- Joined
- Feb 17, 2009
- Messages
- 7,310
I decided it was time to get a good 2x72 belt grinder in the shop. I have many hobbies one being making custom split cane bamboo fly rods and custom parts for adult airguns,as well as the tools and machines to make them. So making a grinder for the shop is going to be a great addition. Since I have been a knife collector and enthusiat for years I finally have the time and means to work on knifemaking the way I always wanted. I love good equipment and machines and it will be a pleasure working with this grinder for knife making.
I ordered the GIB from Polarbear forge and decided to use a 1.5 hp 115v motor from Wayne Coe I will be ordering. I will be using step pulleys and decided against a VFD. Me and electronic speed controls have a history and when they stop working do does all the work in the shop. If a motor goes down I can swap it out. If the VFD goes down I am at the mercy of waiting for warranty or repair time.
So the GIB came shortly after ordering it. It cost $260 shipped and comes in a priority box in a wood case. The parts are well made and built like a tank. They are all laser cut and the laser leaves a very, very rough edge that looks like it was chewed on by a rat. There was no way I would leave all those edges rough, it would drive me crazy looking at it over the years so I took out the angle grinder and ground down all the edges smooth. It took about 3 hours to get all the edges smoothed out. I took the upright and the base to the welder and had him weld it up. I tapped the holes but found a 50% thread engagement much easier to tap then the 75% it was predrilled for.
From Beumont I have coming 2" contact wheel, 4" contact wheel, 4" drive wheel and 4" idler wheel, a 5/8" shaft and 234 pulleys and pillow blocks.
I could have gone cheaper and bought less expensive wheels but from past experience it usually ends up being a punishment not worth the reward of saving a few dollars.
I cut down the multi platen so I could use the 4" and 2" wheel combination I want. I need to make flat platen for it and tool rest.
If everything goes right I have a plan to mount the motor and grinder and have it pivot to make it a horizontal grinder as well as an upright.
So here are a few picts of what I have completed and I will post as it progresses over the next few weeks.
Cost so far is $260 for GIB
Wheels, shaft and pillow blocks from Beaumont $402 shipped
Update and heads up..... Skip buying any spring for a screen door. It will not give you the tension you need. Go to lowes or Home Depot and buy a 69lb spring from the spring section. You can see the spring in the latter pictures in this thread.
I ordered the GIB from Polarbear forge and decided to use a 1.5 hp 115v motor from Wayne Coe I will be ordering. I will be using step pulleys and decided against a VFD. Me and electronic speed controls have a history and when they stop working do does all the work in the shop. If a motor goes down I can swap it out. If the VFD goes down I am at the mercy of waiting for warranty or repair time.
So the GIB came shortly after ordering it. It cost $260 shipped and comes in a priority box in a wood case. The parts are well made and built like a tank. They are all laser cut and the laser leaves a very, very rough edge that looks like it was chewed on by a rat. There was no way I would leave all those edges rough, it would drive me crazy looking at it over the years so I took out the angle grinder and ground down all the edges smooth. It took about 3 hours to get all the edges smoothed out. I took the upright and the base to the welder and had him weld it up. I tapped the holes but found a 50% thread engagement much easier to tap then the 75% it was predrilled for.
From Beumont I have coming 2" contact wheel, 4" contact wheel, 4" drive wheel and 4" idler wheel, a 5/8" shaft and 234 pulleys and pillow blocks.
I could have gone cheaper and bought less expensive wheels but from past experience it usually ends up being a punishment not worth the reward of saving a few dollars.
I cut down the multi platen so I could use the 4" and 2" wheel combination I want. I need to make flat platen for it and tool rest.
If everything goes right I have a plan to mount the motor and grinder and have it pivot to make it a horizontal grinder as well as an upright.
So here are a few picts of what I have completed and I will post as it progresses over the next few weeks.
Cost so far is $260 for GIB
Wheels, shaft and pillow blocks from Beaumont $402 shipped
Update and heads up..... Skip buying any spring for a screen door. It will not give you the tension you need. Go to lowes or Home Depot and buy a 69lb spring from the spring section. You can see the spring in the latter pictures in this thread.
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He figures that something got rattled loose inside during transport. If the welder isn't working by this weekend I will be making a few calls next monday to find a person to weld it up.
