I thought I would start a new thread on where I landed on upgrades to my KMG. We've discussed some of these possibilities in other threads.
I ordered some pyroceram via eBay (Knifegrinderparts.com).
I bought an articulating work table from D-D Work Rests. It has replaced the standard work rest that came with my KMG. The table is well made and was shipped in good way to avoid getting beat up. While they are made to order, I was surprised how quickly I received mine.
The pyroceram was epoxied to the platen with JB Weld (slow set). The common practice is to add some support below the glass for support in case the epoxy releases at some point. I used a couple of socket head screws for that.
Here's the glass fit and ready to be epoxied on:
The glass epoxied and taped for cure. Don't use clamps, it will break as it cures. You can use tape as a hinge on one side, apply the epoxy with a putty knife, close the hinge, manage the squeeze out, and tape it up to cure. Leave some open slots in the tape for squeeze out relief as it appears to expand, albeit slightly.
I milled/ground slightly the angle supports that hold the platen to the yoke. What came from KMG was were clips made from angle iron and of course they are not perfectly 90 degrees. Here it is ready to go back on the yoke.
Assembled and ready to go:
Back on the machine. By the way, the platen is 0.030" proud of the the rollers.
The new D-D articulating work table (I squared and smoothed the edges of the table itself in the mill):
Here she is all tuned up and back in service. She now has a flat and square to the belt pyroceram lined platen and an articulating table that will get the majority of the angles I may want. I originally pondered a slot in the work table for a miter gauge but I'll use a metal protractor to ride the smoothed edges of the work table when needed. I can always add a slotted table later. The grinder has been down a couple of weeks and I have missed it in a big way. It is one of the most used machines in my shop and gets used most days. I use a small bucket or pan of water to catch and quench the sparks. She is built to move around the shop as needed. I can also roll it outside if I am really going to make the sparks fly and make a big mess.
Hope this may help others who are interested in these upgrades. Special thanks to Mikey for all the consulting and advice!
I ordered some pyroceram via eBay (Knifegrinderparts.com).
I bought an articulating work table from D-D Work Rests. It has replaced the standard work rest that came with my KMG. The table is well made and was shipped in good way to avoid getting beat up. While they are made to order, I was surprised how quickly I received mine.
The pyroceram was epoxied to the platen with JB Weld (slow set). The common practice is to add some support below the glass for support in case the epoxy releases at some point. I used a couple of socket head screws for that.
Here's the glass fit and ready to be epoxied on:
The glass epoxied and taped for cure. Don't use clamps, it will break as it cures. You can use tape as a hinge on one side, apply the epoxy with a putty knife, close the hinge, manage the squeeze out, and tape it up to cure. Leave some open slots in the tape for squeeze out relief as it appears to expand, albeit slightly.
I milled/ground slightly the angle supports that hold the platen to the yoke. What came from KMG was were clips made from angle iron and of course they are not perfectly 90 degrees. Here it is ready to go back on the yoke.
Assembled and ready to go:
Back on the machine. By the way, the platen is 0.030" proud of the the rollers.
The new D-D articulating work table (I squared and smoothed the edges of the table itself in the mill):
Here she is all tuned up and back in service. She now has a flat and square to the belt pyroceram lined platen and an articulating table that will get the majority of the angles I may want. I originally pondered a slot in the work table for a miter gauge but I'll use a metal protractor to ride the smoothed edges of the work table when needed. I can always add a slotted table later. The grinder has been down a couple of weeks and I have missed it in a big way. It is one of the most used machines in my shop and gets used most days. I use a small bucket or pan of water to catch and quench the sparks. She is built to move around the shop as needed. I can also roll it outside if I am really going to make the sparks fly and make a big mess.
Hope this may help others who are interested in these upgrades. Special thanks to Mikey for all the consulting and advice!
