30-12-2011, 07:47 PM
Hi,
My chum David (Yorkie) kindly sent me the following link showing a sharpening system; at the original price of £799 and even at the reduced asking price I would expect to equip my entire workshop for this let alone buy a single grinder.
So far the major cost involved in making my belt grinder/honer has been on consumables such as belts and honing compound. The actual machine has been made from scrap off cuts and bits I had kicking around in the garage; the pillow block bearings were bought very cheaply a couple of years ago; the pulley's are either salvaged or have been obtained as surplus from when I worked and the pulley's were modified at no cost to fit my machine using my lathe. the motor is a scrap unit given to me by a friend many years ago; this motor is a slow starter and occasionally I need to give the drive belt a tug but once running it is up to the job.
All fastenings I have to hand and the 3/4" thick plywood base was dragged from a skip at our local; timber merchants. The welding rods cost very little because I bought a trade box a few years ago costing around £11 and a box lasts me a long time. The grinding wheel used in the angle grinder I believe cost £1 for a two pack from Poundland.
I still need to make the sharpening guides/jigs but doubt these will bankrupt me. I did buy a compression spring from eBay costing around £2.50 and this was sheer extravagance as I was too lazy to stack two car engine valve springs to obtain the length I needed; two such springs would need a guide whereas a single spring will locate much easier for belt tensioning; the machine is working perfectly with a single spring fitted but I was unsure if there would be enough adjustment to accommodate the new leather honing belt when it arrives. I really pushed the boat out buying this spring which I hope to receive shortly.
I'm always on the lookout for offcuts of metal and I'll even buy if the material looks as though it will prove useful such as the lump of aircraft quality alloy I made both rollers from; I noticed this alloy whilst visiting RDG Tools and at a fiver it has proved to be a genuine bargain coming in handy for these two rollers with a piece left over I could turn a nice pulley from.
At the moment my machine doesn't look pretty but it certainly works and if ever this dire climate gives me a warm dry day I could give it a decent paint job.
I sold my industrial Colchester Triumph lathe for less than the asking price of the grinder shown in the link.
I can't put a price on the enjoyment I've had whilst building my grinder and the pleasure I hope it will give me whilst using it over many years; mine also comes with a lifetime guarantee.
I hope I can encourage others to have a go at making simple machines costing peanuts. For the asking price of the machine in the link I could buy an engineering lathe and welder and still make the belt grinder for less. Worth thinking about? It works for me.
http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/se...TORT7DEAL3
Kind regards, Col.
My chum David (Yorkie) kindly sent me the following link showing a sharpening system; at the original price of £799 and even at the reduced asking price I would expect to equip my entire workshop for this let alone buy a single grinder.
So far the major cost involved in making my belt grinder/honer has been on consumables such as belts and honing compound. The actual machine has been made from scrap off cuts and bits I had kicking around in the garage; the pillow block bearings were bought very cheaply a couple of years ago; the pulley's are either salvaged or have been obtained as surplus from when I worked and the pulley's were modified at no cost to fit my machine using my lathe. the motor is a scrap unit given to me by a friend many years ago; this motor is a slow starter and occasionally I need to give the drive belt a tug but once running it is up to the job.
All fastenings I have to hand and the 3/4" thick plywood base was dragged from a skip at our local; timber merchants. The welding rods cost very little because I bought a trade box a few years ago costing around £11 and a box lasts me a long time. The grinding wheel used in the angle grinder I believe cost £1 for a two pack from Poundland.
I still need to make the sharpening guides/jigs but doubt these will bankrupt me. I did buy a compression spring from eBay costing around £2.50 and this was sheer extravagance as I was too lazy to stack two car engine valve springs to obtain the length I needed; two such springs would need a guide whereas a single spring will locate much easier for belt tensioning; the machine is working perfectly with a single spring fitted but I was unsure if there would be enough adjustment to accommodate the new leather honing belt when it arrives. I really pushed the boat out buying this spring which I hope to receive shortly.
I'm always on the lookout for offcuts of metal and I'll even buy if the material looks as though it will prove useful such as the lump of aircraft quality alloy I made both rollers from; I noticed this alloy whilst visiting RDG Tools and at a fiver it has proved to be a genuine bargain coming in handy for these two rollers with a piece left over I could turn a nice pulley from.
At the moment my machine doesn't look pretty but it certainly works and if ever this dire climate gives me a warm dry day I could give it a decent paint job.
I sold my industrial Colchester Triumph lathe for less than the asking price of the grinder shown in the link.
I can't put a price on the enjoyment I've had whilst building my grinder and the pleasure I hope it will give me whilst using it over many years; mine also comes with a lifetime guarantee.
I hope I can encourage others to have a go at making simple machines costing peanuts. For the asking price of the machine in the link I could buy an engineering lathe and welder and still make the belt grinder for less. Worth thinking about? It works for me.
http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/se...TORT7DEAL3
Kind regards, Col.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
