# 2" x 72" Belt Grinder Kit



## Tmate (Dec 16, 2020)

I just ordered a DIY kit for a Revolution 2" x 72" belt grinder from Brian House.  I wonder if any of you are familiar with these, or have any views about a grinder of this type.  I think they are used largely by knife makers, which I am not.  I just thought they were kind of cool.  I attached a picture of a completed kit.


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## Stonebriar (Dec 16, 2020)

I would be interested in seeing a thread on you assembling this thing.  I have seen his youtube commercial.


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## Watchwatch (Dec 16, 2020)

I’ve looked at that kit. It’s $335+shipping and you still have to buy steel tubing, motor, and vfd. And weld it together.

Or you can buy a built frame for around the same money from Ameribrade. Still need platens, motor, and vfd. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Tmate (Dec 17, 2020)

Ameribrade has an interesting unit.  Unfortunately, their web site says they have a 5 to 6 week turnaround time.  Also, I'm kind of looking forward to the build, and possibly tweaking the design a bit.


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## rbertalotto (Dec 18, 2020)

I have a similar unit in my shop from Grizzly. Folk ask what machine I use the most.....hands down the big belt sander. Easily my favorite machine in the shop.


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## NC Rick (Dec 18, 2020)

I use my 2x36 1.5hp a lot but I would like it to be better.  The kit you bought, are the cut-out plates aluminum or steel?  Thanks for posting.


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## Janderso (Dec 18, 2020)

I find my Kalamazoo 2x48 somewhat limiting. I have seen the one House sells. Looks like a great unit.


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## rbertalotto (Dec 18, 2020)

" House "....????


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## kb58 (Dec 18, 2020)

Tmate said:


> I just ordered a DIY kit for a Revolution 2" x 72" belt grinder from Brian *House...*


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## rbertalotto (Dec 18, 2020)

Thank You!


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## rbertalotto (Dec 18, 2020)

What am I missing here.....for $350- you get a few laser cut  steel plates? And then you need to source and buy everything else? This DIY get expensive fast....Adding a good motor and VFD will bring the total upwards of $1000?


*What's included in the Bundle (Please read):*


Full Plan set (digital only not printed - details below)
Laser Cut Steel Pack (all parts listed below)
Ultimate Hardware Pack (all hardware needed to build the Revolution including the platen bolt set & the Tracking Mechanism bolt set) 
 ** To finish the grinder you will need:*


The tube steel (sizing and fabrication listed in the plan set)
Wheels (4 total)
Tracking Mechanism (links in the plan set or build your own)
4" of 1" round steel (for the work rest)
High carbon steel for the platen face
An approved motor (links to motors on the resources page)
A motor controller (VFD)
Some wiring including the plug to plug it in.


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## Janderso (Dec 18, 2020)

rbertalotto said:


> " House "....????



You can buy the kit here or plans alone.  =Brian House








						2x72 Belt Grinders & Plans - HouseMade Industrial
					

HouseMade specializes in 2x72 grinder technology, offering plans and parts to build your own tilting belt grinder for knifemaking/bladesmithing, metal fabrication, woodwork, and general workshop tasks. We have parts & DIY kits available and ready to ship. All made in the USA, backed by Brian...




					housemade.us


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## kb58 (Dec 18, 2020)

Yeah I tend to agree that it's going to be around $1000 by the time it's done. Just the wheels and rollers are several hundred dollars. I asked a longtime machinest about building one of these for making HSS lathe cutters and he said stick with a white wheel on a tool grinder. That said, for anything else, sure, this would be nice to have, but I don't have the space, so I stick with a 12" sanding disk.


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## addertooth (Dec 18, 2020)

I am a big fan of these 2 X 72 belt sanders, and have made more than a few knives on a Wilton Square Wheel belt sander Circa 1970s (very similar to the modern Jet J-4103).  I like those models for the ease of going from the Platen and small diameter wheels, to the big 10 inch wheel to do work (like hollow grinds or hogging).  They can really remove the metal fast.  There is a huge selection of quality belts for them as well.


