Transforming a Cheap Belt Grinder into a Quality Grinder - Grizzly 2x42 Knife Making Grinder

[@robinson-foundry]

If you're interested in any of the tools or equipment I use and you want to help support the channel then don't forget to check out some of the affiliate links in the video description. Thank you for the support!

[@jasonhelmly5223]

What size Dowel pins did you use. I can't get my tracking to work at all

[@ThreeEyedFish]

Grinder of Theseus

[@NoodleBear]

Fantastic 🤣

[@vortecmacs]

How…Distracting.

[@robinson-foundry]

Should I build another grinder with everything I took off of it? Lol

[@NoodleBear]

@@robinson-foundry Absolutely! That would be hilarious 🤣

[@macedindu829]

Hahahah

[@My-Say]

I saw the sparks going into your jar and my first thought was a fire hazard, so I'm glad you covered this for your viewers. Certain metals and combinations of metals can cause a serious problem. I see you basically re-built your grinder. Well done.

[@fluppet2350]

There is also the potential danger of accidentally making thermite if you just so happen to grind aluminum and iron. If the iron rusts while in the jar, the next time you go to grind, there may be a little bit more kick to your grinder than you’d wish for

[@My-Say]

@@fluppet2350 Yes, I'm very much aware of thermite and how it can melt right through the toughest of steel.

[@James_T_Kirk_1701]

@@fluppet2350this what my first thought when seeing that.

[@TheKhopesh]

Yeah, I like to think of it like this: Refined metals are essentially just fuels that require high temps and strong oxidizers to ignite. (IE, a poor man's thermal lance capable of melting through steel and stone alike can be made from steel tubing, 100% oxygen flowing through it, and some steel wool at the end to get the reaction started.) High surface areas like thin strands or fine dusts/chips mean your oxidizer can be weaker, like the oxygen in the air around you. Combine iron dust with heat and air, and you get a steel wool fire on steroids.

[@suicidebylifestyle9267]

Whoopsie accidentally made self-igniting thermite

[@tracybowling1156]

One of my favorite things is when people customize something that doesn't quite fit their needs. It's a smart way to make it your own. And in some cases it even saves you money.

[@Vikingwerk]

I ordered one of these, and it was dead on arrival, Grizzly’s support was phenomenal though, they told me a few things to check, and call back with the results, to confirm their suspicions, and once I did that, and confirmed the easy parts were not the problem, they sent me a return label so it could be sent back and replaced. Super nice helpful people on the phone. Still waiting on the new one to arrive, as I live in a remote area, but looking forward to trying it, and building a few upgrades myself!

[@aphleesegurtra2820]

should have sent you the replacement than wait for replacement...

[@Vikingwerk]

@@aphleesegurtra2820 nobody does business that way anymore, they all want the non-working one in hand before a replacement gets sent out.

[@huntersawyer9337]

Nice work, you should sell those upgrades. A lot of people are buying these grinders. I would buy them.

[@JamieBainbridge]

This was great. I don't have a belt grinder but I've often wondered how they go together, and are used and adjusted. You make is very clear.

[@jamminharvey1660]

I was looking to upgrade my belt sander and your video give some hints, thank you~

[@robinson-foundry]

You’re welcome! Good luck with your upgrades!

[@donaldmatthies6026]

Another great informative video. Thank you for taking the time to build, modify, film, edit and post this video.

[@dariushmilani6760]

Loved the upgrades, especially the dust collection with glass jar which shows the sparks in the jar. Very innovative. Liked and Subscribed

[@zaxxa3787]

This video just made me feel grinded but in a good way and what a great project, keep up the content

[@BenNawrath]

Great video! I don’t do a lot of metal working (mostly wood), but your comment about filling a void is spot on. I get by with grinders and a 12” disc sander for most of my needs. This is realistic for a guy like me.

[@TheOGfrenchy]

Great video brother! You definitely maximized the full potential out of this grinder! If I had a milling machine I would probably do some of the same! Thanks for sharing all of your upgrades!

