I work at a metal fabrication shop. I have designed and had laser-cut a couple of parts already, but I really want to put together a kit like this at some point. Thanks very much for the inspiration! For those who have not seen them (like me, in the past), having precision-cut locating tabs and holes are amazing!
Nice build! I built a 2x72 I designed a few years back. Very handy tool! I integrated a variable height stand for standing and sitting use and a few accessories with mounts. I used wood templates and cut with a hand plasma cutter. Wheels were expensive at the time so turned my own using a HF lathe and radius tool mount I made. It was a very challenging project for my amateur capabilities. I'm very glad to see you sharing your design and making it easier for people who would like to build one.
Thanks for the video! I don't comment much (if at all), but found it important to share my thoughts. I'm in the process of building this right now, and I'm going to share a few things I've learned so far about fabrication in regard to this project specifically. 1) The threaded mounting holes on the motor are only 1/2-3/4" deep and are blind. Don't thread a 1" bolt in there and keep cranking. Ow. 2) The holes are all 3/8" as drawn, but the linked rollers are designed for a 12x40mm (I would take it to the hardware store and double check that) shoulder bolt. You could do what I did and drill it out to 10mm and get a lock nut, or you could thread it for M10x1.5 (I think that was the thread I was able to find in the hardware store). If I were to do this again, I'd have waited for the rollers to get here before I bought anything else, and definitely before I paid for the custom cut plate (which is indeed very nice), and used what's available to guide my choice on what size to thread the hole. A simple thing that could have alleviated most of my non-welding woes. [I just double checked and it should have been threaded from the start. I'm actually more satisfied with how I did things like this than if I'd done it as designed. If you get the plate as drawn you can still tap it yourself pretty easily.] 3) There are a few options for 120v input. I just grabbed the cheapest. Input is usually listed as RST on the VFD - for 1 phase 120v input hot is R and neutral is T. S is used for 240v, and ground is its own lug. 4) You don't need a ton of the 1-1/2" square tube. Maybe a 4 foot section tops, if you're thinking about making multiple tool rests. I didn't think about what I was doing and bought 8 feet of it. 5) You can make life a little easier by using KIPP style toolless screws (ratcheting handle screws) for the 4 side adjustment screws. 6) I think it's definitely important to build the frame Mr. Welds has on his, but I also think it's a good idea to go to Harbor Freight and buy a $60 grinder pedestal for this thing as well. This way you can still move it around, but you don't have to do as much lifting/fighting with it when it comes time to use it. I have more than a few tools that I dread using because I don't want to fight with getting them out from under the work bench.
Mr. Tim, I'm a new subscriber. I just want to say that your idea to include the plans in a single link is revolutionary and excellent. It's like you're the new Popular Mechanics! Seriously! THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT! This is on my 2023 must do list. Impressive welding, too but I REALLY want to commend you for this list. I'm glad I subbed.
I've been on the edge of building a 2x72 for the last 2 years but have been torn over the space it would take up in my small shop. Until now I haven't seen a decent design for a 2x48. Many thanks Tim - this is now on my to-build list although I may make a few mods in order to use a motor I already have.
Awesome! I've helped build a few 2x72s for friends and have had the same hangup on the space they take up. I figured I might as well just make one that will work for me.
Well, this is on my project list now. I'm building a new shop after the loss of my previous one and I'm having a lot of fun making most of my own equipment and furniture. This grinder is awesome
I'm almost done building mine. for a weekend warrior like me, this is a great project. Two things, my motor does not have a flange to mount it so I have to modify the design a bit. Second, if yo guys need bolts I recommend the Bolt Depot. Great prices without having to spend a tone in shipping!
The total cost was about $600, though I already had some square tubing on hand. You could save some cost by using a single phase motor without variable speed. The big ticket items were: Laser Cut Plates: $150 Motor: $220 VFD: $90 Rollers: $70 @Brian Ieduc As far as kits go, I designed this one from scratch, so there is no kit right now. Most of the major components are listed in the description as well as the CAD files for the plate work. There's also a link to add all the plates to a SendCutSend cart.
@@TimWelds Cool, thanks. Now all I need to do is get skilled enough with my TIG welding where I don't need to order 7 sets of parts from SendCutSend :)
Sweet build! That is exactly the kind of grinder that I’d like for my shop: lots of flexibility, small package, and simple bullet proof construction. Well done!
Man! This is such a beautiful, compact, practical design. Started my 2x72 build, and as far as I’ve gotten so far is the whole front end (platten, rest, etc.). I may just have to make this design the back end to save space. Thanks man!
Very nice Tim. I’ve wanted to make one, but haven’t gotten around to it. The only thing I would suggest it to use something to cover that A-36 belt back plate. You’d be surprised how quickly they wear. Possibly a graphite sheet used for that purpose, or next time, a steel with good wear resistance, such as AR-400.
