Any grinders out there that can be set up like this?

FortyTwoBlades

FortyTwoBlades

Baryonyx walkeri
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I'm looking to get my hands on a belt grinder I could use for hollow grinding scythe blades as a high-speed alternative to my wet grinder when doing restorations. 10"+ contact wheel a must, and I want to be able to work on the TOP of the wheel with a (self-fabricated) roll guide on either side with the belt rotating away from me into the rollers. I'd only need either a 1/2hp motor for it since it'd be used for edge bevel work rather than heavy stock removal. I'd be putting a crown on the contact wheel for better belt wear grinding the forward-curved blades. There needs to be good clearance for long blades, possibly with angled tangs, so having the right side open would be a plus (scythe blades, being right handed, would have the tang angled down on the right side when grinding the top side of the blade.) Basically a belt sander version of what I'm doing in this video. Does such a thing exist or would I have to cobble it together?

[video=youtube;zypSPra29gs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zypSPra29gs[/video]
 
Sound like you want to buy a GIB ( grinder in a box) kit and then order the contact wheel size you want 14" would be good. The wheel will cost about what the grinder kit costs.
Mount the upright roller guides on a tooling arm. I would use at least a 3/4HP motor. The idler/tracking wheel comes crowned.

You can switch out arms to have several other contact wheels and a flat platen for other uses.
 
Think I could find a way to swap out the contact wheel on this Kalamazoo for a larger one? That might do the trick, since it apparently pivots...

2fs7221.jpg
 
If that is all you want, just mount the contact wheel on a mandrel/shaft and put a pulley on it. Run the shaft pulley to the motor pulley and gear it by pulley sizes to run at the speed you wish. That would be the cheapest method for a dedicated scythe grinder.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
If that is all you want, just mount the contact wheel on a mandrel/shaft and put a pulley on it. Run the shaft pulley to the motor pulley and gear it by pulley sizes to run at the speed you wish. That would be the cheapest method for a dedicated scythe grinder.
Click to expand...

That's basically what I was thinking with the above parts. Does that backing idler look like a good pulley for the belt? I was thinking I'd need it for tracking/belt tension purposes. Will that one work well or are there other options for that component I should be looking at?
 
why not 10" wheel mounted difficult to motor shaft? don't know what speed you want it at, but vfd and 3 phase motor gives you speed control.
 
Because I want as much clearance as possible around the wheel. First off it'll make fitting the roller jig easier, but also when working with such long blades it's good to have plenty of space without having to worry about bumping into the motor. I don't have a 3 phase outlet available, so I'm sticking with single phase. I don't really need speed control and if need be I can just use a step pulley on the motor.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Because I want as much clearance as possible around the wheel. First off it'll make fitting the roller jig easier, but also when working with such long blades it's good to have plenty of space without having to worry about bumping into the motor. I don't have a 3 phase outlet available, so I'm sticking with single phase. I don't really need speed control and if need be I can just use a step pulley on the motor.
Click to expand...

so what sfpm do you a 10" wheel ?
 
I think it was Stacy that suggested a Jack shaft setup. 2 pillow blocks with a sheave between them giving the right ratio relative to the motor shaft connected with a belt. this would give you the exact speed you want.
 
That's the thing--I don't actually need an exact speed. To put it in perspective, the wet grinder is 70rpm. Anything faster than that is a step up, especially given that a contact wheel won't wear down and change diameter like a stone.
 
3/4hp buffers come with 10" wheels. If you use the glue stick under grease-less abrasive you pretty much have a grinding wheel.

Plus, then you have a buffer, which is practically a necessity anyway.

Slow speed buffer and everything you need at Caswell.
 
I've got a Grizzly grinder already, so it's got a buffing arm on it. I need that for my general grinding, though, so I'm not keen on running it through all the mods necessary to set it up like I want it. Right now the home-brew rig with the portable shaft, 10" wheel, and that back idler assembly is looking like the best option for my needs. Does anyone have any experience with that idler? It's carried by a couple of knife-making supply companies and seems to come from the grinder made by Ickler.
 
I really didn't state that well.

There are three ways to make a super basic setup like he wants that will only do the one task. Remember that he does not need or want a high speed.:

1) Mount the contact wheel on the motor and have an adjustable idler wheel for tension and tracking. Imaging a Ickles or Kalamazoo grinder with a big contact wheel. - Problem is too high a surface speed without VFD and clearance around the motor.
https://search.yahoo.com/search;_yl...sb-top-search&fr=mcafee&type=B011US0D20120427

2) Mount the contact wheel on a shaft with bearings, and have the drive wheel on the motor. - This is pretty basic, and is just a reversed Ickles/kalamazoo grinder. It shouldn't be too hard to have the tracking adjustment be on the motor base plate. - Problem is no speed control without VFD. With a small enough drive wheel, it should work fine. 2" to 3" would be good for this application.

3) Mount the contact wheel fixed on a shaft with a pulley on the shaft and drive it from the motor by "V" belt. The grinding belt goes to an idler wheel for tension and tracking. This is basically a Coote grinder. This will give easy tracking and variable speed by pulley choice.
https://search.yahoo.com/search;_yl...=sa-gp-search&fr=mcafee&type=B011US0D20120427
 
I run a reverse-rotation "old-style" 2X72 Kalamazoo belt grinder right now. The old ones had a V-belt pulley drive rather than direct drive, so I could change pulleys to make it run much slower and with so much more torque without a VFD. I think they still make 2X42 belt grinders that are V-belt drive, if you call and ask them. The grinders are simple and easy to modify, and lay down flat.
 
They do make one, but it can't accept a 10" wheel, unfortunately. I wrote them asking about it. :)
 
Just do a google image search for "belt grinder" and you will get plenty of ideas ... https://www.google.com/search?newwi...om%2Fhow-to-make-a-belt-grinder.html;1066;800

Also here is pic of a similar style set up I think you're talkin about which I see no reason why that idler from texasknifemaker wouldn't work.. Im sure it would be easy enough to even design and make your own idler/tracking assembly to use for a good amount cheaper..

3192476_orig.jpg


~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
Here is another idea that I just found on google images that gave a link to this video... Just some more food for thought ;)

[video=youtube;k38bgj-vXLk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k38bgj-vXLk[/video]

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
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