[@michaeltomsa-musatin]

Awesome! This is solid gold, pay dirt! I am going to forge (eventually, Sooner than later!) I have small forge furnace I have not set up yet, but I will use it to melt 25lbs of brass .40 cal cases in order to mold cast brass knives and I was pining over not wanting to invest in a belt sander. Now I can troll pawn shops and junk stores for a cast off grinder and then pimp my ride, Robinson Forge style! Thanks brother...hope you have a good Friday on Good Friday and an even better weekend.

[@tedayer1823]

Since I was looking at this grinder this was an excellent and informative video. Thank you for doing it,

[@Serbianguy432]

This is a great video that shows what a talented craftsman can do to turn an okay machine into a very good machine. The beauty of it is that the average person will be able to do many of the mods with basic tools found in most garages. As usual. I find your videos informative and entertaining. Keep up the good work, I don't think there's anything you can't do!

[@hellcatdave1]

It's honestly already a really good machine. I have been nothing but happy with mine, it's very reliable and the only upgrades I've done so far are the funnel and the new platen. Which, I only had to make a new platen because I wanted to use ceramic glass.

[@eddietowers5595]

So, a new Belt Grinder. With time, materials and any money put into it, you essentially made it a new grinder.

[@jeffmcgrath2202]

And pretty much doubled the price. Wouldn’t have just been easier to but the more expensive grinder?

[@mm9773]

People who say “he could have just bought a better grinder” or “he could have just made one” are missing the point. Yes he could, but not everybody can. As far as I can see, these upgrades could be made without having access to other expensive machines and without having to weld: that’s good news for many of us. And many of us don’t want to drop two grand on a better grinder, but do have the spare time to make upgrades. So there.

[@ganjalfcreamcorn8438]

lol well he did weld almost every part, so not too sure what you mean. also you need tools that will machine metal parts down very accurately. not super doable for most. cool video though.

[@ahickey]

Someone did not watch the video carefully enough. Missed the welded parts and the use of other " expensive " machines to get the dimensions needed to shape the ( few hundred of dollars worth of ) pieces of metal to get a " new " grinder. People who say " he could have just bought a better grinder " .... sure could have but it was an assumed impulse buy ( since he apparently read the reviews after he got his ) ..... or " he could have just made one " ...... he did just make one. Given the end of the video he comments most reviews say the motor and/or motor control goes bad so other than the bearings he should have made one from scratch and did a cost comparison to one comparable to his specs. That at least would have been productive. He ends saying he paid $380 for a tool and yet made no mention of how much he spent on material to make it how he did. I can understand not wanting to " drop two grand " but by your logic you are willing to buy a tool for $380 and then at least $200 ( that aluminum block alone would be around $80 ), then use a welder you do not have and a 4 x 6 Band Saw ( Harbor Freight $350 ) to then have a tool with a motor and/or motor control that will need to be replaced. If you have the spare time to make the upgrades, you should have at least the time to do a shred of critical thinking before making a " So there. " claim.

[@alineharam]

Both comments are perfectly consistent and logical. “I used my milling machine…” gives away the story.

[@park3y]

I think every upgrade he made could be done with a drill, cutting tools, and a file/grinder/tap and dye. And, when making these upgrades, one will have access to a grinder for shaping of the metal. Especially things like using angle iron for the platten.

[@champgamer4394]

This is actually so cool. Love your videos man!

[@TierDvik]

THANK YOU! I just got my Grizzle 2x42 and already started thinking about things but needed some starting points! Great timing.

[@robinson-foundry]

Glad it was helpful!

[@steveposey8446]

Awesome modifications

[@robinson-foundry]

Thank you!

[@ironhead65]

Thank you! You answered my question I asked in a previous video! I really wanted to understand the dust collection portion. You provided the right information I was looking for!

[@gaveintothedarkness]

NICE! was hoping for a dedicated video on this thing!

