Small footprint belt grinder

S

SDcritter

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Oct 13, 2018
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I'm not sure if this is the right forum. My first post here. I'm a guy making knives as a hobby in a 2 car garage that has 2 cars in it. No room at all. I've been using a 48 inch Palmgren and it's OK to learn on but I'm willing to spend money to take the next step. I want a better grinder. Something with variable speeds if possible. But space is at a premium. I looked at the 48 inch Steele that comes from Australia but it's pricey. Anyone have a suggestion on a small footprint, compact grinder?
 
Well, first things first: If you're going to be grinding in your garage, you're probably going to want to pull the cars out. Metal and abrasive dust isn't kind to automobile surfaces, windshields, etc...

That should give you a little more room for a 2x72. ;)

The difference is size and shop space between a 2x72 and a 2x48 isn't going to be enough to change your life, IMO, and even the difference between your average 2x72 is pretty negligible, all things considered. I've seen a few guys put them on a rolling tool box or cart so that they can be wheeled out of way when not in use.

Do you have a workbench?
 
The cars are under covers. They're my babies and well cared for. They don't go out in bad weather.

I do have a workbench. I've been running my Palmgren 2X48 with a shop vac for dust collection to keep the mess down.

Ideally I'd sell this suburban home and move somewhere that I could build a shop and not worry about a HOA but that's not in the cards right now. So I'm trying to adapt and overcome.

I was looking at the Revolution 2X72 but fully assembled it appears to be about 3 feet or better. Then I saw the Steele 2X48 and it appeared it would fit nicely but... that price! So I wondered if there was a better way to get something that could be as versatile as the Revolution but in a smaller footprint is all.
 
While most would recommend a 3 wheel design if you had room, another option is a 2 wheel like the Coote 2x72. Takes up more space vertically, rather than horizontally.
 
2 wheels grinders do take up less room, but they're also less versatile when it comes to tooling and setups. If you can fit a 2x72 on your workbench, you can always remove the work rest and tools arms when not in use to give you a little more clearance when not in use.
 
I always recommend a 2X72" grinder with VFD. It will be so much more versatile. The footprint 924"24" on the biggest ones) isn't very large, and as has been said, you can mount it on a rolling cart/worktable and take it outside when the weather is good. A simple shop-vac and a collector chute under the grinder will go a long way toward keeping dust down.
 
when I got my 2x72, I built a dedicated 4'x4' bench for it to sit on. so.... the 4x4 is all the room that it takes....
 
Yeah, after researching stuff for 2 days I'm just going to have to live with the size and do a 2X72 to get the features I want. I guess it's time to shuffle everything again because I only have one 220 outlet and it's at the other end of the garage from the work bench. Or does someone make a 72 inch that runs on standard household 110?
 
I own a Pheer 454 for a couple of years now and like it very much. It is the 1.5hp, 110volt w/VFD with Flat platen, 10” wheel and assorted small wheels and holder. I upgraded the tool rest to one that articulates and use the original rest as a fixed angle. I plan to mod it to be able to swing horizontal. It is on a separate tool stand that I got at Harbor Freight, that I added back wheels to be able to move it, should I care to.
Runs great, no problems,,,,, except operator errors. ;-)
 
Operator errors, not the machine’s fault, for sure. Making smaller knives is ok sometimes. lol It can give birth to interesting outcomes.
I do like the machine and use it most everyday,,, for something or other. (Not always knife related!)
 
I have a Pheer and a Hardcore. I think you would like the Pheer.
 
Just got my AmeriBrade FastBack set up with a 2 HP motor and Lapond SVD-ES 2.2 KW VFD. It is mounted on a 2'x2' square of plywood, lots of extra space. They also have a rolling stand to mount it on as well.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Esyt_bRo8B4OI-pqk4V63hMhsezQuDVY/view?usp=drivesdk

I got the 240V VFD and had a 240V outlet wired in to my garage from the existing subpanel. You could always make up a longer extension cord to connect to your 240V outlet. There are VFD that bump 120V up to 240V and then convert to 3 phase, but you are more limited motor size wise.
 
Bringing this to the top to say I bought the Revolution kit and I'm building one of his design.

I have a wiring question that you folks may be able to answer. Looking at the wiring guide here:
https://www.aceindustries.com/t-wiresizingtips.aspx

I have single phase 220v. I'm going to go into a VFD and out of that with 3 phase 220v to a 2hp motor.

Am I correct in I need 3 wire, 12 gauge going into the VFD and then 4 wire, 14 gauge going to the motor?
 
Id just buy one size, in your case, 4 wire 12ga. Using larger wire won't hurt anything, you just don't use one of the wires.

The up side is you only have to buy one product, the down side is it might be a tiny bit more expensive.
 
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