Treadmill converted to homemade variable speed grinder

This is awesome.

I considered the same thing when we got our new treadmill.

Wife said go find a used one....
 
Thanks everyone !! I never know how someone might react to my eccentric imagination ( it keeps my family laughing :) ). Good call Bladsmith and Grizzly Bear on the need and advice on how to protect the motor. I will make that improvement.
 
Okay..... that's right up there with Bruce C's wooden grinder. Great ingenuity, brother. You got me eyeballin' my Chuck Norris total gym and washing machine. Nothing is safe!!!

Ooooh.... I bet a Honda CRV would make a hell of drive motor for a Grinder/Press/Triphammer station...... mooah-ha-ha-ha......... Think the wife'll go for it?



Rick
 
Magnussen said:
Okay..... that's right up there with Bruce C's wooden grinder. Great ingenuity, brother. You got me eyeballin' my Chuck Norris total gym and washing machine. Nothing is safe!!!

Ooooh.... I bet a Honda CRV would make a hell of drive motor for a Grinder/Press/Triphammer station...... mooah-ha-ha-ha......... Think the wife'll go for it?



Rick
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I'm sure she will. After all, what woman wouldn't want to get a new car so her husband can tear down her old one and use it in his shop. You were gonna buy her a brand new car, right? :rolleyes:
 
Brother Magnussen, you have no idea how close your comments come to the truth !! I told my son that if he didn't start putting his skateboard away I was going to find another use for his new wheel bearings....and my wife's old sewing machine is already torn down...I am making a pottery wheel out of it for her....(that's how I convinced her we really needed to buy a good kiln for heat treating)....er...I mean for firing pottery !!
 
I was going to do that but I researched this site for 'treadmill motor' and found nothing but negative comments, so I didn't bother.

Kudos for doing it. If I'd already had the treadmill motor and control I probably would have done it too but I would have had to buy or find a used treadmill.
 
I don't see why the OP can't set up a little fan to blow the metal filings away from the motor. I'm gonna go check our old treadmill's motor now. :)
 
Farming Phil, your comment is hilarious !! ( I don't know how to quote messages). I have been thinking about how to do a press because I want one too....so sell your Nordic track and dumbells, send me the money, and let's see what we can come up with :)
 
drlozier said:
Farming Phil, your comment is hilarious !! ( I don't know how to quote messages). I have been thinking about how to do a press because I want one too....so sell your Nordic track and dumbells, send me the money, and let's see what we can come up with :)
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That was actually Wulf who said that. I just quoted it..and I agree it was hilarious!!!
 
You'll also want to cover the control box really well, or move it well away from the grinding area. Micro-shavings will easily work there way in there and short your controls. Ask me how I know this!

Good job.

Mike L.
 
I know somebody wants to get an old clothes dryer and fill it with 1" ceramic triangles and two dozen blades...
 
Been using a 2 hp treadmill motor on my grinder for about 10 years now.Originally bought it as a temporary motor untill I could get a good motor,have the new motor and controller but just cant seem to pull the old one off till it dies...Had the new motor for over 5 years waiting...lol....A home made grinder is better than no grinder,and it should last long enough to make enough knives to buy a new one..
Bruce
 
How is the speed change with a treadmill motor/control? I have a treadmill motor set up as a disc grinder, but the only thing I dislike about it is the lack of torque at lower speeds. I push the steel into the abrasive, and it bogs down for a second or two, then picks up the speed with the torque.

Of course this thing only cost me about $30 to build, ($25 for the treadmill) so I can't complain much.
 
Magnussen said:
Ooooh.... I bet a Honda CRV would make a hell of drive motor for a Grinder/Press/Triphammer station...... mooah-ha-ha-ha......... Think the wife'll go for it?
Rick
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DUDE, you know it can work. Remember that episode of the A team where they took the tire off of one of the rear wheels of the van and used a firehose as a drive belt on the rim to run the pump or whatever it was? (insert A team theme music here)



(A team guitar solo...)



Okay, I'm done.
 
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