Home Built Surface Grinder

I guess a lot of this comes down to what our expectations are. If the idea is ‘flat enough’, as in cleaning up the flats on a fixed blade knife, I can understand the interest. Otherwise, I’m uncomfortable with these things being called ‘surface grinders’. A better analogy would be a Timesaver:


Again, not to take anything away from the original poster! For a lot of things, this probably makes more sense than a real surface grinder. BUT, we really need to know what kind of accuracy we’re going to see with this. Has anyone swept a piece of stock with a DTI to see how flat we’re really talking about?
 
Ken H> said:
One Armed, looking at your photos below, the top photo shows the bearings you use for the slide to fit on. The bottom photo shows the bzr slide that fits over the bearings. I've looked at Travis's setup in his videos - do you have the same type bearing and bar slide he does? If so, do you have a link where you found the bearings and the bar slide that fits over them?

Ken H>
Click to expand...


Yes Ken, it's the same type of bearing slide. But mine was cheaper! It's called "Double Axis Roller Linear Guide & Rail". I found the company that Travis uses for his. They were very expensive! Would have cost over $200 JUST for that! I found it much cheaper at Aliexpress. I'm using the SGR20. But the slightly thinner SGR20n rail might also work. Don't use the 15 or 10....to thin. If you do a search there or a Google search for "double axis roller linear guide", you'll find it.
 
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One Armed - thanks for the part numbers. That's exactly what I'd like to have. Looks like cost is going to be a tad over $100 for the SGR20, with SGR25 being not much more. 650mm of rail looks like $115 shipped. Do you think that 25" will be plenty for a 12" magnetic chuck?
 
Ken H> said:
One Armed - thanks for the part numbers. That's exactly what I'd like to have. Looks like cost is going to be a tad over $100 for the SGR20, with SGR25 being not much more. 650mm of rail looks like $115 shipped. Do you think that 25" will be plenty for a 12" magnetic chuck?
Click to expand...


Hmm, shouldn't even be $100 Mine wasn't! And I have the SGR20. I would look at all of their options. Especially if you choose the SGR20 rail. You have to be careful with Aliexpress. Food for thought: I spent several days looking at different options before I ordered. There are different companies as well, that are selling the EXACT same thing WITHIN Aliexpress. I can look at my account & PM the same company I ordered from, if you want. They actuallyshippedit to me amazingly fast. Considering it's coming out of China.

25" will work fine. As I already posted, I got the one listed at 500mm. When measured, it's almost exactly 19.75". With the 12" magnetic chuck positioned in the middle, I have just over 5.75" on either side. It works perfect! My hand is nowhere near the belt. Just don't go too long with the rail. It's pretty heavy. Even though it's aluminum, there are 2 52100 steel rods that act as guides along the channels of the roller bearings. The rods are about 3/8" diameter and really add heft to the rail. I like this length, but a few more inches won't hurt. Just don't go too long. It's just not needed. Let me know.
 
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Yes, please do email the info to me - sailingtoo at gmail dot com should work good. If needed I can post my phone number for a txt msg.

500mm will be what I'll be looking for, or 600mm at max. I might make the magnetic chuck 13" or so just to be sure it'll handle anything I might wish.

Ken H>
 
Matthew Gregory said:
I guess a lot of this comes down to what our expectations are. If the idea is ‘flat enough’, as in cleaning up the flats on a fixed blade knife, I can understand the interest. Otherwise, I’m uncomfortable with these things being called ‘surface grinders’. A better analogy would be a Timesaver:


Again, not to take anything away from the original poster! For a lot of things, this probably makes more sense than a real surface grinder. BUT, we really need to know what kind of accuracy we’re going to see with this. Has anyone swept a piece of stock with a DTI to see how flat we’re really talking about?
Click to expand...
This 'surface grinder attachment' is not as accurate as a 'real' surface grinder and will not replace mine. I have done some measuring and find .001" difference from end to end on a 8-10" bar and a 1/2 thou difference side to side, but not every time. It depends a lot on the belt and rate of feed. Plenty flat for fixed blades.

