onotoman

Hi @Gaznazdiak You will probably have different centering issues depending on the particular belt and attachment fitted at any particular time. The shaft that holds the contact wheel on my grinder can be moved left and right, so if the idler wheel wont centre the belt I just move the shaft around until things line up. Hopefully you have a similar setup? Good luck Dave

Hi Guys, I live in New Zealand, so found it difficult to source a variable speed belt grinder without paying $ thousands in shipping charges, so ended up buying one of these ones from China. My main purpose is to grind straight razor blades (not knives) but I thought I would give some feedback after using the rig for a few months. The unit arrived in a wooden crate and weighed around 86kg with all of the attachments. It's very solid. All up and including carriage to Auckland, NZ and import duty, it cost me $1,200 NZ Dollars (around $800 US Dollars) After setting the unit up in my workshop, I noticed that the idler wheel unit could be turned over. I did this and the unit comfortably takes 72 inch belts, with the exception of the platen attachment - this still needs 82 inch belts as it's quite large. So I've ordered some to use with the platen. The unit includes: 12 inch contact wheel - OK for wedge razor blades and pre-heat treatment shaping Platen attachment that allows the tool rest to be attached - very large Small Wheel attachment and two small wheels with rubber covers One 60 Grit 82 inch belt All wheels and attachments have large Japanese-made SKF bearings which makes the unit run smoothly, I've ground quite a few blades and wooden scales now without issue. The motor is actually sealed, so no issues there. The VFD is not though, but the cable is long enough to place it well out of the way. That said, I'll change for a sealed unit at some point in the future. Not sure what was meant about needing to push the belt to start, I switch on the power and turn the knob on the VFD and the belt begins to rotate itself. I bought a separate 4 inch contact wheel to grind full hollow grind razor blades. I had a local engineering shop make me a spindle to fit the half inch bearing of the 4 inch wheel and this works fine with the rig and is easy to fit and adjust. All in all, I'm very happy with the rig, it does the job. If the motor lasts 6 months or a year, it's not the end of the world, I can get an Australian equivalent motor for around $200 NZD. For the future, a sealed VFD (around $600 NZ Dollars) is on my list. the two small wheels that came with the rig were 1.6 inch and 1 inch. I've asked my engineering shop friends to make me a 1/2 inch one for working on small areas of blades. So, a few months in and all is well. Mark, maybe you could look to turn over your idler wheel assembly, as 72 inch belts are far easier to source. Hope this helps All the best Dave