Grinding

[Gundog48]

I have just started blacksmithing with the intention of becoming a bladesmith. I have been reading "The Complete Bladesmith" which I have found to be very informative and enlightening, however there is a lot of equipment that is described as 'required' that I don't have yet. The biggest concern for me is the 'requirement' of a belt grinder. I have a 6" bench grinder that I would have thought would be able to do most of the work depending on the type of disk, would I be able to manage with that? I wouldn't really mind hand filing, but I would have thought the right selection of grinding disks would be able to do the same job. I'm stabbing in the dark here, perhaps a more experienced bladesmith could let me know what they would recommend.

I may well invest in more equipment as I progress, but space and budget constraints mean I will be sticking to the bare minimum for the time being!

[tantofolder]

Gundog,While I wouldn't consider myself a bladesmith I have made a few knives.I used what I had at the time(bench grinder,angle grinder,orbital sander,files,etc.).I think alot of the professional makers do use the big fancy belt grinders,but they are very expensive.I bought a cheap 1" belt sander for working on knives a couple years ago,but I don't find it nearly as useful as my angle grinder.Though to be honest I use an angle grinder for several hours a day at work.If you are just starting out, try using what you have and see what you like and don't like about it's capabilities.There are no rules set in stone, and some folks can make finely crafted pieces with few tools.

[bigfootnampa]

You can get by without a good belt grinder. It will be slow going though. Your bench grinder is not very useful for this type work. My own bench grinder is used only with buffing wheels on it. I have used a cheap 2" X 36" belt sander for several years but even my occasional use has pretty well worn it out now. I have just purchased a new 2" X 72" belt grinder of good quality and am awaiting it's delivery. You will do better with a 4 1/2" hand grinder and good flap wheels than with your bench grinder. You'll be needing the 4 1/2" grinder anyway (I have about 5 in use here). Use this period (when you don't have the top line gear) to gain experience with hand filing and sanding... you'll be glad to have those skills later even if you don't use them nearly as much.

[Rich Hale]

WAyne Goddard put out a book yoiu may wish to own,,The fifty dollar knife shop.

[Hayden H]

Wayne Goddards book is a great read. I by no means am a pro knife maker, but I've made knives in a multitude of ways, completely forged accept for sharpening (coal and propane never again to much tediousness), made one on a friends belt grinder start to finish, was really sweet, just liked a forged blade a bit better, hand filed one from stock and h.t. with torch and polished with stones and strops, Harbor Freight 1 by 30, very usefull for handles and on small thin width stock, (I added a leather backer to my flat platen), and forged to shape and ground down. Gives you basically unlimitless possibilities if your handy with and angle grinder and flap wheels. I personally like grinding due to the possibities to make the same thing almost the same everytime. (Some can forge that way, I cannot).

[MLMartin]

I am sure belt sanders can really save time/money in a shop. But if you are only doing this as a hobby I can assure you that you do not have to have a modern belt sander to make great knives. People have been making wonderfully beautiful knives for thousands of years. Belt sanders have been around maybe 150 or 200 years. Most anyone can learn to make great knives with pretty simple tools, none requiring electricity. Its all about studying and practicing. I am not trying to say anything bad about modern tools, a good belt sander is just a lovely addition to any metalworking shop. I am on the look for one right now myself. Just don't believe that you can't do good work with out them. Modern tools just save time and physical labor, but there no replacement for a skilled craftsman.

[bigfootnampa]

Another idea occurs! You should make yourself a sen! Some good info in our archives here on that and it is a cheap fast way to go. You'll use the sen no matter how much equipment you acquire and it will help a great deal in getting by without a belt grinder. I have no personal experience to share in making and using a sen but I have read that they are significantly faster than filing and maybe even faster than grinding. A sen is on my personal project list.

[Justin Carnecchia]

For a year or so I used a 3"by18" belt sander, held upsidedown in a vise. The biggest limitation I found was lack of belt selection but it is a lot fater than filing. The best part was I already had it. If you don't you can get one at a garage sale or pawn shop for cheap. Somewhere down the road, if you find yourself serious about it, then you can worry about a big belt grinder.

[Robert Yates]

http://www.knifeworld.com/50knifeshop.html

Best book out for A New knife maker and worth a million dollers to me I still have it on my shelf . buy it and read it you will not be sorry .

Sam