In that price range you may look into some good 8 inch buffing wheels and polishing compounds.I would get a 8in x 1" both in the tight sewn. You can make a buffer with a double shaft motor and some add on threaded arbours.You need a 1750rpm motor.Better yet if you can find a DC motor and use a speed controler on it.Watch those buffers though,,them things can hurt you bad if your not used to one.They can grab a blade and throw that thing all the way across the shop.As already said a good drill press is great too.Some of those cheaper import drill presses can be fixed up nice with a lil tinkering, like a DC motor,and later its nice to make a bracket to hold a dial indicator for a depth guage.If you visit many peoples knife shops one thing you will always see is lots of modifying tools to make things work better and easier.Other ideas might be several sizes of machinists rulers?A dig. caliper (a cheaper one is fine)good numbered drill bits,Flouresant lights!, a big box of bandaids,lol,and sound deadening for your shop so the wife and kids cant hear you cussin,lol.Really, the things you see in a knife shop,,grinders,buffers, drill press, forge and such,,are not where the real money is at,,its the small things in the drawers and shelves and piled under the bench that add up and in a way that can get scary.I used to make knives for many years.I made sheath knives to start out with, both forged and stock removal and the last 7 or 8 years i made high end folders.Some of the guys here i remember from when i used to go to shows.Lin Rhea is one of them i think.I did a lot of scrimshaw and carved ivory handles, and leather work for other makers too.I may have some supplies around here that i can send you to help out, i will just have to check and see what i have.I know i have a good bit of titanium sheet in diffrent thicknesses but that is mostly folder stuff.