Hunterbow Smithy

Hey, nice flowers! Mine usually look like they've been a week without water. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for all the compliments guys. I am sure that my grandfather would be proud to know that he preserved a piece of history as I am proud to use it. I intend to take good care of her....and keep her warm. Cheers All, Chad

Sorry for the long time in getting the photos up. Here is my Fischer in all it's splendor.

I inherited a rectangular anvil from my grandfather's estate. The anvil weights between 150 ~ 160lbs and clearly has Fisher stamped on the side. The casting is quite rough, but the face of the anvil is clean and the edges are free of any chips or dings. I realize that this is a specialize anvil, created for a specific purpose, but I am wondering if it would be suitable for forging on? Due to it's shape, I think it would be perfect for forging blades on. Anyone have any feed back on these types of anvils and their relative surface hardness?

That is really first rate work! I've seen how the bamboo is made and yours is very organic looking in comparison. The wraps are a nice touch too. Thanks for the pictures! Chad

Hi Jerry, Welcome to the forum. I just accquired a mill & lathe, so get ready for questions! Cheers, Chad

Hi Bob, I have an old Granville "Senior" lathe I just bought and would love to incorporate a taper attachment. Also, do you have any thoughts or plans on how to make a threading dial or are they commercially available? Thanks, Chad

Hey r-ice, Here's a formal welcome to the group. I enjoy making knives as well. There is a lot of great people and information here. If I were you, I would consider first grinder for $600.00. It looks like you could hollow grind with it or modify it so that you could use a platen with it and if you got rid of the guard, slack belt grind as well. My second choice would be the second one that you listed. It is small, but versatile and inexpensive. That's my 2 cents. Cheers, Chad

Here are some pictures of the Granville "Senior" 7 x 20 lathe that I just bought. From what I understand, it is patterned off of a Myford 7 series lathe. You guys should have a look at for some great information on older machinery of all makes & models.

Ok, tonight I removed the flange mounted bearing and scribed lines on the bearing support plates & bearing cases. Then I carefully reinstalled the bearings, making sure that the scribed marks lined-up. The drive shaft slid smoothly into place and did not bind. After doing that, I checked the bearing support plates were square; which they were. Then I put a new 3M belt on and hand fed the belt and the tracking issue still occured. At that point I almost got religious on the thing, but managed to keep my temper in check. I believe that the drive pulley is aligned correctly, so I suspect that the two platen pulleys must be the culprits, because when I checked them with my square they seemed to be misaligned; the top one tilted forward and the bottom one tilted downward. I am guessing that the holes in the platen must not be tapped straight? This is very frustrating - I mean, how can some guys steal their kids roller blades, their wife's ironing board, along with some angle iron & baling wire and get a grinder that tracks true? I am completely mystified. At any rate, I am not going to be able to fix any of this mess until I get my "new" lathe & "new" mill set up. Good night & God Bless, Chad

Thanks guys....I will try crowning the idler & drive wheels, getting rid of the ready rod pulley shaft, and attempt to align the drive shaft. Also, I will give a new belt a try. Hell, I am ready to try almost anything right now. Keep you all posted on my progress. cheers, Chad

Hi All, I am at the end of my wits, fresh out of ideas, and seeking some advice. I was just out in the shop, putting what I thought to be the final touches on my "new" belt grinder when lo & behold I find that the belt will not track properly. I had the same issue with my $50 home-made grinder, so you can imagine how I feel since this one has cost me over ten times that amount. Here is the scenario: when I rotate the belt forward in a normal grinding direction, the belt tracks inward toward the machine. when I rotate the belt in the opposite direction it tracks outward. I have tried just putting the belt over the drive wheel & front two platen wheels to see if it was the idler wheel, but the same thing happens. The idler wheel does not seem to have any effect at all. :confused: I am beginning to suspect it is one of two things: either the drive shaft is not aligned correctly (not sure how to check), or the drive wheel is not concentric. Anyone have any good ideas?

Hey Conrad, Great to have you abord. Good luck with the shop! This is an awesome forum and some very skilled craftsmen reside here. Chad

Here is a picture of the grinder so far. Hopefully, I will have a chance to assemble it next week. I am soooo stoked!

Mcraigl, I would like to see pictures of grinder when it's complete if you get a chance to post them. Originally I was designed my own grinder as well. It was a mish mash of a lot of different designs and I think it would have been great except for the fact that my drill press is too light for the jobs I asked it to do and most of the holes were misaligned which lead to tracking problems. My grinder was a better part of a year in the making; not counting hunting season and when it did not work and I realized it could not work due to poor fabrication, I was faced with two options: 1) invest in a proper mill/drill or 2) have the parts made for me. I opted for the latter since it was least expensive option and wife-approved. In the end, the grinder will allow me to make knives faster & better than by hand and that is all I really want. As for the KMG grinder, it looks like a solid grinder and with Ed McCaffrey's endorsement I don't think a guy could go wrong owing one. Personally I am disappointed that Beaumont Metal Works does not ship outside the US, but I prefer to believe that it's a matter of customs paper work and not nationality. Anyway, I wish everyone good luck with their grinder projects. Please contact me if I can be of any assistance. I will post pic's of the assembly & finished product.

Yikes! This is not the excitement I was trying to generate. First of all, I would like to clarify that I am not stealing anything. The plans that I am using are freely available on the WWW and I would be glad to pass them along to anyone who wants them. Secondly, many people have posted pictures of their home built grinders and say what a great help that Rick at Beaumont Metal Works was, supplying parts and free advice on how to get their clones running, so I am guessing that either he holds no patten for the device or he does not care if people make their own. Thirdly, I actually tried to buy a KMG grinder and was told that they do not ship to Canada. My intent was not to cheat anybody their due; I just wanted to offer fellow Canadian smiths the opportunity to own a grinder that they may not otherwise be able to have. And if a fellow American smith should want to take advantage of the current exchange rate I would not fault him / her at all since we should all have the chance to own good tools. Free trade should be exactly that, free, and not just when it benefits one party or the other.

Hey All, After having my home-made grinder fail miserably, I am turing to a professional for help. Cory with Custom Eyes Machining has quoted me a KMG grinder clone for $530.00 CAD ea. I think this is a pretty good price for the chassis, base plate, tooling arm, platen, and work rest. I still have to supply the motor, wheels, and assemble the thing, but all things considered - not too bad. If any of you guys are interested in getting a grinder of a decent price, let me know and I will put you in touch with Cory. I would love to buy one from Beaumont Metal Works, but unfortunately he does not ship to Canada; which really sucks. Cheers, Chad