Hi all,
August was a fairly busy month for a number of reasons, but I have finally had a chance to get around to setting up my new grinder! While my old Craftsman 2x42 has served me well, there was only so much I could do with it, so I bit the bullet and I purchased this one some time in December of last year and it was sitting in the box since then in several pieces. This was the early bird version of the TDM 2x72 knife maker's grinder offered from Canadian Knife maker and designed by Terry Monteith of Alberta, and it has since made several upgrades to the design. You can check out his work
here at Canadian Knife Maker and on his forum at
2x72 Grinders.
Initially I came across a few problems with tracking, where the original tracking plate was canted off to one side too far causing the belt to slide off to one side no matter how far the wheel tilted, but Terry was extremely helpful in sending me replacement parts and providing advice! I made some additional modifications to the grinder including a granite platen backing and a large adjustable work rest from aluminum plate and some 123 blocks. I also set up the grinder with a secondhand 1HP DC Leeson motor and Morse speed controller. The variable speed will greatly expand my capabilities and allow me to both hog metal as well as work with hardened steel on low speed, so I'll be looking forward to those projects in the future! I'm happy to say that the grinder is now tracking, all trued up, and ready for action. Can't wait to use it! Enjoy the pics!
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| The new grinder, in all its glory (the old grinder is sitting in the corner in the upper left beside the ladder). |
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| A little on the large side, but I'm sure it'll last me for quite a while! |
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| The ultra smooth granite platen. (held on with double sided carpet tape and an aluminum stop to keep it from sliding off should the glue fail) |