@@cae2487 I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ceramic platen for these kinds of sanders. We’re talking about metal. There’s a lot of pressure used for metal. A ceramic platen could crack from the high point pressure and heat.
@@melgross go take a look at pops knife supplies they offer those plattens for sale. They can break but you'd have to really be slamming your work piece into the belt but as long as you are using it like a normal belt grinder you shouldn't have any issues. You cam only push so hard against the belt before you are going to bind it up or put a whole butt ton of heat into your part. Knife makers have been using ceramic platens for years because they last longer than steel platens and they don't heat up as fast as a steel platen would.
Very nice build, I like that you used MIG/TIG depending on the situation. One thing I would add is a counter nut for the tracking adjustment screw, maybe a nut with a tiny lever welded to it so you can lock the tracking screw in position firmly after adjusting it.
Wow, thanx for sharing this information. Looks really well built. Smart when smaller and when you tilt the grinding you do it by tilting the hole assembly. Hope I can find a business tha can help me with the parts
I work in a laser cutting shop and I've built a 2x72", I love it but dang it's a LOT of machine and definitely NOT portable; I can lift and carry it but I need a pretty good reason to do so. It also takes up a TON of bench, and floor space in front of it, it sticks out a good 15-18" beyond the edge of a 24" deep bench. Honestly, for general shop and fab work something this size would suit most people much better so I really appreciate you uploading the files, I think that's the push I needed to finally build another and downsize to something a little more manageable.
Hey Tim love you're content. Recently bought your mig/flux core and basic fab course and they're great in the future I would love to see an advanced fabrication course and maybe a deeper dive into cnc
WOW! Great work. I've done a similar belt grinder project but mine is not as nice as yours. The only comment I have is you've made a mistake mounting the VFD to the frame holding the motor. I've seen many VFDs fail prematurely from vibrations caused by being mounted to the motor frames. The vibrations cause the solder joints in the circuit boards to fail. Other than that, I love it.
i feel like these 2x48 belt grinders are useless to most people but the people who need them or covet them find incredible use for it. Ive been dreaming of one for a long time and this video gave me the inspiration and realization to realize i have everything i need to build one myself.
i built a pretty sweet bike stand for a xr650r out of a bed frame on the side of the road without any detailed measurements. it looks like hell, but it works as i only have running a 115v millermatic wirefeed, at the highest voltage it still struggles on much more than sheet metal. like trying to weld a nut onto a 3/8" broken bolt is tough. something about the chinese steel bed frames it welds them with ease, a little splatter but at least it gets some good joints. weird about the welder is it'll weld beautiful looking beads on stainless with flux cored wire.
I've bought the "kit" from the link, and by my estimation the idle pulley tube is 9-10" long. The side box plate is 5" in length, and it looks to extend about 4-5". The platform is 3" deep, so if the other is 9", I'd go closer to 14-15". I'll post here once I get my build started, if you don't get a response otherwise.
Hello Tim, I really like the compact size of this Belt Grinder. So I'm building one. Can you tell me what length of 1.5 x 1.5 tube you used for the platen and work rest? From the images it looks like they are about 12" and 15" long. I also want to thank you for the free dxf files. I was able to cut out most of the parts on my cnc plasma table with only a few needing to be cut out on a laser table. I didn't know that you could get 220 volt 3 phase power out of a frequency converter with 120 volts input. Thanks for your excellent design and build instruction video.
This is fantastic! I'm interested in if you have any updates or modifications you've done? Maybe a fixed base that allows the grinder to hinge over for horizontal grinding? How about those other tables?
It's not quite apples to apples with those on the market, but it ended up costing around half what I would have spent for a comparable off the shelf unit, not including my time.
Mine is 120 volt. For the VFD, I just bought the cheapest one from Amazon. It’s working great, but may fail early because it has open ventilation which can allow metal dust in and short the circuit board. I figured I’d take the gamble and upgrade when it dies.
I see the roller wheels you have linked use metric thread bolts. Might be easier to service getting standard 1/2 bolts and slightly more expensive US made wheels. Origin blade maker on eBay sells some good stuff and their polymer wheels work well for about the same price. I returned some vevor rollers for this reason on my build.
I went back and forth on some different rollers, but ended up just using 7/16" bolts through the metric bearings. They seem to run fine for now, but if they start having problems, I'll probably upgrade. I'll have to check out Origin Blade Maker to see what they have available. Thanks!
@@dennisyoung4631 the wheels are 12mm. I'm probably going to order the OBM set with a 7" driver. Those have a 1/2" bore. I am trying to figure which bolts to use. I kind of want to use a 1/2" o.d. shoulder bolt with a 3/8" screw but not sure yet what to do. I'm going to use shoulder bolts for the pivot points of the tracking wheel & platten.
