Yukon Tool Chest as Belt Grinder Cart?

I think people have odd ideas about belt grinders. They seem to think the frame has to be heavy steel, and the pulleys have to be solid aluminum, but it's really not true, and your grinder proves it. If people understood how little strength a grinder needs, more people would be building them. You can make one from plywood and two-by-fours.

The cart I use now doesn't have locking wheels, but it doesn't go anywhere when I use it. A Yukon chest would be harder to move.

I guess if I had a problem, I could turn it sideways and push along the long axis.
 
My Delta 1x42 belt sander sits on a 3 drawer file cabinet. I picked up a bunch of these cabinets awhile back for under $10 each. The cabinet has wheels that might be lockable. I have never tried locking the wheels because the cabinet doesn't move when I use the belt sander. When not in use it sets against the garage wall.

IMG_3941.JPG
 
Last edited:
Do you have problems with dust ruining the drawer slides or things in the drawers?
 
I have not noticed anything getting on the drawer slides or in the drawers. But then I am not using any of my machines constantly all day long. I probably only use the belt sander 10 to 15 minutes per week on average. All in short bursts. The longest stints at the belt sander are when I am grinding a new tool bit. That doesn't happen too often since I finished grinding the tool bits I use most of the time.
 
In my photo above, the drawers have ball bearing slides and no fronts. I probably used the grinder on hardened steel for about 20 hours or so before moving it to a new home, haven't noticed any issues with the slides themselves. Just had the vacuum the drawers a lot.
 
Good information to have, since Ulma Doctor is of the opinion that grit will get in the bearings.

I took a look at two cabinets. One has nothing but drawers, and the other has one wide drawer and two big doors. The carts seemed kind of narrow, so I took some measurements.

The one with doors has a 6" deep top drawer around 42" long. This is big enough to hold a couple of tool arms. The top drawer on the chest with doors is shallower, so there is no way to put a tool arm in the chest.

I came home and measured my current cart as well as the plywood bases my grinders are bolted to, and I learned that the Yukon carts are just as wide, so a Yukon cart will hold the grinders just fine.

It looks like it's the chest with doors or no cart. I don't know what I'd put in the areas with doors, though, and if I put tool arms in the top drawer, I won't be able to use it for belts. I guess I could put boxes in the cabinet areas with belts in them.

An alternative strategy is to weld up two wheeled stands; one per grinder. I could put tool arm holders on the one for the 2x72.

I bought a Milwaukee chest a few years back, and it has been great. The drawers aren't all that deep, but the steel is sturdier than the US Generals made at the time, and it has wide drawers which would hold no end of tool arms and belts. I could get another chest just like it. It would cost over twice as much as a Yukon, though.
 
I'm not really into putting my belts into drawers, I have tools that could be stored in them instead, belts can be hung on the wall. Doesn't matter of they get dusty, it's their job anyway. Several long screws stuck in the wall would do it, I have several wood pegs stuck in a 2x4 spaced about 4" apart. 10 or so pegs lets me sort all my belts by grit, separating the metal and plastic/wood belts. I do pretty much the same thing for my 1x30 belts, just a bunch of nails in the rafters overhead. I can grab whatever I want without going digging through a messy drawer.

I also hang up my table attachment if I want to grind something at 90 degrees. I don't have any of the small radius or contact wheel attachments, just the flat platen which stays on 100% of the time.
 
LOL, I try to use up as much wall space as possible because my floor space is at a major premium. I made another thread recently where I built a 15 drawer cabinet to replace some crap wire shelves.
 
I have two tool arms, and I'm getting a third, so storage is a must. I can't hang belts on the walls, and my trusses are 12 feet up, so that's no good either.

Milwaukee has a 40" chest that would be perfect. Almost all of the drawers are 3 feet long.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top