Belt Grinder

[Kerby]

Looking to step up from just using an Angle Grinder, Any recommendations on an entry level Belt Grinder that will get the job done?

Thanks in advance, newbies, still finding our way.

[Buzzkill]

Is this for general use or do you have a more specific task in mind? Are you wanting to buy or build?  If building do you already have angle iron and/or square tubing you can use for the project? Do you have access to a welder?  Are you reasonably comfortable building something like this yourself? Do you already have a suitable motor for a grinder?  Whether buying or building, what's a ballpark budget number for you?   If you can answer some of those questions we can do a better job of pointing you in the right direction.

If you can afford it, my general recommendation is a 2hp or greater variable speed 2x72 inch belt grinder. 

[Lou L]

You have loads of options depending on your budget and purpose.  I’ll list what I can think of...all have their benefits and drawbacks:

1.  Haunt Craigslist for a used grinder.  You may find a 6 inch belt grinder for cheap.  I found a Dayton 2x42 that is only 1/3 HP for $25.

2.  Buy one of the above grinders new for about $200.  The 2x42 would be better.  Either way, stock removal is not optimal and you will stall and burn out the motor before getting everything out of the ceramic belts because they like pressure.  Still works well enough to learn on for sure and the slower cutting may help avoid terrible mistakes.

3.  Buy a 2x72 frame only from someone like Oregon Blade Maker or on EBay.  You can source a motor for free often (old treadmill) and set it up yourself.  The benefit is that you get a better grinder with more power and save cost but it will still be more than twice the cost of option 2.  Also, the tougher fabrication is done for you...which is good if you can’t do it, cheaper if you will have to buy a welder and all the parts, and will save you time to do actual smithing in the shop.

4.  Build your own!  If you have the skills (or commensurate patience and time) you can save lots of money and get a top quality tool.  If you are resourceful it can be very cheap.

5.  Pay big dollars for a fully functional 2x72 grinder and have at it!

 

Some will tell you to save your money and be patient until you save your pennies for a legitimate grinder because the difference is large....especially if you are making knives.  Others will tell you to get a starter 2x42 in order to get going and learn with less power.  The skills are the same for the most part.  Jigs are hard to set up on my little Dayton’s wimpy tool rest so I jumped straight to manual grinding by eye.  I could have cut my grinding time in half, though, if I had a wheel attachment while making the five knives for a friend.

If you can get a craigslist deal on a 2x42 grinder it is the best way to get started IMHO.  It is cheap and gets you close enough to the real deal for very low expense.  My grinder piggy bank wasn’t touched by the $25 cost.

   Everyone’s mileage WILL vary

Lou

[John in Oly, WA]

And if you have the patience to save up your nickels and dimes, there's the Cadillac of 2x72 belt grinders - the TW-90 by Travis Wuertz.

But as Buzzkill mentioned, whatever you find, make it at least 2 hp so it doesn't bog down.

[Kerby]

Thanks all, will be on the prowl for a 2 by 72

[JHCC]

I just lucked out on an unusual 2 x 90 grinder for $149 from an industrial surplus place near me. Be open to unusual options; as Glenn says, if you don't build the box, you won't have to think outside the box.

[Kerby]

Thats awesome, thats what I paid for my 1 by 30. Will keep looking

 

[rockstar.esq]

Lou covered a lot.  I have a grizzly which sports a 1 Horse, fixed speed, single phase motor.  While I'd concede that there are many downsides to this machine, I wouldn't say that it's under powered.  I suspect the 2HP recommendation was driven by the use of variable frequency drives and three phase motors.  Running the motor slower would reduce it's effective horsepower. 

Working with an angle grinder, it's not as obvious that finer grits generate a whole lot more friction than coarser grits do.  Unless you can slow the belt down, the only way to control stock overheating is by limiting contact time.  That's what I have to do with my Grizzly.  

