From the shop
I write down the setups, abrasive choices, tracking adjustments and maintenance checks I use at the grinder.
Articles 25–36 of 127
Archive page 3
Filed by what you are doing at the machine — grinding, sharpening, heat treat, maintenance, or running the business side of a shop.
A mirror finish shows every scratch you skipped. Here is the belt progression I use on the 2×72 to get there, 120 grit through 1200, when to switch to hand sanding, how to buff, and the shortcuts that leave haze.
What 2×72 belt grinder should you buy in 2025? I break the market into four tiers, from precision machines to no-name imports, and spell out the six features that decide whether a grinder helps you or fights you.
A tool rest is the difference between guessing an angle and repeating it. Here is how I design and build a custom rest for the 2×72, from steel thickness and arm mounting to squaring it to the platen.
Profiling is where a chef knife takes its shape, and a 36-grit ceramic belt does it fastest. Here is how I lay out a blank, hog the profile on the 2×72, keep the tip cool and follow the belly.
It is easy to fall down the tool rabbit hole. Here are the knifemaking tools that earn their bench space: a 2×72 belt grinder first, then a bevel jig, a plunge jig, a quench vise, and the small things.
A hollow grind makes a kitchen knife thin behind the edge and easy to sharpen. Here is how I hollow grind kitchen blades on a 2×72 contact wheel: wheel size, angle, heat control, a straight grind line, and finish.
The pattern is only as good as the polish under it. Here is how I take a damascus blade up the grits on the 2×72 before etching: pressure, speed, keeping it cool, reaching a clean finish, prepping for the etch.
A kukri’s inward curve defeats a flat platen and its thick spine soaks up belts. Here is how I sharpen kukri blades on the 2×72: a small wheel for the recurve, grits for thick steel, holding the angle, and finishing.
Handles take longer than blades and make more dust. A dedicated shaping station around the 2×72 fixes both. Here is how I lay one out: templates, rough cutting, slack belt and small wheel work, sanding and finish.
A 2×72 will take skin, hair or a fingertip without slowing down. Here is the safety checklist I give every first-time owner: eyes, lungs, hands, belt inspection, bolting the grinder down, spark direction and how to shut it down fast.
A full hollow straight razor is ground almost to nothing on a large contact wheel. Here is why 14 inches is the standard, how to mount it on a 2×72, how to keep thin steel cool, and matching both sides.
A VFD switches fast, and that switching puts electrical noise into everything around it, including you. Here is how to ground a 2×72 chassis, motor and drive properly, route the cables, and stop the interference and nuisance trips.
Built to order
I answer my own email. Tell me the work you do and which grinder you are considering.
