2x72 grinder

Gasman

Show me that again!
Been sitting back just watching this thread. Its great when you can DIY and have a good ending. Congrads on the finished project.
 

MotoMike

New Member
Thanks Jerry.
I need to build a stand for it I think. something with wheels. That sucker must weigh 60 pounds. Maybe something with a step below the business end to put a bucket to catch the swarf as it comes off the belt.
 
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32t

Active Member
Thanks Jerry.
I need to build a stand for it I think. something with wheels. That sucker must weigh 60 pounds. Maybe something with a step below the business end to put a bucket to catch the swarf as it comes off the belt.
I put mine on an adjustable work stand rated to 400 lbs thinking that I could fold it up and store it in a corner of my garage.In theory it works OK but the main problem that I think that RezDog can verify is that it takes at least two men to fold and unfold it with the weight of the grinder on it.

workstand.jpg
 

RezDog

Member
I don’t think that all folding tool stands were designed with the idea that the tool would be attached while folding and unfolding. It would be well designed if one person could in fact fold and unfold it easily with 100 pounds on it. It was a great idea, and I think the concept is still sound, but part of the issue is the sheer weight of the tool. It works well once it’s all set up.
 

MotoMike

New Member
I don't think I'll go the folding table route. I think I'll visit the scrap yard and see if I can find some angle iron or a metal cart that can be modified. I just want to be able to move it around. I'll make the footprint about the same as the grinder. Used it a fair bit today and it worked like a champ.
 

Bruno

Administrator
Staff member
I think I helped set it up at charlie's last year. Definitely not a one man job and you really need to mind where you put your fingers when that thing folds :)
 

cangooner

Cheese enthusiast
Sorry I'm late to the party here guys. Shaun - spend some time looking through the rest of Dan Comeau's site (where MotoMike linked plans: http://dcknives.blogspot.com/ ). There is a TON of info there both on general build tips/suggestions as well as more specific info on things like motors. I set mine up with a treadmill motor and a set of controls I rigged up based on this video:
.

My thoughts on this motor option are:
1) it actually works really well - but WILL die as metal dust is sucked into the motor. To mitigate this I have a system of filtration set up which so far seems to be working
2)if you go the free motor route, check it before installing! My motor dies a while back, but that was due to excessive wear on the brushes, which I suspect was simply down to getting a treadmill from a *really* fit dude who obviously used the thing more than normal humans would. :)
3) when my motor dies, I will replace it with a 3 phase motor with VFD for speed control, so if I were to build another, I'd just go straight to that option if I could afford it

As for challenges I ran into, there were a couple.

First is alignment. I somehow screwed up the alignment when I welded the motor mount, and so it's a little off. I'll have to fix that as it makes the whole system less stable than I'd like (belt tracking in particular is a challenge)

Second is wheels. Due to the expense of shipping/customs from the US, mine was built with longboard wheels. Recently I found this seller on ebay: https://www.ebay.ca/usr/portcollector?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2754 and bought a set of aluminum wheels that will replace the plastic ones. Just wanted to flag a Canadian source for you. They look really well made and I had good service from them.

I'll likely think of other things too...

Good luck with the build! It is a GREAT tool to have, and even better when you've made it yourself.
 
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MotoMike

New Member
Maybe a 2 wheel dolly welded to a metal cart ?
Or a metal cart that can be moved with a 2 wheel dolly ?
I've got a couple wheels from a shot air compressor. I was thinking of putting them on a stand sort of in the handtruck type arrangement. It will be cake compared to building the grinder and getting it running. Down hill from here.
 

RezDog

Member
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This is what I have done. The grinder body is from a Canadian company called Nexus. Supplies can be a serious challenge, especially with my work schedule. 1 1/2 HP motor running on 120V and a stepped pulley system for speed control. The motor locks down with a toggle. I wanted a VFD but with the dirty power here and the fact that they are expensive, I opted for the pullleys, plus Victor has been able to do amazing things with his system, so it’s totally serviceable.
 

JoelMercier

New Member
How's your wheels from Origin? Mines are not round, especially the drive wheel. It makes annoying noises at high speeds, like the belt is flapping.
 
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