It is extremely quick for cleaning up a forged blade, or billet though, I mean Very Quick! & tapering a tang is Unreal!!!

I'll still use the old grinder with stone wheel for folders, but the Wuertz SG will see a lot of use in the shop here!
 
Don Hanson III said:
This 'surface grinder attachment' is not as accurate as a 'real' surface grinder and will not replace mine. I have done some measuring and find .001" difference from end to end on a 8-10" bar and a 1/2 thou difference side to side, but not every time. It depends a lot on the belt and rate of feed. Plenty flat for fixed blades.

It is extremely quick for cleaning up a forged blade, or billet though, I mean Very Quick! & tapering a tang is Unreal!!!

I'll still use the old grinder with stone wheel for folders, but the Wuertz SG will see a lot of use in the shop here!
Click to expand...


I agree with you Don. PRICE was the #1 factor for me. Now I certainly could not afford an $1800 SGA-1, but I even spent several weeks looking for a "used", traditional style surface grinder. But I could not find any that would fit in my budget! I am beyond ecstatic from the results my build is giving me! And being I spent only $250 total, gives me many, many hundreds I saved that can be put into buying materials for knives! I know whoever does this will be JUST as happy with their choice! Don't get me wrong...I would LOVE to have been able to afford an SGA-1, or traditional style...or BOTH! But being blessed with the knowledge & skill I possess is a wonderful thing! And a HUGE money saver!

I do this with everything! Built my own 2"x72" belt grinder.....because I couldn't afford to drop $1K+, built my own chem/electrical marking-etching machine because I didn't want to drop $250 on one!

Spending a fraction of the money some tools cost and getting the SAME results is a very rewarding venture.
 
Oh guys, I just edited a bit. Correction, my rail is the SGR20,not the 25. The 20 rail I haveis 2-3/8" wide. And it's perfect!

Also, if anyone wants to use what's used on the SGA-1, look up "Redi-Rail" and "Saibo Linear Motion" But honestly, the only difference is price! I spent weeks researching all this stuff before I ever ordered anything. And the quality on the rail I have is A+. But I know some are more comfortable spending more.
 
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This was pretty much what I was expecting, and as I mentioned, I can entirely understand the application. Thanks for replying in detail!

Don Hanson III said:
This 'surface grinder attachment' is not as accurate as a 'real' surface grinder and will not replace mine. I have done some measuring and find .001" difference from end to end on a 8-10" bar and a 1/2 thou difference side to side, but not every time. It depends a lot on the belt and rate of feed. Plenty flat for fixed blades.

It is extremely quick for cleaning up a forged blade, or billet though, I mean Very Quick! & tapering a tang is Unreal!!!

I'll still use the old grinder with stone wheel for folders, but the Wuertz SG will see a lot of use in the shop here!
Click to expand...

I think it’s awesome that you’re getting so much enjoyment out of all of these projects. You’re right - there’s something deeply satisfying about making it yourself.

Have you done any testing to determine what type of tolerances you’re achieving?

One Armed said:
I agree with you Don. PRICE was the #1 factor for me. Now I certainly could not afford an $1800 SGA-1, but I even spent several weeks looking for a "used", traditional style surface grinder. But I could not find any that would fit in my budget! I am beyond ecstatic from the results my build is giving me! And being I spent only $250 total, gives me many, many hundreds I saved that can be put into buying materials for knives! I know whoever does this will be JUST as happy with their choice! Don't get me wrong...I would LOVE to have been able to afford an SGA-1, or traditional style...or BOTH! But being blessed with the knowledge & skill I possess is a wonderful thing! And a HUGE money saver!

I do this with everything! Built my own 2"x72" belt grinder.....because I couldn't afford to drop $1K+, built my own chem/electrical marking-etching machine because I didn't want to drop $250 on one!

Spending a fraction of the money some tools cost and getting the SAME results is a very rewarding venture.
Click to expand...
 
Matthew Gregory said:
This was pretty much what I was expecting, and as I mentioned, I can entirely understand the application. Thanks for replying in detail!



