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Knife Making Discussions A place to discuss issues related to all aspects of the custom knifemaking community. |
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#31
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For awhile I had ALL my knifemaking stuff including the knife I was working on in one army gas mask bag. Ahhh, those were the days. I feel Nozh's pain, banging my head not being able to deside....ARRRRG! drives ya mad. Don't tell anyone, but I have four grinders. None of them what I need. Tried to cheap my way thru and ended up wasting about 500 bucks. I do have my Frink-enstien almost complete now tho. Hopefully It will be the super duper all in one grinder that I invision.
__________________ "Many are chosen, but few are Pict" "The doer alone, learneth" NT Neo-Devo |
#32
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I guess the tools or equipment used in any field of endeavor are much like grinders for we knifemakers. If I wanted to shoot skeet competitively, I know I could buy the best shotgun for about $7000 and hit 95%. Or, I could buy a $700 gun and hit maybe 90%. Is the more expensive gun better? Yes, without question, it's better. Is it $6300 worth of 'better'..., not a chance. However, some guys have to have that extra 5% in order to compete on the level they want to be on, regadless of price.
Knifemaking has millions of little variables that govern the quality of what come off a maker's bench. If the grinder is the center of your opperation as it is mine, then a very careful study of your work habits, grinding preferences, and quality shortfalls is in order. If you can identify quality issues that you can trace back to your grinder, and if you can't correct them yourself, then it is time to move up to a better grinder. My own experience is that I can't yet identify those grinder issues. I had a vibration issue once--It was the bench, not the grinder. I had a tracking issue--It was just a bolt that needed adjustment. Now the thing hums right along, smooth an true. My knives are by no means perfect, but I credit that to the fact that I am a rookie in my first year of knifemaking with much to learn. The flaws in my knives are due to my own mistakes and upon analysis, I can see that I would have made then regardless of what grinder I was using. What these guys are saying is very true. KMG is certainly a better grinder. One doesn't have to drive a Ferrari to know he would enjoy the hell out of the ride! But, for me, until I hit the limits of performance on my Multitool--until I ask it to do something that it won't do (and a KMG will do), I can't justify the upgrade. When that time comes, I'll be writing a check with a comma in it, because I'll need at least two tooling arm attachments to do what my Multitool can do right now. I know that if I had bought a KMG right from the start, I'd be happy with it. I also know that I would have made fewer knives and would own fewer tools because it would have eaten a bigger chunck of my start-up capital. But..., perhaps they would have been better, hard to say. Oh hell, just go sell plasma for a few weeks and get the KMG. __________________ Andy Garrett https://www.facebook.com/GarrettKnives?ref=hl Charter Member - Kansas Custom Knifemaker's Association www.kansasknives.org "Drawing your knife from its sheath and using it in the presence of others should be an event complete with oos, ahhs, and questions." |
#33
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Hey Roc,
Sounds like you need that little triangular one with the three small wheels, platten, 8" serrated wheel, slack belt area, and tilting ability for horizontal grinding. I think it uses a 2x42 or 2x48. What the hell is that called...? I see it advertised in Blade sometimes. __________________ Andy Garrett https://www.facebook.com/GarrettKnives?ref=hl Charter Member - Kansas Custom Knifemaker's Association www.kansasknives.org "Drawing your knife from its sheath and using it in the presence of others should be an event complete with oos, ahhs, and questions." |
#34
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Rotary platen?
__________________ "Many are chosen, but few are Pict" "The doer alone, learneth" NT Neo-Devo |
#35
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Dang it! Let me go find it...
__________________ Andy Garrett https://www.facebook.com/GarrettKnives?ref=hl Charter Member - Kansas Custom Knifemaker's Association www.kansasknives.org "Drawing your knife from its sheath and using it in the presence of others should be an event complete with oos, ahhs, and questions." |
#36
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__________________ Andy Garrett https://www.facebook.com/GarrettKnives?ref=hl Charter Member - Kansas Custom Knifemaker's Association www.kansasknives.org "Drawing your knife from its sheath and using it in the presence of others should be an event complete with oos, ahhs, and questions." |
#37
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There's a cool video too!
__________________ Andy Garrett https://www.facebook.com/GarrettKnives?ref=hl Charter Member - Kansas Custom Knifemaker's Association www.kansasknives.org "Drawing your knife from its sheath and using it in the presence of others should be an event complete with oos, ahhs, and questions." |
#38
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Josh,if you are interested in this hobby you will notice that you very seldom see a used KMG or Bader for sale.I hollowgrind all my blades so my grinder is the center of my shop.I have a Bader b111,purchased after much the same deliberation you are going threw right now.I had to wait 2weeks to buy belts after I got my grinder.I used a drill press that you bolt your hand drill to and it converts your handdrill to a drill press,I used the money from selling knives to pay for materials and upgrade my equipment.Its the only hobby I've ever had that supported itself.Anyway,threw it all I've never regreted buying the better grinder.
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#39
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The grizzly is losing the race by a mile now...
And I think I'm in love with that radiusmaster grinder now...how much does that thing cost? |
#40
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haha ####....$1995.... nevermind
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#41
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They are a little pricy.I wanted a Hardcore,right up to the point of the price.I know your brain is blazing.I saw someone posted the e-bay deal I PM'd you.
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#42
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Someone said the Jancey had a bad habit of eating the bearings in the radius platen. then they had trouble getting and replacing them. From the pics, I seem to remember it looking a bit thin in the metals and complicated in design. More parts, more problems. That Bader on ebay looks Bad Ass. It can take all Robs attachements, but the start up price is way up there. Robs service is not approchable by the big companies. There can be only one. and there is only one. Price, quality, service, versatility all in one package. The KMG stands alone head and shoulders above the rest. Then you can take all the others and compare them to each other. Rob is known far and wide in all the other forums, but he started out right here with us. He started out casting his own wheels and putting them into a wooden frame. He talked and more important listened to knifemakers and developed a machine expressly for knifemakers. He loves to see and talk about homemades. He use to have a page on his site with pics of homeades that people sent and will answer any question on how to. The price of his machines are rock bottom for a piece of that quality. People have found that making one yourself cost almost as much as buying one new. Minus labor. I said about three years ago, ya' better get one before he figures out he could double his price and still sell them. Come to think of it, he probably knows that, but chooses not to. I would not trade the stuff Rob made me for all the tea(grinders) IN China.
__________________ "Many are chosen, but few are Pict" "The doer alone, learneth" NT Neo-Devo |
#43
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Seriously. Try the Coote. I've used mine as my sole grinder for five years now. I'd certainly like a Bader, but mostly for the adaptability of the arms & small contact wheels.
The Grizzly always sounds like folks are really unsatisfied with it quickly, and they always seem to be modifying it before it really works. I think I paid a total of $550, including a new 1 HP motor. I have 3 stepped pulleys for speed control & the 10" wheel. $150 more than a Grizzly (with motor,) but I'm still satisfied with it and haven't had to change or modify a thing. |
#44
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Coote IS a good one.
__________________ Andy Garrett https://www.facebook.com/GarrettKnives?ref=hl Charter Member - Kansas Custom Knifemaker's Association www.kansasknives.org "Drawing your knife from its sheath and using it in the presence of others should be an event complete with oos, ahhs, and questions." |
#45
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That would be my second choice in the price vrs. quality catagory. Motors are not that hard to come by, once you start keeping an eye out for them. They just seem to pile up around here.
__________________ "Many are chosen, but few are Pict" "The doer alone, learneth" NT Neo-Devo |
Tags |
bee, belt, belt sander, blade, buffer, forge, forging, grinder, knife, knife making, knives, making, motor, sander |
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