June 10, 201312 yr 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?
June 10, 201312 yr 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.
June 10, 201312 yr 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.
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