j.van Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 hey guys! how practical is it to want to make a belt grinder with no welder? and if practical, any idea how much it would cost for all the materials? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobL Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 This seems like another "how long is a piece of string" question. Given you don't have a welder, if you purchase all the parts new and then pay someone to fab up the necessaries, it could easily cost more than a store bought unit. However, if you are crafty and good at scavenging the parts can cost very little. I am in he middle of collecting up the pieces for a large ( 6" wide x 24") long belt sander. It will be used more for woodwork but I will also use it a lot for metal work. - 1" diam steel shafts and two of the pillow block bearings I got for nothing from a friend, the other two bearings I stripped off a machine I found in a dumpster. - aluminium drive roller/drum I had my BIL fab up for me from a 4" diam x 9" long piece of ally pipe - other rollers are scavenged at no cost from a railway line grinding machine - 2HP 3phase motor cost me $35 from the online classifieds. - motor has the right pulley on it and I bought another pulley for $10 from ebay. - frame is going to be made of 1.5" x 1/8" SHS which I have pieces left over from another project One thing I have spent serious money on is a box of electronics, a new variable speed drive (VSD) which enables the 3phase motor to run off single phase as well as providing speed control but even this cost only $120 delivered. I already have a small but handy metal shop with a small metalworking lathe, 170A welder, 4 grinders, metal cutting bandsaw, Floor standing drill press etc, so putting this together should not be too difficult. I also have access to a shop with mills and other larger metal working gear. I have experience with installing 3 VSDs. Building a belt grinder without these would be quite challenging. I hope this gives you a few ideas but hopefully someone who has more direct experience with a dedicated belt grinder for metal will respond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 If you want to build a grinder with out welding look into the NWG (No Weld Grinder) plans at www.usaknifemaker.com. I have copies of the plans for sale for $25.00. You could look at the GIB (Grinder In a Box) at www.polarbearforge.com. The NWG uses step pulleys for "adjustable" speed, not true "variable" speed. The GIB is a direct drive machine and with a VFD for variable speed is a great machine. I supply motors and VFDs for both of these machines. Let me know if I can help you further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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