Rotary Platen- use of

Leather will stretch and tension is not the issue . I am well aware of the pro's and cons of this attachment , I invented it and made the first ones . Rob has taken it much farther than i did and makes a brilliant tool ! He has also added tricks to his that I didn't have figured out at the time. I have never gotten a true flat grind off of this attachment but that wasn't what it was designed for either . It works beautifully for handle work , convex grinding , sharpening , slack belting , crowning .etc...
I am just having fun in my shop and building onto what we already have here . I am lazy and am looking to set up a rotary platen that I can do all the things the current one does as well as hollow grind and flat grind (Flatter grind ) . That way I can just leave it on a dedicated machine and spend more time grinding stuff and less time setting up to grind stuff.
The stiffer more robust belt will help make this possible .
 
KenOnion said:
Leather will stretch and tension is not the issue . I am well aware of the pro's and cons of this attachment , I invented it and made the first ones . Rob has taken it much farther than i did and makes a brilliant tool ! He has also added tricks to his that I didn't have figured out at the time. I have never gotten a true flat grind off of this attachment but that wasn't what it was designed for either . It works beautifully for handle work , convex grinding , sharpening , slack belting , crowning .etc...
I am just having fun in my shop and building onto what we already have here . I am lazy and am looking to set up a rotary platen that I can do all the things the current one does as well as hollow grind and flat grind (Flatter grind ) . That way I can just leave it on a dedicated machine and spend more time grinding stuff and less time setting up to grind stuff.
The stiffer more robust belt will help make this possible .
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I would also like a stiffer more robust belt - I love how much I save on belts doing convex grinds. A stiffer belt with tension would make the convex grinds even less so, so my paring knives can be thinner.

For those interested, here is some history on the rotary platen:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/374318-KMG-rotary-platen-attchment
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/201975-Flat-Grind-Heaven!?highlight=rotary%20platen
 
Robert, thank you very much. I want to try a heavier belt in the next month or so.

Based on Beaumont Metal Works part number, I'm guessing the stock belt is a J weight.

In the PDF, there's a table showing minimum pulley diameters. This suggests the K weight belt might work with the stock rotary platen, which would be heavier.

The L and M weight belts appear to be too heavy to use with the existing radius, and do not appear to be available in the right size.
 
KenOnion said:
I am designing another system like this to include a large wheel so I can hollow grind , flat grind , convex grind etc... with one set up.
Click to expand...

Ken, I love this idea! Please keep us updated with your progress. Do you plan on having Rob offer these when you have a workable configuration?
 
sshbiker said:
Ken, I love this idea! Please keep us updated with your progress. Do you plan on having Rob offer these when you have a workable configuration?
Click to expand...

I will show it once I get it built and dialed in . Rob is his own dude , He is welcome to make it if he wants . I think it is the next evolution of the rotary platen but won't know until one is built and tested .
 
I still think it would be great to get away from rubber coated wheels and just use aluminum hubs of different sizes to drive a belt system on at least 1 shop grinder . I think there will always be a place for rubber coated wheels but mostly on slack belt operations for shaping handles .
Lets take this concept a step further. How about a rotary platen that drives V belts and or round belts with interchangeable shivs of different widths ? you could stretch a j flex belt around it and get sick flutes or guard shapes .
 
Ken your thoughts on these rotory platens are inspiring and you got my mind raceing now. Are you ginding folder blades on these platnes as well? I still have not had the chanch to use one but would like to get one soon.
 
I need one for my TW90. I can't wait to see it.
 
I'd like to see the grooved rollers made from something other then aluminum. Maybe stainless steel. Over time they get beveled making tracking of the grinding belts a problem. I've had my rotary platen for 7 years and have had to replace all four rollers twice.
Scott
 
I use mine primarily for convex grinding , sharpening and crowning handles on folders . It is amazing for convex sharpening and Scandi type grinds . It is also pretty great for blending a hard and soft material together evenly . I have used it on folder blades but mostly hollow grind my folders with a 14 inch wheel.
 
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