Belt Sander for knife making....
- Thread starter drmarkr
- Start date
Johnny chaos
Well-known member
That is one sweet looking set up.
shovel
Well-known member
Very nice Dr Mark, but I need more details. Looks like a Polar Bear forge kit. Please tell me about your build experience here; Was the quality what you expected? What you would do different? What kind of budget? What kind of motor and VFD, and where you sourced them?
10" wheel? Any other details you could give would be most appreciated! Thanks, and that is a beautiful grinder!
10" wheel? Any other details you could give would be most appreciated! Thanks, and that is a beautiful grinder!
garboui
Well-known member
Just my ignorance, but how is the tracking on the belt adjusted?
Asking because it looks set and inspiring to build my own.
Asking because it looks set and inspiring to build my own.
Hotz
Well-known member
Dr Mark, good job .. excellent idea of the variable rotation ...
54FordPanel
Well-known member
Thats slicker than snot. Nice work.
Have you seen JPs thread on blacksmithing/knife making?
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=200204
Have you seen JPs thread on blacksmithing/knife making?
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=200204
Amitygravel
Well-known member
Very nice !
Are you going to use a platen as well.
Really like that stand too.
Craig
Are you going to use a platen as well.
Really like that stand too.
Craig
Here is a set up that is quite excellent if you don't want to build our own:
http://www.beaumontmetalworks.com/shop/
http://www.beaumontmetalworks.com/shop/
Hotz
Well-known member
rquackenbush
Well-known member
That thing looks over engineered, over designed, and all around over kill.... It's perfect!ritzblitz
Well-known member
Really nice man, I bought a Coote back in high school cause I couldn't afford a KMG and didn't have skills to build something like that. I do now, but the Coote is awesome, and I no longer do bladesmithing.
Great grinder though.
Great grinder though.
alan camby
Well-known member
Looks real nice, great job.
Yeah that is a Polar Bear forge kit or a copy of that kit. I Know because I have one.
Yeah that is a Polar Bear forge kit or a copy of that kit. I Know because I have one.
Polar Bear Forge GIB kit. The quality was excellent....all pieces fit perfectly. I welded the uprights, rather than bolting them. The only piece of advice I would offer that is not clear in the instructions is to use the drill press or a mill to start your taps on the pieces that need threads cut. The first hole I tapped on the multi-platen (the big wheel) I did on the work bench.....and it was angled just enough to not be perpendicular to the platen. Honestly, in all my years of shop work, I've never seen that happen, and never would've even guessed it could happen. But it did. I drilled another hole adjacent to that one and tapped it properly in the drill press....problem solved.
One other thing I did....I cut the excess piece to the right off the base so I could mount the thing flush with the edge of my table. That's so when (not if) the belt breaks, it can (hopefully) fall down, instead of bouncing off the table base and slapping me silly.
The motor and VFD I got from Wayne Coe (www.waynecoeartistblacksmith.com). He convinced me the 1.5 hp would be more than adequate. I haven't had a chance to really hog on it yet, but I'll take his advice. He's certainly got some experience with the things....
4" drive wheel, 8" large wheel, 2" idler wheel, and yes I'm either going to fab up my own flat platen, or just order one from Jaime at Polar Bear. I bought an extra 2" idler wheel just for that. The base I built from some tubing I had laying around, and a piece of MDF/woodgrain melamine that I already had as well.
Total cost? I don't recall exactly, without searching for the receipts, but it must be around $800-900 total?? The VFD added a chunk to the set up, but I really wanted variable speed, since I'll use this for more than knife making.
The tracking is more visible in Alan C's pic than mine....see the round knob that props the upper 4" aluminum wheel? That piece is hinged and gives you tracking adjustment.... (Very nice build, Alan.)
I have a commercial quality/size glass fusing kiln that I got in a deal a few years ago. I've never even plugged it in, but soon enough it's going to be my heat treating machine! More details and pics to follow...
shovel
Well-known member
Thanks Dr Mark. Great information. I guess I need to start saving to build one. Right now, I'm working on modifying a 1 x 30 belt sander. The only knives I make right now are blades for woodcarving. I can get by on a little machine, but there is no such thing as overkill. There are so many belt varieties available for a 2 x 72 machine, it really would be the ultimate grinder. One of these days I'd like to make my own kitchen knives anyway. Thanks for taking the time to show off your rig and explain your choices. Very well built and a beautiful grinder!
shovel
Well-known member
Looks real nice, great job.
