Belt sander build vote

I don't. I do think it makes building easier, because you don't have to offset the platten back much like you do for glass.
I was just offering a choice.
There seems to be enough for multiple replacements.

I can't vouch for it. I can only alert you to it.
 
woodchucker said:
I don't. I do think it makes building easier, because you don't have to offset the platten back much like you do for glass.
I was just offering a choice.
There seems to be enough for multiple replacements.

I can't vouch for it. I can only alert you to it.
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Thank you for the heads up. Good to know about an alternative to glass. If it stays flat as Larry queried, it would be something to try.
 
How much do you think his grinder costs in parts? Sans Motor and VFD?
I'm thinking about 3-400 unless you make your own wheels.
 
rabler said:
I’m working on a 2x72 myself. Using it as an basis to learn FreeCad in the process.
Click to expand...
How's that working? I found Freecad difficult .. I didn't like the user interface. I thought it was hard just to get going.
I played with Sketchup for a while, found it easy as pie, to build almost immediately.
Fusion 360, does not appear hard when looking at what people do...

FreeCad... OMG. It could be me though. Old dog
 
I use 1", 4" and 6" for both metal and wood, but my main workhorse is this 2". It runs directly from a treadmill motor with a 4" drive pulley and has variable speed - very handy for cool finishing passes on thin or pointed edges. It works with 48" and 72" belts. I can change belts in less than 30 seconds.
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Lo-Fi said:
I think for what I do, a 2 X 72 would be perfect. It'll be my next build after the tool grinder.

Are you rolling your own, buying a kit or following plans?
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I am building everything myself. I am using a 1.5kw motor. I will use standard belts you can get of the rack,but will make my own if needed. I will have a problem getting ceramic belts locally for my HSS bits. Basically just get aluminum oxide belts in my town.
 
mikey said:
The same goes for the components you may wish to buy instead of make - wheels, contact wheels, platens and so on. An entire industry is out there to support a 2" grinder; not so with any other width.
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I doubt I will get this around here. Don't even know where to go and look for it. Silly question...is the platen the part where the belt runs against? If so,all I see is metal ones on YouTube.
 
I took mikey's advice and built a 2X72 belt sander from scratch and quickly added the glass platen. See my journey here.

As far as cost, the 3-phase, 2-HP motor and VFD cost well over $500 alone. I could have went with a cheaper VFD, but decided to get one with a safety rating. Mine passed the UL standards. Plus, this one requires no programming. You just set some jumpers for the settings. It's been working great so far. I'm sure I spent over $1000 on this, but it was fun and quite a learning experience and is better made than commercial ones at this price point.

I did buy the wheels off of a seller on eBay since I don't think I could have made them accurately on my mini-lathe.

Most of the plate stock is 3/8" (~9.5 mm) thick. I don't weld, so I made it to be bolted together. It's rock solid and is probably overbuilt.

I designed it in FreeCAD and this helped tremendously as it shows how parts fit together (or not!) and shows clearances, interactions, etc.

This grinder has become my workhorse and I'm not sure how I got along without it.

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