Grizzly 2x42 Upgrades!

You gonna stay on the exchange or do you sale on Etsy/eBay/whatever. I'm prolly gonna do the small wheel and platen brackets but I gotta worry about other people's Xmas presents atm.
 
Contender Machine said:
Well like many other knife makers on here when I saw the new Grizzly 2x42 belt grinder on the market I bought one immediately. The price of this thing is just crazy cheap. It’s easily the best grinder you can get for under $400 because well it‘s about the only grinder you can get for under $400. That being said it is cheap for a reason. The build quality and design is not the best as can be expected.

So naturally I did some upgrades! Since I make a living building grinders and grinder accessories I do intend to build and sell these upgrades to anyone who would like them but I thought I’d just start by sharing what I have done so far. I’d love to here any comments or ideas for further upgrades.

First thing I did was make new platen brackets as well as a simple steel platen. I made the brackets slotted so that it has adjustment both left to right (to center the platen up to the belt better) as well as adjustment in and out to allow for running radius platens. I haven’t made any radius platens yet though. Would anyone be interested in radius platens for this grinder?

Here‘s the new platen and brackets mounted in the stock platen frame. The new brackets allow better access to both sides of the platen.





The next thing I did was make a couple of new work rests. I made a 5x12 inch work rest that can tilt both forward and back 15 degrees. This along with tilting the platen itself allows for a wide range of angles. I also made a drop down work rest arm to allow for better jig grinding as it gives you access to more of the platen. By nature of the design you can only tilt back 15 degrees with the drop down arm. Tilting forward is limited because the work rest hits the arm.

















The last and probably most exciting thing I made was a small wheel attachment. This prototype is made to fit the standard small wheels that use 7/8 OD bearings with an overall length of about 3 1/8 inches. A lot of knife makers already have these wheels to use with there 2x72 so making the attachment use these wheels was the most practical. It accepts up to 2 wheels so that one acts to flatten the belt out.

This works really well.







Since this is a very cheap grinder to start with I had to design these attachments to be cheap and quick to make. It’s mostly just laser cut steel with some drilled and tapped holes and some milled slots. They went together very nicely and seem to run very well.

I intend to have both some flat and radius platens heat treated to make them hold up a lot better to the heat and belt wear.

Let me know what you guys think and if any of you would be interested in adding these upgrades to your new grinder as well! As always I’m open to suggestions!
Click to expand...
I’d love to have one of those small wheel attachments. I’ve been looking for one or design one to build but you’ve done that already. I would like to get one from you if possible?
 
parsnip said:
Curious, has anyone come up with a way to have a larger contact wheel on this? Like 6, 8 or 10”?
Click to expand...
If you go to the other thread titled new 2*42 I believe. There's all kinds of mods people have done. I believe a 10" fit using a 2*48 belt. I don't think many of the mods are staying with the 42" belt.
 
aareeyesee said:
If you go to the other thread titled new 2*42 I believe. There's all kinds of mods people have done. I believe a 10" fit using a 2*48 belt. I don't think many of the mods are staying with the 42" belt.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I think I’ve been through it, though my search chops aren’t great. Is is the one titled “new tilting 2x42”? I’m curious how folks have made it work. I’ll try posting on that thread too.
 
Which model of Grizzly is this?

I was looking at one of the 2x42 models, but found more bad reviews of it than I felt OK with, including one YT video where the guy roached the motor and/or VFD in the first session.
 
Cementite said:
Which model of Grizzly is this?

I was looking at one of the 2x42 models, but found more bad reviews of it than I felt OK with, including one YT video where the guy roached the motor and/or VFD in the first session.
Click to expand...
that's the one! there are plenty of other reviews where they sing its praises and say, "if you want to make a fat bar of steel disappear quickly, use a 1.5+ hp machine. This isn't heavy duty, but its great for what it is. (if you replace the platen and the work table)." I'm on the fence. The guy who roasted it was maybe asking a little too much of it. It is currently backordered. Part of me is hoping that Grizzly is going to do better on the motors and controllers w/ the new batch. But that may not be how their production and sales cycle works. Curious to hear everyone else's take.
 
parsnip said:
that's the one! there are plenty of other reviews where they sing its praises and say, "if you want to make a fat bar of steel disappear quickly, use a 1.5+ hp machine. This isn't heavy duty, but its great for what it is. (if you replace the platen and the work table)." I'm on the fence. The guy who roasted it was maybe asking a little too much of it. It is currently backordered. Part of me is hoping that Grizzly is going to do better on the motors and controllers w/ the new batch. But that may not be how their production and sales cycle works. Curious to hear everyone else's take.
Click to expand...
My controller burnt up, Grizzly sent a replacement. After installation, max speed was 900rpm. So, after a conversation, I returned it to Grizzly. From my conversation with their Equipment Support group, it sounds like they are in talks with their manufacturer and may be beefing up the electrical components. At least it sounds like they are considering it. So, I am waiting for my replacement.
 
