Grinder knife and plate last how long?

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forvols

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Jan 4, 2017
112
55
Northeast Tennessee
I have a Weston #22 grinder with a 7MM and 4.5mm grinding plate and use the same grinding knife on both plates. I was wondering how long will the grinding knife last, say doing 220#s a year of meat grinding.

Reason I'm asking is I am currently shopping to stock up my meat grinding/sausage supplies for the coming year seasoning and equipment maintenance items. The Weston 22 is a beast been using it for about 6-7yrs conservative guess 200lbs a year. But that will grow this year due to cutting back on work and drifting into my retirement years. Biggest factor I really like making my own sausage, roasts, ground meat etc.

Mostly I make brat sized sausages, SS, snack sticks and bulk I like the single or 2 grinds with 7mm plate depending on the sausage(Italian/summer/kielbasa/snack sticks/Brats/fresh and smoked links what I usually make). Sometimes for bulk breakfast sausage and burger grinds I will use the 7mm(single grind) then use the 4.5mm for a single grind. Then vac seal. But honestly I really like the result of the 7MM plate for single and double grinds. Any recommendations for additional plates or knives for what I currently make.

Thanks
Tony
 
IMHO way too much info. I have a 12 that was my great grandfathers and its the original plate and blades, CS not SS. Still works fine. When I bought my 12 (got a motor on mine damn it!), Each additional plate I bought, I bought a knife, a matched pair. I keep them together and always use the same knife with the same plate. You can see a little but not much scaring on the plate, but not much. When in the service we called the mating of two pieces of movable metal together a lapping joint. They actually make "lapping compounds" to insure smooth seating of the two moving metals (course to fine). Like lapping the valves in an engine. If you keep your knife sharp ( there is a thread here on how), your blade and plate should last you forever, especially if its a SS vice CS.

http://smokingmeatforums.com/index....our-grinder-blade-and-true-the-plates.175359/

Like I said I have an extremely well used manual grinder that is close to 100 years old and it still functions fine. Two biggest problems are not keeping the meat cold, and I assume dull blades. But have know I have never sharpened one yet. Keep your meat cold and you will see little if any problems.

You know I have always wondered my people were not more inquisitive about the size and number of times meat is ground for a specific recipe. Personally I believe I have a complete set of blades w/ knives and there is only 3 sizes I really use.....LOL One for andouille, one for the Cajun smoked and one for the little stuff. I always have on hand the 48+, 28/32, and 22 casings. I guess folks are into letting you find your own favorites instead of imposing their ideas on you. I know I am really anal about my chili and andouille grinds.....LOL
 
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Not sure if they work well, or not, but TSM now offers a pair of ceramic sharpening plates for grinder plates and knives. (common grinder sizes available) One plate replaces the perforated grinder plate and sharpens the knife. The other plate has a square hole, is used in place of the knife, and sharpens the grinding plate. Me - I just use a sheet of wet/dry sandpaper & a little water on a granite plate. I finish up on a Japanese waterstone and get a mirror finish on the plate and a razor edge on the knife.
 
Me too... Wet sand with water and a drop of soap using 320 grit paper... I try to do a touch up every time I grind... That's a glazed tile that is smooth.. no ripples, no distortion when light is reflected from the surface... anything that is "FLAT".....

b3afa16f_GrinderKnife2.jpg da543784_GrindingPlate2.jpg
 
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I had the time this summer at work to rework my plates and knives. I followed Cranky's step by step that foamheart posted the link to. It worked great and they are good to go for a long time now. No sense in buying if you can reface them.
 
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Thanks for all the replies. I don't think my are dull, but I would definitely want to try to reface/sharpen vs throwing out and buying new. I may just buy a new knife/plate set in 7MM just to have a spare and keep running with my old one.
 
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