Yeah that is a Polar Bear forge kit or a copy of that kit. I Know because I have one.
Beautiful rig Alan! I really like the "shiny" details! Can you tell me about your VFD and any details on your build. I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but you and Dr Mark have me thinking. I do appreciate any information you guys will share.
Rickster55
Well-known member
Awesome set up. From a safety point of view, I would add some guarding. The sound of a belt breaking is enough to soil one's pants let alone the belt coming at you at a high speed.
PS - I wanna see some of those knives, please!
PS - I wanna see some of those knives, please!
DoghouseForge
Well-known member
Drooling!!!!!
Ive been looking at getting a "Bader" 72". Wanted to see if i was really gonna stick with the knife making before I invested in it. Considering a new one runs between $2300 -$2600 for variable speed modles Im gonna look into the polar bear forge!
Thanks for posting! you just might have saved me alot of money!
JP
Ive been looking at getting a "Bader" 72". Wanted to see if i was really gonna stick with the knife making before I invested in it. Considering a new one runs between $2300 -$2600 for variable speed modles Im gonna look into the polar bear forge!
Thanks for posting! you just might have saved me alot of money!
JP
alan camby
Well-known member
I have broke a belt before and the belt just falls. The drive wheel only has traction when the belt is under tension.
alan camby
Well-known member
Shovel,
My motor is a 1.5hp baldor with a 56c frame.
The VFD is a Teco from here http://dealerselectric.com/item.asp?PID=4709&cID=0&scID=165 I have bought 2 vfd's from them now, both Teco's. The Teco's are made in Taiwan instead of China and I think better stuff comes out of Taiwan.
The Pot on the panel is a 10Kohm unit from Radio Shack. The panel came from Ebay. If you go ahead with my setup, PM me and I will get you my wiring diagram.
All my shiny bolts are SS and the handle is polished aluminum. The 2 shiny knobs are SS bolts with the heads cut off then bent in a vise.
Like the good Dr. Mine is all bolted except for the main frame is welded to the base.
Here is a trick for tapping strait. Weld a nut to a thick flat washer, I used a thick fender washer.
Here is the inside of my panel.
To the OP, the next two pictures show how I built my own platen. It works with my 6" and 2" wheels.
I tack welded a piece of SS to the angle from inside the large holes seen here. The SS rides against the belt.
My motor is a 1.5hp baldor with a 56c frame.
The VFD is a Teco from here http://dealerselectric.com/item.asp?PID=4709&cID=0&scID=165 I have bought 2 vfd's from them now, both Teco's. The Teco's are made in Taiwan instead of China and I think better stuff comes out of Taiwan.
The Pot on the panel is a 10Kohm unit from Radio Shack. The panel came from Ebay. If you go ahead with my setup, PM me and I will get you my wiring diagram.
All my shiny bolts are SS and the handle is polished aluminum. The 2 shiny knobs are SS bolts with the heads cut off then bent in a vise.
Like the good Dr. Mine is all bolted except for the main frame is welded to the base.
Here is a trick for tapping strait. Weld a nut to a thick flat washer, I used a thick fender washer.
Here is the inside of my panel.
To the OP, the next two pictures show how I built my own platen. It works with my 6" and 2" wheels.
I tack welded a piece of SS to the angle from inside the large holes seen here. The SS rides against the belt.
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ritzblitz
Well-known member
For the dude considering a Bader, they are really nice but for the price its pushing it. But they are really nice!
shovel
Well-known member
Great information. Thanks Dr Mark & Alan. Both machines are fantastic! It is hard to justify a budget for me to build one of these when I am able to get by with what I have. The key here is getting by... What could I do with one of these bad boys? Through experience I know that I would never regret it yet it is hard to put back the money when it is needed elsewhere. I may get back to you guys with more questions. Thanks again for the information.
The Frisco Kid
Well-known member
Lose that Tico for a Baldor drive!