Simple to build horizontal grinder

L6steel

L6steel

Joined
Sep 23, 1999
Messages
5,855
I built this horizontal belt grinder a while ago and wanted to show it to you folks incase you're thinking about building one. It's really simple to make and works great. The platent/small wheel rig was made with a couple pieces of 1/4" by 1" bar, a section of 2 1/2" square tubing, and two different size small diameter contact wheels I bought from Jantz Supply.The tracking tensioner set up is just an idler wheel off a junk sander and a piece of 1/4" plate with a curved slot cut in it for the lock bolt.
I'll post the seperate pix down below. Sorry about the gif, I just wanted to see if it would work. :)
 
Michael,
Very innovative, great job. I really enjoy seeing the shop built tools and modifications made to others that get posted here.
Thanks for sharing.
Regards,
Greg
 
L-6 that is a cool machine. one of these days i will get a vertical, running as well
 
Very nice. I'm missing how the tracking device works, though.
 
OOps, I guess I shouldn't have called it a tracking wheel. I positioned the motor and the platent so the belt runs in the right spot along the platent and contact wheels. This elimated the need for an ajustable tracking wheel.To use all of the belt I made several spacers out of 1/4" hardboard and just stack them under the piece of laminate that I use as stock support.I'm going to make a better designed horizontal sander soon that has an ajustable stock supprt that rides inside some short pipe sections.
Zodiac, I just used a coffee can to draw the curved lines and made the slot a little bigger than the bolt that rides in it. Then I drilled a hole at the end of the slot and cut along the lines with my bandsaw.
 
Michael,
Cool grinder! This grinder looks like a sweet deal for helping out in making folders. What horsepower and speed is the motor? What size are the small wheels? What belt size are you using? Can you post individual pictures of each view as, only the assembly view prints out. Clearly, I would like to make one of these grinders. Is there anyway you could post drawings on this machine?
Thanks for showing us what is possible!
Art
 
Art, the motor is an old GE 1/3 horse than runs about 1750 rpm. It really suprised me how fast it eats steel with that slow and low hp motor. I grind away most of the steel on my wilton and then use this one to fine tune things. The small wheels are 1/2" and 3/4". I bought em from K&G and am not real impressed with them, especially at $38 a pop. When I get a lathe I'm going to make some better ones. It uses 2 by 72 belts. It's just two sections of 1/4" plate bolter to a piece of heavy angle iron. I did have to do some fine tuning to make sure everything was square. That saves the need for an adjustable tracking wheel. I'll take a better side view pic and post it later. Heres some pix.
<img src=http://members.aol.com/l6steel/horizontal.jpg>
<img src=http://members.aol.com/l6steel/horizontal2.jpg>
<img src=http://members.aol.com/l6steel/horizontal3.jpg>
<img src=http://members.aol.com/l6steel/horizontal4.jpg>
 
Michael, on my horizontal grinder which uses a 1"x42" belt I used Bader wheels and those seem to work great.I used a 1" and a 1/2".I like you rough out on another grinder then go to the horizontal.I also like the slow speeds.Dave
 
Dave, isn't it something how we start out thinking faster is better but eventually find out slow speeds really eat up steel fast and leave a much smoother finish.

Heres a better side view.
<img src=http://members.aol.com/l6steel/horizontal5.jpg>

Here are some close ups of the platent contact wheel assembly.
<img src=http://members.aol.com/l6steel/horizontal6.jpg>
<img src=http://members.aol.com/l6steel/horizontal7.jpg>
<img src=http://members.aol.com/l6steel/horizontal8.jpg>
 
Michael,
Thanks for posting the pictures and providing the extra details. This is definitely a grinder I'm putting on my list of things to do!
Thanks again,
Art
 
Just made an improvement on the stock support. Instead of stacking 1/4" boards to raise it, I'm going to buy a couple strong compression springs and put them on the bolts between the base and stock support. Then all you do is turn the spinner knobs to raise and lower it. Oh yeah, don't use an old 1/4 horse motor. :) I was grinding away and noticed some smoke in the shop and looked up and saw it coming out of the motor. Guess an old 1/4 horse can't take the extended use.Oh well, I have a nice 3/4 horse Dico I'll bolt to it. Shoot, since it's reversable I was saving it for a disc sander.
 
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