Thread: belt sander modification = belt grinder?

Hey guys,
This may seem a little hasty,
I have been thinking it would be nice to have a functional 2x72 belt grinder, but im not willing to throw down for one of these - especially with all my other equipment around...
My thought is, running my 6x48 belt sander in the vertical position.
The back side of the vertical 6x48 section has a lot of "meat" to drill/tap/install a 8" contact wheel and a guide (for grinding razors of course)
lets face it, it is a sander, it has 2 guide/contact wheels with built in tracking knobs and tensioner.
Seems the only thing missing is a removable 8" contact wheel and a couple of 2x72 belts?

Is anyone using this setup? or do you have any input on if it would/wouldnt work?
Oh also, is there any reason a three wheel system wont work? all of the grinders have 4 wheels....
The sander is not vfd **

I have attached a photo of a similar sander in the vertical position

Thanks!

Hmm. The KMG and Bader variety grinders use a 1.25 inch square bar to hold the contact wheels. For that matter if you could fab an attachment system that was based off that size bar, you could have multiple bars with wheels already mounted making for quicker wheel changes/diameters. The Bader style system is three wheel when using a contact wheel. It's only four wheel when the flat platen is installed (same for KMG etc).

I agree with Mike, The number of wheels is basically irrelevant. Mine has two Wheels my dad's has two on one side three on the other. The important thing is to set it up so it tracks properly no matter how many wheels you have in your set up.

Just for my clarification to make sure I am properly understanding what you are planning;
Are you planning on removing the platen on this and putting the 8" contact wheel running out the front of the sander or... are you planning on mounting the wheel running on the backside of the sander and leave the platen for the 4" belt?

The reason I ask is, if you mount the wheel on the back so you stand behind the sander to use it, your belt will be running the wrong direction. You want your belt running so that the rotation runs from top to bottom. This is a safety issue. If the belt runs bottom of the wheel to top it will be throwing all the grit and sparks in your face as you grind. So if you are planning to mount the wheel on the back you will need to change your motor rotation.

Ray

Originally Posted by RayCover

I agree with Mike, The number of wheels is basically irrelevant. Mine has two Wheels my dad's has two on one side three on the other. The important thing is to set it up so it tracks properly no matter how many wheels you have in your set up.

Just for my clarification to make sure I am properly understanding what you are planning;
Are you planning on removing the platen on this and putting the 8" contact wheel running out the front of the sander or... are you planning on mounting the wheel running on the backside of the sander and leave the platen for the 4" belt?

The reason I ask is, if you mount the wheel on the back so you stand behind the sander to use it, your belt will be running the wrong direction. You want your belt running so that the rotation runs from top to bottom. This is a safety issue. If the belt runs bottom of the wheel to top it will be throwing all the grit and sparks in your face as you grind. So if you are planning to mount the wheel on the back you will need to change your motor rotation.

Ray

Thank you, I hadn't taken rotation into consideration. I will be sure to attach my rigging to the top of the platen with a couple of 1/4 20's. I was originally concerned about mounting to the plate, however for the amount of use this machine gets I wont worry about it. I will be sure to deburr the holes I drill to prevent tearing the larger belt in the future.

Mike,
I am going to build it for an 8" wheel I have laying around here. If I need to use different size wheels in the future, I will invest in the bader style system - pending this actually works, also if I do this I will also need to design a different tensioner system as the one on the sander has very little adjustment.

I have the bracket designed as a stand off, using studs and a nut on either side of the plate for major tracking adjustment, hopefully I can get it close enough that the machines tracking dials will take over.

Has anyone noticed their belts stretching over time? If so, is it substantial?
I only wonder because of the limited tension adjustment.

I usually like to knock down any potential flaws in a design before hand, and im not used to the extra help.
Thanks guys!

My 6x48 sander is a different model so I am not sure how this one is made.

If possible. It might not be a bad idea to check and see how the platen mounts. If it is easily removed, you might consider making a mount for your 8" wheel that attaches to the same mount as your platen. That way you really don't have to make any serious alterations to your original machine. It will also save you from having to put holes in the platen.

Just a thought,

Ray