@@migs1121 shoulder bolts usually have fairly close to nominal diameter “shanks”. A project I’m currently workin on will use a pair with 1/4-20 threads, and the part that the “shanks” will go in is to have replaceable bushings to provide added strength and replaceable wear points. I have one as a rough example right now. 1/2” bore bearings are commonly designated as “R8” - at least, the ones I’ve seen, shopped for, and purchased have.
Now here I thought in North America we couldn't run 3-phase motors without a converter. I'm baby new to this, but I really want a belt grinder so I'm absorbing as much info as I can. This is very sharp looking! Lucia's Shop built a very fancy one. You should check out her channel.
Great work, thanks for sharing. However, I think that the three welds @3:20 are greatly exagerated. 3-4 tacks along each edge would have been sufficient.
Love the compact build and just tilting it on its side is genius.... so simple. Have two comments.... the availability and cost of 2x48 instead of 2x72 belts. 2x72 belts are so common, in such a wide variety... I don't know about 2x48 belts. Second Comment.... I can't see that controller lasting very long sucking in grinder dust. Bad in the vertical orientation and terrible in the horizontal orientation. TEFC motors are pretty well sealed and in my experience can take a lot of abuse. Maybe a VFD in a watertight enclosure? Nice design and I never thought about using a laser cutting service.
Awesome build, and thanks for adding the plans to the video description. I have a dumb question, are the original plans in inches or milimeters? When I was uploading them to sendcutsend, I had to stop because I don't have the program to open the original files, and therefore don't know what your original measurements were. Thanks again! I love your videos man.
@@TimWelds Oh, thanks...I actually got onto onshape to get the files and see that they were in mm. I am not new to fabricating, but I am new to these cad systems. Is there a quick and easy way to read the drawings for me to know what holes are tapped, and to what size? When I look at the files on onshape, I just see holes and can't figure out how to tell what size they need to be tapped. Thanks for answering these newbie questions, you're going above and beyond for me.
I chose the 3 phase motor because variable speed with a VFD is better than variable speed options with a single phase motor. It's almost always turned all the way up when I use it, so I'd probably just use a single phase motor and a light switch if I were doing it again because that would be cheaper.
Hey man, congrats for the built, and sharing everything with us. You are such a nice guy 👏 Im looking to buy one of these from Europe, but i cant find a well built reliable 2x48 at decent price.
Prices have changed a lot since then, but if I remember correctly, it was under $500 at the time. If I were to do it again, I wouldn’t mess with variable speed because I always leave it cranked up. That would save a couple hundred bucks, but if you’re grinding knives, you might want to have the variable speed.
@@TimWelds I was thinking of building a 2x72 but I just need something for cleaning welds up. The vfd sounds like it would be good to especially if I pick up some belts for Polishing and sharpening some blades.
Hardware Hi Tim - do you have a hardware size/count for this project - I'm fairly remote so I'm trying to avoid going back and forth to store. Like the project - looking forward to putting it to work Thanks much
There are links to most of the main components in the description. These are the rollers and they came with bearings installed. amzn.to/3eAPb82 They are a metric 12mm bore, but I just used a 7/16" bolt and it seems to be working all enough. This is the VFD I used: amzn.to/3EGpQnL . It works well overall, but it isn't ideal because it circulates air over the electronics and with the proximity to the grinding dust, that could cause problems at some point. I may add some filter material to the vents to avoid this. I'm also skeptical as to whether it delivers the power that is claimed based on the amperage draw, though the grinder still has plenty of power.
Hi Tim ~ I don't get much time for web research, so please excuse the question if you've covered it elsewhere. I was wondering how you've employed your Portaband bandsaw setup? I'm trying to find a way to make fairly square cuts using 1-inch thick 1018 bar stock and am trying to find out if a cut like that is possible with a portaband type saw and a Swag table stand? I previously subscribed, so please keep up making the informative videos. 👍
Thanks for the question! I generally use my portaband and stand to cut shapes from sheet/plate. If I we’re cutting bar stock like that with a portaband, I’d support the material and use it handheld. The cuts would be as straight as it’s held, but could be really good. A horizontal bandsaw or chop saw would be able to make more repeatable straight cuts. Hope this helps!
@@TimWelds Hi Tim ~ I'm seriously considering following your lead and fabricating our own belt grinder. My main concern is the motor itself. Some folks say that you need to base a belt grinder around a low rpm motor -- like a 3-phase 2 hp 1800 rpm design -- to get the required torque. I'm not sure how much you've used your grinder at this point, but have you ever felt the need for more torque when shaping metal?
