G1015 - Knife Grinder, Sander, and Buffer

The good, not so good, and so on.... So I started with a 1x42 sander by kalamazoo to see if knife making was something I really enjoyed. Turns out I did so I saved up enough to purchase this sander, and it was the only 2x72 I could afford. It arrived as expected, on time, and packaged well. The assembly directions were easy to understand, and assembly wasn't a problem at all. The motor is WAY bigger than I expected and seems to have ample power. It is single speed so there was no issue with that at all, its fast enough to absolutely chew through some metal. The arm is adjustable and so is the work rest, though positioning takes some time as a hex key is needed to manipulate the screws used to secure them. Changing belts is a breeze and done with a simple pull on a spring tensioned arm. The bottom plates allow for very secure mounting to any surface you can put a screw in or bolt through. The buffing wheel arbor is exactly what one would expect. The arm is long enough to manipulate larger items around without bumping into the motor. Everything spins true with no unexpected wobble or vibration. This is a decent tool... for hobbyists. If you plan to use this for knife making please realize it isn't designed to make plunge cuts accurately and symmetry will be little more than a hope with this tool. Tracking is all but nonexistent and when pressure is applied the belt will skate from side to side. The mechanism for tracking relies on a spring which makes it very unreliable and frustrating. The work platform is very small, but its not difficult to attach a bigger one with a little ingenuity. The platen will wear out with minimal use making accurate grinds impossible. I can't say that proximity of the grinding surface to motor was a surprise, but in retrospect i should have given this more consideration. Occasionally some work requires a piece to be turned so that the idle wheel support arm interferes making some work difficult if not impossible. My conclusion? It's worth every penny. I knew full well this tool isn't designed for the serious knife maker. I knew this tool would have limitations and would likely frustrate me often. I knew I could afford this tool(though barely) and that I'd be able to do work i wouldn't be able to without it. Ive learned to live with the tracking and I've fitted it with a new platen and work rest. The single speed requires concentration which means when I can afford a better tool with variable speed it'll be a breeze doing what started as very difficult, but which tends to be a minor challenge now. This tool has helped me make what I consider to be some amazing knives. I really do love my Grizzly grinder and I recommend it to any who's thought of knife making has grown beyond anything other than a passing interest. Sure there are tools better suited for knife making, but if you're not gonna buy your 16 year old kid a new Mercedes Benz it doesn't make sense to buy yourself anything other than this well built, rock solid, adaptable tool to learn with. It won't set any records, but when you're ready to upgrade you'll likely have acquired the skill needed to maximize the benefits of a superior tool because of this workhorse.

This is my first 2x72 belt grinder. I love it for finishing handles on my knives. I also have a KMG that I use for my heavy grinding and blade finishing. The grizzly is the best for doing all three types of grinding: Slack belt, flat platen and 8" contact wheel. When I am finishing a knife handle I use all three types of grinding. The beauty of this grinder is that you can do all three and not have to change anything on the machine.

This is the second machine I have bought for a high school shop. Grizzly has made assembly easier than the first one I bought and the pieces fit better this time around. I did have the tracking problem everyone has talked about, the 2 minute youtube hack with electrical tape fixed it no problem. For what we do these machines work well, I would recommend building or buying a up graded tool rest, what they have is just dumb on so many levels. most of our work we don't use it, so it's not that big of deal.

If your a Amateur knife maker, this is a great buy for the price and I recommend you buy on Amazon instead of the Grizzly website. You will save about $80.00 on shipping this way. I stepped up from a HB 1x30 grinder to this and has made my life much easier. However it does have a couple minor flaws. First I will list the Pros 1. Motor: 1 HP 110V supplies adequate power for knife grinding. Especially if your stepping up from the 1x30 with a 1/3 HP motor. 2. Heavy duty and it should last for years. Total weight approx 110 lbs. 3. Easy to assemble. It took me approx 40 minutes 4. The 2x72 belt is perfect for knife grinding. Compared to the 1x30 you will have a 1" width advantage and be changing belts less often, and it is much easier to find belts for online and locally. It also gives you a bigger selection of belt types and grits. 5. Space Saving. I really don't see it as being much bigger table wise to the 1x30. And since It has the extra arbor it allowed me to put away my buffer saving me extra space. Cons: 1. The biggest problem I have found with this grinder is the tracking. I know for a fact this is a manufacturing issue. When I had the belt centered on the grinding wheel it would be off on the tracking wheel and when straight on the tension wheel, it would be off on the grinding wheel. After messing with it for hours I was able to get a closer fit but not perfect. Now the reason I know it was a factory issue is because I had a shipping issue and they sent me a grinder with no motor. Amazon took care of this problem like a pro, and had me a whole new grinder shipped to me by overnight delivery. So after messing with the tracking for so long, i decided to take the whole arm off and put on the one in the other box that I had not sent back yet. Bingo! No more tracking problems. it tracked perfectly. 2. The motor gets in the way if you are hollow grinding a large knife. The motor extends further out than the grinding wheel getting in the way. If you plan on doing a lot of hollow grinding i would suggest getting the optional 10" wheel. The extra 2' of space should take care of the problem.. If you do go with buying the 10" wheel, don't forget you will need at least a 2x74" belt because the 2" x 72" wont fit. 3. It only has one speed and that is FAST Hope this helps someone out

I bought this on recommendation of a friend who has built two van's RV airplanes. He said it was the tool he used most in sheet metal work. I bought mine to help me in restoring some old motorcycle projects. This is a great tool and in conjunction with a buffer, can restore and polish all kinds of metal and castings. You can even sharpen knives with it. I use mine all the time. I suggest buying the 3M Trizact belts to go with it. They last a very long time. Much longer than other belts. This tool is well worth the money and I'm glad I have it. It makes sanding before polishing much easier.

Blacksmith shop