Surprise - Grizzly still not tracking.

S

smartanimal

Joined
May 7, 2015
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58
So I just got a grizzly grinder a couple days ago, fully aware of its limitations (build quality, tracking issues), thinking I could overcome them and so far I've been defeated.

No matter how much I adjust and microadjust the wheels to try to get them in line, adjust the platen to make sure it's straight up and down, adjusting the tension of the belt, put tape on the idler wheel, the belt still just flops around stupidly--like it wobbles up to 7 milimeters each way.

The arbors look like they shake when they spin so i suspect it might have gotten bumped during shipping? Also the hood over the idler wheel seems deformed.


I don't know, I'm really disappointed. Should I return the grinder or should I pirate it for parts to make a new - franken grinder (maybe just keep the motor and the wheels and do some kind of no weld setup and cut my losses)?

I feel like just going back to my 4 x 36 and calling it a day.

Does anyone have any magical advice that I haven't thought of before I either take this thing apart or return it?
 
When I put mine together I took a big level and made sure my wheels were in line and level with one another. I then put some electrical tape on my top wheel. What I've noticed makes the most difference in tracking is the quality of belt. When I use cubitrons or blaze it tracks good enough. It's not anything drastic. But when I put on cheap belts they drift all over. Best of luck. Sounds like yours may have some structural problems.
 
I would then that the belt is not spliced well. If the splice was cut askew, then shimmy you will have.
 
I consider anything over a couple mm excessive, even on a grizzly.

VSM's will regularly wobble about 1mm, while 3M Cubitron II 947A run so true it's almost ridiculous.

As mentioned by PT Doc, sometimes it can be a bad splice batch.
 
I agree with the last two posts; when I owned a Grizzly I had the same issue. The quality of belt was usually the determining factor for tracking. Having said that you will get used to the wobble such that you can compensate for it. Get some good belts and grind a few knives; I think you will discover that with some experience on the machine and belts that work for you, you will be happy with your purchase.
 
when you say the arbors seem to wobble, do you mean the motor shaft appears to be bent? how much vibration do you have when it's running without a belt? if the motor shaft is out of whack it will never run true, and you should return it.
 
Well before I read the whole post I thought I'd be able to offer some sage advice. I have a thread on here about the same issues with my KMG when I got it and it was pretty much all the belt. The better the belt the better the tracking in my experience. I keep the cheap amazon belts for profiling and any work that doesn't require precision and save the good ceramics for the bevels and such. Good luck!
 
mike-E said:
when you say the arbors seem to wobble, do you mean the motor shaft appears to be bent? how much vibration do you have when it's running without a belt? if the motor shaft is out of whack it will never run true, and you should return it.
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This is what worries me the most. With no belt connected you can really see it, especially on the other side. it looks like the shaft kind of "orbits" as it spins, meaning i can see it moving up and down about <1mm as it spins. i do have some really nice belts on the way, i'm going to see if they give me any different experience than the admittedly crappy belt that came with it. if not i think it might be defective.
 
I may not fully understand your problem but would it be possible to take a sharpie and rest your hand or mount it to something and slowly move it into the wheel until it makes a mark and see if it only marks part of the wheel? If it was perfectly true I would expect it to make a near perfect ring all the way around the wheel.

Mike's grinders look like modern art so I imagine he has a better way to do this!
 
smartanimal said:
This is what worries me the most. With no belt connected you can really see it, especially on the other side. it looks like the shaft kind of "orbits" as it spins, meaning i can see it moving up and down about <1mm as it spins. i do have some really nice belts on the way, i'm going to see if they give me any different experience than the admittedly crappy belt that came with it. if not i think it might be defective.
Click to expand...

good belts will make a difference for sure, but what your describing sounds like a loose shaft/bad bearing. grab the buffer side and try to push/pull the shaft. you should have zero movement. let me rephrase that you should be able to FEEL zero movement, an indicator might reveal a few thousands of linear play. that would be acceptable.
 
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Why not just take it back and get them to help you with it or get another? Sounds to me an end bearing is bad or the machine took a drop on the end. I don't think even the best of belts will fix your problem. You should be grinding not having to fix a mess not made by you.
Frank
 
I am in agreement with the others who suspect a bent shaft. You should never see any wobble in a shaft. The sharpie trick is a good way to check. If the shaft is bent or bearings are bad, the unit is bad and can't be fixed.
 
I've had my Grizzly for more than ten years, and even though I've got a Bader it still gets a lot of use, with minimal or no tracking issues that aren't belt related. Stacy's right-that sounds structural and perhaps the best solution is replacement.
 
I ONLY have a Grizzly and it's never had issues tracking. Let me qualify that statement by saying that it has good tracking for a two wheel grinder. Higher end multi-wheel grinders will have more versatile tracking adjustment if properly tuned.
 
Welp, I decided to return it. After looking at it more, I'm positive the unit is damaged. I think I might bite the bullet and just get an esteem or kmg (ie something dependable, well regarded that virtually works out of the box). It's in my realm of fiscal possibility if I just tighten my belt and shuffle some things around. I thought I'd try to save money but I think it'll be worth it since I really love doing this and Im usually the buy once cry once type. I'd rather spend the money now then later. I really appreciate yalls help on this.
 
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