Grinder plans

Yeah, Tom, that sort of thing happens onct in awhile. Not to fear! You can almost always come up with a workaround.

There are a few surprises waiting for those who haven't built one of these machines yet. I got a pleasant one today when I checked the alignment of the tension/tracking wheel to the tool bar and found it dead on. Whee!

90% of the work I did went into making sure I had a good no-slop fit of the receiver box to the tool bar. The other 90% went into making sure the parts perched on top of the tool bar receiver were either parallel or perpendicular to the tool bar as the case may be.

Something I can practically guarantee is that when you assemble all your carefully drilled and tapped parts for the first time you will find your tool bar is locked in place. Instead of happily sliding back and forth, you can't budge it with a sledge hammer. Fear not! Just go burr chasing. File or sand off every little bump and nick you can find from the tool bar and the inside of the receiver box pieces. Then put it back together and try again. It should work fine. I cut four pieces of 1/4" drill rod and polished them to a sliding fit in the end holes of the receiver box. I perched the box on top of the uprights and replaced the rods with bolts one at a time to keep everything perfectly lined up. Then I installed the 4 center bolts and it worked just fine.

Since your goal is to eventually have the center lines of all the wheels in the same plane and that plane parallel to the long axis of the tool bar, pay attention to accuracy.

Ken
 
I came across a reference to this e-bay store in a woodworking magazine (http://stores.ebay.com/8020-Inc-Garage-Sale). Someone used a piece of their aluminum extrusion to make a fence for their saw. The extrusions that they sell may make it easier design and build a grinder and to get everything to line up nicely while being adjustable. The wider pieces should be pretty stiff. They will also cut and drill to order, making it easier for those who don't have access to a machine shop. Their stuff is probably more expensive than buying ordinary steel or aluminum plate and extrusions but it is probably cheaper than equiping your own machine shop. A lot of the workbenches on the production line where I work are made from stuff like the small, square extrusions that they sell and they are pretty sturdy.

Hope this helps.

Phil
 
I see this thread has gotten kind of cold lately, and I still have some questions. I've downloaded the plans by Mike Clerc and am very tempted to do it. But, I would not have the ability to make any wheels.

I also see that the purchase of a 10" contact wheel alone runs nearly $300. There is also need for the drive and idler wheels. It doesn't seem to me that I would save much money if I still need to make these major purchases.

What are you guys doing for wheels? Are there sources I don't know about?

I'm kind of in limbo waiting for taxes right now, so I have time to plan things properly.

Thanks
Richard
 
I believe I'm going to try machining the idlers myself, as well as the shaft and step pulley. Going to have to look into the drive wheel, I'm not sure if we have the capabilities to build it. It needs a rubber grip on it, correct?
 
rckendall said:
I see this thread has gotten kind of cold lately, and I still have some questions. I've downloaded the plans by Mike Clerc and am very tempted to do it. But, I would not have the ability to make any wheels.

I also see that the purchase of a 10" contact wheel alone runs nearly $300. There is also need for the drive and idler wheels. It doesn't seem to me that I would save much money if I still need to make these major purchases.

What are you guys doing for wheels? Are there sources I don't know about?

I'm kind of in limbo waiting for taxes right now, so I have time to plan things properly.

Thanks
Richard
Click to expand...

a 10" wheel from grizzly is a lot less. Just an idea about idlers-I worked for an auto parts store for a couple years, you could get new idler pulleys for engines at a low enough price. Could probably even get spring tensioners for not a whole lot, compared to buying custom fitted belt grinder fabs.
 
hardheart,
Thanks for the Grizzly tip. I didn't think of them.

Others have given some tips also, so maybe it will work out for me. I'll run through some numbers here soon.

Thanks for everyone's help.
Richard
 
rckendall said:
I see this thread has gotten kind of cold lately, and I still have some questions. I've downloaded the plans by Mike Clerc and am very tempted to do it. But, I would not have the ability to make any wheels.

