What is the difference between the Shop Mate 48” and the Shop Master 72” grinders?
Shop Mate 48" Belt Grinder | Shop Master 72" Belt Grinder |
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In summary, the Shop Mate 48” belt grinder is more than capable for most grinding tasks. It is our recommendation for most general workshop use, fabrication and knife making tasks. The 1.1kw motor and VFD provide more than enough power for rapid metal hogging and material shaping whilst being able to be run slowly for polishing, sharpening, or working with delicate materials such as G10 and plastics. We use a Shop Mate 48” grinder in our own 84 Engineering workshop for all fabrication and de-burring tasks!
The Shop Master 72” grinder is slightly more oriented towards knife maker specific use, with the included 5” contact wheel great for hollow grinding and the increased access to the left-hand-side of the platen. The larger 1.5kw motor will provide a slight increase in power, and some people prefer the 72” belt size due to longer intervals between belt changes. The 72” is a great choice if you wish to run contact wheels larger than 10” (250mm).