Burr King Tracking Help

gator68

gator68

Joined
Oct 1, 2002
Messages
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I've got a Burr King 760 and I'm having some problems with the belt tracking. The belt has a "wobble" when it goes around. I set the belt where I want it, but it gives a little jerk to the right as the belt goes around. I've gone through the whole tension arm looking for loose parts. Everything seems solid. I thought the idler wheel bearing could be loose or off center. Seems fine.

I slowed down the belt and stopped it everytime it pulled right. It seems to happen at the same position of the belt, when the seam is on the front platen. I tried a few different belts, ranging from thick 50 grit Norton Hoggers to light-weight Trizac belts, with basically the same results. What's going on?
 
Did you check the platen to see if it has a groove or nick of any kind that the seam could be getting lined up on and start following? Since the seam is joined at an angle, it could catch in a raised nick and start to be guided by the seam to the side for a short period of time and then jerk back as the seam leaves the platen.
 
This is going to sound too simple, but it might be the cause of your problem:

The shaft in the idler wheel slips into the bored head of the tracking unit. That shaft actually does not need to slide ALL the way into that hole.

I was having the same problem you are, and it was driving me nuts... I loosened the lock screw, slid the idler out about 1/4," tightened the lock screw back down, and problem was solved.

Another time I didn't have the drive wheel seated properly and it was a similar problem.

Of course there's a chance that it's something major...wheel bearings, worn drive shaft, etc... but hopefully it's just a simple fix. :)
 
Seconding what Nick the jerkwad :p said.... When I have a tracking problem it's usually after I've removed one or more of the wheels. Check those first.
 
Thanks for the tips ... I just got the grinder out of storage after a three year absense. I kind of remember the trick of keeping the idler pulled out a bit. I'll have to give that a try tomorrow.

The platen is a bit proud of the plane set by the wheels. I have a glass plate glued to the platen. The tops and bottom of the plate are rounded, but I suppose that this could be having an effect. I'll try pulling the platen off and then see if I have the same problem.
 
Hey, I can live with Jerkwad, that would look good on a T-shirt ;) :D

I NEVER had the slightest tracking problem with mine for the first two years I had it. THEN I bought the knifemaker attachment and started moving stuff around, and that's precisely when I had the troubles you are... just like Will said, keep an eye on it whenever you change wheels.

But if your platen is that proud, it could be doing like Scott said. On the 960's you can adjust the platen to be flush, even with glass on there. Definitely could be your problem if you can't get it close to tangent with the wheels.
 
You can take the edges down on the glass platen by CAREFULLY turning a 220x j-flex belt inside out and running the belt SLOWLY on it.

Most likely cause is gremlins or that the grinder is mad at you for the long absence. :)

Nick, I can see the t-shirt now.... "I'm with Jerkwad" with an arrow pointing up.
 
It could be you have a bad belt. Also it helps if the tracking pully has a slight crown. You can wrap a piece of electricians tape around the center of the tracking pully to give it a crown. That solved the tracking problems on my 760.
 
It looks like the idler wheel needed more of a crown. I tried different belts, took off the knife grinder attachment and put on the contact wheel, pulled the idler out 1/4" etc. In the end it was adding a few turns of duct tape to the idler that seemed to fix it.
 
I'd like to bump this up. I'm having some tracking issues when using the flat platen on my Burr king. I have tried a few different belts and it's seems to pull right and then when I adjust it, it over compensates and moves to the far left and just won't stay centered. I haven't added glass or anything to the platen and it's in like new condition.

I have noticed that the belts ride far right on the idler wheel and will give the electrical tape a shot, but if there are any other suggestions I can try tonight when I get home I would really appreciate it.

It tracks great when using the contact wheel, just has issues with the flat platen. Last night I ended up learning to hollow grind a bit which is fine, but I want both options.

Much thanks
Rob
 
Rob, you can move the idler wheel side to side to help with tracking. It's probably not lining up with the platen and the wheels on the knifemaker attachment.

If you removed any of the wheels to change out an attacment then you'll need to realign everything. That's the drawback of the BK, it's a great industrial machine but it's designed for a shop to have several of them, each dedicated to a single set up.
 
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