Hi Tim, appreciate the work you put in your videos, nice looking belt grinder. Do you have any tips when cutting miters on 4x1 tube? So they don’t go out of square? Thanks
Thanks! I linked most of the components that I used in the video description. As far as the design goes, it has similarities to a lot of designs already out there, but by using the tab and slot construction of the main housing, I was able to reduce the overall part count and a lot of hand cutting.
Any way you can have the CAD files with dimensions already on the drawings. When you open then AutoCad they don't have the dimensions laid out you have to lay them all out and it's quite consuming. If you already have them drawn can you save them with them displayed? I understand you want to have us use your service but sometimes that's not an option. Thanks for all you do.
Impressive, thanks for sharing all the sources. VFD should be IMO protected better, especially for the horizontal use (or just kept away in the safe distance from the unit).
It's just a right angle die grinder with a surface conditioning pad on it. That particular one is battery powered from Milwaukee. They're kind of expensive, and I haven't had it that long, but I really like it. I used cheap air powered ones for 20 years, and they work just as well, but I got tired of dragging out the compressor to run that one tool.
The only thing I'd keep in mind is that in the horizontal orientation the motor might be prone to sucking up dust from off the bench. Great looking build; I could definitely use one of my own.
Nice build! Did you mention the vertical height of this grinder once finished? If not- can you let us know? I want to see if it would fit into a 15" tall cubby
I've been back to this video several time. Thank for taking the time. One question about the motor mount: Does the hole pattern from a 56 motor case the same as a 56c, like the one in your amazon link?
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
You can learn to weld. I'll show you exactly what to do in my affordable online welding courses at courses.timwelds.com.
Where'd you get the wheels the motor and speed controller
Dude, that is a really impressive build! Very nice work!
I work at a metal fabrication shop. I have designed and had laser-cut a couple of parts already, but I really want to put together a kit like this at some point. Thanks very much for the inspiration!
For those who have not seen them (like me, in the past), having precision-cut locating tabs and holes are amazing!
Do you need this belt grinder
Nice build! I built a 2x72 I designed a few years back. Very handy tool! I integrated a variable height stand for standing and sitting use and a few accessories with mounts. I used wood templates and cut with a hand plasma cutter. Wheels were expensive at the time so turned my own using a HF lathe and radius tool mount I made. It was a very challenging project for my amateur capabilities. I'm very glad to see you sharing your design and making it easier for people who would like to build one.
5:30 “I’ll go ahead and weld this on like a boss”. That you did sir
Thanks for the video! I don't comment much (if at all), but found it important to share my thoughts.
I'm in the process of building this right now, and I'm going to share a few things I've learned so far about fabrication in regard to this project specifically.
1) The threaded mounting holes on the motor are only 1/2-3/4" deep and are blind. Don't thread a 1" bolt in there and keep cranking. Ow.
2) The holes are all 3/8" as drawn, but the linked rollers are designed for a 12x40mm (I would take it to the hardware store and double check that) shoulder bolt. You could do what I did and drill it out to 10mm and get a lock nut, or you could thread it for M10x1.5 (I think that was the thread I was able to find in the hardware store). If I were to do this again, I'd have waited for the rollers to get here before I bought anything else, and definitely before I paid for the custom cut plate (which is indeed very nice), and used what's available to guide my choice on what size to thread the hole. A simple thing that could have alleviated most of my non-welding woes. [I just double checked and it should have been threaded from the start. I'm actually more satisfied with how I did things like this than if I'd done it as designed. If you get the plate as drawn you can still tap it yourself pretty easily.]
3) There are a few options for 120v input. I just grabbed the cheapest. Input is usually listed as RST on the VFD - for 1 phase 120v input hot is R and neutral is T. S is used for 240v, and ground is its own lug.
4) You don't need a ton of the 1-1/2" square tube. Maybe a 4 foot section tops, if you're thinking about making multiple tool rests. I didn't think about what I was doing and bought 8 feet of it.
5) You can make life a little easier by using KIPP style toolless screws (ratcheting handle screws) for the 4 side adjustment screws.
6) I think it's definitely important to build the frame Mr. Welds has on his, but I also think it's a good idea to go to Harbor Freight and buy a $60 grinder pedestal for this thing as well. This way you can still move it around, but you don't have to do as much lifting/fighting with it when it comes time to use it. I have more than a few tools that I dread using because I don't want to fight with getting them out from under the work bench.
Great comment- thanks for sharing!
Mr. Tim, I'm a new subscriber. I just want to say that your idea to include the plans in a single link is revolutionary and excellent. It's like you're the new Popular Mechanics! Seriously! THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT! This is on my 2023 must do list.
Impressive welding, too but I REALLY want to commend you for this list. I'm glad I subbed.
