Homemade Aluminum 2x72 Belt Grinder (no weld)

[mr95gst]

About a year ago I built a 2x72 belt grinder. It is made almost entirely from aluminum scraps that I sourced at a salvage yard. It is powered by a 90vdc treadmill motor and controlled with a DC drive. The wheels were all turned from blanks that I cast from my aluminum foundry. One feature that I incorporated into my design that I have not seen on others is a reversible tool arm. One side has a flat platen and the other holds a small wheel attachment.

This is now my go to tool. If you have been thinking about making or buy a 2x72 grinder, then do it. These things chew through metal at a rate I did not image. Shaping metals has become so much easier.


These are pictures of the roughly casted billet and turning it down to make a roller.






These are picture where I made the tool arm and platen. I don't have a rotary table so I used a router to cut the radius for tilting the platen.






These are picture of the body mocked up and partially assembled.












This is turning the large wheel that added width to the pulley on the treadmill motor. I didnt want to make an entire wheel so i just added on to what was already on the motor.


This is the bracket that hold the small roller for the small wheel attachment.


These are pictures of the completed grinder.

[marksbug]

nice work, Ill add they you can usualy go to a auto repair shop and ask for some timing belt tensioner pulleys, they replace them with every timing belt job. they are extreamly high quality,I personaly have never seen any that were wore out...unlike the fan belt tensioners that do crap out. keep up the great work!!!

[Stevohdee]

Nice work, had belt grinder on my to do list for a while, got treadmill motor ready, still deciding on 48 or 60 inch belts, gunna try to design machine with quick change contact wheels... Still scribbling plans, thanks for posting

[DIYer]

Thanks mr95gst! We've added your Belt Grinder to our Grinding category,
as well as to your builder page: mr95gst's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Belt Grinder by mr95gst

tags: belt grinder

[CharlesWaugh]

SPECTANGULAR!

I have a 3/4HP 90VDC motor and variable controller for it on the shelf.

Now I know what I want to build with it.
:-)

I will make mine so the entire thing tilts over sideways 90 degrees so it acts like a little edge sander - very nice when you can see the curve the small wheel is putting in things.

I really like your reversible platen/roller assembly. Great idea.

Marksburg:
I like the idea of timing belt tensioer pulleys - $20 or les new on Ebay.
:-)

[wizard69]

Nice work on the grinder. I've yet to find a scrap yard that will sell to people locally, you appear to have been fairly lucky in that you got some high quality scrap!

[motopreserve]

Very nicely done. I’ve got a pile of parts under the bench for an almost identical grinder build. Got sidetracked. Need to get back to it! Thanks for the inspiration!

[Scratch]

Nice grinder! How are you controlling the motor? I made one with a treadmill motor too, but now the control board is shot and I need a new way to control the speed.

[mr95gst]

Nice grinder! How are you controlling the motor? I made one with a treadmill motor too, but now the control board is shot and I need a new way to control the speed.

I used a KB electronics drive. If I remember right, it is a kbic 125.