OBM, diktator, Oregon blade maker, origin blade maker... etc...

Randydb said:
My wife tells me I can be wrong and still be an a**hole on a somewhat consistent basis and I haven't patented anything yet.
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I think I was born one, at least according to my mother. :( I grew up hearing, "You are the exact same AH as your grandfather." Backfired, because I adored that old man and being just like him was fine by me.:D As I've grown old I have tried to learn to reserve it for just the right times. Still working on it. My wife needs to remind me frequently, unfortunately.

So, thanks for your comment. Made me smile.
 
Interesting to read all the comments. I just finished welding my Bandit together and mocked it up. I need to play with the pulley alignment as I can’t get it to track properly. I have no horse in the race as far as IP and other makers so I’ll refrain from commenting on that.

What I will say, is this. Frankly, this thing is a piece of crap. I bought one based on the fact that they are local to me so I saved on shipping since I could pick it up. Was told that they do as much of the manufacturing as possible in their building. “Old China” the guy called it. Whatever that means.

I’m new here, so take this with a grain of salt. I’ll post some pics. I’ll sort everything out and it’ll be a great machine, but my intent of spending money on something that would require a minimum of fab work to get running was a waste. I should have build my own from scratch. Especially since they blow smoke about how great their machine is.

I’m bummed with how much extra work I had to do to get this built. The upright that the tension arm mounts to was too narrow for the tension arm to fit in. I had to grind a significant amount of material away to fit this up. The hole for the tracking adjustment knob was drilled too small for the insert. The hinge plates for the tilt needs a couple thousandths for clearance. My version would not rotate 90 degrees until I tuned up the uprights with a grinder to remove a little material. The gas strut mounting hole on the motor plate was not tall enough to install the strut and line up the holes for the flange nuts that secure the tool arm. I could go on.

I’m disappointed in all the little details especially since they make such a big deal on their website about how superior this kit is. Shame on me for falling for it. That said, I can fix all the issues and it will be an excellent grinder when I’m done. Had I known how much time I’d spend screwing around I would have thrown some metal on my DMU 50 and done something crazy.
 
Heh. You are having a carbon copy experience to mine. I'm not buying the "as much manufacturing as we can in our building" line. If they did, and if they built one themselves, they'd make the small changes as both you and I experienced. I suspect at the very least, they've farmed out most of the manufacturing to another local shop. Even so, I don't see what the issue would be to doing a rev change. Adjusting the programming for a laser is not a complicated or expensive proposition.
What would not surprise me would be if they've sent the work to china, and/or had a whole bunch of parts made before they prototyped it and made the needed adjustments.
 
No doubt that is what is going on. Case in point— the mounting tabs for the tension spring are still in place. Hell, they even included a screw for the spring in my kit. It isn’t thought through, I’d be shocked if they’ve actually built one. Don’t even get me started on their “legendary” tracking mechanism. Legendary piece of s….

For anyone reading this thread when directed here by a google search, don’t waste your money. I was thinking about picking up a few other items from these guys, but they’ve swindled me once, not going to happen again.

Enough bashing from me. I’ve sorted things out, replaced a bunch of items, and will impatiently wait for my VFD to arrive while the chassis is out for powder coating. Looking forward to making sparks on it now.
 
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All these issues of putting together a grinder from a package deal is why I bought a Northridge Tool Mod-2 with the tilt mechanism.

I unbolted it from the packing crate, bolted it to a table, added a power plug to the chord and started grinding! I love this grinder!

George was very nice to deal with on the phone and built a package to my desires.
 
CDHumiston said:
All these issues of putting together a grinder from a package deal is why I bought a Northridge Tool Mod-2 with the tilt mechanism.

I unbolted it from the packing crate, bolted it to a table, added a power plug to the chord and started grinding! I love this grinder!

George was very nice to deal with on the phone and built a package to my desires.
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Me too, exact same experience and I still can't get over the tracking and overall precision.
 
Yes, but see, if the DIY kit was properly done, it would be a pleasant experience, tons of fun, and a money saver. 1/2 of dictator's problems could be solved in 30 minutes.

Is THAT what those 2 ears with holes in them are for? A spring tensioner mount? I've been wondering. LOL
 
That is indeed what those two ears are for. And, I think 30 seconds with an assembled grinder would be all it would take one to know it’s time to revisit the drawing board.

Sorry all. Have to comment once more. My motor and vfd are finally in hand and all I can say is that I’m glad I’m getting belts for ~$2/ea. I’m approaching the end of my rope with alignment on this thing.
Putting things in perspective. I’m a pharmaceutical device engineer by training and 20yrs experience. Perfect isn’t good enough. My copy of this grinder was tig welded on a granite surface plate because it was available to me. My squares are sent for NIST traceable calibration every 6 months. I dork out on building these toys so I spend the time to make sure things are set, not overheated, warped. I know this thing is square, plumb, level. The offsets just don’t add up. It simply doesn’t track properly.

If you are in the market, the cost does not justify the means. Pony up $100 more for a proper kit. This isn’t it. I’m redoing the tool arm to line it up properly. My initial expectation out the window, there is no value here. I regret not spending more on a different kit.

