Am I bringing unhappiness upon my self with this grinder?

P

peppen108

Joined
Apr 14, 2012
Messages
663
I've made a dozen knives on a bench in the garden, mainly with hand tools.

IMG_0071-1.jpg


We have just bought a house. Now I'm finally just month away from setting up my first shop. Oh the joy, no more snow, rain and darkness.

In a small town close by there is a grinder like the on in the picture below for sale dirt cheap (less than 300$). No documentation, no belts, no nothing, just the machine. Should I by it should i pay 2000$ for a more conventional grinder?

k.jpg
 
I would check and see what the belts are going to cost. My sense of scale may be way off, but that looks bigger than a 2x72. Can you get some more details or shot of the info plate?
 
I would definitely buy that grinder for the money. Looks like a Bader space saver or clone. Takes a 2x132" belt. They are fairly widely available, and there are some places that will make belts in whatever grits or styles you need. Forget who, someone hopefully will chime in on that.

I'd watch to make sure that it is at least 1.5 hp, and runs on single phase 110 or 220. If it's 3 phase, for an extra $200-$400 you could make a nice variable speed grinder out of it with a variable frequency drive. Check out the TECO FM50 drives, from factorymation.com.
 
That's a lot of machine for $300. If you have room for it, if the bearings/wheels/tracking etc are in decent shape, if the motor works or you're willing/able to replace it, I'd strongly consider it. The bad news is, belts will be pricy... the good news is, they'll last a long time.

ETA:
Salem Straub said:
...there are some places that will make belts in whatever grits or styles you need. Forget who, someone hopefully will chime in on that.
Click to expand...

I can't think of any retailers offhand either, but it's worth looking into. I'd start with Tru-Grit and SuperGrit. Regardless, my wife (who works for an industrial supply company) says Norton and others will cut and splice whatever you want right at the factory. You'll probably have to go through one of their distributors (MSC, ENCO, Grainger, etc) and there may be a minimum order, but that would likely be the most efficient way to get top-quality belts.
 
Last edited:
I wouldnt hesitate, Unless its just trashed when you check it out you would (at least I would) regret it in the future if you didnt get it.

Good tools hold their value and a bargain like that would certainly be worth what you gave, or more if you ever decided to sell it
 
You can make that into a 2x72 very easily with a little work and ingenuity.

Buy it.
 
Worst case scenario is to have it modified to run 72" belts. If the actual machine looks good, bearings are cheap and easy to replace. Worn shafts, slop in arms are less easy to fix.
 
Heck even if the bearings are shot its a piece of cake replacing them with nice new bearings. A few places online to get bearing replacements relatively cheap. Just shoot for the japanese ones and not the chinese ones if you can.

Running the longer belts could be advantages as mentioned because of longevity. Find out what belts you need, save your cash, order the biggest shipment you can at once to save on price.
 
The belts WONT be pricey. Check it out. The sandpaper in a certain type is sold by the square inch. Yes so even the guy with the 2 X 42 machine in the end is paying the same also. The belts will certainly last longer. Check with Tru Grit if they don't list them they will tell you if they can get them and what quantity you must buy at one time. Now that may be a pricey problem. Frank
 
Industrial Abrasives makes belts of all sizes to order.They even put a note in the box that says when the glue will be dry.
Eddie
 
The OP is in Sweden, I bet the longer belts are more common there and 2x72 might be harder to get .

Like Frank said, the longer belts will last longer, so it's a wash.
 
Klingspor is who I use for belts, and they will make any length and width. They stock pretty much any grit type and belt backing you could ask for.
www.Klingspor.com

AS Frank pointed out, you pay for belts by the sq.in. a 2X132 cost the same per sq.in. as a 2X72. That works out to be 183% more belt for 183% more money. They will last at least 183% longer, too.
 
It does look like a Bader Space Saver from here


Consider that that contact wheel alone would be $300

Use it as is, or modify it to suit yourself, those parts alone are a bargain.
 
I went to the shop today. The band is 2x160 but great variations can be made. Norton makes such a band. The motor runs quietly, has one speed but to directions. There is a secondary motor to feed tubes by the belt, the original usage is as tube sander. The secondary motor can be disconnected.

20130816_083406.jpg


20130816_083508.jpg


20130816_083519.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top