J Lensmire said:
My controller burnt up, Grizzly sent a replacement. After installation, max speed was 900rpm. So, after a conversation, I returned it to Grizzly. From my conversation with their Equipment Support group, it sounds like they are in talks with their manufacturer and may be beefing up the electrical components. At least it sounds like they are considering it. So, I am waiting for my replacement.
Click to expand...
This is so useful. Thank you. Curious to hear how it unfolds. If they get this sorted it seems like it could be a great tool for folks in my situation.
 
Cementite said:
Which model of Grizzly is this?

I was looking at one of the 2x42 models, but found more bad reviews of it than I felt OK with, including one YT video where the guy roached the motor and/or VFD in the first session.
Click to expand...
Mine works great. Rtv in the cable insertions in the control box, add a steel plate instead of that shitty graphite tape, shim the wheels for tracking and run a 2*48 belt and everything's good. Obviously, if you spend a G you get much better equipment but for $400+150 upgrades I have a very competent tool with a small footprint.
 
So, I am on the backorder list for one of these Grizzly 2x42 grinders.

Anyone have any additional information about a possible "Version 2" with some of the shortcomings addressed?

Randale
 
I just received an email stating my replacement back ordered machine is scheduled for a March 1st delivery. No mention on if an update is in the works. I did see that there is a ground wire update that has been sent to current owners.
 
I just got an email from UPS saying I have a shipment from Grizzly showing up tomorrow. I’m guessing it’s the ground wire update
 
I'm on the backorder list and my delivery a originally slated for February. I got a notification that they're moving it to March. I would assume it's to fix the ground wire issue.
 
Hopefully, that will cure the motor/VFD failures. It sounds like that folks are generally happy with the power of the motor - as long as it works.

This grinder seems to be a nice solution for dedicating to some lighter operations that actually require a bit more finesse than brute force.

I could see having a couple of these setup and dedicated to specific operations.
 
Contender Machine said:
Well like many other knife makers on here when I saw the new Grizzly 2x42 belt grinder on the market I bought one immediately. The price of this thing is just crazy cheap. It’s easily the best grinder you can get for under $400 because well it‘s about the only grinder you can get for under $400. That being said it is cheap for a reason. The build quality and design is not the best as can be expected.

So naturally I did some upgrades! Since I make a living building grinders and grinder accessories I do intend to build and sell these upgrades to anyone who would like them but I thought I’d just start by sharing what I have done so far. I’d love to here any comments or ideas for further upgrades.

First thing I did was make new platen brackets as well as a simple steel platen. I made the brackets slotted so that it has adjustment both left to right (to center the platen up to the belt better) as well as adjustment in and out to allow for running radius platens. I haven’t made any radius platens yet though. Would anyone be interested in radius platens for this grinder?

Here‘s the new platen and brackets mounted in the stock platen frame. The new brackets allow better access to both sides of the platen.





The next thing I did was make a couple of new work rests. I made a 5x12 inch work rest that can tilt both forward and back 15 degrees. This along with tilting the platen itself allows for a wide range of angles. I also made a drop down work rest arm to allow for better jig grinding as it gives you access to more of the platen. By nature of the design you can only tilt back 15 degrees with the drop down arm. Tilting forward is limited because the work rest hits the arm.

















The last and probably most exciting thing I made was a small wheel attachment. This prototype is made to fit the standard small wheels that use 7/8 OD bearings with an overall length of about 3 1/8 inches. A lot of knife makers already have these wheels to use with there 2x72 so making the attachment use these wheels was the most practical. It accepts up to 2 wheels so that one acts to flatten the belt out.

This works really well.







Since this is a very cheap grinder to start with I had to design these attachments to be cheap and quick to make. It’s mostly just laser cut steel with some drilled and tapped holes and some milled slots. They went together very nicely and seem to run very well.

I intend to have both some flat and radius platens heat treated to make them hold up a lot better to the heat and belt wear.

Let me know what you guys think and if any of you would be interested in adding these upgrades to your new grinder as well! As always I’m open to suggestions!
Click to expand...
Definitely interested in all three upgrades.
 
I am currently out of stock on work rests but should have more by the end of next week. Everything else I have on hand.

I’ve modified the platen brackets to allow for more backwards adjustment and also I just got in a shipment of ceramic platen liners to fit these grinders.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top