22-12-2011, 04:36 PM
Hi,
It seems ages since I did any work on this grinder but today the sun came out and it was quite warm so I've managed to put a couple of quality hours in tinkering around in the garage.
Today I concentrated on the top roller support. This is a key area and needs to be correct because the support also regulates belt tension and tracking.
Out of the pile of offcuts I had selected two square steel tubes one to slide with little play inside the other. The larger section tube would be the lower fixed and the smaller section would be the upper slider being spring loaded affording belt tension.
For belt tracking an hinged roller support was made up; this being hinged at the top and the lower free end is to be adjustable by a screw arrangement. I don't have fixed plans but am working from an idea of what I want to achieve and trying to make the offcuts accommodate this.
So far everything is working out well but I still have a long way to go yet. Just making this support turned the garage into a full blown metal working shop involving hacksawing; filing; welding; drilling; wire brushing and fettling using the angle grinder. I was nicely into my stride when our neighbour popped into the open garage to ask for the loan of some pipe grips as he was having a radiator problem. Sometimes I feel like hanging a sign outside my garage saying "free tool loan to everyone". Still it's almost Christmas so I shouldn't be mean. It did however shatter my thought process and as it was already getting dark I decided to knock off. My neighbour by this time had fixed his problem and promptly returned the grips so we both had some success.
I must be a sucker for punishment because every winter I end up either trying to French polish or paint a machine; I never learn but today's session has cheered me up immensely.
The pictures show the rough assembly I've made today; it still requires the screw adjuster. This belt grinder won't be a modern tinny bit of kit as I'm using substantial bits of metal and hopefully once made it should give many years service without falling apart.
Kind regards, Col.
Top roller support.
It seems ages since I did any work on this grinder but today the sun came out and it was quite warm so I've managed to put a couple of quality hours in tinkering around in the garage.
Today I concentrated on the top roller support. This is a key area and needs to be correct because the support also regulates belt tension and tracking.
Out of the pile of offcuts I had selected two square steel tubes one to slide with little play inside the other. The larger section tube would be the lower fixed and the smaller section would be the upper slider being spring loaded affording belt tension.
For belt tracking an hinged roller support was made up; this being hinged at the top and the lower free end is to be adjustable by a screw arrangement. I don't have fixed plans but am working from an idea of what I want to achieve and trying to make the offcuts accommodate this.
So far everything is working out well but I still have a long way to go yet. Just making this support turned the garage into a full blown metal working shop involving hacksawing; filing; welding; drilling; wire brushing and fettling using the angle grinder. I was nicely into my stride when our neighbour popped into the open garage to ask for the loan of some pipe grips as he was having a radiator problem. Sometimes I feel like hanging a sign outside my garage saying "free tool loan to everyone". Still it's almost Christmas so I shouldn't be mean. It did however shatter my thought process and as it was already getting dark I decided to knock off. My neighbour by this time had fixed his problem and promptly returned the grips so we both had some success.
I must be a sucker for punishment because every winter I end up either trying to French polish or paint a machine; I never learn but today's session has cheered me up immensely.
The pictures show the rough assembly I've made today; it still requires the screw adjuster. This belt grinder won't be a modern tinny bit of kit as I'm using substantial bits of metal and hopefully once made it should give many years service without falling apart.
Kind regards, Col.
Top roller support.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