[@glenpaul3606]

I bought a new Grizzly 2x42 grinder recently. I ordered it in Nov 2023 and it wasn't delivered until March 2024. It had been back ordered but Grizzly also worked with the factory to fix some of the problems encountered with early modrls. Mine is working well and the only thing I had to do was make a steel platen which I attached to the original after removing that plastic strip. I've made 6 knives on it so far and have not had any problems. I did buy an after market small wheel attachment. I don't have a mill or welding gear so I won't be making all the extras like shown in this video. He should make and offer some of his upgrades for sale. There are probably 1000's of these Grizzly 2x42's out there now and many users would buy some of these upgrades if available.

[@aviweisbach7816]

What small wheel attachment did you get? I got a cheap one off eBay, attached a long arm to it to retain the "waterfall" aspect, stuck it in the table slot, and use a 2x72 belt with it. It works but is a pretty inelegant solution. I'm curious about what others have come up with.

[@threeriversforge1997]

Excellent work. I have an older Jet 2x48 that I love to use for general work while my 2x72 sits against the wall looking rather forlorn. Both are great, just for different tasks. Like your Griz, the Jet could absolutely use some upgrades and you've given me some things to ponder. I won't be able to borrow too much from your design since the Jet is so different, but at least I can see that there's some hope for what I was thinking I might like to accomplish. One more thing on the to-do list!

[@danielhoughton6921]

What did that spanner do to hurt you?

[@robinson-foundry]

It was looking at me funny.

[@JulioBaggins]

I'm amazed at the entire culture built around enhancing these cheap chinese made tools. I'm all for modification to fit a particular need. But there's a limit. This is way past the limit where I ask, what is my time worth? Are we making knives or making tools? $3k on a CC, get a Burr King, start making stuff for sale next week to pay it off.

[@RustyBlades56_]

Mr. Robinson, would you consider making and selling a basic upgrade package or strengthening kit for that grinder. Do communicate with grizzly to see if they repaired the motor problem and was told yes but no explanation. Thanks for the video and your consideration.

[@bbbnz50]

Nothing wrong with wanting your tools to have plenty of rigidity Great work

[@waaagh3203]

When I first saw it, I was so confused because I didn't know they'd come out with a 42 belt grinder. I was thinking it was the big 72 :D :D Anyway, you did really good work on that. Very impressive.

[@Vikingwerk]

Finally got my platten upgrade finished; I was not prepared for how much of an upgrade that was. It is like an entirely different machine! Before, with their ‘graphite impregnated backing pad’ it felt spongey when grinding, and didn’t seem to cut well, even with good belts (the first upgrade, the belt that comes with it is a joke). Now that I have a tool steel platten, it cuts like the blazes!

[@senfdame528]

Now i need a "Keep on grinding!" Tattoo with your High-Quality Grinder as a picture!

[@jaredjones6570]

Or just a T-Shirt. Tattoos are dumb.

[@nickhassler2727]

Most of the forge channels I watch put their grinders in contained spaces. I know this is not ideal or available for all but people don't realize just how bad all that flying metal is for your lungs and body. Keeping it contained as much as possible is key.

[@Mrshotshell]

The steel and abrasive dust is also terrible for any kind of machine like a mill or lathe

[@davidparker3346]

Thanks for sharing this informative video, I appreciate all the work you put into making this.

[@sansdecorum4600]

Saw your video and liked the mods. Grizzly was having a sale l, so I picked one up a week ago for $310 to my door. All in all, not too shabby and much more rigid than I was expecting. I did not detect any significant deflection, though I do see making new tooling arms and receiver blocks like you did. I know it is mathematically horribly underpowered, but it had no trouble being force fed the tang and a full 1/2" of 10" Nicholson mill file. That, I was not expecting. Cool.

[@johnrus7661]

Very clean work! I really like what you did to make it a sweet little grinder.

[@robinson-foundry]

Thank you very much!

[@tectzas]

Custom to the max

[@dgoddard]

I helped a paraplegic friend of mine set up one of these he bought over the weekend at the Springfield, MO Grizzly store. I didn't see any ground wire with it. Can you explain how to get it or what I need to do in order to correctly ground this so he doesn't get shocked. It looked fairly simple, like you just grounded the motor cage to the box.

