The Beginnings of my Grinder and vfd

R

Randydb

Joined
Sep 27, 2014
Messages
1,108
Well,
I have my motor, vfd, and home made grinder all together and ready to be shimmed/adjusted and set up.

Got the motor and vfd wired and working yesterday with some help from members here. Thanks.
IMG_0566 (1).jpg IMG_0567 (1).jpg IMG_0568 (1).jpg

I have a 2hp motor on it. I plan to put a piece of plexiglass onto the vfd box and build a remote switch and potentiometer to control start/stop and speed. I will add a couple air filters like the ones I saw here.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/another-vfd-question.1400882/page-2

I began to shim my wheels up and line everything up today. One problem I am running into is the washers I am using are a bit wide (outside diameter) and they rub on the wheels and don't let them turn freely. They are 3/8" washers which are the right size for the bolts in the wheels. I can't find a smaller diameter washer at the hardware store that will fit the bolt. What do you guys do? Grind them down? Or?

Thanks.
 
Nice!!! Hope you can get some beautiful knives out of it.
Id either grind them or get on McMaster carr or something and order different ones
 
If machine bushing wont work (and not sure of them smaller than .5" ID) & need a precise size, usually I will trim a washer on my lathe. Or put it on a motor spindle, grind or file as it spins.
But for an off the shelf solution, Thats going to be hit or miss.
There is alot of variation both diameter & thickness in bin washers a hardware store may put on the shelf. You might try SAE size washers. They are generally smaller OD than USS sizes. Or sockethead washers, They are intended to fit into a counterbore of a sockethead screw. Or tryout a metric washer whats closest to your desired ID.
 
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What you want is "Machine Bushings". Your local big box (like a menards) should have them, but if not, McMaster has them for sure.
 
Ah, I just saw you're in Canada. Still, you may be able to find machine bushings if you have a fastener supply or a well stocked hardware.
 
I just looked up machine bushings and there is a Fastenal store about 20 minutes from my place. I think I am going to start by putting some washers on a shaft and spin them to grind them down on my 6x48 belt sander. If that doesn't work I will go to Fastenal tomorrow.

They call them "spacer washers" too... wound up getting them at Home Depot.

Thank you.
 
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Looks like we found the same plans !
I've really enjoyed mine but I certainly need to look into a VFD.
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The barefoot boy said:
Very nice set up! Could I ask what the overall price was?
Click to expand...
I didn't spend much.
-Got the steel for $45,
-vfd for a bit over $100, (ebay)
-$40 for the motor? (can't remember because I bought 4 motors all around the same time for different things....might have been $100 at most) I'm planning to drive my lathe, 6x48 belt sander and band saw with the vfd eventually.
- wheels from Oregon Blade Maker $100
- Misc. bolts, spacers, etc $45
- box, cable, 220v connectors etc. $200 (those 220v 3 ph rated plugs are bloody expensive)

- All in I paid around $495-$540 USD total for my set up. (I converted my amounts to USD for you guys!) I'm pretty excited about the vfd part. It has been fun making it too. I sort of have worked on it in phases. I'm excited about getting a belt on there and having it all running soon.
 
3fifty7 said:
Yep, that's what I went with.
Click to expand...

I can see the post that holds the tracking wheel and has the tension spring beneath it has some play in it for me and can rotate a bit in it's sleeve. I remember seeing something on Dan's site about putting a shim down the side of the sleeve to take the play out. Did you have to do that? What did you use as a shim?
 
Be aware of heat buildup in the VFD box. I have a similar set up and the internal temp can easily exceed 100• F which is the max that the VFDs can handle. (That came from the tech guys from my VFD). I keep 2 internal thermometers, open the door and cool it down with a fan when needed. My box has two large filter covered vents and the internal fan in the unit. But it is still not enough. Those little electronics can really heat up.
 
No I used his measurements but heavier tubing, similar to trailer hitch receiver tubing. It's heavier with a better fit between them.
 
3fifty7 said:
No I used his measurements but heavier tubing, similar to trailer hitch receiver tubing. It's heavier with a better fit between them.
Click to expand...
So is the heavier tubing just the insert steel or the frame too? I am heading out to the garage now to hook it all up and see what I have for tracking. If it is too loose I might go find a piece of tubing that fits the upright part of the frame more snug.

Last question. What did you use as a spring?
 
IIRC the frame tubing is thin walled and I found some heavy inserts that fit much better. The corners were rounded on my insert pieces. I found a compression spring 6" with about 3" of travel at about 30# of pressure.
I also got my wheels and platen from OBM, I went with aluminum wheels and the tracking wheel having a crown.
 
I got mine running and all shimmed and aligned. Ran it up to 60hz and everything is running straight and smooth. Still have lots to do.
I have to make my platen next and figure out a better way to shim out the play in the tension post. That screw driver jammed down there is a temporary fix. :) I also have to figure out what I am going to do as a cover plate for for the connections on the motor.

I have some glass pieces cut so I can have a glass platen surface. I have to look up what people here are using to afix them to the steel platen surface backing...I know...I don't know the right terms but I know what I mean.

Thanks for everyone's input here. Pretty soon I will have a bunch of questions about doing stock removal blades.IMG_0571 (1).jpg IMG_0572 (1).jpg IMG_0573 (1).jpg
 
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