Belt grinder general. When will Harbor Freight build a 2x72

Harbor freight sells motors and basic controllers, why don't you just make one?

>>1062510
Contact wheels are fucking expensive.

Standalone HF motors are overpriced. It would be cheaper to buy one of those shitty 2hp compressors (69667) to take the motor from.

Unless I get a 3 phase motor and VFD (or a DC motor), I need step pulleys to adjust the speed.

While I have the tools to build a grinder, I'd rather just buy one.

>>1062491
>Anyone have a belt grinder

No but I have a linisher.

>>1062513
It'd be better quality than anything HF would just sell

>>1062513
Get the motor and control board from a free or cheap treadmill from Craig's List. Its an old trick people use when restoring old lathes and drill presses. Get the model, research the fucker and make sure the motor/control board isn't shot before you pick it up, though. That will defray much of the cost.

>>1062522
Belt sander here, seems happy to chew through metal. So stuff your belt grinder up your arse.

>>1062491
>Material removal rate
I know stupid question but have you tried different git belts?
Could you change the pully on the motor to speed it up?

>>1063219
I have a 40 grit on it. It's also 1 inch wide vs 2, so less area to remove material. Changing a pulley would change the belt length since there is minimal adjustment.

>>1062522
Probably a good thing, I get strange looks if I tell people I've been on grinder all day

>>1062491
A but of Fatherly wisdom I recieved was "never buy shitty tools"
Harbor freight isn't exactly known for quality

>>1063274
a smaller belt will remove faster - less surface area = greater pressure.

surface feet/minute is what dictates grind rate mostly, though. a slow belt will do less removal.

you ideally want about 3000fpm with 40 or 60 grit for rough hogging.

How rough sandpaper would I need to sand down 2-3 inches of wood relatively quickly d'ya think?

File: IMG_20160908_151936.jpg (802KB, 1200x900px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1062491
You can make a grinder yourself. It will be much cheaper.
You need:
- to cut steel profiles perfectly square.
- to drill holes in the profiles also perfectly square
- to weld your profiles
- to machine the axles for the rollers
- 3 pallet cart rollers
- Motor
- Driving wheel
Then you just search for a good guide on the internet and follow it.
If you can’t or don’t want to build it or you don’t have anyone to help you with tools , then buying it is the way.
If you decide to start building it , I will help you with info. Good luck .

>>1062590
>make sure the motor/control board isn't shot
Which is 90% of the treadmills on Cragislist.

>>1062491
I have one of these, with dry and wet sanding belts. I've used it to put the edge/bevel a few stock-removal knives:

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-x-36-inch-belt-6-inch-disc-sander-97181.html

I also got one of these, which I HIGHLY recommend:

http://www.harborfreight.com/sanding-belt-cleaner-30766.html

>>1063361
There are actually some plans online that do not require any welding.

>>1063356

I would suggest a saw

>>1062491

>I have no idea why these things cost $500 for a shitty KIT that doesn't even have a motor.

Because they're made one at a time, in a western shop. That shit's expensive. Not only does labor cost a lot more, but source materials cost more in a first world country too.

I was in the same boat as you. I eventually bit the bullet and bought a KMG and a motor and pulleys and wiring etc.... $1800 later.... and all I've got is the flat platen. Next I'll get some contact wheels and I'll be into this for like $2500 or more.

So ya, these would be cheaper if they were mass produced in chinkfuckistan, but they're not.

Also, that one in the photo would vibrate and rattle like a motherfucker. There's a reason the pro grade machines are heavy with thick bottom plates to sit on.

>>1063620
I looked at those, and the grinder-in-a-box but in the end I said fuck it because welded is better and I'm not a machinist.

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>>1064527
>Also, that one in the photo would vibrate and rattle like a motherfucker. There's a reason the pro grade machines are heavy with thick bottom plates to sit on.

I own a downland engineering linisher, almost identical to that pic. (slightly different earlier design - see pic - Invertec Inverter, 2.5Kw motor, plus multiple contact wheels.)

It does not "rattle like a motherfucker" - in fact, when it was new, I could run it at virtually any range between 1rpm and full speed and balance a coin on its edge on the grinder platen. Only with one specific setting (a 32mm contact wheel and a j-flex belt) did I get vibration at a couple of specific RPM bands - that that was the belt resonating at its harmonic frequency, not the machine itself moving.

3 years, and probably something well in excess of 2-3000 hours of use, its still pretty smooth even when using the most worn parts (some of the poly contact wheels are pretty tired out now).

the only time its suffered from vibration was when one mounting bolt on the drive motor came loose.

So, your idea that its not a "pro grade" tool is utter nonsense. It is absolutely that, and I could not produce the work I do professionally without it. I had the choice between Downland, KMG, Bader, a custom build by Owen Bush, and a few others, I went with the Downland, and do not regret it in the slightest. The only detail I'd change in hindsight would be I'd have asked for the platens to be swapped for stainless steel, as I often use a misting sprayer, and it rusts where the protective covering on the platens has been worn away from so much use.

I would recommend Aly's grinders to anyone who was in the market for one - infact, I have done to some of the very best professionals in my field who I know and chat with regularly, when they've been in the market for new ones.

>>1064556

Well, I stand corrected. I thought it was a home made grinder.

>>1063281
They are utilitarian tools

>>1064695

um, the expensive brand name tools are "utilitarian" as well.

We're talking about working quality here. How well things work, and HF sells shitty, low quality tools and you know it. Or you maybe you don't. I don't know if you're a weekend warrior or a professional.

>>1064708
I'm saying they get the job done, they don't have fancy frills and niche settings

They aren't the lightest, nor longest lasting, but with some tlc and ingenuity you can make them last just as long

Additionally their quality has picked up significantly in the last year, many of their tools they are listing with CSA or UL now instead of Intertek

>>1064708
Do you not know the definition of utilitarian?

>>1064711

Yes I do. It means purpose without concern for aesthetic. All my tools are like that. My expensive tools, for work, aren't gold inlayed or chromed. They're plain as fuck but they're made of better materials and to a higher quality.

I'm not sure you know the meaning of the word.

>>1064595
well made home built ones can be just as good

>>1064730

But they're less likely to be engineered, by an engineer, right?

Can be as good, but probably aren't.

>>1064736
>engineered
>4 rollers, a motor and some steel
It isn't rocket science.

>>1064744

Ya well, the difference between one the vibrates like a motherfucker and one that doesn't may not be rocket science but I've seem some home made grinders that had to be rigid to the floor to stay in place.

>>1064766
It's a simple trick called balancing.

Again, not rocket science. I'm not the same person either.

I thought I'd intrude because it's probably the easiest things to build I could think of. Even easier if you are any where near OK at welding.

>>1064709
>I'm saying they get the job done, they don't have fancy frills and niche settings

No, they don't. They more often fuck up the job due to various problems. Usually incorrect increments, bad measurements and angles, "wiggle room" in blades that prevent you from making good cuts, parts that loosen quickly or wear quickly causing yet more problems and maintenance, so on and so forth.

HF is good for job consumables like fasteners, belt erasers, disposable gloves, and similar items. It is utter shit for anything motor, heating, or measuring.

>>1064769

Not rocket science, but it is engineering. It's their trick, they developed it and that's where it comes from. Thanks for proving my point.

>>1064709
>I'm saying they get the job done
wow, spouting wisdom like this, why would you ever need help?