It's got plenty of torque for rough grinding.  High grit belts on thin/small heat-treated metals is where everything has to slow way down.  If you see yourself doing a lot of profiling and rough grinding, a fixed speed unit like the Grizzly is a fine choice.  However, if you're looking to take stainless filet knives to a mirror polish, it's probably not the best machine for you.

 

[MotoMike]

did I miss if you had a price in mind.  Das Toobinator! on Ebay has complete grinders including motor for around $700.  It uses the plans I did to build mine free from DCknives.blogspot 

I had a free 1 3/4 horse motor and I', sure I have less than 200 in mine.  It works like a champ.  

[RobS]

I thought about building my own 2x72 but my project list was already long enough.  I bit the bullet and bought one from Oregon Blade.  I figure when the project list shortens a bit, I can still build my own.  Then resell the OBM grinder or keep it.  The resale on a well kept commercial grinder should be pretty good.

If you got the skills and time, build your own is the cheapest way to go.

[Conrad.blacksmithing]

We have a family friend that sells a lot of tools to us and I got a 3x64 from him for 600$ it also has a stone grinding wheel. He's really cool guy, he is letting me make payments on it.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

On 9/18/2018 at 8:26 PM, Lou L said:

Pay big dollars for a fully functional 2x72 grinder and have at it!

That's what we just did, pulled the trigger for a KMG grinder. The cost with the accessories we ordered was $1700 and change. Not the highest available but is one we are used to and the quality & customer support can't be beat. We had too many other irons in the fire to build one.

[Will Brouwers]

I’m looking at a squeegee sharpener on Facebook. If it does what I hope it will, I think it will be a good price, the only potential downside is the layout of the machine, everything being on its side. Thoughts?

[Steve Sells]

should work fine for a few things, just not for blades

[Frosty]

Is there money in sharpening squeegees? Is it cheap enough to be worth converting it? How many HP does the motor have? 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Will Brouwers]

I’m not sure if it needs converting, that’s why I’m asking those who have more experience with belt grinders.

It is a 1/2 hp motor with 1725 rpm

[George N. M.]

OK, in this context, what the H is a squeegee???  I only know it as one of those T shaped things with a rubber edge you use to wash windows.  And why do you need to sharpen it?  So many questions, so little context.

G

[Will Brouwers]

Same George. In my research I think it is for a print shop, that squeegees ink onto shirts and stuff. Apparently they need the angle of the plastic or wood or metal to be “sharpened.” I was going to ask the guy how fast it spins, and figure out if you could take metal off with it, but with the motor it has on it, it seems like it could get fast enough.

[Latticino]

I'm with Steve on this one not being optimized for blade grinding.  Quick impressions:

1. 1/2 HP motor is too small (even 1 HP is a bit underpowered IMHO)
2. Drive wheel is too small diameter for a 1,750 RPM motor and effective steel grinding
3. Vinyl faced particle board wooden table it is affixed to is not ideal for grinding metal where you get both sparks and cooling water.  If it is actually holding the drive and tension wheels and they go out of alignment a little, tracking becomes difficult.
4. No info in the photo on how the sanding belt gets tensioned or tracking adjustments.  Good systems for these are critical for a belt grinder.
5. Wood platten won't last long aggressively grinding blades.  Flat plattens are critical
6. Horizontal belt configuration has limited use in blade making
7. Aluminum wheels shouldn't be used as contact wheels, so less useful for grinding curves

Better than nothing, but expect to do a lot of modification.  Personally I would pass.

[Frosty]

While it might be okay to convert, in it's present configuration the deal killers are, #1 horizontal belt orientation though you might be able to just rotate it 90*. #2 and the real deal killer, the rest is parallel with the belt. That means grinding the plunge line, choil, ricasso, bolster, tang or any other profile details are pretty impossible. 

I'm not a bladesmith so I may be missing a blade type but the only thing I can think of would be Ulu and you'd have to define the handle when you cut out the blank. 

This one would be a hard pass for me.

Frosty The  Lucky.