# Belt grinder project finished



## GarageGuy (Sep 22, 2014)

I finished my 2" x 42" belt grinder project today.  I mounted the platen and tool rest, then sand blasted and painted it.  It works great, and I'm happy with the results.








GG


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## JimDawson (Sep 22, 2014)

Very nice piece of work.


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## drs23 (Sep 22, 2014)

Very nice. Pretty work you did there.


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## GarageGuy (Sep 23, 2014)

In photo #4 you can see the buggered up weld on the back side of the platen.  That's what happens when you forget to turn the gas back on the welder after you come back from dinner.  :whistle:

GG


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## RandyM (Sep 23, 2014)

Fantastic! You are going to be getting a lot of good use out of that machine. Thank you for posting.


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## zmotorsports (Sep 23, 2014)

Nice job.  Looks great.


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## ebgb68 (Sep 23, 2014)

What size motor did you use ?


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## GarageGuy (Sep 23, 2014)

ebgb68 said:


> What size motor did you use ?



It's a Dayton 3/4 HP 3450 RPM motor.  With 3450 RPM and a 6" drive wheel, I should be right about 5200 feet per minute belt speed for metal work.  I was originally planning to use a 1 HP motor, but thought later that it was probably overkill since it only has a 2" wide belt.

GG


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## ebgb68 (Sep 25, 2014)

GarageGuy said:


> It's a Dayton 3/4 HP 3450 RPM motor.  With 3450 RPM and a 6" drive wheel, I should be right about 5200 feet per minute belt speed for metal work.  I was originally planning to use a 1 HP motor, but thought later that it was probably overkill since it only has a 2" wide belt.
> 
> GG


Thanks for the info Nice work !


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## Torbo (Sep 25, 2014)

Very nice! I`m planning to make a grinder like that to. Do you have some drawings?
I have a simular motor....


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## GarageGuy (Sep 26, 2014)

Torbo said:


> Very nice! I`m planning to make a grinder like that to. Do you have some drawings?
> I have a simular motor....



This started in a previous thread back in February.  I didn't have any drawings, just a couple of photos of the concept.  Someone was kind enough to locate some drawings and post them to that thread.  They are toward the bottom of the thread.  Here is a link:

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php/20784-Belt-grinder-project

Thank you, and good luck on your project!

GG


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## jumps4 (Sep 26, 2014)

Garage Guy that came out really nice
Let us know how well it works, I could use one like that at times.
steve


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## GarageGuy (Sep 26, 2014)

Today I mounted the grinder to a pedestal so it is free standing.  The base of the pedestal is a disk/harrow blade (think farm equipment).  I welded a piece of 3" DOM tubing to it.  The mount for the grinder is a solid mild steel slug that I turned down so it would just slide into the DOM tube.  You can't tell from the photo, but the slug has a shoulder sitting on top of the DOM.  The tack welds are just to keep it from rotating.  I milled a 1/4" slot in the top of the slug that is 3/4" deep, and slid the bottom frame of the belt grinder into the slot, then welded it solid.  Here is the completely finished project:






It is quite solid, and not side heavy as the photo makes it look.  The base, pipe, and mounting slug are very heavy.

GG


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## barlow l (Sep 26, 2014)

You did an excellent job there. From what I can see, everything looks well made and clean. Anxious to hear how well it works.


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## Reeltor (Jan 23, 2015)

I have a question about the drive wheels.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of using a plain aluminum wheel vs. using a rubber coated wheel?  IIRC the commercial belt grinders from the 60's & 70's used just belt on metal wheel (they may have been cast iron back then).

thanks,

Mike


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## GarageGuy (Jan 23, 2015)

I've never used a belt grinder with a rubber contact wheel, so I'm not sure what the difference is.  Knife makers seem to prefer them, so it may have advantages specific to the kind of grinding they do.  

When I decided to make my belt grinder, all I had to do was look at the price of a rubber faced contact wheel, and I knew mine were going to be aluminum.  :biggrin:  I think my whole grinder cost less that what they wanted for one rubber faced drive wheel.

GG


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## wrmiller (Jan 23, 2015)

The rubber faced wheel lets you more easily handle contours.


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## rwm (Jan 25, 2015)

That is really nice. Are your pulleys crowned? If so, one or both?
R


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## GarageGuy (Jan 25, 2015)

rwm said:


> That is really nice. Are your pulleys crowned? If so, one or both?
> R



Thank you!  The bottom pulley is flat across the belt surface.  The top pulley has a 1 degree angle going to the centerline from each side.

GG


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