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Ed Caffrey's Workshop Talk to Ed Caffrey ... The Montana Bladesmith! Tips, tricks and more from an ABS Mastersmith. |
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#46
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Sureshot.... I saw your post on motors for the KMG..... my recommendation is that if you go with a single speed motor, go AT LEAST 1 1/2hp, and if you go variable speed then go MINIMUM 2hp. I personally have a 3hp variable on my KMG, but I did that because after working with my single speed square wheel all these years, I felt that it was under powered.
Something else to consider when deciding on a motor size.... the current you'll have it hooked to. There is a noticeable difference between the same size motor hooked to 110v or 220v. For years I ran the 1hp square wheel on 110v, simply because I did not have anything else available. When I overhauled the finish shop, I ran 220v wiring for the grinders, rewired the square wheel for 220v, and it was like a totally different machine! On 110v it was fairly easy to slow down, and even stop when you really got on it. With it wired for 220v, you can shove a 1" square bar into it and push for all your worth, and it just keeps grinding. As a side note, not all motors are convertible. Lower quality motors are generally EITHER straight 110v OR straight 220v. The better brands (at least those 1hp and above) are often 110/220v. Baldor is far and away my choice, just because I have years of experience with them, and have not had a single issue with one of their motors yet. On the down side Baldors are about the most expensive.....but hey, if they last, then it worth the $$$. __________________ WWW.CAFFREYKNIVES.NET Caffreyknives@gmail.com "Every CHOICE has a CONSEQUENCE, and all your CONSEQUENCES are a result of your CHOICES." |
#47
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FWIW Tracy Milckley has a "no-weld" grinder on his website. Plans, I believe, are $25 with a full set of materials and approximate costs. Literally no welding.
www.mickleyknives.com __________________ "I love fools? experiments. I am always making them." Charles Darwin |
#48
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After reading through the last 4 pages, i was wondering when someone was going to suggest building one Tracy's nwgs plans seem to be a good choice, and tracy is very good to deal with. also on don foggs site there is a set of plans available for download for a KMG clone, also no welding but a heck of a lot of drilling and tapping i'm just about finished mine and it has come together well, however it has cost me a fair bit so far.
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#49
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I was also waiting.....to see if someone would bring up the exact point that you did. Building a grinder RIGHT, is very time consuming and usually will cost nearly as much as purchasing a KMG....thats why I push the KMG so hard. By the time you gather components, cut, drill, tap, align, put it together.....then take it back apart because something needs tweaking......then put it together again.......
The KMG may seem like a lot of money, but when you look at what it takes to build your own grinder, the costs are not very far apart. There was a time when I tried to build everything in the shop, now my viewpoint is that my time is better spent producing knives. I still take the time to build a lot of things that you simply cannot buy, but I have become wise enough over the years to understand that if I want is "right", I go to those who specialize in it. __________________ WWW.CAFFREYKNIVES.NET Caffreyknives@gmail.com "Every CHOICE has a CONSEQUENCE, and all your CONSEQUENCES are a result of your CHOICES." |
#50
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I've commented before on it, but when I looked at a homemade grinder the value went downhill. Good components and free/cheap steel was going to save me about $250 over the cost of a comparable KMG. Time or tweaking not figured in yet. That money was well spent for the engineering, reliability, and customer service.
Please don't stop the stream of home built tools and shop solutions, Craig |
#51
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When i said in my last post that my homemade KMG has cost me a fair bit so far i should have said that it's cost me more than to actually buy the real machine However, because i live in Australia i've had no choice other than to build my own as niether the KMG or any other decent knife grinder is available here so necessity is the mother of invention (or should that be imitation?)
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#52
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did you ever run across one of these?
they are solid and way cheap. also the contact with Johan Oosthuysen and the other guys of KMT has been very nice. http://www.kmts.co.za/Main.asp?D=%7B...olderOnly=True http://www.kmts.co.za/Main.asp?D=%7B...SP03++++++++++ |
#53
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Looks good kababear, i like the simplicity of it.
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Tags |
blade, forge, forging, knife, knife making, knives, made, stainless steel, steel, wax |
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