The entire basis of my design had to meet specific criteria that I had in my head. Those were:
1. Had to fit in a flat rate box.
2. Had to be sturdy with high articulation.
3. Was able to be cut out of a 12”x48” piece of steel so that 4 could be cut from a single sheet.
4. Could be simply tacked together by anyone. (Anyone can tack weld).
When I designed it, I had trouble coming up with ways to get the table to pivot at the centerline of the disc without “falling” away from the face of the disc while prescribing to my criteria above. I started moving things around and things became bulky or would require machining that I didn’t have available to me at the time.
The sliding table design was so that the gap caused by the table articulating could be closed, and so the table could be removed. FWIW friends of mine have cut the base off under the disc so they could grind longer blades and the table still functions great.
I did this entire project as a way to give back to the knife making community. I have sold a few “kits” in the past to cover the cost of my materials. I have given many away. My 2x72 that I use is based on the Sayber OSG Open source grinder. I’d be nuts if I said you can’t change my design. In my opinion my design has served its purpose and I’d welcome seeing any new changes. +300$ disc grinders are ridiculous, hopefully you aren’t trying to do that. The entire purpose of the project was to get us poor folk and hobbyists a sturdy, cheap, useful table. It was never a business endeavor because honestly there’s really no money in it.
