements. He would probably be willing to sell one without the motor so one could ask. I wish that I was at a point where I could consider one but the roof has to be done first.

Doug

Of course that was before I read Ed's reply that he was putting up as I was typing
 
Ed, I dont often disagree with your posts or opinions. And even If I do. would not say so because I respect you and know you speak the truth as you know it. But in this case, for the money. The thing would be a GREAT DEAL for a beginner. .

I do agree that Saving to buy a good grinder is without a doubt a good way to go. But for a new guy. a weekend warrior. and hobby maker. These look OK!

You can always upgrade the wheels if or when they give you a problem. The frame and motor and speed control unit are worth what hes charging. So buying a few wheels to modify and make it work.. Thats small potatoes. Even if you add 250.00 - 300.00 to the price for new small contact wheels. and to upgrade to a 1.5 HP motor. your still ahead of the game!

I still use a NWG that was welded together in the dark by a guy who may or may not know how to use a level and a measuring tape.. lol Sry IG, or whoever welding this thing up..

Bottom line is. Im making my knives with what I consider a HUGE upgrade from what I had been using. :) And for under 600.00 I would say Im doing OK

Would I like a new grinder, yes. do I need one enough to spend the BIG BUCKS on a top shelf machine. no.

Respectfully
Randy
 
Well,
I'd look at one of Wayne Coe's grinders, or buy a GIB from Polar Bear Forge. I did a search but couldn't find anything but factory grinders on e-bay now.
I have a GIB 2"x72" with a VFD that I built for just over a $1,000. But, that's with a VFD, and new motor. If one had more time than I did, you could by the GIB frame for $270 get a single speed 1.5 1Ph motor, and scrounge some steel for tool arms and buy a couple wheels from Tracy and be into an upgradeable machine for $600. That's what I'd do.
The grinder sounds like the one a guy here in Portland Oregon was selling on Craigslist. Cheap VFD's with .5 Hp motors that would likely bog down. Not a bad starting point if you aren't mechanical, but most guys who can build a knife do so because they are mechanically inclined. I'd honestly invest more time/money in a better machine.
For that matter, Tracy sells all the metal pieces already cut for the NWG 2"x72" and you could just put together one from him easy as pie.
Hope thi helps.
 
Randy,

While you make very valid points, I still have to stick to my guns. I was one of those folks who went through one grinder after another, trying to do it on the cheap.....and when I finally ending up saving/buying a top end grinder, I had spent enough money throughout the process, trying to "get by", that I could have purchased 3 "top end" machines. Over the years I've watched the scenario play itself out over and over again with others too. It's a vicious cycle/trap, and LOTS of folks fall into it.

While there are SOME folks out there who have the talents/abilities to make a sub-par machine work for them, those folks are the exceptions, rather than the rule. I have, and continue to see lots of knifemakers who simply limit themselves because of their grinder(s).......and they don't even realize it. I know it's only my personal opinion, but I've witnessed the transformation too often to believe it's a fluke.......nothing I have seen will make more overall improvement in an individual's knives than getting into a top end grinder, and learning how to use it.
Of course each person must do what they feel is right for them, but when asked, I will always strongly urge a person to invest in a top quality grinder. The returns are well worth the costs.
 
I cashed in my life insurance many years ago and bought a new Burr King with all the options except variable speed. Wish I would have gotten that option too but didnt know any better at the time. Its been about 15 years and I'm still using it. Instantly my blades turned out good and my prices went up accordingly. I know its expensive to buy one right out of the box ready to go but if you can sell the knives they pay it off in no time at all. People find thousands of dollars to buy things that dont have a return on their money, a good grinder is the best investment a knife maker can make and even if you decide to stop making knives one day you can get nearly ever penny back for your grinder unless you've abused it somehow (heaven forbid) that ever happen.
 
While the frame, motor, vfd, etc... may very well be worth what he's asking for them, I'd say you'd be better off spending your hard earned money elsewhere.
3/4 HP is only about half of the of the minimum power I would think is necessary to effectively run a 4 wheel machine like that.
I'd say that the skateboard wheels (that's what they look like anyway) will need replaced in no time, if they even run true in the first place.