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## MikeInOr (Dec 18, 2020)

Tmate said:


> I just ordered a DIY kit for a Revolution 2" x 72" belt grinder from Brian House.  I wonder if any of you are familiar with these, or have any views about a grinder of this type.  I think they are used largely by knife makers, which I am not.  I just thought they were kind of cool.  I attached a picture of a completed kit.



It looks to be a very nice design!  I think I have most everything needed for to build it in the scrap pile.  I would love to see a build thread on that sander also if you are up for it Tmate?  I would be particularly interested in how the tracking system works?


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## MikeInOr (Dec 18, 2020)

Janderso said:


> You can buy the kit here or plans alone.  =Brian House
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Well heck!  He does a very nice job describing the whole build in his video.  Thank you for posting it!  The laser cut plates look VERY stout.  $350... hmmmm.


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## Tmate (Dec 21, 2020)

All the plates from House are 3/8" thick steel, maybe cold roll.  I haven't received the shipment yet.  I'll take some pictures when I get started on it.
There are tons of people selling plans, kits, completed machines, etc.  Lots of how-to videos on YouTube.  House has a lot of competition.


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## G-ManBart (Dec 27, 2020)

I fool around with blacksmithing a bit, and have made just a handful of blades so I've been checking out 2x72 belt grinder kits for a while now.  Many of the nice kits are north of $2K and they go a lot higher than that if you want!


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## fixit (Dec 27, 2020)

My neighbor built that unit from the kit. He is in over $700 to date


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## rwm (Dec 27, 2020)

I can't comment on the specific model but I will add: If you build it I would make sure you use a 3450 rpm motor (not 1725). You will get much better results with the drive wheel shown.
Robert

Edit: Just realized he used a 3phase motor and a VFD. That's fine too. My comment above would only be relevant if you set it up with fixed speed. You could save a lot of money if you already had a 3450rpm motor.
R


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## G-ManBart (Dec 27, 2020)

rwm said:


> I can't comment on the specific model but I will add: If you build it I would make sure you use a 3450 rpm motor (not 1725). You will get much better results with the drive wheel shown.
> Robert
> 
> Edit: Just realized he used a 3phase motor and a VFD. That's fine too. My comment above would only be relevant if you set it up with fixed speed. You could save a lot of money if you already had a 3450rpm motor.
> R



Most do use a 3-phase motor with VFD, but it's still common to see them recommend motors in the 3,450 - 3,600 rpm range.  That's probably to keep the RPM up with the bigger contact wheel sizes....just a guess as I haven't gotten that far into the details.


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## rwm (Dec 27, 2020)

I think you want to shoot for a belt speed of 6000 SFPM however you can get there. Check out the specs on a Burr King professional type grinder.
R


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## COMachinist (Dec 27, 2020)

I’m building the same kit. I watched his YouTube video on the Revolution after I bought the kit I picked up a KBAC 27d and a 3ph 2 hp 3450rpm North American motor. I got just over a 1000 in my build right now, most of the square tubing I had and some I picked up at the scrap yard. In thevideo House made he keeps saying it don’t need tight tolerances but it does, and if you don’t take care with the drilling and the taping. You will need plug taps for the through both side tapped holes because on the regular 3/8-16 the tap shaft won’t go through the first taped side of the 2x2x1/4 wall tube. I had a time getting the tilting hinges to line up so the 3/4 inch main hinge bolt would go through easy. Make sure all your tack welds are solid and strong or when you weld the 90 degree hinge they will move on you and you can’t get the main bolt out with out a BFH. The base and grinding rest will warp real easy when welding. So keep every thing clamped tight. I‘ll be mounting the motor soon and get a run test.
good luck
CH


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## Gnpenning (Dec 28, 2020)

....


