Belt Grinder Question

[Just for fun]

I'm thinking about buying a belt grinder. I have plans to make one but I have so many other projects that I need to take care of first.

I don't want to spend a lot of money but I don't want junk either. Something in between Junk and real nice.

I kind of like this one from Grizzly,

2" x 42" Knife-Making Belt Sander/Grinder - Grizzly Industrial

<h1>T32459 Knife-Making Belt Sander/Grinder</h1> <h2>Shape and sharpen your custom knife blades with ease.</h2> <p>Do you have a 110-volt receptacle and want horizontal and vertical grinding? With this machine, you can have both.</p> <p>Designed for the entry-level knife maker, this versatile...

www.grizzly.com

What do you guys think? It's on sale until the end of December which might work out well as I just spend a bunch of money, I need to curb my spending for a bit.

 

[MikeInOr]

"This machine is not designed for commercial use."

The table looks a little on the lite weight side. The head is attached to the body by stamped metal pieces where most I have seen are square tubing. It is hard to guess what gauge sheet metal all the parts are stamped out of. It looks like the head is retained to the body with a single 1/4" (?) lever bolt and the table held on with a second identical bolt. I would worry about them loosing during use?

$400 + shipping.

How are you planning on using it? What size parts are you going to be grinding on it?

I have an ancient 3 wheel Craftsman 1" belt grinder. The Grizzley looks much better built than my ancient Craftsman. It looks like a toy compared to my 4" x 48" cast iron Walker Turner grinder but my WT only has a horizontal paten.

There are lots of mixed reviews and the negative reviews have a heavy trend towards motor problems. Many of the positive reviews look like they came from people that unpacked, assembled the machine and just tested it without putting any real use on the grinder. I would honestly also have a hard time deciding on this Grizzley. For smaller parts I think it would be sufficient. For larger parts with heavier grits I think it might be frustrating.

I have a Craftsman 1" belt grinder, a Walker Turner 4" x 48" belt grinder and a Craftsman 6" x 48" belt sander. I have never seen ANY need for adjustable speed.

The last time I looked, a couple years ago, there were several people selling kits with all the parts cut on CNC plasma machines that you weld together and finish yourself. It seems like they were more expensive for just a kit without a motor but where MUCH heavier duty. ...just a thought.

Bandit 2x72 Tilting Belt Grinder - Complete DIY Kit

See our NEW Updated GENERATION 6 Bandit DiY InstructionsAll Parts In Stock, Fast ShippingAccepted Payments: Returns: 30 days money back, buyer pays return shippingShipping: USPS Priority (Fast delivery time: 1-3 Business Days)Item location: Beaverton, Oregon, United StatesShips to: All US States2...

diktatorgrinder.com

Generation 5 Revolution 2x72 Build Kit

The Revolution 2x72 was designed with the home builder in mind. The novice fabricator can put this together and have a versatile, feature-rich, tilting 2x72 Belt Grinder that would cost thousands of dollars if it were manufactured. Get the Ultimate Bundle Kit and see how you can Revolutionize...

housemade.us

KRAKEN – 2×72 Belt Grinder Kit - Merlins Fab & Innovation

We have developed a 2X72 Belt grinder kit we are calling the KRAKEN.

merlinsfab.com

 

[ChazzC]

Check this thread

https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/grizzly-belt-grinder-for-hss-bits.113520/post-1151060

And the one referenced in my post there.

 

[Just for fun]

"This machine is not designed for commercial use."

The table looks a little on the lite weight side. The head is attached to the body by stamped metal pieces where most I have seen are square tubing. It is hard to guess what gauge sheet metal all the parts are stamped out of. It looks like the head is retained to the body with a single 1/4" (?) lever bolt and the table held on with a second identical bolt. I would worry about them loosing during use?

$400 + shipping.

How are you planning on using it? What size parts are you going to be grinding on it?

I have an ancient 3 wheel Craftsman 1" belt grinder. The Grizzley looks much better built than my ancient Craftsman. It looks like a toy compared to my 4" x 48" cast iron Walker Turner grinder but my WT only has a horizontal paten.

