Grinder belt geometry

[WC53]

I am mocking up a grinder made with scrap steel (heavy 2” tube and 1/4” plate) and seem to remember something about the bottom belt path should be parallel to the tool arm, or did I just make this up?

Any tips before I fire up the welder would be welcomed. I did lay everything thing out and clamp it to my table and then take a piece of webbing from a ratchet strap cut to 60” and rotate it around. Basic tube welder for two tool arms.

I have the flat platen from OBM bolted to some square tube arm for the mock up with a cheap 2hp motor. No VFD yet.

I am also undecided on which tension method to use.

Sorry for the random order here, got a bit dehydrated today and the brain is just starting to work right but the new house ac comes tomorrow. And thanks in advance for the help.

 

[kuraki]

The bottom belt path doesn't have to be anything. Mine is all over the place with my various tool arms.

You want your tension arm to be relatively close to parallel at it's nominal position when tensioned on a belt, because you want your hinge axis to be as close to parallel to the belt travel as possible. The further that axis gets away from parallel and the closer it gets to perpendicular, the wonkier your tracking adjustments become.

 

[WC53]

Thank you