For the same money (or maybe just a little more), I pretty much had a complete NWGS with 8" contact wheel and flat/slack platen with a 1.5 HP motor and 3 speed pulley set up. All wheels were made by beaumont metal works by the way. (drive, idler, 2 small wheels for platen, and contact wheel)

Granted, I got my steel from a scrap yard, and a used motor, but for the money vs. the machine, you can't beat it.
 
I have to totally agree with buy quality from the start. My first grinder/sander was a Delta 1x42, then came the Coote, and then my wife finally talked me into the TW-90 fully loaded...sans cruise control. Once I got on the TW-90 I actually felt grown up at the young age of 51. Invited my mentor over for a play day and really learned alot in a very short period of time. Lets see..."life is too short to fight with a crummy grinder"...
 
As was just mentioned, There's a machine made by Norman Coote. a Coote grinder. Google that and he will come up.

a much better Machine. Great a 1.5 to 2ph motor. The 1.5 will work fine. You get a couple of step Pulleys and a some link belt and you will have a excellent 2 wheel 2x72" Knife maker. This was my First, And I still have it with Zero remorse that I didn't get more at the time. I have also added a KMG & a Hardcore all Variable.

I used the Coote alone for about 4 years. and all was great!

Laurence
wwwwestsidesharpening.com
 
Well guys I'm about to find out. I just purchased a 2 HP variable drive,with a Baldor motor,from Pheer knife. It should be shipped in the next three weeks. It comes with four tool arms, 1- 8 inch wheel and a 2 wheel adjustable platen with a tool rest. It will be shipped to my Ohio door for less than $900. Being a newbie I felt this would get me started. Will keep you posted.
 
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Well,i have ordered one also without the motor one month now.And i'm waiting for it in a couple o weeks.So we will see..
I'll post pics video to take alook

Cheers
Vagelis
 
I see valid points on bothends of the spectrum here. Some people just dont have the financial resources to invest in a top of the line machine right out of the gate. Yes they may spend that amlunt over a period of time doing upgrades and such on a lesser machine, but in the real world, that is how things work. Theadvantage is that if you can create a great knife on a lesser machine imagine what you can do on a great machine.
I know there a great knifemakers out there that dont have top end machines and are perfectly happy with them. When the time is rightthen the top endmachines enter the picture.
I have to side wth Randy on this one after being there and witnessing his work, as well as creating my own blade on his equipment..
I would rather learn onsomething that is not top end and goto the top end stuff later
so Ican say I have the experience of using older equipment and figure out how to still make an awesome piece.
Blessings all
 
You can get a very well made machine from Riverside machine with 1.5 hp and variable speed control for a good price. I love it, and it did cause a serious leap forward in my ability (I started with a Grizzly).

I am not saying that this is better or worse than a kmg or Travis's grinder (or Bob Dozier's). Just that it exists and it is quite good, and economically-priced. Not cheap, mind you. Just a fair price. Plus, Al is a pleasure and an honorable businessman (again, not at all saying that the other people are not, quite the contrary I hear that the people who run KMG and Travis are also top-notch).

Ed Caffrey was kind enough to warn me when I posted pics of Al's grinder and asked opinions (it is, after all, a kindness for someone with more experience to take the time to share that experience with a newcomer and a stranger). He correctly pointed out that Al's grinder has some parts made from billets of aluminum rather than steel. This means it is a little lighter than the kmg. I don't know whether this matters for anyone who may read this or not. I have mine bolted to a several hundred pound work table. If I was a full-time knifemaker or a metal fabrication shop, then I may have given more thought to kmg. But, here is my reasoning - Al makes a darn fine hydraulic press as well as a darn fine grinder. I wanted to buy the vital equip from my shop from ONE SOURCE with whom I could have a good relationship. Al sells both machines, and each has all of the bells and whistles that I need.

Ed is correct - Buy the best tools you can afford, and if you have to skimp don't do it on your grinder. (I get by with a cheap bandsaw).

good luck, everyone.
Kevin
 
Well, I dont know guys. I built my own KMG style 2 x 72 grinder because it was cheaper for me to do than to buy one outright. I started with files. Graduated to a craftsman 2 x 42, and now have a 2 x 72. I also have the satisfaction of using a tool I built...which feels mighty good I might add.
Buying the best tools available is expensive, and doesnt guarentee that I have the ability to use them.

Eric
 
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