Belt Grinder Review: Ameribrade 2 X 72 for Knife Makers

The Ameribrade 2 X 72 belt grinder is a professional grade grinder intended primarily for knife makers, but useful for wood workers, metal fabricators, auto body guys, etc. Blade smith Walter Sorrells reviews the grinder here.
Check out Walter's videos about making Japanese swords: www.waltersorrellsblades.com
Support the channel on Patreon: / waltersorrells
Tactix Armory knives: www.tactixarmory.com
Walter's Instagram: walterstactix
Tactix Armory Instagram: tactixarmory
Twitter: @WalterSorrells
Help the channel and get a discount on belts from Combat Abrasives! www.combatabrasives.com/disco...

[@18deadmonkeys]

a few months ago I was getting ready to buy one of these, and then my truck's transmission died and I only had enough money to get one or repair the other. Anyway, my uber drivers have been awesome.

[@Owen322]

I saw it coming lol good decision

[@billwessels207]

Wise choice!

[@Hammer757]

LOL

[@BecksArmory]

Thank you for your contribution to the knife making community.

[@dogsoupblues]

I got mine (the Foundations package) about a month or so ago, and I absolutely love it. Your unboxing video, along with a few others, helped me pull the trigger 😀

[@pratumpornchuanlom185]

*This is exactly what I needed for trimming the edge of oak boards **MyBest.Tools** I also used the disk to round edges while building an oak - walnut cabinet.*

[@Dragoon.knifeworks]

Walter, I made my small wheels from stainless like yours are, does not leave a clean finish due to belt bump. However I put some duct tape around them to have a perfect fine finish. Just need a few turns and your finish will be mirror finish at a thousand grit. I never hand sand, no reason to, thats my secret for making my small wheels into a smooth finish, and surprisingly the tape does not deform or come off...

[@guitarzarfun]

Wonder if heat shrink would work

[@shlomobredstein5945]

Great video! I own an Ameribrade and love it! Awesome product and amazing people who run it!

[@frankrizzo466]

Hey Walter I just bought the Foundations package and have made my first Bowie knife with it..... It's worth the money. Continue doing an awesome job, your helping me tremendously with your videos and knowledge.

[@SugarMapleForge]

I think I'm almost to this point in my tool collection. I have almost everything I've needed except a disc sander, new forge (instead of my 2 brick forge), and a 2x72 grinder (to replace my 1x30). I think Ameribrade will be a good first machine for me. Another great video Walter.

[@evaderknives]

I switched to trizact because of belt bump. They cost a little more, but also last longer. A65= 280 A30=800 & Norax A16=1400(trizact is ceramic & they aren't good for nice plungelines). Then I'll go to the Ao blue belts 2000, no bump at all... I already have 2 grinders or I might want one of these, hahaha... Hope all is well, take it easy.

[@sdm031]

I hate belt bump! I recently started making knives as a hobby and started with a cheap 1x30 from harbor freight among other things, and the grinder works pretty well as long as i dont push too hard on it, but when i get to surface finishing, this is a real problem. I've heard of trizact belts but havent been able to find them in 1x30. I guess its not so bad to spend extra time hand finishing things if it's your hobby..

[@evaderknives]

@@sdm031 I did a playlist on back to basics with a 1x30 & other Harbor Freight tools. Try Tru-Grit abrasives for trizacts, just make sure it's the aluminium oxide & not the ceramic. They should also have noraxs too. Good luck.

[@bobhabsolute4995]

@@sdm031 Maybe you can check Trizact belt for Robert Sorby Proedge, I think they are 2’’x30’’ but be aware of the advertising, they may used a weird lenght like 30.5 to make it a proprietary belt.

[@brandontscheschlog]

Great review!

[@RedBeardOps]

That's an excellent looking machine, sir!

[@rodgerklindt3165]

Have had mine about a year and a half. It is my work horse for knives, leather, and anything else. You won't be sorry with a purchase from Ameribrade!

[@billwessels207]

I enjoyed the video. Thank you, Sir!

