I hate when a STEAL comes along, and you don't have money.

[Don Nguyen]

A 2x48 burrking is being sold in my town for $500 (Tucson, AZ). Looks to be in really good condition too. These run for ~$2000 new.

And I don't even have $200 on me. I dislike being a college student >:[







Sorry if this is the wrong section. I wasn't sure where grinder stuff belongs to.

[musk-rat]

Don't feel bad, it doesn't change much after college
Nice find!

[pkrankow]

I feel your pain there.

Even when you have money in the bank you will have steals of deals come up and you can't act on them because you have to be a "responsible adult"

Phil

[Don Nguyen]

I have a chance to borrow money and be able to pay it back within a month. Even then, I may have to pass up on it.

Pros:

-First real equipment for me
-Would be used for a long, long time
-Extremely good deal

Cons:

-I'd be dead broke for a few months.
-No new materials/supplies for a while.
-When I move, I might not be able to use it.
-I'm a college student; I have to worry about everything else.

Yeesh. I'll probably have to pass... Perhaps within the next year or two I'll have another chance - to either buy or make one.

[Rich Hale]

Your posts say you are into knives. That is not a knifemaking belt grinder. IT is certainly a good grinder and at a good price. For knives you need a 2" x 72" belt grinder with a way to change speeds. Also need a flat platen for flat grinding and if you wish to do hollow grinding a contact wheel , I use an 8" others may like larger. It is hard to do blade work on a 4" wide belt. easier on a 2", Belts for a 2" x 72" are easly to find in any grit you may imagine. I have them fro 36 grit up to 9 micron. ( not sure wot grit that equals, but really fine.) Belts are also easy to get in all price ranges and for wood or steel or both.
All that said you could use that and special order belts in knfe making kinds of belts for it at a price. I think that later down the road you would still want different grinder. Sometimes bargains are wayyy pricey if you have to replace them later,

[ThomasPowers]

Looks like the contact wheel is the lower one in the pic. A flat platen might be retrofit-able. Why would you not be able to use it when you move? Different power?

[Don Nguyen]

Thanks for the input everyone.

I wasn't aware that this grinder isn't suitable for knife making - always heard that burrkings were popular, but I guess I wasn't paying attention. I'll keep in mind for a variable speed 2x72 in the future.

The one reason that I wouldn't be able to use it is if I move into an apartment when I transfer schools.

[Timothy Miller]

Borrow the money and resell it for 700 on ebay. you will be a less poor student then. Half the time that was how I feed my self when I was in school.

[southernforge]

While not the ideal sander for knifemaking, it still has a 2" wide belt and would do the job. Its just that a longer belt would stay cooler longer and wear better, and allow for interchangeable attachments. It would be fine for starting out, and as some have said, you could later turn around and likely resell it for a higher price, thus helping pay for another grinder.

[ThomasPowers]

Good tools are an investment in your future. If it were me I'd be buying that even if I had to sit on it a year or two.

Just like vehicles, grinder makers often have different models. Buying a two door sportscar to haul gravel in because you heard that maker XYZ made good pickups may not work.

I'd contact burr king and see what that model was designed for and what fixtures they may sell to convert it to another set up.

Shoot if you like appleseed grinds that might work quite well for you.

[Larry H]

I hate it when I get the dreaded Italian disease.......mafunsalo............( my funds are low )

[kube60]

Last year about this time I found a leg vise in perfect working order in an antique store for 30 bucks. Unfortunately, I had just spent the last of my cash on Christmas and just couldn't come up with it. By the time I had the money it was long gone.