[@jvmiller1995]

You are clearly talented enough why not just build a 2 x 72 from scratch. House made has some good plans cheap. I built my own take on a treadmill grinder years ago and it works well but I am fixing to start from scratch and build my dream grinder.

[@thunderbasilisk1352]

Shouldn't you just replace the motor now before it fails during a project? Anyway love the upgrades.

[@ImolaS3]

Thanks so much!! this answers my question from a few videos back and added a lot more very interesting and useful information! Thanks again :)

[@TheJCJexe]

Your shop is very clean, nice!

[@genemcintyre5352]

Yes it was, thank you very much.

[@heinzhaupthaar5590]

I'd get a carbide or a corundum/alumina or zirconium ceramic plate instead of glass. They last very long. Glass doesn't, especially not with the better, harder abrasives, when using coolant or high belt speeds. And they're fairly cheap too, you can get ceramic plates for some chump change on Ali and similar platforms, their low thermal conductivity makes gluing them on a very practical solution.

[@volkangunyeli]

Perfect job bro 👌🏼👍🏼

[@daviddodge8028]

Wow! What a great Idea for an alturnitive to the expensive 2x72 machines. I think your upgrades are right on point. Thank you for sharing it with us. On that note, wolud you be willing to share the .STL file for the funnel and bracket? I would like to take a closer look at a dust collection system with some safety features. Great work.

[@Kmnri]

Why did you grind wrench?

[@noneyabidness9644]

As far as cost effectiveness, would it be a better idea to purchase a better made machine, or did the upgrades save you money?

[@garychaiken808]

Great job. Thank you 😊

[@justanotherfreakinchannel9069]

I'm just dead curious about how much the upgrades cost in time and materials. You did a fantastic job with it though, looks like it works beautifully, bravo! 👏🏼

[@IcecalGamer]

Same here. If those "simple upgrades" (50% re-engineered) take the 380$ shipped price tag to 700$+ in time and materials, why not get a Premium one, or make it from scratch yourself. Since the motor AND the PSU are guaranteed to burn-up anyway. Is there Anything that you didn't have to alter, replace or will have to replace?

[@justanotherfreakinchannel9069]

@@IcecalGamer my thoughts exactly. I think your guesstimate on the cost however is pretty low. My guess is that given a fair rate for the skilled labor and the amount of time and effort involved in doing these mods, not to mention all the extra tools required to do so, I would not be at all surprised if a good machine shop would charge close to $1k for all those parts, and even if you could do it all yourself you're probably looking at 20-30+ hours of labor to make and install it all, so it wouldn't really save you much. And I would think most people would probably be better served to just buy a nicer grinder to start with, even if it costs $1,200-1,500 or so.

[@IcecalGamer]

@@justanotherfreakinchannel9069 Wanted to keep it conservative on the cost (bargain/ scrap bin cost for the raw materials on the upgrade). However, since i now read your reply and made me think more, doesn't it take more time in skilled labor, thinking about the problem and finding a solution to the sub-par product, than over-engineer it from scratch? If you make it BEEEEFY and practical (no beauty points, and no "where can we thin down the material to keep it down to a cost"), Even I could Bosh it together in 2-2.5 days Including waiting for parts delivery, and i can't cast by-metal axes :)) . Also, since the "bar" to beat is motor+psu that have 100-ish work-hours of life-span. Could you not buy them SH on the flea-market place or your choosing?

[@robinson-foundry]

Thanks! Materials are around a couple hundred but I had a lot of fun working on it so I wouldn’t count my time really. Sure I could have bought a much more expensive machine, but I thought at the time that this one would work out of the box. One upgrade led to another and well here we are..

[@RizzyPanda6]

@@robinson-foundrySeems like you could have bought many of the things on your page for cheaper than it costed you … seems like thats not the point of this page (thank god)🤦‍♂️😂

[@jonleone777]

Can you post the the pattetns or dimensions of the parts you made as well as the material.

