Hey yall,

 

Got a question.

 

I am wanting to get more into knife and sword making, but I am missing a tool, a belt grinder. I know I can do with out one, but personally I would rather not waste my time hand sanding a blade. 

 

Now with building a house, my budget is limited, so I was wondering if I could use one of these http://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-Bench-Belt-Sander-PCB420SA/dp/B004Q0MXZU/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1358567541&sr=8-12&keywords=porter+cable+belt+sander for a belt grinder for the time being. 2 of my sisters gave me Lowes gift cards, so if this will work, I can use those cards to help purchase this sander.

 

I know I would eventually like to buy one of these http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-G1015-Knife-Sander-Buffer/dp/B0000DD0AL/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1358567896&sr=1-1&keywords=belt+grinder but the house has other plans for my pocket book. :( LOL

 

Thanks yall for taking the time to read this.

My advice is not to waste money on either of those units.  Get one of these instead :  http://www.2x72beltgrinder.com  They cost more but you will be AMAZED at the difference in quality!  Save and wait and be amazed is my advice!  IMO these grinders are a stunning bargain for the quality that they deliver!  I have owned several cheaper grinders and I was quite shocked when I turned my Pheer grinder on!  It opened a new world to me!

You most definitely don't want to get one of those little sanders.  They are meant for wood and very light metal working, and you can expect the motor to bog down under any sort of pressure.

 

The 2x72 grinder is well worth the investment.  I realize that you strapped for cash, but it really is in your best interest to get the best you can.  The majority of the grinder can be built with scrap metal you find around.  The biggest expense is the wheels you need, and good wheels are definitely needed.

 

Having said all that, the 2x72 grinder I built has been the single most used tool in my garage!  With a variety of belts I can work any metal or wood, to any finish I desire, and it's been a boon, to say the least.  You simply cannot imagine how great an aid these things are.  Honestly, I wonder how I got along without one for so many years!!

Agreed, I know it sucks but nothing beats a proper tool. I've spent more money than I care to think about trying to get by with a tool that might work. You could always make one.

I have a craftsman disk/belt sander similar to the the porter cable one you show. I can attest from personal experience, you don't want it. it will NOT get you by. I would get the buffer sander combo at the very least. However, I will agree with the others, wait and get a proper belt grinder designed for metal working. IF you must get something now then grizzly has some tools that will work.

 

good luck in your search and choice.

I bought a Coote 2X72 grinder and run it with a treadmill motor. 2hp variable speed. It has changed my world drastically. I had no Idea. It was reasonably priced and I think it works good....never seen another so I have nothing to compare. Beats my 4X36 belt sander by a long shot and my files are now lonely. 

i use one of these......http://www.harborfreight.com/1-inch-x-30-inch-belt-sander-2485.html

This is contrary to what other have posted, but IF a small 3x24 or a 4x24 inch belt sander (commonly associated with wood working) pops up at decent price at garage sale or yard sale, its better than nothing and will do pretty good job of dressing and finishing metals... And YES other will argue its to small, but I have found I use my 3x24 for a lot is smoothing and dressing of cuts and edges on my fabrication projects and does it quite well.... And I will agree its not a replacement for something like a 6x48 or some large machine, but its better than nothing...

Something like unit below would be minimum I would think of purchasing if I were going to go out and spend the bucks....

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Combo-Sander-4-x-36-Belt-6-Disc/G0547

Also LOCAL availability of sanding/grinding belts may limit what you want to consider for tool.... IF you have unit that requires you to always order replacement belts online its going to be a bit of a pain....

Friend on mine has this unit in his shop and it is awesome....

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Combination-Sander-6-x-48-Belt-12-Disc-3450-RPM/G1183

Dale

Wot you intend to make is the key to wot yoiu need to make it with. if you make items just for the fun of  it and have no desire to get really good at finishing or making products that sell for worthwhile money then why spend a lot of money on a belt sander or other equipment. It is youi shop your rules.

