# 2 x 72 grinder wheel



## Geoff (Feb 11, 2016)

I just did a quick job for a fellow and I thought I would share it here.  It was a wheel for a belt grinder.  The wheel had a 4" OD with a 2 Deg. crown and a 2.25" width.  It also needed a bore of .001 over 5/8.  The wheel body is aluminum and I sleeved the bore (steel).  I had to put a sleeve in the bore because I had a problem with my lathe and I found that after I finished the bore, it measured .626 on one end but the back end measured .670.  That wasn't cool and I found that my lathe ways came out of level so I had to shim the tailstock end.  I tuned it in so that i'm getting very straight cuts now!  After I discovered that the bore was out of tolerance, I bored it to 7/8"  and turned a sleeve out of 12L14.  I turned the sleeve .0015 over 7/8 and pressed it into the wheel.  Since pressing into aluminum comes with challenges (gall / bind), I stuck the sleeve in the freezer and heated the wheel.  The sleeve pressed in with little pressure and once everything normalized, it is a very tight fit.  I turned a quick arbor to have a loose press fit on the .626 bore and mounted the wheel on the arbor.  A quick turn down to size and then I cut the 2 Deg. angles.  A bit of cleanup work and the project was done.  It turned out very well and the fellow I made it for was extremely happy!  Attached are a few pics.


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## PeterT (Feb 12, 2016)

Nice. I was mentioning to someone at last coffee meeting, maybe one of those belt grinder kits or plans would be a good groupie project. Some of the self-made belt sanders I've seen are works of art - VFD drive, all sorts of knockdown assembly configurations & alignment jigs. The commercial ones are spendy, like 1000-1800$U. But the good homebrew designs I've seen make  a few cross-disciplinary skillset demands (parts cut-out like water jet or plasma, machining components like & pulley wheels etc, bit of welding & electrical hookup). Maybe if there is common interest to make a 1-design? I've seen some kits available too, so maybe that's another route.


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## sorrelcreek (Feb 12, 2016)

Nice job.  Glad you got your lathe leveled out again that one of the worse feeling after your done the job and figure that out but looks like you handled it properly and with a steel insert it's going to work better and having just aluminum.


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## Geoff (Feb 12, 2016)

Thanks sorrelcreek.  It was most definitely a bit of a let down once i figured that the bore was out of tolerance after I thought I nailed it but in the end I think I made a better part.  I found it surprising that if the ways are not perfectly level, it throws it out so much!  At first I thought my headstock was out of tram with the ways or something but a bit of YouTube and some great videos from both Abomb and Mr. Lipton pointed me in the right direction.  The shrink fit was really cool too!  There was no way that the sleeve was going to press in but after freezing the sleeve and heating the wheel, it slid in sweet!  It was a good learning experience for me all around.  

Peter - I have been considering building a 2 x 72 grinder or something similar.  Some folks get really elaborate but I think one could knock one out without too much fuss.  Personally I would rock it with a DC motor with a KB DC Drive opposed to the VFD / 3 phase but that is just because I have parts on hand and even if I had to source parts, it would be much less expensive.  I like the idea of the various attachments!!

All of this stuff is right up my alley!!  I love working with motors and electronics, i'm decent at welding and the machining is also a passion   This is the sort of design that I was thinking about.
http://dcknives.blogspot.ca/p/2-x-72-belt-grinder.html

It's mostly square tubing, some plate and good spring, and then the wheels.  For this design, no need to get any complex parts cut.  It can all be cut, milled, turned and welded together.  I have the stock on hand for the wheels....  This 3" 2024 aluminum that I have would be perfect and I also have 5" solid round steel.   Talking about this is starting to get me motivated!!  I almost have everything I would need minus a few bearings and square tubing...  This might turn into a project soon


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## Janger (Feb 14, 2016)

PeterT said:


> Nice. I was mentioning to someone at last coffee meeting, maybe one of those belt grinder kits or plans would be a good groupie project. Some of the self-made belt sanders I've seen are works of art - VFD drive, all sorts of knockdown assembly configurations & alignment jigs. The commercial ones are spendy, like 1000-1800$U. But the good homebrew designs I've seen make  a few cross-disciplinary skillset demands (parts cut-out like water jet or plasma, machining components like & pulley wheels etc, bit of welding & electrical hookup). Maybe if there is common interest to make a 1-design? I've seen some kits available too, so maybe that's another route.



