Tightening small wheel radius on old Bader

[Robber58]

My primary grinder is an original Bader bench model I bought new many years ago. It has gone through some evolution but still works well and I have just about any attachment I can use. Recently, I received a commission for a custom, full tang push dagger. When designing it, I realized that the small wheel attachment I use to clean up inside curves was not going to work due to the wide belt angle coming off the wheel. I know there are adapters out there that will bring that angle down but finding something for my old machine is almost impossible and I would have to significantly modify anything else I got to fit this machine. It can be done but would cost more than I could justify.

I happened to have a 2 inch contact wheel that I rarely use and decided I could take advantage of the extra tooling holes to mount it and pull the belt down. It turned out to be pretty simple (it helps to have a mill) and I am very satisfied with how it works. I did need to make it somewhat adjustable because it will affect belt tracking if it is not square to the system.

I don't know how applicable this might be to the newer grinders with square tooling holders but maybe it can help anybody out there with an original Bader.
Randy

 

[Bob Ohlemann]

Nice job. One of the machine makers handles this the way you did, maybe Wilmont. I have the USA Knifemaker small wheel attachment and though they have their own adapter that accomplishes the same thing, I think I prefer this approach.

Bob

 

[PT Doc]

When I saw the Wilmont idler wheel attached to the tooling arm, I too thought that was a great idea. I think that it can cause an issue with belt length if the wheel is placed to far back.let us know how the rubber wears. I thought that maybe using a typical platen idler would work well.

 

[Drew Riley]

Very nicely done!

 

[Robber58]

I did think about wheel wear as I was doing this. My conclusion was that as long as I have it set up so it is square to the belt, any sliding and slipping should be minimal. That's one of the reasons I made it somewhat adjustable in alignment. That said, I do see slight marking of the wheel after some use but it seems minor. Another factor would be belt grit size. Generally, I restrict my small wheel work to 220 or finer which should also help. I guess time will tell. A metal wheel would be better but this is what I had.
I had never seen the Wilmont but it is definitely the same basic setup, only using one tooling arm rather than two. I wonder what their experience is with wear?
Randy