[@devinboothby1514]

Just bought one a few months ago no vfd just a straight motor could'nt be happier

[@BrunoWiebelt]

super info thank you

[@ryryr7]

Wow so nice that someone who dosnt need a break gets a HUGE break!! Holy fn crap, rotary platen, 14” contact, small wheel set, and the G D surface grinder!!! Omg the surface costs almost as much as the grinder itself! Not to be a hater but shit! I love Walt and his vids have been huge for me. I just know all about this machine as it was what I was seriously considering before life dictated I get a used 2x42. It’s been great I have to say but it’s no 72. The ameribrade I was looking at had an awesome feature that rotated ur flat platen and a 8” serrated wheel in 1 second. Great feature to me at least as one unit and you didn’t need to take the belt off to do it. Okay I’m done passing and moaning and nobody will probally read this anyway, so I’ll leave it up. Congrats Walter and thanks for the content appreciate as always

[@DenneyKnives]

We love ours Walter. We finally moved up from a 2 x 42.

[@philipholm5814]

I have a early version of this with all the attachments once you get one you will find you will use it all the time

[@alaskanbladesmith1665]

Thanks for the review. They also have great customer service. Unfortunately, Im selling my Bader BIII because of the poor customer service I recieved from them. Ive been smithing fulltime now for 2 years, owned the Bader for 6, but quality tools combined with customer service if I need it is what I need to run my shop. Thansk for the review-my 3hp Ameribrade should arrive in about a month.

[@NixLeather]

Hey Walter!! I'm thinking about getting one of these grinders and I came across this video. I was planning on getting the 10" contact wheel. I'm wondering why you recommend the biggest wheel I can fit on the machine? Thanks!

[@kd2rdhlarry571]

This had me so curious. 7 by 72? Or 2 by 7? Had to see what you got yourself into

[@bobmills6097]

What is the differance between 915 x 50 and 72 x 2 need to know what to buy in grinder see both sizes help???

[@outdoorsman8498]

So witch machine would u buy if u had to choose a new badder or this one

[@philochristos]

It seems like there are a gazillion more options now than when I started.

[@christopherconkright1317]

Do you respond to comments? I see a vdf that does 110 input the says output 3 phase 110 output isn't 3 phase just 3 legs of 110? some say 220 3 phase i want to get the right motor but...

[@davideric6421]

Very nice, very good.🤔

[@shaggyrumplenutz1610]

What size motor do you that have one of these recommend?

[@pratumpornchuanlom185]

been using

[@basievanwyk8686]

How can I buy plans from you?Please

[@billchesser1475]

I ordered the Ameribrade a few weeks ago, it should arrive in a week. I have a old craftsman 4 X 36” belt sander I’ve been using. I think the bearings have become tetrahedrons. I was thinking about getting something less expensive, but when ever I do, I’m disappointed. Figured I would postpone the purchase until I saved the money for a decent grinder. I’m not a professional, so the KMG was out of my price range for the amount of work I do. Hopefully I won’t disappointed.

[@Capthrax1]

A 2x72 is so much different than the 4x36. The latter is ment for wood but the sheer power , even if it is only a 1.5hp is amazing. You can work your way up buying attachments, the small wheels basically took 90% of my dremmels work away. My surface grinder attachment made tapering and surface clean up a joke. My suggestions for belts is not to cheap out. I liked blaze for metal, cubitron for the lwest grit then blaze for 60 and 130 grit. Norton had a ceramic for 220 then Norton engineered cermaic 45x and 30x. After that i didnt have a favorite. For wood i liked kingspour zirconia belts followed by 120 , 220 grit kingspour AO belts. Get a rubber belt cleaner for your wood belts. For sand paper rhynowet redline. Water/oil proof for all grits and works on wood. Best sand paper i ever used

[@trainwon5699]

You want be it is a work horse ! Good people to work with also.....

[@spacemanplayz5690]

Your going to love it. Take the time to properly set it up and Align the motor and drive wheel to the chassis properly and you'll be set. Set up isn't to time consuming and they have a video here on yt they give you a link to to walk you through the steps. Be aware that they did change a couple things reguarding the hardware in the assembly but it's pretty self explanatory so don't freak out when it's not exactly the same as the video. Happy grinding man!

[@wReid-ts8bc]

Sadly as an amateur knife maker just getting started this is out ofd my price range. I still use my cheaper 4x36 and 1 inch rikon.

