Buy or Build?

[Mr onetwo]

Good morning all......I want a belt grinder for my shop and have very limited funds available to me. I have a chance to pick up an old Rockwell 6 x 48 belt sander...a model 31-505 I think for $150 or so.The motor on it is too small. I have a Baldor CEM3584T 1 1/2 HP Super-E 3 phase motor and VFD on hand already. Is this Rockwell any good as a grinder? I know I have to bump up the speed for metal. Part of me wants to build a Burr King style 3 wheel setup and the motor would be ideal for this. Any opinions are appreciated!!!

 

[Mr onetwo]

I really like the way this Radius Master is set up. My motor is perfect with it's face/base mount configuration.

 

[zkling]

The problem with the delta is that it appears the table is missing. If not, great, go buy it. But with the table and associated pieces missing it is going to be expensive to piece it all together.

A 6" and a 2" belt sander/grinder are two different things. It's usually better to build a 2" machine, where as anything larger is more effective to buy. 2" machines can be for platen, slack and contact wheel use, where as 4 and 6" machines are really designed for platen only use.

 

[rsanter]

I have one that I use for metal. It works just fine at it but it is not the same as the burr king type. I have one of those as well. I use both but use the burr king type more

Bob

 

[larry_g]

Like ZKLING says it is missing parts, table, top cover, and side cover. At that price I would expect a good running QUIET machine. If it is to noisy then your looking at bearings. I have that same machine and use it quite a lot.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[woody 73]

I would say build the burr king model, but at the same time if you needed something to tide you over till you can do the job, then maybe find some other motor and get that old Rockwell working. When you are done with it sell it on CL and be left with your three wheel burr king machine a win win in my book.

 

[ehaines]

In the pictures, the table and other small parts appear to be laying on the floor next to the unit. Wish that I could find one in this area for that price.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Put it this way. I've sold 1 6x48 and replaced with a burr king. Then I got another burr king and right this second im waiting for a guy to come buy my other Rockwell 6x48.

I want to build a 2x144/2x72 machine next.

The only reason I'll buy another 6x48 one day, when I'm in a bigger shop, is to run a Scothbrite pad belt on it for large parts.

I don't think 6x48 is good for material removal, but rather finish.

If you have the room, both would be best...of coursen lol

 

[gte718p]

I would own the rockwell in a heart beat. Good machine that has already lasted half a lifetime and with some basic maintenance will last two or three lifetimes. $20 in bearings and some paint and it will be ready for another 40 years of good service.

Of course I would go in offering a $100 .

 

[Mr onetwo]

The problem with the delta is that it appears the table is missing. If not, great, go buy it. But with the table and associated pieces missing it is going to be expensive to piece it all together.

It is complete with the table. Only the top cap is missing. He is asking $200 and I won't pay more than $150.

 

[zkling]

If it is complete with the slotted table and has no problems then that is fair. The 4 and 6" belts are really more suited to wood working than metal working unless you are working on wider parts all the time. Then you need some serious HP. For general metal work of knocking off edges, clean up for weld, minor trimming a 2" is more useful IMHO. About the only other time a wider belt comes in handy is for squaring tubing or stock ends.

 

[justanengineer]

JMO but I'd build a 2" machine with the motor you have. Those old Rockwells are good machines but for a belt grinder that size you're going to seriously want to up the power to roughly 5 hp'ish.

 

[Mr onetwo]

I am leaning toward building a 2" machine. I have to figure out a way to get from 1750 RPM at the motor to around 5000 LFM at the belt. The motor is quite stout. It has equal break down torque of a 3HP single phase motor. I found this 12" x 3" caster wheel cheap on Ebay...drive wheel maybe? Here are some pics of the Burr King drive system.