Not to mention, I’d love to leave a shitty review on their website but I’m not allowed to register and only registered customers can leave a review. Red flag…
 
All good reasons to seriously look at the Reeder grinder packages. They are dead right from the get-go. I have never seen tracking as good. My TW-90 is a bear to get tracking right half the time. The dual tracking adjustment on the Reeder is mechanical genius.
 
"Not to mention, I’d love to leave a shitty review on their website but I’m not allowed to register and only registered customers can leave a review. Red flag…"

You know, better than a review on their website would be a review on You Tube. Look for mine in the near future...will post here when done.

You & I seem to be in very much the same boat and circumstances. While I agree with everything you said, I did get mine to track more or less right. PM me for my phone number if you need a further hand.
 
NPT said:
You & I seem to be in very much the same boat and circumstances. While I agree with everything you said, I did get mine to track more or less right. PM me for my phone number if you need a further hand.
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Thanks. I’ll be sending you a message shortly.

I’m about done. I’ve got a handful of wasted belts, empty beer cans, and deflated expectations. No matter what I do I can’t get the ~1/8 wobble to go away. I bought another drive pulley and milled it flat. Shimmed this thing every which way. Have belts from a half dozen different manufacturers. Nothing seems to make a difference. I’ll give NPT a ring and see what’s what, but needless to say, I’ll be buying another grinder that I can trust to work.
I called “Diktator”. Was told that I must have assembled my kit incorrectly. The pics I emailed with a read receipt show to have not been opened. No suggestions given, only blame on the assembly. I give up, these guys are assholes.
Giving serious consideration to an AmeriBrade chassis as they’ll provide it without a motor/vfd. Northridge sounds like they’re only willing to sell a complete machine, and I can’t seem to get Reeder’s website to load to see what they offer.

Ugh.
 
NPT said:
Every time I see this company (Dictator) mentioned, everyone's focusing about the copying designs thing. What I have NOT seen mentioned yet is if any one of the other companies has any sort of patens on any part/parts of this general design. If they don't, well, what do they expect? Basically, the one who makes it the best is going to win out.

Having said that, I have recently bought one of their Bandit grinders. I'm sure I'll be able to sort it out....eventually. I'm currently trying to get a phone call with them to sort out the pulley alignment issues with it. It appears that there is no way to align them without modifying it somehow. And that means machining. Honestly, they are so close, but blew it on the small details, and if you read their literature, they go to great lengths to say how they do it best.

I'll tell you right now, if you want a good result, you better have facilities/skills to drill, mill, tap, weld, grind, problem solve, re-engineer, and some sort of painting.
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Thinking of buying a bandit or revolution soon. Seems like the revolution is a bunch more work but sure like Brian’s videos and support!
 
fastev said:
Interesting to read all the comments. I just finished welding my Bandit together and mocked it up. I need to play with the pulley alignment as I can’t get it to track properly. I have no horse in the race as far as IP and other makers so I’ll refrain from commenting on that.

What I will say, is this. Frankly, this thing is a piece of crap. I bought one based on the fact that they are local to me so I saved on shipping since I could pick it up. Was told that they do as much of the manufacturing as possible in their building. “Old China” the guy called it. Whatever that means.

I’m new here, so take this with a grain of salt. I’ll post some pics. I’ll sort everything out and it’ll be a great machine, but my intent of spending money on something that would require a minimum of fab work to get running was a waste. I should have build my own from scratch. Especially since they blow smoke about how great their machine is.

I’m bummed with how much extra work I had to do to get this built. The upright that the tension arm mounts to was too narrow for the tension arm to fit in. I had to grind a significant amount of material away to fit this up. The hole for the tracking adjustment knob was drilled too small for the insert. The hinge plates for the tilt needs a couple thousandths for clearance. My version would not rotate 90 degrees until I tuned up the uprights with a grinder to remove a little material. The gas strut mounting hole on the motor plate was not tall enough to install the strut and line up the holes for the flange nuts that secure the tool arm. I could go on.

I’m disappointed in all the little details especially since they make such a big deal on their website about how superior this kit is. Shame on me for falling for it. That said, I can fix all the issues and it will be an excellent grinder when I’m done. Had I known how much time I’d spend screwing around I would have thrown some metal on my DMU 50 and done something crazy.
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Hmmm, tough to decide between this and revolution!
 
Ak gerry said:
Thinking of buying a bandit or revolution soon. Seems like the revolution is a bunch more work but sure like Brian’s videos and support!
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Well, I sure as hell wouldn't buy the dictator one. Not sure why the housemade one would be any more work...Can't you buy all the parts cut? If you do it from scratch, sure.
 
Following on NPT’s comment, I would absolutely not buy the Bandit. It’s a crap build and their customer service is abysmal. Absolutely not worth the cost savings.
 
First sparks on the machine today. I will have to admit, it grinds awesome compared to where I came from. Using Combat Shredders.
 
NPT said:
First sparks on the machine today. I will have to admit, it grinds awesome compared to where I came from. Using Combat Shredders.
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Good to know there is light at the end of the tunnel. For posterity sake, what did it take to get this to be an acceptable machine?
 
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