Belt not running straight on my new belt grinder

[Julius Schmidt]

Hi,

I'm just starting out with knife making and recently got a 2" x 72" belt grinder which I just finished setting up and no matter what I do the belts do not run straight but move around 2-3mm left to right.

Here you can see it at three different speeds (15Hz, 60Hz and 100Hz):

I have tried it with different belts (this is a 60 VSM) and it's always the same, so I don't think it's the belt.

Does anybody know what could be the reason?

Thanks, Julius

 

[robwil]

Hi,

I'm just starting out with knife making and recently got a 2" x 72" belt grinder which I just finished setting up and no matter what I do the belts do not run straight but move around 2-3mm left to right.

Here you can see it at three different speeds (15Hz, 60Hz and 100Hz):

I have tried it with different belts (this is a 60 VSM) and it's always the same, so I don't think it's the belt.

Does anybody know what could be the reason?

Thanks, Julius

Is the belt tension tight? If it is not very snug, that can affect belt travel. No binding on the tension arm? This could prevent the tension from remaining constant when the belt is running. Are all the wheels secured tightly to the frame? No vibration? Do any of the wheels seem to have any wobble, there could be a bad bearing in one of the wheels. Is there any debris stuck to any of the wheels? Are all of the fasteners sufficiently tight? Just a few thoughts. The manufacture might have some previous experience to draw from, also.

 

[Natlek]

Try another belt .Sorry ....I read now that you already tried that .Let me think for better advice
Well it still looks like it was belt ...Did drive wheel have crown on it ? Maybe tracking wheel and drive wheel are fighting ?

 

[Kevin Kf knives]

If the bar is adjustable, pull it a little tighter?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

It is hard to tell for sure, but that belt looks like it has rubbed something on the edge? You can see a fuzzy area on the side pass by every rotation. That will make a belt have a slight wobble. Did it go way over and rub the arm while adjusting the tracking?

 

[Julius Schmidt]

Did it go way over and rub the arm while adjusting the tracking?

That might be possible, I will inspect the belt.

No vibration?

There is some vibration, although this might also be due to the fact that this is a rather inexpensive and not very heavy grinder.

Thanks for all of the recommendations!

I've tightened the belt, and reattached the drive wheel. It seems a little better now:

These Trizact Gator belts should run straight, so I still don't think it's the belt.

I will try some further tweaking tomorrow.

 

[Scaniaman]

I got my first grinder a while back. Also had that woble, in particular with VSM. A little less than in your first post. Did it less with Trizact. Then when I put on a Klingspor it basically ran dead straight. After running that belt for a while and leaving it on the machine I did get a slight wobble on it though.
I know the tracking wheel's mounting plate on my machine isn't perfectly alligned, since the builder mixed things up. Not sure it matters that much though concerning the wobble. I've been tweaking, shiming and smacking things a little. It's alright, works fine now allthough I'd prefer it running dead straight and smooth because I'm like that.

 

[JTknives]

Thoes wabbles are not bad at all. As you gain experance you won’t even notice it. A grinder stiffness will improve wobble or having a static tension system. What I have found is as the belt joint crosses a wheel it pulls it causing a slight wobble. I had a blaze belt with 1/4” wobble and I still used it.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I agree with JT that your wobble isn't significant as long as the belt holds its tracking. I also find VSM belts have a bit more wobble that some others.

 

[Nathan the Machinist]

sometimes belts wobble when different wheels are fighting each other. One way to figure it out is to remove wheels from the equation or swap them out. try running it without the tracking wheel and see if it lands in the right place on your platten. Try running it in reverse. Try swapping out the idler wheels. Try a different flat platen assembly or contact wheel. these things will help you determine if you do have a problem, how bad it is, and maybe identify the cause.

sometimes the answer is to angle the drive wheel in and out or up and down. Sometimes the tracking wheel needs to be turned in or out. sometimes the platen assembly needs to be shimmed in or out, or is twisted, or the flat platen C plate itself is not straight, or the axles holding the wheels are not straight. The fix is usually easy.

 

[Storm W]

I can speak from experience that if one part isn't straight it can cause all kinds of problems including wheel wear.

 

[Fred.Rowe]

It will make you chose your belts wisely, when you move up to a 2 X 72 belt machine. Belts are so costly choosing wisely becomes very important. I run 3M belts when at all possible, tracking is one reason for choosing them.
Happy grinding, Fred