New belt grinder - advice needed.

[tomsm44]

I am looking at buying a belt grinder and would like some advice on what to get.  Up to now, I have been working with basically a bench grinder and a lot hand sanding/polishing for the few blades that I have built.  This is currently just a hobby and I have a very limited budget.  I have looked at the Grizzly model g1015 knife belt grinder and it would possibly be in my price range.  Is this a good model for the money, or is there something else better available for a similar price?  

I have also seen some plans advertised for building knife grinders.  Does anybody know how much one of these can be built for?  I would prefer to just buy one, but if there is a big enough price difference, I may be willing to give it a try.

It will likely be a month or two before I get to buy anything, but I am trying to do some research beforehand.  Any advice would be appreciated.

Matt Toms

[Steve Nuckels]

Matt, this is a on going issue for folks starting up a knife shop, and I went through it myself.

For the money I could spend at the time I considered two grinders the Grizzly and the Coote.  I bought the Grizzly and it has done the job for me as a spare time maker.  At times I wish I had got the Coote because it looks to be high quality.  The down side of the Coote is you need to buy the motor seperate.  The Grizzly has a less than good tool rest and a fair platen.

Just my 2 cents hope this helps.

  http://www.cootebeltgrinder.com/  

Steve
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Potomac Forge
W.F. Moran Jr. Museum & Foundation