I also see that the purchase of a 10" contact wheel alone runs nearly $300. There is also need for the drive and idler wheels. It doesn't seem to me that I would save much money if I still need to make these major purchases.

What are you guys doing for wheels? Are there sources I don't know about?

I'm kind of in limbo waiting for taxes right now, so I have time to plan things properly.

Thanks
Richard
Click to expand...

I made my 2" platen wheels on my Taig microlathe but I bought the drive wheel and tension/tracking wheel from Beaumont Metal Works because the little lathe couldn't handle pieces that big. Also bought two step pulleys from Rob and just ordered his 1.5 horsepower motor to power the thing.

I'm still poking around to find a contact wheel. I think this bunch, http://www.sunray-inc.com/store/standardwheel-idler.asp, may have a winner. They have a stock 8" idler wheel with polyurethane tread. You can specify the hardness of the tread too, including 70 durometer which seems to be the standard for contact wheels You can choose either steel or aluminum for the core and you can specify the bearing ID. They look like they might be pretty well balanced as they come so I'm almost certain they could be used for a good contact wheel. The best part is the price. Their 2" x 8" idler wheel sells for $68. What I think I'll do is gamble $26 on one of their 2" x 4" idler wheels just to see if it works as a small wheel. I am reasonably certain, with a little bit of finger crossing thrown in, they will do the job I want them to do.

Switching subjects...Let me relate my experiences in building my machine, which is fully operational now having ground its first piece of mild steel just last Friday:

1) This project doesn't require a degree in engineering to complete. It's certainly not a project for a budding craftsman but if you have reasonalble mechanical skills there is no reason you can't do a great job. I used Mike Clerc's plans, which he has so kindly provided for general use. They are fairly easy to follow but require some study in a couple of particulars. If you look at pictures of completed grinders in the forums and check out the Beaumont Metal Works web site you can fill in the blanks. If you still have questions, let me know and I'll do my best to either walk you through the difficulty or send you pictures of how I did it or both. I documented my build with a couple of hundred pictures of most every phase of construction.

2) A mill is almost essential for squaring and dimensioning the heavy steel parts for this machine. Don't count on a steel supplier to cut them to the accuracy required. I used my little Taig micromill for the task. I pushed the edges of its operating envelope pretty hard but the little workhorse came through for me. A metal lathe would help too if you want to make your own wheels. Tom Megow had the right idea in this respect because he's taking a machine shop class and is doing his build as a class project. You may be able to get the job done without this equipment but it's going to cost you a bunch of hacksaw and file time.

3) A good, accurate drill press is essential equipment. No workaround here.

4) You need a good assortment of drills and taps, hacksaws, files, etc. Accurate squares and a dial caliper will come in real handy.

5) I don't believe you can save a whole lot of money building a KMG clone unless you can find the steel for cheap, you have a good assortment of tools, and you have or know somebody that has machine shop equipment and the skills to make the wheels. You will also need a significant investment of time to get the job done right. Here's roughly what I spent building my machine:

Steel - $150
Aluminum 1/2" Plate - $70
Aluminum 2" bar stock - $23
Fasteners - $50
Drive and Tracking Wheels - $110 including shipping
Step Pulleys - ~$96 including shipping
Flange bearings - $25
Drill rod for drive shaft - $16
Motor and Switch Kit - ~$300
Other handy stuff to help - $?
Labor - A good bit but I work cheap when I'm working for myself

I'm sure I left out some of the costs but this gives a rough idea. I didn't really build this machine just to save money though. The project was too much fun to be work and I really enjoyed the challenge of building a useful tool. No amount of money could buy the feeling I had when I fired it up for the first time and the belt tracked straight as an arrow. Grinding that first piece of scrap steel was a real hoot!

So get busy. You will really enjoy the project and love the result. I'll be happy to help if I can.

Ken
 
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