There is a guy on Kijiji selling one he has made. It is pretty neat. http://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details...l&utm_source=alerts&utm_campaign=email_alerts 

I invited him to join us on the forum...


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## Chris Roy (Mar 1, 2016)

this is the belt grinder I built a couple months ago. Wish i knew that you made wheels when i made this thing. Ebay was expensive. 

1.5 HP baldor motor, VFD. Eats steel for breakfast.


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## Janger (Mar 1, 2016)

That's cool Chris!


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## PeterT (Mar 1, 2016)

I like it!. So your own design?, kit?, set of plans..? Is there much welding on the frame assembly?


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## Chris Roy (Mar 1, 2016)

I just looked at what was out there and built it myself. Not really much welding. There are what's called no weld grinders out there that are just all bolted together but this was easier for me to tack a bunch of square tubing make sure everything lined up.


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## Chris Roy (Mar 1, 2016)

Janger said:


> That's cool Chris!


thanks janger.


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## Janger (Mar 1, 2016)

What kind of VFD? How much? Where did you get it?


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## Chris Roy (Mar 1, 2016)

VFD is a kbac-27D . think it was 650$. Biggest you can get for 110v input to 1.5hp 3 phase output.220v is 2 hp
VM3550 baldor motor 1.5 HP 3 phase was 350$ I believe.


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## Geoff (Mar 2, 2016)

Hi Chris.  Nice job on the grinder!

Do you mind sharing the details about the wheels that you bought from ebay?  Cost, dimensions, or if they are still selling them, an ebay link would answer my questions.

Also just as a reference, I was able to find a allen bradley VFD that's supports  220 single phase and will drive a 3 HP motor (3 phase).  This is what I am using on my mill.  I'm the type of person that likes to buy used equipment for cheap and then fix it up to put into service.  I think I picked up the VFD for around $250 and I got a 3 HP 3 phase baldor motor locally from Kijiji for $100.  The motor isn't inverter  duty rated but it still works a treat and I haven't run into any problems.  Since I'm not running it for long periods of time at a low frequency, I don't run into heat issues.  That said, not everyone is into buying used gear as there is some risk of it failing or just not working as expected.

For anyone that is interested, the VFD that I got is an allen bradley 4M (22F-A012xxxxxx).  The motor is a baldor M3559T.  These baldor or similar brand motors pop up on Kijiji from time to time.

Anyways, let me know about the wheels as I am interested in seeing them.

Thanks for sharing the details on your grinder!


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## Chris Roy (Mar 2, 2016)

Geoff said:


> Hi Chris.  Nice job on the grinder!
> 
> Do you mind sharing the details about the wheels that you bought from ebay?  Cost, dimensions, or if they are still selling them, an ebay link would answer my questions.
> 
> ...



Thanks Geoff, here is the link for the wheel set. http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Complete-Bel...771672?hash=item35e0528758:g:GnIAAOxyF0pTfi1M
think there are a couple cheaper ones out there now but that a rough idea.


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## kevin mcdonald (May 6, 2016)

Nice job on the grinder for sure. I am building one right now. 
Here is an idea for a low cost motor.  I just bought a  treadmill for 25.00. It had a 1.5 hp baldor with speed control. Fully enclosed motor.

People give these away for free all the time not thinking that there may be sofisticated drive system inside. It even had a 1600 lb actuator as well. Pretty good bargain  for 25.00.

Geoff... are you selling wheels? I would be very interested if you are.
Thanks
Kevin


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