super low budget belt grinder suggestions

I'd be checking www.craigslist.org or http://www.freecycle.org/ for something bigger and cheaper in your area. You might get lucky and hit something USED with belts/accessories included.

I think you'd be better off with a "good" used belt sander (either 3x21 or 4x24) mounted on a bench then a 1x30 from Harbor Freight.

Syn
 
If you get a HF 1x30 I'd get the $40 one, but it's not going to be very good for knives, outside of sharpening.

What I'd suggest on a major budget, is buy a 9" aluminum disc from HF. You can get it from the spare parts division, it's a spare part for one of their bigger 6x48 sanders, mine cost less than $15 shipped. All you need is a 5/8" shafted motor to direct drive it, or you can rig up a real simple pulley system with a piece of shafting, a bearing and any size shaft motor you have available. You can get a 1HP motor for a very reasonable price, it's just not likely to be totally enclosed.
 
About the cheapest grinder that you can do anything with is the craftsman 2x42 belt sander...It is currently on sale at sears.com for $119.00. For about the same money you can also look at a delta or grizzly 1x42..Either of these 3 will have a lot more power and will still be usefull if and when you move up to a 2x72....Just my $0.02..:cool::thumbup:
 
Have to agree with Louis, I started back in the Stone Age with a Craftsman 1"x42" and made many knives with it.Now several grinders later,it still is in use these days for some handle work and sharpening.Definately not the best, but it is usable till you upgrade.Dave:)
 
I'm on a very limited budget to and I'm using the harbor freight 1"x30" and it works great for me. The only thing I can't do is lay the entire blade flat on it, which isn't too bad, but would be nice if I could. If your budget is limited, then i say go for it. At least it will get you started, and by the time you grow out of it,you'll probably be able to afford something bigger and better.
 
i think the only thing wrong with the harbor freight grinder 1x30 (Which I have purchased in the past) is that it moves WAY too fast and will heat up your blades like MAD. You want something much slower. I ended up saving some money and bought a coote belt grinder instead www.cootebeltgrinder.com. The whole setup will run around 500-600 bucks with motor, but you'll have way better control than something running 3450 rpm with that harbor freight dealy. Believe me i have tried, not something you want to use after your blade has been hardened and tempered as it will make your temper all fudged up real fast.

If you can figure out how to slow it down by say 1/3, then you're set!
 
AcridSaint said:
If you get a HF 1x30 I'd get the $40 one, but it's not going to be very good for knives, outside of sharpening.

What I'd suggest on a major budget, is buy a 9" aluminum disc from HF. You can get it from the spare parts division, it's a spare part for one of their bigger 6x48 sanders, mine cost less than $15 shipped. All you need is a 5/8" shafted motor to direct drive it, or you can rig up a real simple pulley system with a piece of shafting, a bearing and any size shaft motor you have available. You can get a 1HP motor for a very reasonable price, it's just not likely to be totally enclosed.
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how do you order the disc from hf? is ther a parts catalog? I cant find it on the hf web sight.
 
If I had it to do over again, Iwould have saved up for the 2X72 belt grinder. I finaly got one after trying all the cheep ways of making knives and now realize I was wasting time and money. A 2x72 grinder will save you in the long run. When you have gotten used to it the time it takes to grind your blades will much shorter. Also the belts last longer, one belt per knife aprox.. The grinder Is the most important tool you will buy. In my opinion If you want to sell knive and make any kind of a profit save for a 2x72. Check out Coote, grizzly or Kalamazoo tools.
In the meantime work on your forging. You like the rustic stuff check out the knives made by Daniel Winkler he makes some of the coolest primitive knive out there.
Good luck Will Crump
 
fludunlimited said:
how do you order the disc from hf? is ther a parts catalog? I cant find it on the hf web sight.
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You have to call them, all I did was call them up and say I need to order parts for item #6852-1VGA (that's the 6x48 with disc), when they transfer you to parts just tell them you need to order a spare 9" disc for it. Grizzly sells them as spare parts right off the website, but it's more expensive. I'm not sure how much quality you could gain on a cast aluminum disc, mine is fairly nice.
 