I think it’s awesome that you’re getting so much enjoyment out of all of these projects. You’re right - there’s something deeply satisfying about making it yourself.

Have you done any testing to determine what type of tolerances you’re achieving?
Click to expand...


It's pretty tight, I know that! I'll do "before & after" measurements on a blade tomorrow & post the results.
 
One Armed: Thanks for helping me find this item. I just placed the order for the 600mm - same price so I decided to go with 600mm, I can always cut it off if needed. Here's a link to the item I ordered.

https://goo.gl/6csywT
 
Ken H> said:
One Armed: Thanks for helping me find this item. I just placed the order for the 600mm - same price so I decided to go with 600mm, I can always cut it off if needed. Here's a link to the item I ordered.

https://goo.gl/6csywT
Click to expand...

Very cool Ken! Can't wait to see how yours come along! You will live it. I can promise you that my friend.
 
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Matthew Gregory said:
I guess a lot of this comes down to what our expectations are. If the idea is ‘flat enough’, as in cleaning up the flats on a fixed blade knife, I can understand the interest. Otherwise, I’m uncomfortable with these things being called ‘surface grinders’. A better analogy would be a Timesaver:


Again, not to take anything away from the original poster! For a lot of things, this probably makes more sense than a real surface grinder. BUT, we really need to know what kind of accuracy we’re going to see with this. Has anyone swept a piece of stock with a DTI to see how flat we’re really talking about?
Click to expand...
Matthew Gregory said:
I guess a lot of this comes down to what our expectations are. If the idea is ‘flat enough’, as in cleaning up the flats on a fixed blade knife, I can understand the interest. Otherwise, I’m uncomfortable with these things being called ‘surface grinders’. A better analogy would be a Timesaver:


Again, not to take anything away from the original poster! For a lot of things, this probably makes more sense than a real surface grinder. BUT, we really need to know what kind of accuracy we’re going to see with this. Has anyone swept a piece of stock with a DTI to see how flat we’re really talking about?
Click to expand...
I like the look of these attachments, but I'd put them in the category with belt converted surface grinders. They are something to augment a conventional surface grinder, not replace it.
 
I use a Travis Wuertz surface grinder attachment on just about every knife I make. I thought the attachment was very expensive when I first looked at it but I now think it is good money spent for what it does for me. I only taper the tangs on about 1 in ten knives I make but I like flat knife blades to begin with. I don't have space for a traditional surface grinder so I built a horizontal grinder just for this attachment and I made a special tool bar to convert the attachment to fit a 1 1/2 inch toolbar. I love the tool and take measurements with my calipers and the degree of "flatness" is plenty good for the full tang knives I love to make. I applaud you tool makers out there who come up with their own versions but if the task is a little daunting you might consider just buying this excellent tool. As always this is just my honest opinion. Here is an old photo of one of my first tapered tangs done on the Wuertz attachment

Larry
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LARRYZ10 said:
I made a special tool bar to convert the attachment to fit a 1 1/2 inch toolbar
Click to expand...
Larry, Does Travis not have that mounted on a 1-1/2" already? OR - does he use a different size tool bar? Would you care to comment on the accuracy of the surface grinder attachment? Will it hold a finished blade to .001" over a 10" blade? less?

Now to get metal on order for rest of project - Does anyone see a problem with building magnetic chuck from aluminum? I think the rest is aluminum.

Ken H
 
Ken H> said:
Larry, Does Travis not have that mounted on a 1-1/2" already? OR - does he use a different size tool bar? Would you care to comment on the accuracy of the surface grinder attachment? Will it hold a finished blade to .001" over a 10" blade? less?



Now to get metal on order for rest of project - Does anyone see a problem with building magnetic chuck from aluminum? I think the rest is aluminum.

Ken H
Click to expand...


Ken, my magnetic chuck IS made from aluminum Billet. 6061 T6. You could also use 2024 or 7075, but I really don't think it's nec.
Wouldn't do steel because of weight. But that's for each to decide. Actually, every bit of the construction is aluminum on mine.
 
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