[@billclancy4913]

If it matters to you...OBM makes a specialized fuller grinding fixture.

[@ThomasShue]

Lots of subs, that’s why he got it free!

[@Dragoon.knifeworks]

They sent me some free wheels to make a rotary attachment, their wheels work great as well as their grinders...

[@markgoggin2014]

7X2?

[@nanomachines2985]

New to this. Made 2 knives and have learned a LOT from both KZbin University and from making those knives. For one thing, the POS 1x30 belt sander I have is grossly underpowered. It's some cheapo thing I got from Harbor Freight. It's ok to polish and clean up the steel with higher grit belts, but it's not powerful enough to do much else. All that said--and I know you're reviewing an Ameribrade, but that thing is easily something around $1,500+. Is there a cheaper, yet decent quality alternative? Or should I realize that I don't need *both* of my kidneys?

[@listenjonah]

I started exactly where you are (or were depending on if you’ve upgraded yet). I used a Grizzly 2x72 for a long time and it was great. However, it was 600 at the time and I could barely afford that. If you can’t wait and save for something bigger then it’s a great start but I promise you’re going to crave something like this within a couple years. ⚠️ Grizzly has one speed and that’s balls out! I had to regrow 1/4 of my thumb twice! Be safe!

[@listenjonah]

I should mention that I have the Ameribrade master kit and I really wish I started with them. Seriously, save and start with the very basic set they have. It’s hard, I know. You won’t be regretting it.

[@nanomachines2985]

@@listenjonah thank you for the reply! I've been slowly saving for something like the ameribrade, but I'm going to look into the grizzly you mentioned! In the mean time I've made a few blanks and a bevel jig. I shudder to think how much the price has gone up but like you said, I know it'll be worth the wait and delays. Thanks again!

[@Keith_the_knife_freak]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@robertnicholson7733]

Hmmm, this seems to have some of the features from the Radius Master belt grinder, designed and built in Australia by essentially a one-man band who was a tool and die maker by trade. A video of the first version, the later ones have a few improvements but are essentially the same, available with or without VFD. kzbin.info/www/bejne/haXYdKZ7rryJnpo

[@rubenalmeida6971]

How much?

[@bizarro20daves]

Basics round 1k upto 3k 4k vibes for more attachments

[@jerod5636]

That’s not why they bog at 100%. The torque reduction occurs because motor impedance increases with increasing frequency. They can’t turn up their voltage to higher than their power supply so it detracted the full load torque when they operate over 60 hertz. If it was a load issue you wouldn’t be able to get more power out of the same motor by just re wiring it for 220volts.

[@Tiger2000Lion2005]

Nothing I’ve ever used including this one beats my TW90.

[@qdp03]

how does it compare

[@Zonkotron]

Oi...7 x 72 ;D You become a woodworker ?

[@Davethreshold]

SHOCKED that it is that inexpensive for what you get. I honestly thought it would be $10,000 +!

[@sethwatson8952]

I don't get the point of the surface grinder. For the money, they don't appear to be worth it. I found a used surface grinder on FB marketplace for $450. Small machine built in the 30's, but in very nice shape. If you look long enough, nice small machines are out there for cheap. Anyway, standalone machine is going to be way better and more accurate than a grinder attachment...

[@david-onearmedknifemaker-8955]

Yes, quite easy for one who got it for free.. LOL! No, seriously… we are knife makers guys… key word there “MAKER”! Most all of us have the ability to build our own. I did years ago. Spent a FRACTION of what these cost. And is made from cold rolled steel & 7075/2024/6061 Billet Aluminum. It’s worked as well as the most expensive out there. And still going strong! Oh yeah… and so is my Home Built Surface Grinder Attachment! I’m sure some know, but for those who don’t, yeah.. I’m the knifemaker with one arm/hand who found & figured out how to build Travis Wuertz design SGA-1. And at about a fifth of the cost! And yes, it works flawlessly. Ameribrade knows. They saw my original thread on Blade Forum as well. I never tried selling Travis’ design as so many others have. Just showed people like myself how to build one. Those who CAN’T afford these high dollar machines. But just as the knives we make, many of us can build tools which work as well as anything on the market as well.