There are lots of mixed reviews and the negative reviews have a heavy trend towards motor problems. Many of the positive reviews look like they came from people that unpacked, assembled the machine and just tested it without putting any real use on the grinder. I would honestly also have a hard time deciding on this Grizzley. For smaller parts I think it would be sufficient. For larger parts with heavier grits I think it might be frustrating.

I have a Craftsman 1" belt grinder, a Walker Turner 4" x 48" belt grinder and a Craftsman 6" x 48" belt sander. I have never seen ANY need for adjustable speed.

The last time I looked, a couple years ago, there were several people selling kits with all the parts cut on CNC plasma machines that you weld together and finish yourself. It seems like they were more expensive for just a kit without a motor but where MUCH heavier duty. ...just a thought.

Bandit 2x72 Tilting Belt Grinder - Complete DIY Kit

See our NEW Updated GENERATION 6 Bandit DiY InstructionsAll Parts In Stock, Fast ShippingAccepted Payments: Returns: 30 days money back, buyer pays return shippingShipping: USPS Priority (Fast delivery time: 1-3 Business Days)Item location: Beaverton, Oregon, United StatesShips to: All US States2...

diktatorgrinder.com

Generation 5 Revolution 2x72 Build Kit

The Revolution 2x72 was designed with the home builder in mind. The novice fabricator can put this together and have a versatile, feature-rich, tilting 2x72 Belt Grinder that would cost thousands of dollars if it were manufactured. Get the Ultimate Bundle Kit and see how you can Revolutionize...

housemade.us

KRAKEN – 2×72 Belt Grinder Kit - Merlins Fab & Innovation

We have developed a 2X72 Belt grinder kit we are calling the KRAKEN.

merlinsfab.com

Well, to start with mainly grinding my own 1/2" and 5/8" HSS lathe tools.

 

[yota]

the Grizzly has a pretty tiny motor. mine has a 1-1/2hp 3 phase motor with a VFD. wouldn't want much less power. it did cost like 850.00 4 years ago but buy once, cry once? one of the most used tools in my shop. awesome for sharpening large drill bits. sorry about the bad pic.

 

[Just for fun]

I have plans for a 2x72 belt grinder that calls for a 1.5 to 3 HP 3 phase motor. But I have so many other thing I want to finish first, like my 1969 Bronco project that I didn't really want to take the time or spent that much money to build the one I want. I'm thinking or my thought was that I would get a cheaper one to use for the time being.

At this point, you guys have already saved me from spending money I could use toward the Bronco. I have a couple of 8" grinders that I will continue to use until I can finely get around to building the 2x72.

Thank You Guys!!

 

[matthewsx]

I have one going up for sale soon but probably too far from you to make sense.

John

 

[Just for fun]

Probably, I imagine shipping would be kind of involved.

 

[matthewsx]

Probably, I imagine shipping would be kind of involved.

Too much for it to make sense unfortunately.

John

 

[projectnut]

This probably isn't what you're looking for, but I'll put it out there anyway. Like you for quite some time I was looking for a small belt grinder to touch up tooling, sharpen mower blades, knives, and do a little deburring. I have a 6" x 48" Rockwell Delta belt sander with a 12" disk. It's great for larger work, but a but clumsy for the small stuff.

A year or so ago I happened on a Kalamazoo 1 SM belt sander at a used equipment dealer. It's a basic 1"x x 42" vertical belt driven by a 1/3 hp Baldor motor. It doesn't sound all that powerful, but it easily grinds down the toughest mower blades and can sharpen even the smallest pocketknife. While it may not be as versatile as the 3-roller style it certainly gets the job done. The best part is that it only cost $150.00.

Kalamazoo Belt Sander - Model #1SM; 1 x 42'' Belt; 1/4HP, 1PH Motor 1SM

Even new they ren about the same price as the Grizzly, and I'm sure they're much higher quality. If you really want to go top shelf you might consider a Burr King. They start around $2,700.00 and go up to over $6,000.00. I'm sure one will last you more than a lifetime.

Belt Grinders - Burr King

www.burrking.com

Here are a couple pictures of my machine.