I can see your point, but IF your intent is to buy this and then get a better one later, skip a step and start with the better one. even these disk and belt machines have thier place, but IMHO Bladesmithing isn't it. even as a stop-gap tool until better cn be aquired. files While slower and more labor intensive are a better stop-gap then the disk/belt combos like that.

Don't get me wrong I use my 4X36 a lot......Broke a Delta and replaced it with Ryobi. Good machines for what they were intended. I did not however use it to finish steel. Handles... profiling..... etc. I bought the 2x72 out of want not need. A Lada and Rolls Royce will both get you there.............one might be more pleasing of a trip, but nonetheless get you to your destination. Keep us posted. Happy Smithing!

Trip,

I feel your pain. I want to get better equipment to improve at knifemaking, but have limited funds.

I have been using a bench grinder, angle grinder and (woodworking) belt sander.

 

Lee Valley tools sells this 1x42 belt grinder for $85.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=44884&cat=1,43072

You have to add a motor. I have picked up several that would work for a few bucks at garage sales.

Then, coincidentally, a friend gave me pretty much the same thing, but heavier duty. Haven't tried it yet. Lee Valley also sells a range of belts for grinding and polishing.

Loneforge what sort of treadmill motor are you running your 2x72 with and what size pulley do you have on the motor?  I did a test run on my 2x72 build yesterday.  The tracking works well but I found it easily bogs down with the treadmill motor that I have shown in this picture.  It didn't seem to matter whether it was running at half or full speed using a 120 grit belt.

 

I'm wondering if putting a pulley on the motor would help as I just filed down the pulley that was on there for the treadmill which is very small, or if I should start looking for an alternate source for motors. 

 

I should mention I'm using an 8" contact wheel and a 4" drive wheel with a 3" pulley.

I figured it out when watching the video below. I noticed at 2:10 he changes from the large lower wheel or pulley step to the small lower and vice versa on the upper pulley thus slowing down the speed. That was exactly how mine was running so I cut a groove in the treadmill motor's flywheel and made some changes above so it could run this way

 

 

Once I did this it began hogging metal.  Runs smoothly and relatively quiet, tracks well.  I really need to add wheels to make it mobile, it's gotten heavy to drag around.

 

Here Is the "KMG Clone" I built Sometime ago almost 1 year not quite I beefed it up some in places and added things to suit my needs and requirements it is All Hand Built Machined parts to fit like a painted body glove. The tracking is mill perfection, and the arm bar has a lock so when it is in the down possession it has No tension on the belt & is held with a spring loaded press lock with a lil press down it releases. The arm handle also has a 3/4 Machined block behind it that has a partner the custom wrench that goes with it that is Two foot long Yes ! (2 Ft) long so I can easily pull down on the spring loaded tension arm to lock it into place to instal the belt . 

 

The metal has been very lightly sandblasted to a matte finish then given a Epoxy Clear finish on All surfaces , all bolts are Countersunk and are High machine grade quality bolts & screws that have been lock tighted or drilled and wired for safety to prevent backing out .

 

The Variable Speed Controller is mounted in a box that has been ported / vented / exhaust  and has intake filters that can be cleaned & replaced easily when needed. 

 

Here is the Link the Photos are Large Double Clicking and you can see the detail in the work that has went into this Machine I have Built .

 

There are a Total of (5) Five Photos Here !

 

http://imgur.com/BSMnVIc,Untvt0L,9Bv4Inb,e9gBa9M,TRNNnj2#0

 

 

Best Regards & Enjoy

 

Ret, Sgt. Robert D. Yates

 

13 & On Forge, TN

Very nice build!  Where did you get your motor and VSC?

Thank you Dan,

 

Motion Industries here Locally had both of them . 

It passed the test yesterday in that I was able to put a hollow grind on this straight razor.  It removed metal well at 3, the treadmill's speed goes up to 10.  I need to go back and clean up the rough grind though before HT'ing. 

 

 

I stopped yesterday though so I could watch again this video on making a razor.