Grizzly 6x12 surface grinder to 1x42 belt?

[Charlie Mike]

I have a SG that runs a 1/2" x 7" stone off a 3/4hp single phase motor. I've seen 2x72 conversions but my grinder doesn't have the power to drive that size so I'm thinking 1x42.

Can it be done?

 

[Drew Riley]

The length of the belt is somewhat of a moot point. The width is what will likely get ya if you're taking a full width pass.
Personally, I start at the edge of the wheel whether using stones or belts and traverse across the piece as normal, without issues. Just don't take too much of a bite that the wheel wants to stall or skip.

If you go with 2x72 belts and split to 1" wide, you'll get two belts at each grit, and be able to grind a little more per belt too.

 

[Karl B. Andersen]

I ran my 2x72 on a small motor for nearly five years, during which time I found I nearly always used a 1 inch belt on the 2 inch wheel.
I find a 1 inch belt far more efficient with less deviation in the grinding because of the narrower width.
For the most part, you just make many passes across the work piece a little at a time, and to move all the way across with a two inch belt is a LOT of time on the machine.
That said, one day I made an error - oops - and cut the corner off my wheel. Since I had an extra wheel, I sent the two inch in and had it turned down to one inch wide.
now I just split my belts and run a 1x72.
Because it's 6 feet long they last a long time - longer than your 42 inch belts will and we are already using them in our shops.
I would say to stop thinking about the 1x42 and just get a 1 inch wheel and still convert to 72.