[@knifeknerdreviews4609]

Awesome work man! I have done some minor mods to mine as well. it's an ongoing project tool. You should really make an 8" wheel for it too, the 2x48 belts are just plain better to run with the flat platen or a wheel.

[@sylvainlacoste3441]

I just wanted to say man you are really good 👍

[@peterkallend5012]

Sacrificing a wrench to the dust gods.

[@justinbanks2380]

9:04 that is so mesmerizing. I'd e grinding so many random things just to watch the shower of sparks... Lol (I'm a pyro, lol)

[@philochristos]

I hope somebody as Grizzly sees this video. It looks like it would be very easy to make some improvements.

[@HowToRestoration]

Beautiful bro!👍

[@SM-um5iu]

Might you have build schematics for the new parts you made? I want to rebuild my 2x42.

[@backyardbigns7867]

What size pin did you use on the hinge that adjusts the tracking. I just purchased this grinder. It doesn't take much pressure to slow the belt down.

[@idonthaveskill5054]

Theseus' Belt Grinder

[@myfavoriteviewer306]

I was thinking the same thing! 😂

[@bconiswhattheycallme]

I’d love to see you build a Jeremy Schmidt grinder. I use mine constantly. Could be a fun project

[@JT-jg8le]

You should sell an upgrade kit consisting of all the parts and hardware you made here in the video.

[@lukefreeouf4036]

Awesome video! What bandsaw model do you have?

[@robinson-foundry]

Thank you! I have one of the 6x4” bandsaws that you see all over the place. Mine is from harbor freight.

[@TheParkAttendant]

I'm a new subscriber. I watched the aluminum brass alloy hatchet and liked what I saw.

[@kenny2644]

Where did u get the original belt sander from? Does that one come from harbor freight?

[@Catbert814]

I was going t9 pull the trigger on one of these but the reviews didnt look too good. Did grizzly ever fix the issues with the motor/vfd?

[@SM-um5iu]

I ordered the 2x42 at the end of last year. Shipping got delayed by four months because they were doing rebuild to fix some issues. My grizzly 2x42 came two weeks ago and it’s pretty good for price and size. I need to make the modifications he did.

[@Catbert814]

@@SM-um5iui just got mines delivered today. VFD exploded shooting sparks out where the wires came out on initial power up. Not a good look. Seeing that people had problems with it stop working in the middle of a job i was cautiously hoping all the issues were ironed out. This product lost my trust. Mines has a manufacture date of 01/2024

[@SM-um5iu]

@@Catbert814 that’s a bummer. I’ve been using mine for last few months no issues. Contact grizzly. Should be under warranty.

[@Anon_Omis]

I've got a Grizzly G0755 mill and it leaves some things to be desired. Granted, it's better than no mill.

[@Airborne-tb9hz]

Would it be possible for you to offer that kit to the public

[@freemarket913]

Great work

[@justinr4941]

Looks like you just taught yourself how to make high-end custom built belt grinders that you could sell to blacksmiths and tool enthusiasts. Wish I would’ve thought of that myself.

[@TheOneAndOnlySame]

9:10 grind some steel, grind some aluminium. Then grind some steel . And be amazed by the pretty sparks (extra bonus if you grind some titanium and magnesium ) !

[@johnb4830]

Great upgrade, thank you!

[@nachtdiertje1972]

Considering, the amount of work you had with the high-end upgrades, you could have made this machine yourself. Maybe it would have been easier and less timeconsuming. But never the less, nice build/ upgrade.

[@ArrowHeadForge]

I’m gonna be buying one of these in the very near future, what’s the size of pin you put it to fix the tracking wheel problem?

[@robinson-foundry]

I used a .250" pin.

[@vinnym5095]

How does the mason jar screw into the piping? What adapter is that?

[@garetkonigsfeld2]

I think you did a great job. My only question is, you went through a lot of trouble to fix the rigidity problem and then left the rubber feet on the machine when you bolted the machine down. Do you get any movement frome the rubber feet?

[@robinson-foundry]

Thank you! There is a small amount of movement coming from the feet but I will be replacing them.

