How Small contact wheel?

[steelshaper]

How small can you go with contact wheels? I was thinking about building a jig like Nick has for doing intregals and was wondering how small of a contact wheel can a belt handle. I am guessing that those j-flex belts can handle smaller wheels. But how small?

Thanks

 

[richard j]

1/2" i do believe but you might be able to go smaller. i'm going to try making one from a roller out of a printer.

 

[DC KNIVES]

I have a 1/2" and a 1" contact wheels on my profile grinder. They came from Bader. Dave

 

[steelshaper]

Thanks guys! I will checkout the bader wheel I was thinking about making the wheel but if it not to pricey I wil buy it.

 

[Reg ELLERY]

It will depend on your set up. My mate had a 10 inch wheel and he made very
small wheels for finger groves. The trick was he had to make a longer arm to take up the extra belt slack with the smaler diamiter.

If you wanted to go down real fine say 1/4 you could probably hold the outer race of the bearing with the internal shaft spinning. Your not going to get a lot of access to the wheel with that set up unless you mount them wide then you may get bend in the shaft if too wide. I am sure you will come up with something.

 

[Bufford]

I like the 1/2 inch wheel attachment on my Wilton grinder. These are nice for finger groves and other tight places. I run them at slow speed for better control and as I fear the bearings would heat up and wear out at higher speeds.

 

[insanity]

Rob Frink at Beaumont metal works makes a small wheel attachment, and sells the small wheels. Uncle Al has an integral grinding setup also.

 

[tmickley]

Those small wheels are great for finger notches. The Jflex belts will easily handle a 1/2" wheel. Anything under 1" is hard on X or Y weight belts. Keep the speed down or they will burn up as they don't have any mass to soak up (or shed) heat.

 

[JTknives]

hay tracy you going to sell small wheels?

 

[STR]

Smallest one I could find was 1/2" for my KMG. If there is smaller I have not seen it.

STR

 

[Sam Salvati]

I bet you could run it over a polished hardened rod, of a small diameter than 1/2". You would have to use soft light backed belts though I bet, and run it slow.