Modify a grinder into a belt sander....

[russianpolander]

I have belt sanders, grinders and drill presses. What I do not have is a belt grinder with a variable speed.
Would it be possible to adapt a variable speed benchtop grinder to a belt grinder by swapping the wheels for belts and pulleys? Specifically one like this:http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...urce=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=zUJsT7a2Nqby0gG1-eX9Bg

Has someone tried this? If so, I couldn't find it. What do you guys think?

 

[cjd1980]

tru- grit sells an attachment that will give you a 2x 48 in belt grinder with an 8'" contact wheel. I got one years a go works pretty well I think that they are to expensive though. if you don't want to spend much money craftsman make a grinder with a 2x42 sander

 

[richard j]

another member posted a picture of his grinder sander attachment. here is a link to his post. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ime-is-important-to-you?p=9169296#post9169296

 

[Bo T]

I've looked at the MultiTool/Craftsman combination and the one thing that is lacking is a tool rest above the platen. Also, many knife makers glue a ceramic or graphite surface to the platen and I don't know if the platen will adjust to accommodate that. The 1 HP rating for the Craftsman seems high but I've seen 2 speed motors with a 1HP rating at max rpm and a 1/4 HP rating at the low RPM. I don't have a clue on how Craftsman accomplishes their variable speed.
When everything is factored in, I think you might be close to the cost of some good single speed 2 wheel grinders on the market.