What bench grinder.

[Hugo]

I need a new bench grinder, as I am also going to have a go at making my own knife what is a good bench grinder to buy.
It will be used for shaping and honing the blade.
There are so many to choose from, so I thought ask the experts here.
Price must be under £100.

Cheers guys.

 

[susi]

No recomendation, sorry, jsut advice to avoid cheap ones as spares can be a problem.

 

[alecf]

Are you on about a bench grinder, or a belt grinder. Or both in one? I have a £15 bench grinder from B&Q which is perfectly fine for shaping the tang but for grinding an edge on a blade you really want a belt grinder. Some bench griders have a belt on them as well but I understand the power on the belt is not usually sufficient for grinding the edge.
Im looking at perhaps purchasing one of these HERE for grinding edges on blades (and general wood sanding) which I understand is just about powerful enough for the job at a lower end.


You can make a knife without a grinder though, just using hand files. I'll warn you though, its bloody hard work! My first knife made entirely with hand tools took weeks to make but in the end I got there and it works fine You can find a tutorial here which includes how you can make a jig to do it accurately with a hand file, although I was too lazy and did it by eye

Good luck however you do it!

 

[Draven]

None

Bench grinders are bad for making knives (sweeping statement I know, but very few exceptions) due to there not being a flat surface to grind on. Sure, you could use the side of the stone if you removed the guards that are often in place, but:
A) You don't want to wear the stone out that way, or it risks breaking and flinging lumps everywhere
B) The stone spins faster the farther it is from the axis.

I suppose that you could use a bench grinder, very carefully, to remove the majority of steel and then flatten it with files but if you're going to be buying a new grinder for knifemaking you may as well get one that'll make life easier.

For the record, bench grinders are bad because the curve of the wheel makes it difficult to get a grind that isn't hollow - and as a general rule, hollow grind radii are larger than your average bench grinder.

They are great at doing rough removal of stock when shaping the blade though, since they don't wear out as easy as belts for a grinder do. Also, they can be extremely coarse, which CAN result in less heat buildup if you're reshaping a HT'd knife.

That's about it from me - really, i think you'd be better off with a belt grinder, but a bench grinder belt/stone wheel combo would be excellent.

Pete

 

[ESpy]

Bench grinders are bad for making knives (sweeping statement I know, but very few exceptions)...

Would Bill Moran be enough of an exception?

Non-hollowground is doable with a stone grinder (and not on the flat side); with practice it doesn't take all that much subsequent cleanup - but there's a reason for preferring belt grinders, they're a lot easier to work with.

They also cost a lot more.

 

[Draven]

Would Bill Moran be enough of an exception?

Non-hollowground is doable with a stone grinder (and not on the flat side); with practice it doesn't take all that much subsequent cleanup - but there's a reason for preferring belt grinders, they're a lot easier to work with.

They also cost a lot more.

If he did use a bench grinder, then yes, a rather good exception Floorstanding wheel grinders would be a bit better, due to (as a general rule) the larger and thicker wheels. But the affordability goes down.

A 1"x30" belt grinder can be pretty cheap, and still work well for shorter (<5") blades with some practice - much less than bench grinding a flat bevel will require

 

[ESpy]

From what I remember of the video, it was just a bog standard grinder - albeit on a pedestal. I think that David Boye's book also covers the method.

Not something I've done recently - no real point with a KMG sat there.

 

[FGYT]

i think Stu M uses mostly round stone wheels and has only got hold of a Belt linisher in the last couple of years


not something i would liek to try