- Joined
- Feb 23, 2002
- Messages
- 3,674
Earlier this month I had the privilege of spending the afternoon in a knifemaker's shop. I received a ton of good advice and new ideas, and got to do a teeny bit of hands-on on some very nice equipment. As a result I was able to identify a solution to a major problem with some of my own equipment that has helped me expand my abilities.
I currently am using a Sears Craftsman 2x42 belt grinder. While I was having great success with convex grinds, it was giving me absolute fits trying to get a decent flat grind. After trying a better piece of equipment I recognized one major difference was that the platen was isolated from the motor's vibrations.
Since I won't be able to afford a significant upgrade in the near future, I set out to see how I might reduce the vibrations in my own system. I came up with a solution that cost me less than five dollars at the local hardware store and now allows me to grind on a flat platen without the vibrations putting any more little wowies into the finish.
I purchased the following items:
Two replacement platen cap-head screws that are 1/8 inch longer than the existing ones that came installed on the grinder (60 cents each).
Two flat washers (12 cents each).
One do-it-yourself gasket kit ($2.29).
Using the longer screws, I installed a rubber washer and a flat washer at each mounting point between the machine guard and the platen. Then I glued a piece of the same rubber to the face of the platen with 2-ton epoxy. After roughing up the contact surfaces of the rubber and the platen with some 60-grit paper, I used c-clamps and a piece of 1x4 to get a good seal between the platen face and the rubber. That's it.
Vibrations are reduced from the motor to the platen by about 75%, and the rubber face on the platen prevents the platen face from chattering against the blades while they're being ground. I think this setup will tide me over until I can afford to get a high quality knife grinder.
The attached pics show the platen modifications before and after installation.
If vibration is preventing you from getting a good grind on your low-budget grinder, try this out. If I can do it anyone can!
I currently am using a Sears Craftsman 2x42 belt grinder. While I was having great success with convex grinds, it was giving me absolute fits trying to get a decent flat grind. After trying a better piece of equipment I recognized one major difference was that the platen was isolated from the motor's vibrations.
Since I won't be able to afford a significant upgrade in the near future, I set out to see how I might reduce the vibrations in my own system. I came up with a solution that cost me less than five dollars at the local hardware store and now allows me to grind on a flat platen without the vibrations putting any more little wowies into the finish.
I purchased the following items:
Two replacement platen cap-head screws that are 1/8 inch longer than the existing ones that came installed on the grinder (60 cents each).
Two flat washers (12 cents each).
One do-it-yourself gasket kit ($2.29).
Using the longer screws, I installed a rubber washer and a flat washer at each mounting point between the machine guard and the platen. Then I glued a piece of the same rubber to the face of the platen with 2-ton epoxy. After roughing up the contact surfaces of the rubber and the platen with some 60-grit paper, I used c-clamps and a piece of 1x4 to get a good seal between the platen face and the rubber. That's it.
Vibrations are reduced from the motor to the platen by about 75%, and the rubber face on the platen prevents the platen face from chattering against the blades while they're being ground. I think this setup will tide me over until I can afford to get a high quality knife grinder.
The attached pics show the platen modifications before and after installation.
If vibration is preventing you from getting a good grind on your low-budget grinder, try this out. If I can do it anyone can!