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## COMachinist (Dec 28, 2020)

Tmate said:


> All the plates from House are 3/8" thick steel, maybe cold roll.  I haven't received the shipment yet.  I'll take some pictures when I get started on it.
> There are tons of people selling plans, kits, completed machines, etc.  Lots of how-to videos on YouTube.  House has a lot of competition.


Hi Tmate
The lazar cut parts are not cold rolled. They have heavy mill scale on them. I followed House’s instructions and soaked every thing in white vinegar for 48 hours and then washed them in Simple Green and dried them next to the shop heater. That cut down on rusting. You must do this to get rid of all the scale inside the tubes as well or you will never get the 1.5 inside 2” to slide right and not have a lot of slop and binding. Make sure you have plenty of the belts for the pneumatic 3/8“ belt sander/grinders to clean the the seam weld inside of the tool arm tubes. Try to use steel tubing from the same source like Speedy Metals, I had some 2x2 tubing marked Canada that would not work with 1.5”x1.5x1/4 from Speedy Metals because difference in drawing welding dies. The corners are more rounded, or more square. I also made a cutter called Impossible weld seam remover or something like that over on YouTube. It uses a 3/4” round die grinder bur. To cut the weld out below the surface. 
CH


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## Janderso (Dec 28, 2020)

COMachinist said:


> Make sure all your tack welds are solid and strong or when you weld the 90 degree hinge they will move on you and you can’t get the main bolt out with out a BFH. The base and grinding rest will warp real easy when welding. So keep every thing clamped tight. I‘ll be mounting the motor soon and get a run test.


I have fought movement after tack welding and assembly welding every time.
Does clamping hold position? It's hard to imagine clamps holding the forces caused from the expansion/contraction of the welding process.


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## kb58 (Dec 28, 2020)

The contradictory goals of tack welding is to rigidly and accurately attach two pieces of metal, while at the same time not pumping heat into them. Stainless is Really bad this way. Anyway, the trick is to weld just a little at a time, jumping around the assembly, and also cooling off the work (like with a wet rag) between welds. Anything necessary to keep the assembly cool.


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## mikey (Dec 28, 2020)

Janderso said:


> I have fought movement after tack welding and assembly welding every time.
> Does clamping hold position? It's hard to imagine clamps holding the forces caused from the expansion/contraction of the welding process.



Jason from Fireball Tool did a nice video on preventing warping when welding square tubing. It works, too!


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## Janderso (Dec 28, 2020)

mikey said:


> Jason from Fireball Tool did a nice video on preventing warping when welding square tubing. It works, too!


I'll check it out. Thanks


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## Tmate (Dec 29, 2020)

Brian House already has a build video on YouTube which is much more professional than anything I could come up with.  I will post some pictures of my build as I go along.

As for the $359 cost:  I priced a piece of 3/8" A36 steel plate at Midwest Steel, which has the cheapest prices I could find.  A 24" x 36" piece, enough to cut out all brackets with a little to spare, with shipping to me was about $185.00.  I'm guessing it would cost at least $50 for the hardware, and maybe more if some parts had to be purchased in multiple quantities.  So that's $235.00 not counting shipping for the hardware.

I have a CNC plasma table.  However, the plasma process will not produce a cut comparable to the laser cuts House provides.  Plasma (excluding high-def plasma, which most of us don't have) produces a noticeable bevel in the cut face.  This is particularly apparent in bolt-sized holes.

So, by buying the steel myself, and sourcing all the nuts, bolts, knobs, etc. myself, I could have saved about $125.00.  The amount of my time necessary to do all that is worth more than $125.00 to me.  Plus the laser cut parts are superior to what I could have done with plasma.

Fist photo shows Brian's kit.  I have already welded the platen bracket together.  The second photo shows the difference between laser cut holes (bottom) and plasma cut holes (top).  The plasma holes are in 1/4" plate, and would have been worse in 3/8".


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