I have been using a cheap $39.00, 4X36 with 6" disc for about 2 years now and it is still going strong. I can flat grind anything from a 3" to a 12" blade with excellant results. I did have to make a few modifications, a larger tool rest and glued a piece of 1/8 X 4" stainless to raise the belt off the platen for crisp lines. The steel will heat up fast so you have to dip it alot. I get my belts from supergrit .com they have everything you would ever need. I also have a 2X48 and 2X72 Kalamazoo and you can't beat the larger belt sizes. If you want go on the cheap email me I'll send you some photos.
 
My first grinder was a Kalamazoo. But as is the case with many of the economy grinders they all have one speed. Fast!

Maybe the Coote in conjunction with a motor you may already have or can buy local at a farm store and a set up of a couple of the KMG three tier pulleys in the bore you need, I think they offer them in 5/8, 3/4 and 7/8 bore to fit on the motor and the grinder. This would work to give you a variable speed option. All you would have to do then is mount the motor and grinder and find a belt that will work to run things.

Personally I like the pully set up better than the variable speed ones anyway just because of the torque issue. That way you have the same torque at all speeds basically where you lose some I think with the DC controller.

STR
 
FWIW Kalamazoos are going for around $500 + shipping these days (I spoke to them last week btw). Not all that cheap................... Comparable to a Coote if I recall correctly.

Syn
 
synthesist said:
FWIW Kalamazoos are going for around $500 + shipping these days (I spoke to them last week btw). Not all that cheap................... Comparable to a Coote if I recall correctly.

Syn
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Really? Because the new catalog from Jantz still has them listed for $219 for a 2 x48 horizontal or vertical table and 5" contact wheel with platten attatchment. No motor of course with that one but they have one with a motor in the same size for $350 right under it and a 1x42 right above it for $209 with the same motor.

You must be referring solely to the 2x72 one for $460 and no motor. I would think going super cheap you would have to be sticking with 2 x 48 to save $.

Page 77.

STR
 
If you end up buying a coote, Norm coote also carries the step pullies for various speeds.....in the end, I only needed one!
 
LK looking at these Jantz supply Kalamazoo grinders you could get that 2x48" without the motor for $219 plus shipping and put your own motor on it and a couple of those KMG pully set ups I mentioned earlier for $38 each or price them from Coote as Leu suggested and add shipping and be set up with something to work with that you could change the speeds on. It may not be ideal or fast to change speeds but it works. I've seen guys put the motor on a hinged board and just pull up when you want to change pulleys or put wing nuts on the bolts to flip them loose really fast and move the belt. I was at a yard sale the other day and a guy had two or three of these motors out that would work for stuff like we need for $30 each. I almost got one but have no need.

If Synthesist is right though and they've raised prices you might want to check. I don't know if Jantz has old stock or if they just order them as they get a call for them.

STR
 
I was referring to the 2"x72" 2 wheel without a motor for about $500. Similar to a Coote.

Kalamazoo2FS72Bigpic.jpg


Kalamazoo2FS72smallpic.jpg


http://www.kalamazooindustries.com/belt_sanders.asp

http://www.cootebeltgrinder.com/Prices/index.html

Syn
 
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Jantz has thhe one I mention above for $460 + shipping of course.

Syn
 
L.K.Smithy said:
one of the tools im dying to get is a belt grinder. i have a very low budget and was wondering if i can get by with a simple 1x30 belt from harbor freight for $60. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34951 iv looked for other cheap ones, but cant find any i can afford right now. any suggestions on the low end or mid price range? Thanks allot.
-Lou
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This is the same one that I bought, though I got it on sale for $30.00. It Rocks! despite what some of the neigh sayers said. Do yourself a favor though and buy the extended warranty.

Jim L.
 
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