I am looking at buying a belt grinder and would like some advice on what to get. Up to now, I have been working with basically a bench grinder and a lot hand sanding/polishing for the few blades that I have built. This is currently just a hobby and I have a very limited budget. I have looked at the Grizzly model g1015 knife belt grinder and it would possibly be in my price range. Is this a good model for the money, or is there something else better available for a similar price?
I have also seen some plans advertised for building knife grinders. Does anybody know how much one of these can be built for? I would prefer to just buy one, but if there is a big enough price difference, I may be willing to give it a try.
It will likely be a month or two before I get to buy anything, but I am trying to do some research beforehand. Any advice would be appreciated.
Matt Toms
Matt, this is a on going issue for folks starting up a knife shop, and I went through it myself.
For the money I could spend at the time I considered two grinders the Grizzly and the Coote. I bought the Grizzly and it has done the job for me as a spare time maker. At times I wish I had got the Coote because it looks to be high quality. The down side of the Coote is you need to buy the motor seperate. The Grizzly has a less than good tool rest and a fair platen.
Just my 2 cents hope this helps.
http://www.cootebeltgrinder.com/
Steve
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Potomac Forge
W.F. Moran Jr. Museum & Foundation