I've been on the edge of building a 2x72 for the last 2 years but have been torn over the space it would take up in my small shop. Until now I haven't seen a decent design for a 2x48. Many thanks Tim - this is now on my to-build list although I may make a few mods in order to use a motor I already have.
Awesome! I've helped build a few 2x72s for friends and have had the same hangup on the space they take up. I figured I might as well just make one that will work for me.
Nice build your a good teacher I watch your videos daily I get something from every one of them
Well, this is on my project list now. I'm building a new shop after the loss of my previous one and I'm having a lot of fun making most of my own equipment and furniture. This grinder is awesome
It's rare to find a build in RUclips I actually like.
I love this
I'm almost done building mine. for a weekend warrior like me, this is a great project. Two things, my motor does not have a flange to mount it so I have to modify the design a bit. Second, if yo guys need bolts I recommend the Bolt Depot. Great prices without having to spend a tone in shipping!
That's very slick! What was the total cost of the project?
I second this question! Would be helpful to know.
Very nice belt grinder I'm like every one else who watches projects never say the cost or were to buy the kits clearly
@@brianleduc7797 He put the entire project in the description.
The total cost was about $600, though I already had some square tubing on hand. You could save some cost by using a single phase motor without variable speed. The big ticket items were:
Laser Cut Plates: $150
Motor: $220
VFD: $90
Rollers: $70
@Brian Ieduc As far as kits go, I designed this one from scratch, so there is no kit right now. Most of the major components are listed in the description as well as the CAD files for the plate work. There's also a link to add all the plates to a SendCutSend cart.
@@TimWelds Cool, thanks. Now all I need to do is get skilled enough with my TIG welding where I don't need to order 7 sets of parts from SendCutSend :)
Wow, home made tools are always a dream when done right. Solid build quality, practical features and designed from experience. Great job!
Impressive! Quality workmanship.
Sweet build! That is exactly the kind of grinder that I’d like for my shop: lots of flexibility, small package, and simple bullet proof construction.
Well done!
Tim this is such a cool build! I can't believe this is the first video I have seen on your channel. Really cool stuff going on here!
Thanks Kendall! Hope you and your family are doing well!
You've kept it simple, the key in engineering, Thank you for sharing here, beautiful work!
Man! This is such a beautiful, compact, practical design. Started my 2x72 build, and as far as I’ve gotten so far is the whole front end (platten, rest, etc.). I may just have to make this design the back end to save space. Thanks man!
Very nice Tim. I’ve wanted to make one, but haven’t gotten around to it. The only thing I would suggest it to use something to cover that A-36 belt back plate. You’d be surprised how quickly they wear. Possibly a graphite sheet used for that purpose, or next time, a steel with good wear resistance, such as AR-400.
Perhaps a replaceable strip of UHMP? (What I had thought to use if I ever managed a grinder build.)
Why not just buy a ceramic glass platten to put on it. I'm pretty sure it's like 20ish bucks for one.
@@cae2487 I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ceramic platen for these kinds of sanders. We’re talking about metal. There’s a lot of pressure used for metal. A ceramic platen could crack from the high point pressure and heat.
@@melgross go take a look at pops knife supplies they offer those plattens for sale. They can break but you'd have to really be slamming your work piece into the belt but as long as you are using it like a normal belt grinder you shouldn't have any issues. You cam only push so hard against the belt before you are going to bind it up or put a whole butt ton of heat into your part. Knife makers have been using ceramic platens for years because they last longer than steel platens and they don't heat up as fast as a steel platen would.
@@cae2487 for,knives, I suppose they might be ok for a while. But for anything else, we really push it. They wouldn’t last.
Very nice build, I like that you used MIG/TIG depending on the situation. One thing I would add is a counter nut for the tracking adjustment screw, maybe a nut with a tiny lever welded to it so you can lock the tracking screw in position firmly after adjusting it.
I was thinking a coil spring slipped over the screw just to give it some resistance against vibration.
This is what I needed in my life, Tim. Always love your projects, and I'm all over this one.
Thank you for sharing. Great idea for horizontal - vertical conversion!
Muy bien hecho,me gustaria tener las medidas de las piesas cortadas en laser, un saludo.
I love this! Would be a perfect project for someone wanting to practice their welding skills for a real life use!
hey Tim, nicely done! definitely a big inspiration to make my own. Thanks a lot! greetings from Amsterdam.
Wow, thanx for sharing this information. Looks really well built. Smart when smaller and when you tilt the grinding you do it by tilting the hole assembly.
Hope I can find a business tha can help me with the parts
Your vocabulary is amazing, I learn so many correct names for things in your videos. Fantastic work!
I work in a laser cutting shop and I've built a 2x72", I love it but dang it's a LOT of machine and definitely NOT portable; I can lift and carry it but I need a pretty good reason to do so. It also takes up a TON of bench, and floor space in front of it, it sticks out a good 15-18" beyond the edge of a 24" deep bench.
