I have been meaning to post this for some time. after 3 years of self-teaching, I finally took some smithing classes in preparation for making a blade for the journeyman performance test and i finally got the chance to use a high powered grinder and now hope to get one myself as soon as I can. However I also now feel its not something a new smith buy right off the bat. My reasoning is high powered grinders make it very very easy to get rid of any hammer marks and I feel that having one lessen the need to develop hammer control.
I started using a 4 1/2" black and decker angle grinder which quickly got relegated mainly to cutting off a portion of leaf spring or square stock and later got replaced later with a Dewalt which i feel is worth the price because of how easy it is to adjust so it does not get in the way of your work (always use the guard on your angle grinder). and quickly switched to a still cheap, steel general tools 4x36 belt sander, then switched to a wen of the same size but with a cast iron base, then a 1x30 wen. I am still using a budget machine and am now using a Palmgren 2" x 42" Belt, 6" Disc bench finishing machine. The latter i feel is the best budget machine out there as its both direct drive (meaning the belt is driven directly by the motor which despite being the same horsepower as the other units I feel direct-drive sanders just have a bit more power to them and the belts last longer than 4x36. you can also hog off a lot of material by using the bottom drive wheel in a manner similar to how a buffer is used. However, the one downside to Palmgren 2" x 42" Belt, 6" Disc bench finishing machine when I bought it was i had to widen the housing so it would except a 36 grit zirconia belt and I did inform the manufacture of this issue so hopefully, it does not happen to anyone else. so if i did not want to spend hours at the grinder getting rid of hammer marks as I learned pretty quick angle grinders are best used for cleaning off Damascus when cutting and stacking, cutting material or when you're making huge swords from anime or video games. also, there are other tools that should take priority over a high-end grinder like hammers, a good vise, a decent anvil, and personally an easy to adjust drill press with a digital RPM readout
However, this is just my personal opinion on the matter.
Note: yes I use salvaged leaf springs to make a blade, however, I would not charge as much for a salvage blade as I would for a known steel blade.
Just perusing the forums and saw your post thought I’d chime in with my uninformed opinion- discussion is always good for everybody and fun too. I made my first batch of knives on a 1x30 grinder and while I have the skill to forge pretty close to shape without any deep hammer marks the first thing I did was start selling basic custom knives to fund a 2x72. I already had a metalworking background though and had welders, big peter wright, hammers, mill, drill, lathe, torches.
I have a very full time non blade small business and the increase in speed at all levels of power tool stock removal (after forging) are greatly appreciated. They give me more time to keep trying other new techniques and learn new skills. I am not afraid to scrap a piece with a flaw but at a certain point I find great value in finishing things to best of my ability to constantly improve and practice my design, fit, & finish skills such as they are in my beginner stages over here. Of course there is also a time and place for slow deliberate file and sanding work, but in the rougher stages a 2x72 with a good vfd will also open up a whole realm of possibilities at slower belt speeds.
So I’m enjoying a coffee after work and rambling on internet forums but in my opinion a good 2hp 2x72 with a vfd and selection of attachments should be the next step after all hand work. You’re going to end up there anyway so why not start the learning curve as soon as possible? And after buying three cheap grinders you have a nice chunk of cash spent on tools you outgrew. Not to mention that little belts dull like immediately and exponentially more belt surface area only costs a few more bucks per belt.
In a similar vein I have done some low layer damascus and pattern welding by hand and it was very rewarding. I think everybody should start there and really understand how to move metal but I also just ordered a little coal ironworks 12 ton press. I just don’t have time to do stuff I want to try like mosaic patterns and higher count billets larger than a paring knife. A press is not a beginner tool but man I am psyched and don’t feel the need to pay my dues to impress anybody till I look like a fiddler crab.
I also have forged in coal enough to know how convenient and easy it is to run my little venturi propane forge. Another case of cheating on the ancient blacksmithjng processes with modern technology that I am perfectly happy to take advantage of.
Again, I’m no expert and have no interest in being right or arguing that you are wrong- I see the merit of your ideas for sure! Just trying to contribute to the discussion.
Kevin
So glad I stumbled upon this post. Super knew to knife making, have put a couple handles (not very pretty) on blanks with hand and corded power tool and have fallen in love with the craft. Signed up for ABS membership and am looking to get to the next level.
Wanting to move this year to stock removal method then onto forging next year as I collect the tools needed. Was intimidated by the 2x72 prices, but I found the Palmgren 2x42 is comfortably in my budget, plan to pair it with some red label abbrassives.
I appreciate the honest opinion!
Dylan
I started with the same grinder (well, Norse was the brand, but they are the same manufacturer), and I did some heavy modification to it. To make it work for knifemaking, I cut off much of the housing around the belt, stiffened it with U channel, added a ceramic glass platen, and made a steel work rest.
It served me well for a little while, and I just upgraded to a 2x72 Brodbeck.
Where are you located? I'm about to list my old 2x42 with a ton of extra belts and sanding disks.
Hey!
I ended up buying the kalamazoo 2x48, made 2 knifes so far, one out of w2 and the other out of 1084.
Saving up for an anvil and forge now, as I'm just doing stock removal now and heating treating with Mapp torches. Then I'll go for that brodbeck 2x72 as well!
Awesome. I've found 1084 and 80CRV2 to be fantastic beginner steels. I haven't tried W2 yet.
For a forge, I bought the Hell's Forge Max and am pretty happy with it, but there is a new manufacturer called Mr. Volcano which supposedly has a great 1 burner forge on Amazon for $75. At that price, I would definitely check it out. They have a 2 burner as well, but it seems to be sold out.
For an anvil, I went with the Acciaio 110lb from Amazon, and I'm 50/50 on whether or not I would recommend it. It is affordable, but it needed a lot of cleanup, and my main issue is the oblong horn. The good side to going cheap for your first anvil is that you can make some beginner marks on it and not feel too bad. I used a few different anvils at my 2 week ABS intro class (highly recommend), and I'll probably buy a Peddinghaus some time in the next year.
