Hilt and Hammer Workshop Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Good evening,friends. I've been crafting more blades than usaul lately,and have started looking into decent belt grinders. Then I remembered I might have one already ... As you can see,this isn't a Craftsman pile of junk hobby sander, but it isn't exactly a KMG either. It's manufactured by Dayton,certainly at least several decades ago.Very heavy duty and solid,belt width of 1 inch. It has a 1/3 HP split phase motor,which still runs smoothly. Now I for one have no experience operating or tinkering with one of these,so i turn to you most knowledgeable folks here. I have a few important concerns,notably, where can I find a belt for this exciting machine? And how does one measure the belt length? I couldn't find anywhere on the machine that told me what size i needed. Also , it seems there is a "rogue" idler wheel,that I can't figure out what purpose it has. I'm sure there are plenty of belt grinder experts here that can enlighten me. Does anyone else on here own one of these? I'd really love to get it up and running,but i don't want to lose any blood in the process. Any information on belt grinder maintanence,tips,as well as input on this particular one would be drastically apreciated.Many thanks I'd really love to get it up and running. Many thanks :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 It looks interesting and probably worth fixing up a little but at 1/3 HP and only a 1" belt it is more for sharpening than grinding out knives. The extra wheel either fits a different configuration or is just extra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesteryearforge Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 its main function was for de- burring parts like in a machine shop Not really very heavy duty unless you compare it to some of the junk sold at the big box stores now days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Kehler Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 I have one that is almost its twin, I use it for sharpening with a 15 micron belt I got at Lee Valley Tools, I think it was 30" long. It doesn't have enough power to do any major knife grinding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciladog Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 You measure the distance around the pulleys with a tape measure to get the length. Bring the spring loaded wheel down under tension. Simple enough. I have one of those. The belt is 1 X 42 and lots of places sell them. You are missing a wheel but I almost never use it. It is for sanding inside a hole. Here are some pics of the way to set it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilt and Hammer Workshop Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 Thanks so much for the replies so far . At least it sounds like it will be useful for finer work,sharpening,maybe polishing and scale removal. At least it will speed up some labor,which is the very reason for the existence of machines.It looks interesting and probably worth fixing up a little but at 1/3 HP and only a 1" belt it is more for sharpening than grinding out knives. The extra wheel either fits a different configuration or is just extra. So if this is not good for heavy grinding, what HP/ belt width is common on more aggresive grinders?? Also,is there ever any problems with the belts slipping off the wheels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmall Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 If you do a search on the web, there is a fellow that makes parts for these including the wheels. I have two of these and find them useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciladog Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Mine is a Rockwell and I got it new in the 70's. I adjusted the tracking when I got it and never touched it since. Never had a belt fly off. However, you do need to pay attention to where you put pressure on the belt because it will move side to side like most belt grinders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 in the knife making section, we have reposts of the online classes, and recomendations of width/grit. also size of motors for grinders. and supplier lists. If you are interested in knife making you should read some of it, we may supprise you. 1HP min 2 HP better, 2 x 72 is standard and has most belts available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilt and Hammer Workshop Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 Thank you for all the excellent advice,chaps. I got around to measuring for the belt today. I was slightly unsure,however,of the right measurements because of the tensioning arm. You measure the distance around the pulleys with a tape measure to get the length. Bring the spring loaded wheel down under tension. Simple enough. I have one of those. The belt is 1 X 42 and lots of places sell them. You are missing a wheel but I almost never use it. It is for sanding inside a hole. Here are some pics of the way to set it up. sander3.JPG sander2.JPG sander1.JPG When ciladog mentions "bringing the spring loaded wheel under tension" should I be pressing it down completely,or just partially? If I push it down nearly to the max, the measurement is 42" . I assume this to be correct. But I wasn't sure if there was a "proper" belt tension to go for. Also,I was thinking of getting belts from here : http://www.supergrit.com/products/products_belts-ceramic.asp Anyone else have recommendations ? see suppplier list http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/151-knife-class-reference-material/ ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basher Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 The general consencus is that you need one horsepower per inch width of belt for grinding steel. However more is better and less can work if belt speeds are low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Its worth keeping though I have used one of those and its handy for light work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Tim's thought about light work is a big key here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilt and Hammer Workshop Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 Thanks for the HP / belt width relation,Owen. That's a very helpful fact. I definately realize the machine has limitations, but I'm sure it will help me out to some degree. I often have low spots in my blades when i polish,so hopefully I can use this grinder to at least get a nice even finish if I'm patient. I went ahead and ordered a few belts last night ,so whenever they arrive, I'll be sure to post the performance results. A final concern of mine is that one of the wheels seems a bit stiff. Am I correct to assume that all the wheels (aside from the one attached to the drive belt) should spin absolutely free? If so,I'll have to dissasemble and clean up the contacts. Should i leave bare metal,or apply a bit of grease? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Oil the wheels they should spin freely. Any extra friction is a stealing power that should go to the belt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knots Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Looks like it would be easy enough to replace the motor with 1 HP tolally enclosed motor. I occasionally visit my local electric motor repair shop for used motors such as would be needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilt and Hammer Workshop Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 Well,the belts finally came ,so I cleaned and oiled the machine and tested it out. It works astoundingly well. I was actually able to grind a substantial blade bevel with it (80 grit ceramic) ,even though that's not what I'm going to use it for. . It does bog down if you force the material too much,but that's to be expected. It's very efficient at removing metal even so. I've been using it for finish grinding on blades and gaurds,sanding grips and handles,and putting initial edges on blades. It seems to have a thousand applications though,and will make my life much easer until I get a "proper" belt grinder. Thank you very much to everyone who contributed their insight and knowledge to help me get it running :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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