Honestly, for general shop and fab work something this size would suit most people much better so I really appreciate you uploading the files, I think that's the push I needed to finally build another and downsize to something a little more manageable.
Thanks for the plans and the video.
Sweet. You built in 12 minutes what took me a mere 7 months to do, and I suspect yours is a tad better than mine. :-) Great vid. Thanks.
Very cool! I watched some of your earlier videos a couple of years ago. You're welding like a pro now bro! Kudos!
I think this will be one of my first at home projects once I get my welder
Nicely done and thank you, however maybe a note with the .dxf files specifying which holes in which parts need to be tapped would help.
Oooooooh ! That's a BEAUTY ! Well done !
Great work Tim. I think I will use your design as ''inspiration''' to build mine
Wow that’s nice all I need a good size workplace and skills todo it go back to learning again.
Hey Tim love you're content. Recently bought your mig/flux core and basic fab course and they're great in the future I would love to see an advanced fabrication course and maybe a deeper dive into cnc
Thanks!
WOW! Great work. I've done a similar belt grinder project but mine is not as nice as yours. The only comment I have is you've made a mistake mounting the VFD to the frame holding the motor. I've seen many VFDs fail prematurely from vibrations caused by being mounted to the motor frames. The vibrations cause the solder joints in the circuit boards to fail. Other than that, I love it.
We do industrial work and do alot control cabnits. We use drives from automation direct. Great drives never had any issues.
i feel like these 2x48 belt grinders are useless to most people but the people who need them or covet them find incredible use for it. Ive been dreaming of one for a long time and this video gave me the inspiration and realization to realize i have everything i need to build one myself.
Awesome project Tim --- enjoy seeing your videos --- can't wait to see the next ones --- have a great day
i built a pretty sweet bike stand for a xr650r out of a bed frame on the side of the road without any detailed measurements. it looks like hell, but it works as i only have running a 115v millermatic wirefeed, at the highest voltage it still struggles on much more than sheet metal. like trying to weld a nut onto a 3/8" broken bolt is tough. something about the chinese steel bed frames it welds them with ease, a little splatter but at least it gets some good joints. weird about the welder is it'll weld beautiful looking beads on stainless with flux cored wire.
How long do you cut the 1 1/2in tubing for the idle pulleys and platform holder?
I've bought the "kit" from the link, and by my estimation the idle pulley tube is 9-10" long. The side box plate is 5" in length, and it looks to extend about 4-5". The platform is 3" deep, so if the other is 9", I'd go closer to 14-15". I'll post here once I get my build started, if you don't get a response otherwise.
Got the build started, and very close to running. The idle pulley tube is 8.5”, and the platform is 12.25”
@@retired_badger Thanks that helps a lot!!!
Hello Tim, I really like the compact size of this Belt Grinder. So I'm building one. Can you tell me what length of 1.5 x 1.5 tube you used for the platen and work rest? From the images it looks like they are about 12" and 15" long. I also want to thank you for the free dxf files. I was able to cut out most of the parts on my cnc plasma table with only a few needing to be cut out on a laser table. I didn't know that you could get 220 volt 3 phase power out of a frequency converter with 120 volts input. Thanks for your excellent design and build instruction video.
Great job, Tim. I really enjoy your channel.
I’m really impressed. Especially with your dog table. It’s beautiful👍
Very nice👌. I was going to build Jeremy schmidt belt grinder but when i saw this. I Have to think again... Looking forward to see upgraded table🤩
Very nice and compact grinder build! Do you have a list of the hardware & bolts you used?
If you weld a bearing ball to the tip of that tracking adjustment screw it should feel much smoother.
Great build. Thanks for linking the parts!
Looks like a practical addition to your shop, great work Tim, keep the videos coming
That was amazing. Nice work
This is great, Tim. Simple and brilliant! Nicely done!
This is fantastic! I'm interested in if you have any updates or modifications you've done? Maybe a fixed base that allows the grinder to hinge over for horizontal grinding? How about those other tables?
Very nice i like dis how much if order all part sander belt
Super job! So…aside from it being custom designed, is there any savings between building yourself or buying an off the shelf similar grinder?
It's not quite apples to apples with those on the market, but it ended up costing around half what I would have spent for a comparable off the shelf unit, not including my time.
I’d love to see a video or small series on basic cad and showing how you use onshape.
Nice build, is the VFD 120 or 240 volt? Which VFD would you recommend for 3phase to 120 volt? Thx
Mine is 120 volt. For the VFD, I just bought the cheapest one from Amazon. It’s working great, but may fail early because it has open ventilation which can allow metal dust in and short the circuit board. I figured I’d take the gamble and upgrade when it dies.
