What Did You Buy Today?

[projectnut]

I picked up a little more industrial version of a 1' belt sander a while ago. This one's made by Kalamazoo. It has a 1" x 42" belt and a 1/3 hp Baldor TEFC motor. I mounted it to a piece of channel iron to make it easier to use and harder to be pushed around on the table.

It will be interesting to see how long those little sanders last with the open construction motor.

 

[Larry$]

I have an 1 x 42 sander sold by Montgomery Ward in the '60s. Cheaply made and the pulleys always wobbled. I cast and turned new pulleys. Now it needs a better tool rest. Open motor, bronze bushings w/oiling cups.

 

[ChazzC]

Oh, I didn't know you could get 'scotchbrite' type belts. I'll have to check that out, cheers.

I got mine from McMaster-Carr (3/8" x 13" fit perfectly); unmarked & made in Mexico, but 3M makes real Scotch-Brite belts in this size:




These are the same belts used by pneumatic die sanders:

 

[ChazzC]

I picked up a little more industrial version of a 1' belt sander a while ago. This one's made by Kalamazoo. It has a 1" x 42" belt and a 1/3 hp Baldor TEFC motor. I mounted it to a piece of channel iron to make it easier to use and harder to be pushed around on the table.

You can also get Scotch-Brite belts in 1" x 42"

It will be interesting to see how long those little sanders last with the open construction motor.

I was concerned about that as well (and also the open wiring, even though the terminals are insulated. I modified a Vinyl cap and covered the end of the motor:


Not perfect, but pushes the air inlet a little further away from the dust; the slots are the air outlets so tend to blow the dust away.

 

[yota]

I have a 2x48 belt grinder with a 1.5hp motor and VFD. it's a knife making grinder, but I don't make knives. had it for about 3 years. pretty much the most used tool in my shop. wish I had bought one a long time ago.

 

[SouthernChap]

You can also get Scotch-Brite belts in 1" x 42"


I was concerned about that as well (and also the open wiring, even though the terminals are insulated. I modified a Vinyl cap and covered the end of the motor:
View attachment 498202
View attachment 498203
Not perfect, but pushes the air inlet a little further away from the dust; the slots are the air outlets so tend to blow the dust away.

I saw the extra shaft on the other side as an opportunity to make it dual belt. Just need to see if the motor's wiring could be safely routed away.

 

[SightlessSeer]

I picked up a couple books, a crotch center for my lathe (similar, to the first picture), and a pair of not quite finished 12" x 18" model 1013 Busch surface plates. Both have been Blanchard Ground, but not scraped/finish ground. I snagged them for $95 CAD each ( a little less than $70 USD ).

Spoiler: pics

The pictured crotch center is similar to the one I picked up. Picture shamelessly pilfered from here

I'm hoping to finish scrape these during the winter, while my shop is too cold to use

If anybody is curious, the story I was told on the surface plates was this. The owner of my local tool store (Cardon Tools) bought most of the inventory of Busch when they were being sold. This included plenty of finished pieces, but also many rough and partially finished castings. Most of them have sold at this point, and these were the last two surface plates in this condition that he had. I figured that for that price I would pick up both of them. One will probably become my reference once it's finished, and the other will be my working plate. Or worst case scenario, the second would be a really good table top for a smaller tool stand.

Now all I need to do is learn how to scrape

 

[Larry$]

the last two surface plates

Too bad you didn't get 3 of them. You could then use them to finish flatten and polish each other.

Speaking of sanders, for any of you doing casting, I've got a Max oscillating spindle sander that has been great. 1/4 to 4" spindles 3/4"+ take 9" abrasive sleeves. 24" sq. table tilts to 45°. There is a scribed line on the table so you can maintain a constant draft on your patterns.

 

[SightlessSeer]

Too bad you didn't get 3 of them. You could then use them to finish flatten and polish each other.

Speaking of sanders, for any of you doing casting, I've got a Max oscillating spindle sander that has been great. 1/4 to 4" spindles 3/4"+ take 9" abrasive sleeves. 24" sq. table tilts to 45°. There is a scribed line on the table so you can maintain a constant draft on your patterns.

If he'd had a third I'd have probably grabbed it lol. I think I can get the pair of them flat enough for what I'm likely to do with them though. I think that with a bit of thought and care I'll be able to do a decent job. If I really have to I can always buy one of the busy bee tools surface plates as a comparison. They're not too expensive.

 

[RandallsRaceShop]

I didn’t buy it today, but I received it today.
A Reilang Mercur oil can. I opened the package up & was VERY happy at what I was holding in my hand. This is the best damned oil can I’ve ever seen in my life!
Yes they’re pricey, but I honestly think they’re worth every last cent. Highly recommend this oil can, for sure.