[@bob_mosavo]

Cool‼

[@o1ecypher]

love the videos

[@MASI_forging]

Great work dude 👏👏

[@hunt_trap_fish]

I really want to buy one of these as I want to start making knives, and this seems - like you said, a great option between something small and something massive - here’s my question: would you build those upgrade pieces for me? I’d obviously pay for materials labor and shipping. Lmk.

[@colindreher3799]

Any chance you are going to sell these parts as upgrades, as someone who doesn't have a mill or machining tools and cannot make them for themselves might be interested in buying. Thanks!

[@hunt_trap_fish]

So @2:00 ish, are you saying that you can replace the whole platen and bracket with 2" angle? Or are you saying that you can just use the 2" angle as the whole platen and bracket? Sorry, I have one of these, and I'm really trying to upgrade my grinder before I start work on my knife.

[@THEMIDNIGHTCHOPPER]

Hey man. I just ordered this belt grinder. Anyway I can buy these upgrades you made ? Let me know.

[@Blacksheepmylegacy]

Yeah great job, expensive upgrade but worth it, as it will last years

[@mikemolina949]

Do you make these attachments/upgrades for the grizzly 2x42” and sale ? I have one myself and looking if someone makes and sales upgrades for it. Awesome upgrades btw . Enjoyed the video

[@luumorjonson6333]

Did you ever find anyone who sells upgrades for this machine?

[@park3y]

So, where do you purchase just stainless steel?

[@vinnym5095]

What’s the STL file for the 3D printer funnel?

[@dave.vega.]

Any plans on selling these upgrades?

[@charlesmartin5565]

At this point if you take the material price, machine time, your time into account you could have just bout a better grinder without these issues 😂

[@niallallinson]

Wheres the fun in that? 😅

[@lindboknifeandtool]

I just bought the 2x72 classic grizzly. For $500 at a pawn shop. Pissed, this is cheaper and has a vfd… looks like I’m ordering ine

[@vinnym5095]

Do you have a link to that catchall for the metal shavings?

[@zulion14]

KZbin suggested your video because I was searching if bench grinder attachement existed. I was searching because I don’t us one of the wheel on mine and I was hopping to find a belt grinder attachement I found one like 250$ do you have an opinion on that ? Why doesn’t that more common ?

[@jcsmith800]

If you were to replace the motor, what motor would you replace it with?.....

[@robinson-foundry]

A servo motor of some sort most likely.

[@MrBuyerman]

How I upgraded my grinder,by replacing almost every part. Lol. Nice video, but I do wonder if just buying a better grinder would have been better for you instead of changing out loads of thus one.

[@Nobe_Oddy]

Filling that jar with water is MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than you can imagine!!! If you've been grinding aluminum, and then grind some iron on top of it (especially rusty iron) they combine and are essentially THERMITE!!!!! Which will IGNITE and melt RIGHT THROUGH THAT GLASS JAR, YOUR FEET, (even your steel toe protection!) AND EVEN THE CONCRETE OF THE FLOOR!!! (well, that's a bit of an exaggeration... it would have to be a REALLY large amount, the exact ratio of Al to FeO2 and even then it wouldn't burn THROUGH it unless it was burning for at least 30 mins... but that jar isn't big enough to hold enough for that type of disaster) You probably already know this tho, but I figured I would mentioned it.... Also is VERY GOOD PRACTICE to just empty the jar before switching up metal types... or just every time you have to grind aluminum just empty it afterwards, because the water won't matter if you only have a bit in there and it evaporates right under the spark shower and all it takes it one hot spark to land on a piece of aluminum for it to start burning and then it won't matter how much water is in that jar... so just keep the aluminum out of the jar and just empty every time you grind it :) Better safe than sorry, right?

[@benoseien98]

Do you sell these parts to people?

[@twatmunro]

I wish we had Grizzly in the UK

[@mattyal9347]

This inspires

[@CogentConsult]

Nice mods!

[@robinson-foundry]

Thanks!

[@itsmemckee2110]

You know you could always manufacture the parts you made to make yours more solid. You could probably make a killing lol.