Old school Vari-Speed KMG

rfrink

rfrink

Joined
Aug 1, 2000
Messages
863
I didn't think I still had this video clip. This is from the "skunk-works" division of Beaumont Metal Works back in the early days :D:D

This is a Vari-speed set-up that I played around with for a while. I used a vari-speed pulley from a Lawnmower. It worked well and I used it for a while. As I recall, the speed range was about 3:1... which could be 3000ft/min down to 1000 ft/min depending on your choice for the intial and final pulley diameters.

This video clip is an MPG file shot with an early digital camera.

http://beaumontmetalworks.com/1st-grinder/varispeed.mpg


Whattaya think?

Rob
 
Now it would only be TRUE redneck engineering if you actually had a lawnmower up on it's side, powering the grinder... ;) (I must admit that's what I was hoping to see :p ).

Pretty dang cool Rob! :)
 
NickWheeler said:
Now it would only be TRUE redneck engineering if you actually had a lawnmower up on it's side, powering the grinder... ;) (I must admit that's what I was hoping to see :p ).
Click to expand...

Yeah, but the clip would have had to start with Rob in the background saying:

"Here, hold my beer...Watch this y'all!"

:D

Pretty slick setup Rob,

-d
 
Thats pretty awesome Rob. Probably would make a nice option for someone that doesn't have the cash for a variable speed setup! Do you still have it around or any more pics of how it works?

Brad
www.AndersonKnives.ca
 
Thanks for posting this Rob. I have a variable pulley setup like this that I put on my Coote grinder several years ago. It runs 1500 to 5600 fpm, works well. I have been meaning to post the pics for a long time. This type of setup is a good solution for speed control. I had a chance to get a couple of these setups and originally intended to put one on my drill press.
This gives people another option to watch for.
Thanks again
 
Hi Alden, did you build yours from one of those commercially available drives...I think TB Woods makes one. Or did you build it from scratch? As I recall, the TB woods drive was very expensive and offered a better speed range....The lawnmower pulley that I used was about $50...but I had to build the pivot and some sort of control lever to move it. I got the idea from Home Shop Machnist magazine where someone posted a drill press application like you mentioned.

Any chance you could snap of few photos of your setup? I'd love to see more.

-Rob
 
rfrink said:
Hi Alden, did you build yours from one of those commercially available drives...I think TB Woods makes one. Or did you build it from scratch? As I recall, the TB woods drive was very expensive and offered a better speed range....The lawnmower pulley that I used was about $50...but I had to build the pivot and some sort of control lever to move it. I got the idea from Home Shop Machnist magazine where someone posted a drill press application like you mentioned.

Any chance you could snap of few photos of your setup? I'd love to see more.

-Rob
Click to expand...

Rob, Darn you anyway! :)You forced me to become a paying member and learn to post pictures. I'll see if I can do it. I can get some adult supervision with that, as my daughter is home for Christmas.
My variable pulley setup was commercially made, it is called a Roto-Cone. I do not know if it still manufactured. I got 2 of them that had previously been installed on combines to slow down something to harvest bluegrass seed. They have a crank to screw the arm the pulleys are on back and forth to adjust the speed. You can see in the pics coming up through the laminate top the speed adjustment crank. The company I worked for let me "properly dispose of" a lot of things they felt were of no value. When I have a project in mind I gather stuff and work around what I end up with. The stand of the belt grinder is round tubing because we had a bunch of offcuts when scrap had no value. The outside of the stand is sheathed with aluminum sheet from the tops of freight vans. The skin and the guards are removed for the photos. I hope you can make out everything in the photos. I put a 4 way light switch on the motor to reverse it for various procedures. The variable pulley setup is real smooth, except at the very ends of the adjustment where the belt hops a little. But then you just back the adjuster off a bit.
I hope this helps. If anyone would like different photos or more info let me know.
Thanks for the push Rob.
Alden
 

Attachments

  • grinder base.jpg
    grinder base.jpg
    31.5 KB · Views: 44
  • 2007 349 resized.jpg
    2007 349 resized.jpg
    35.5 KB · Views: 46
I get my clutches and many other useful parts from quality treadmills, funny, they are hardly ever used much.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top