grinders

[claymoore]

Easy. Do u think the craftsman 2x42 is worth buying? Any help is needed. Do any if you gentleman have any decent belt sanders you would like to get rid of.
Thanks@ have a great weekend.
CLAY

[NJStricker]

The 2x42 is worth it IF--you are absolutely tired of using files to make a knife, and you absolutely have no way of paying for any kind of 2x72. It's fast, and the belts wear out quickly. That being said, it's what I used until I could put a 2x72 together.

[Jim T]

I bought one of those when I first decided I wanted to try knife making years ago. Didn't want to spend the money on a decent 2" x 72" grinder. I burned the motor out in the Craftsman on my second blade. You get what you pay for. Just sayin....

Jim T

[Ray Rogers]

I agree with NJ, it's better than any of the smaller sanders designed for wood work but it isn't nearly as good as any 2x72. A Grizzly 2x72 at about $600 is pretty much the bottom end of really useful 2x72" grinders and many of us have started with those. They never seem to wear out and it's very, very rare for anyone to sell and old grinder since we can always find a use for an extra one.

If you can't afford a Grizzly then building your own is a viable option. You can get a better grinder for less money by building your own if you have some fabrication skills ....

[R. Yates]

this might help you out http://www.dfoggknives.com/PDF/GrinderPlans.pdf

[combs6136]

I bought a craftsman 2x42 with a burned out motor and put a slow speed one horse motor on it...Been using it for years............carl

[NJStricker]

The 2x72 I've been using the last couple of months I built based on this design:

http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/sander1/sander.html

It's about as simple as you can get. The article describing that grinder is an old one by Rob Frink, maker of the KMG.

For my drive wheel I'm basically using the pillow blocks, keyed shaft, step pulleys, and 4" drive wheel from a KMG. If you bought the parts new from Beaumont Metal Works (Rob's shop) they would run about $185.

I am using a backstand idler, like this one sold by Jantz for $110:

http://www.knifemaking.com/product-p/id580.htm

I am using 2" x 1/4" angle iron for a platen. I'm running it with a 1 HP motor I picked up at a yard sale for $10. It's all mounted on a table built from lumber leftover from other projects.

Not counting the motor and lumber, if I bought all the pieces new I'd be in it for around $300. It's not perfect, but it's 2x72, it's variable speed, and I have much better control over my grinds than I did with the 2x42 Craftsman. I can only flat grind and slack grind, but I am okay with that. If you want to hollow grind, then use the same design but instead of the KMG 4" drive wheel, get an 8" wheel from Sunray. The overall package will then be closer to the cost of a Grizzly, however.

[claymoore]

I thank all of you guys posting .