Product review: 8" Multitool Grinder Attach.

[dudeinthehut]

Many of you may remember recent threads discussing the grinder options available to the newbie on a budget. I was very active in those discussions and I was fortunate to get loads of great feedback which helped me make my choice.

The contenders were: The Griz 1015, The Coote (which was highly reccomended by many), and the JET Multitool with the 8"contact wheel. Now, several people who took part in the discussions had experience with the JET attachment in its original form, which had a 3" contact wheel. However, no one could testify as to the qualities of the bigger one. The fact is, its not very common. In hours of web seaching, I could only find two refferences to this item. One was at www.trugrit.com and the other was at www.tricktools.com. Not even the JET website lists this tool.

The Coote is a nice unit, but at $400+ for an unpowed grinder, it was never a serious possiblity for my budget. I gave very strong consideration to the Griz because it was the only one that came with a motor! However, space is a HUGE concern for me and that baby ain't no puppy! Plus, it had the same problem that the Coote did, which is a smooth contact wheel. At the price of contact wheels, I was not about to pay another $150+ for the one I wanted. One fella pointed out that the 72" belt would last much longer than the 48" used by the Multitool. In my judgement (which may be off), the serrated contact wheel that is standard on the Multitool negates the length advantage since serrated wheels enhance belt longevity.

Another complaint about the JET was the high opperating speed. Since I have a variable speed grinder, this was of no concern to me.

In the end, after much self torture, I purchased the JET Multitool from Todd at Trick Tools for $319.99 + $10.98 S&H. Todd was super helpful and even opened up the box in order to accurately answer my many technical questions. Shipping took two days.

On to the review...
First, the instructions are a bit lacking. They could have done much better, but a mechanically inclined person should have little trouble.
Second, it became very clear, very fast that this unit was not made to fit my 6" Delta variable speed bench grinder (Lowe's $69). The three bolts used to mount the unit were 1/4" each. The holes vacated by the bolts which held the inner shroud on were 1/8". Furthermore, the arbor on my grinder is 1/2". The Multitool says it will accomodate that size, but no bushing was provided to neck-dowm the 5/8" hole. Fortunately, I had one that I used for a flap wheel on the same grinder. After tapping the holes to accept the 1/4" bolts, I was ready to assemble my new toy.

I was doing great up to the part where I use the provided flange to create space between the drive wheel and the mounting plate. The photo shows my solution. Trash the provided flange and use the two flanges that came with the Deta grinder as well as the three washers that come with the Multitool. Problem solved.

In order to install a belt, you have to compress the arm that supports the contact wheel. When you do this, a latch is supposed to fall into place, locking it back. Mine required a little Dremmel work. No big deal, it works great now.

After firing it up, only minor adjustments were needed to track the belt properly and set the platten. The belt ran straight and true with no wander through the full range of speeds offered by the Delta motor. The tracking adjustment lever is a clever design and super easy to use. I grabbed for a piece of scrap cut from an old annealed bastard file and started grinding. The cut was fast and smooth and the belt stayed put without any noticable bogging down of the motor. I have not yet made a blade with it, but I have tinkered with hollow and flat grinding and I am very pleased with my purchase.

My impression of this unit is possitive. It is a robust tool which mounts solidly with no play anywhere. It is very compact, and still offers an 8" serrated wheel and a 10"-12" platten (forgot to measure it), while making zero impact on my available bench space. Swivel it vertical, and you can slack-belt grind. I was considerably peaved that it wouldn't fit my grinder out of the box, but even with the modifications that I had to do (tapping, dremmel, and flange/bushing fitting), I had the Multitool up and running in about 45 minutes.

JET has a very clever design here and it warrants further review by other knifemakers. I will not be making use of the disk sander feature as I already have one, but you should know that a 7"disc is included and attaches to the drive hub.

Take a look!

Andy

[Glocknut]

Yea, I bought the full 8" setup including the grinder from Texas Knifemakers supply. I have been very happy with it so far. But, I am saving up to purchase a Bader III variable. But, for beginners, it's great. Just be careful...it runs fast and with a 60 grit belt, it takes off skin quickly. But, yes I would recommend it to antone just starting out.

[sjaqua]

As someone with both the 3.5" (2x36) and 8" (2x48) Aus Multi-tool grinders, a couple of comments here.

First the tool is not made by Jet, or Jet Branded. It is made and imported by Aus Multi-Tool. The confussion might come from the fact that Aus Multi-Tool uses Jet Grinders if you buy the complete package from them.

Shipping was not an issue for me, because the west coast importer is on my way home from work. I just picked it up in person.

Now I just purchased the attachment when I first got my 2x36. I bolted it on to a Dewalt 5/8hp 6" grinder from Home Despot. I had no problems attaching it using the hardware provided. However, the makers don't claim to fit every grinder. But, they do make adapter kits however, for a number of different brands.

My cost on the 2x36 was $195 for the attachment and $49 for the grinder. So my total was only $244, out the door.

For my 2x48, I wanted to go with a 1hp 8" grinder. So I got the most bang for my buck by buying the complete package from Aus Multi-tool. That comes with the 1hp 8" Jet bench ginder. Here I payed just under $500 complete.

As far as comments about "only being good for beginners", I guess I must be just a beginner. Because they both work fine for me. I have them mounted sided by side on my bench. They take up just about two square feet total of bench top space.

The 2x36 I also take with me when I do forge demo's on the road. It's part of my "portable" set-up. If you are anywhere near the poppy festivel in Lancaster CA, next month, you see my set-up there.

Now, that being said, do I have grinder envy? Do I lust after my friends Bur-king's and Bader's? Yes, but a new grinder is way down on the list. Well after a power hammer or hydrolic press.

[dudeinthehut]

Scott,

Thanks for the clarification on the brand. I had my doubts, but could find no good info to the contrary. I was considering a 3" (2x36) for shorter grinds and spear points. If you say you like having both, maybe I should follow suit.

I did the math and determined that my set-up runs at 43.61FPS at the low end and 75.23FPS at full speed. I think that's a good range isn't it? Not too fast.. or slow?

Andy