I see the roller wheels you have linked use metric thread bolts. Might be easier to service getting standard 1/2 bolts and slightly more expensive US made wheels. Origin blade maker on eBay sells some good stuff and their polymer wheels work well for about the same price. I returned some vevor rollers for this reason on my build.
I went back and forth on some different rollers, but ended up just using 7/16" bolts through the metric bearings. They seem to run fine for now, but if they start having problems, I'll probably upgrade. I'll have to check out Origin Blade Maker to see what they have available. Thanks!
@@TimWelds I’m guessing those bearings have a 12mm bore, e.g. 6001 bearings. 12mm bolt *might* fit sloppy enough to make for erratic tracking.
@@dennisyoung4631 the wheels are 12mm. I'm probably going to order the OBM set with a 7" driver. Those have a 1/2" bore. I am trying to figure which bolts to use. I kind of want to use a 1/2" o.d. shoulder bolt with a 3/8" screw but not sure yet what to do. I'm going to use shoulder bolts for the pivot points of the tracking wheel & platten.
@@migs1121 shoulder bolts usually have fairly close to nominal diameter “shanks”.
A project I’m currently workin on will use a pair with 1/4-20 threads, and the part that the “shanks” will go in is to have replaceable bushings to provide added strength and replaceable wear points. I have one as a rough example right now.
1/2” bore bearings are commonly designated as “R8” - at least, the ones I’ve seen, shopped for, and purchased have.
Great, great video. Loved the design.
What gauge steel did you use? I’ve designed a lot of tab and slot stuff, it’s really great! Wish I had a welder at home haha
The listing at where he had the pieces cut indicated 1/4” inch hot-rolled, pickled and oiled steel.
@@dennisyoung4631 good eye! Thanks.
Very clever Tim! Good job!
Now here I thought in North America we couldn't run 3-phase motors without a converter. I'm baby new to this, but I really want a belt grinder so I'm absorbing as much info as I can. This is very sharp looking! Lucia's Shop built a very fancy one. You should check out her channel.
Great work, thanks for sharing. However, I think that the three welds @3:20 are greatly exagerated. 3-4 tacks along each edge would have been sufficient.
Love the compact build and just tilting it on its side is genius.... so simple. Have two comments.... the availability and cost of 2x48 instead of 2x72 belts. 2x72 belts are so common, in such a wide variety... I don't know about 2x48 belts. Second Comment.... I can't see that controller lasting very long sucking in grinder dust. Bad in the vertical orientation and terrible in the horizontal orientation. TEFC motors are pretty well sealed and in my experience can take a lot of abuse. Maybe a VFD in a watertight enclosure? Nice design and I never thought about using a laser cutting service.
Great Design!!! I have am new to flux core welding. Do you think this could be done with a flux core welder?
Thanks! It could definitely be done with FCAW.
Do you put the sand paper right on the machine or there's something flexibly round to put the sand paper on it to use? Thank you.
Awesome build, and thanks for adding the plans to the video description. I have a dumb question, are the original plans in inches or milimeters? When I was uploading them to sendcutsend, I had to stop because I don't have the program to open the original files, and therefore don't know what your original measurements were. Thanks again! I love your videos man.
The files are in mm. Just make sure the dimensions look reasonable when you upload.
@@TimWelds Oh, thanks...I actually got onto onshape to get the files and see that they were in mm. I am not new to fabricating, but I am new to these cad systems. Is there a quick and easy way to read the drawings for me to know what holes are tapped, and to what size? When I look at the files on onshape, I just see holes and can't figure out how to tell what size they need to be tapped. Thanks for answering these newbie questions, you're going above and beyond for me.
so for the person who is NOT a CAD software user, is there a way to get the templates in a pdf or similar where i can just print to size? thanks
Very nice piece of equipment you designed. Did you choose the 3 phase motor because you already had it on hand?
I chose the 3 phase motor because variable speed with a VFD is better than variable speed options with a single phase motor. It's almost always turned all the way up when I use it, so I'd probably just use a single phase motor and a light switch if I were doing it again because that would be cheaper.
Hey man, congrats for the built, and sharing everything with us. You are such a nice guy 👏
Im looking to buy one of these from Europe, but i cant find a well built reliable 2x48 at decent price.
Teco L510 is an awesome vfd. I use it on my lathe and its phenomenal
Very nice, simple, strong, excellent 👏
Mind me asking how much the final cost was for this? I'm trying to decide if i should buy a pre built one or build this.
Prices have changed a lot since then, but if I remember correctly, it was under $500 at the time. If I were to do it again, I wouldn’t mess with variable speed because I always leave it cranked up. That would save a couple hundred bucks, but if you’re grinding knives, you might want to have the variable speed.
@@TimWelds I was thinking of building a 2x72 but I just need something for cleaning welds up. The vfd sounds like it would be good to especially if I pick up some belts for Polishing and sharpening some blades.
Do you have a set of plans for those not in the US
Hey thanks Tim! Awesome!
Hardware
Hi Tim - do you have a hardware size/count for this project - I'm fairly remote so I'm trying to avoid going back and forth to store. Like the project - looking forward to putting it to work
Thanks much
Nice Build!... Been following your channel. Keep up the good work.
Super job on the explanation the build, telling us about OnShape and, SendCutSend. Very good job editing the video! Tim keep up the great work!
Love the compact format of this. Did you ever get round to do it any more designs for different to rest and maybe a contact well?
Please send us the links where you bought those bearings and VFD. Thanks
There are links to most of the main components in the description.
These are the rollers and they came with bearings installed. amzn.to/3eAPb82 They are a metric 12mm bore, but I just used a 7/16" bolt and it seems to be working all enough.
This is the VFD I used: amzn.to/3EGpQnL . It works well overall, but it isn't ideal because it circulates air over the electronics and with the proximity to the grinding dust, that could cause problems at some point. I may add some filter material to the vents to avoid this. I'm also skeptical as to whether it delivers the power that is claimed based on the amperage draw, though the grinder still has plenty of power.
Yeah, another project! Thanks Professor Binford.
More Power!
This is perfect size is there a link to buy the plans .
Would love to build one.
Great video.
Hi Tim ~ I don't get much time for web research, so please excuse the question if you've covered it elsewhere. I was wondering how you've employed your Portaband bandsaw setup? I'm trying to find a way to make fairly square cuts using 1-inch thick 1018 bar stock and am trying to find out if a cut like that is possible with a portaband type saw and a Swag table stand? I previously subscribed, so please keep up making the informative videos. 👍
Thanks for the question! I generally use my portaband and stand to cut shapes from sheet/plate. If I we’re cutting bar stock like that with a portaband, I’d support the material and use it handheld. The cuts would be as straight as it’s held, but could be really good. A horizontal bandsaw or chop saw would be able to make more repeatable straight cuts. Hope this helps!
@@TimWelds Hi Tim ~ I'm seriously considering following your lead and fabricating our own belt grinder. My main concern is the motor itself. Some folks say that you need to base a belt grinder around a low rpm motor -- like a 3-phase 2 hp 1800 rpm design -- to get the required torque. I'm not sure how much you've used your grinder at this point, but have you ever felt the need for more torque when shaping metal?
Hi Tim, appreciate the work you put in your videos, nice looking belt grinder. Do you have any tips when cutting miters on 4x1 tube? So they don’t go out of square? Thanks
Cool stuff. Can you talk about the design and the pulleys/rollers, what’s the sourcing of them. Thanks
Thanks! I linked most of the components that I used in the video description. As far as the design goes, it has similarities to a lot of designs already out there, but by using the tab and slot construction of the main housing, I was able to reduce the overall part count and a lot of hand cutting.
Any way you can have the CAD files with dimensions already on the drawings. When you open then AutoCad they don't have the dimensions laid out you have to lay them all out and it's quite consuming. If you already have them drawn can you save them with them displayed? I understand you want to have us use your service but sometimes that's not an option. Thanks for all you do.
I never made dimensioned prints, there’s really no need for them other than inspection when CNC cutting.
So the whole grinder body hangs on the flange of the motor? Isn't it putting a lot of stress on the motor case?
Impressive, thanks for sharing all the sources. VFD should be IMO protected better, especially for the horizontal use (or just kept away in the safe distance from the unit).
Yeah if all that grinding and sanding debris get inside the VFD it will more than likely release the magic smoke.
what's the mini angle drinder you're using?
It's just a right angle die grinder with a surface conditioning pad on it. That particular one is battery powered from Milwaukee. They're kind of expensive, and I haven't had it that long, but I really like it. I used cheap air powered ones for 20 years, and they work just as well, but I got tired of dragging out the compressor to run that one tool.
Awesome work mate! Loved the look of this and might have a go myself. Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺 😎👌
The only thing I'd keep in mind is that in the horizontal orientation the motor might be prone to sucking up dust from off the bench. Great looking build; I could definitely use one of my own.
I think that's the reason for the TEFC motor. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TEFC_motor
hello, can you tell me the thickness of the material used, thank you
Nice build! Did you mention the vertical height of this grinder once finished? If not- can you let us know? I want to see if it would fit into a 15" tall cubby
Thank you Tim.
I've been back to this video several time. Thank for taking the time. One question about the motor mount: Does the hole pattern from a 56 motor case the same as a 56c, like the one in your amazon link?
The belt grinder project turned out great.
Tim, can you elaborate on what makes your VFD not so good? So much so that you wish you would have gotten a different one?