$30 (2" x 72") Belt Grinder Home Made, No Special Tools Required.

I show how I built the 2" x 72" Belt Grinder without any special tools. Skill Saw, Jig Saw, Drill, File, etc..
Simple, anyone can do it with simple tools.
There is one other video about this Grinder:
• 2"x72" Belt Grinder, P...

[@lawrenceogden8682]

BRILLIANT VIDEO I WORKRED IN THE ABRASIVE BELT MACHINE BUSINESS IN THE UK FOR TWENTY YEARS AND WHAT YOU HAVE COME UP WITH IS WHAT I WILL MAKE IT IS ALL YOU NEED, IF YOU HAVE PROBLEM WITH THE TRACKING QUATER INCH WIDE TAPE WRAPED AROUND THE MIDDLE OF THE DRIVE WHEEL HELPS STABALISE THE TRACKING AND A BUCKET OF WATER ON THE FLOOR UNDER THE SPARKS CUTS DOWN ON THE DUST, ITS ALSO SOMEWHERE TO QUENCH THE PART BEING GROUND

[@aidenallen4518]

as someone currently trying to make a belt grinder I found this helpful, thank you

[@The314moses]

What a clever and creative use of inexpensive, everyday materials. And it looks like it works very well. Great job!

[@MarkThomas123]

Thank you.. It does work well.. I am still using it in 2020/2021.. :)

[@kimcurtis9366]

Well, Mark, I think you did an excellent job! Proves the old saying, "Where there's a will, there's a way!" I picked up 3 treadmill motors out of the dump, today, for variable speed, and have the plan to make one of these! Eventually, I will make one out of tubing but, I think I'll try this, first! Yours looks to be very uncomplicated and best of all, it works! Kudos on a job, well done!

[@MarkThomas123]

Kim Curtis well that would put you off to an awesome start. A good DC treadmill motor is variable speed and high torque. Good luck with your project. just don't give up. It's not that difficult. that's what I found out anyway.

[@tonyarnez5193]

You are an inventor and artist my friend !

[@MrChofee]

You sir, are living proof that if there's a will, there's a way. This is something I am planning to do this summer, and this video gave me that extra little push in the direction towards finishing the project. Thanks!

[@DavidLaFerney]

As cobbled up as that looks it's an excellent simple design. I built one a year or two ago, and it's become one of my most used machines - not even counting knife making. If I was doing it over I would make it more like this simple design. Good work.

[@MarkThomas123]

Yes.. I am still using the same one, just about everyday I am in the shop.. I could build another, but, I always choose to build something else, because it does what I need and doesn't need fixing.. I don't grind knives,, yet. You are right.. They are addicting.. The skateboard wheels are soft enough, you don't feel the belt joint as bad.. Kind of hate to go to an aluminum wheel because of that... Not sure if I built one again, I would build it out of square tube or Flat plate/FlatBar and solid stock.. The later would reduce/remove just about any slack you would have, but, It really isn't an issue on the square tube anyway.. One other big change I would make.. Make it shorter in depth.. I would move the motor closer to the front, and move the idler wheel higher.. The belt running from the idler wheel to the top wheel where the top truck is now, would be the slack part of the belt and I would put a platen between the two chucks with an adjustable rest. I use the slack belt for 90% of my grinding, but with an adjustable tool rest, might use it more. I just don't want to give up the slack belt area.. Having it higher would give me more clearance on using the slack belt, if the frame was designed for that purpose. If I ever decide to do some stock removal or knife making from scratch, I'll surely sit down and scratch my head and build a nicer one.. Cheers and good luck in the shop..

[@NeillWylie]

Absolutely fantastic. Exactly what I've been looking for.

[@ZappninLLP]

Impressive work! Creative use of simple tools, bits and pieces. Thanks for taking the time to make this video and post it.

[@lawrenceogden8682]

brilliant machine like what you have done it works well and dont cost a fortune to build

[@brxtmp106]

Because of the cost and size of other DIY belt grinders I'd seen I had decided I was going to have to make do with my 1x30 HF but you have inspired me to go for it a put together a 2x72. I'll probably make it from scrap steel but your layout makes sense and I plan to incorporate a lot of what you've shown into my compact DIY. THANKS so much for sharing.

[@MarkThomas123]

You are very welcome.. You might read through the posts on here where I discuss things with others.. What I would have done different, etc.. Go for the skate board wheels if you want to keep the cost down.. They do fine, if you get the Rubber Seal versions(RS or RS2), not the ZZ bearings with steel covers.. Should be able to find them by searching for 608-RS2 Bearings.. Go with the ABEC 7 or 9's.. The higher the number, the tighter tolerances (better) the bearing is.. I am still running my original wheels and bearings.. My wheels and bearings are 2-3/4 diameter x 2"Wide and worked fine.. or 70mm x 50mm with a 5/16Bore.. I said ABEC 7 in the video, but, I got ABEC 9's with the set I got.. I can't imagine anyone with these wheels and bearings wearing them out honestly.. I go to the belt grinder and hardly use the wheel grinder any more.. The big expense with the grinders are the wheels and drive systems.. The cheapest set of wheels I have found is on Ebay.. $77.85 Black Plastic 5"x 2-1/4" Drive, 3"x2-1/4tracking, 2-2"x2-1/4 contacts. www.ebay.com/itm/252491732718 .. Then, the next higher is Aluminum: $106.95+13.45=$120.40 4x2.25 Drive 5/8" 3/16"key, 3"x2.25 x 1/2" Idle, 2-2"x2.25x1/2" Contact wheels. www.ebay.com/itm/231931607860 The skateboard wheels: $16.00 for a set www.ebay.com/itm/130864058378,, ABEC9 Bearings $7.00 for 8pcs: www.ebay.com/itm/322458929055 Motors and Drive Wheels... Any AC motor that is 1hp or better is just about going to be an Induction motor and won't be able to vary the speed electronically... My motor is much smaller. I think 1/3hp, and I can vary the speed, but, at 1800RPM,, why? No need to go any slower for sure.. But, at 3600 rpm, I think I would want that option.. Two 3 or 4 belt pulley setup on both motor and drive wheel with Pillow bearings will give you 4 speeds you can change pretty quick after stopping the grinder.. The other easy (much more expensive option is a 3phase motor with a Single Phase to 3 phase converter with variable speed which is commonly called a VFD to drive it.. Usually in the $300 to $500 range.. One more option.. A Treadmill with a 12Volt motor, using the big control panel that comes with it and live with the slow ramp up speed and having to turn the treadmill down to zero speed in order to turn it back on again,, because if it didn't work like that,, busted butts when they turn them on and freak on the fast startup.. There are some that are replacing the boards with SCR controllers and changing Potentiometers, etc.. but, none that I have found that have not had trouble with the variable speed pots giving a full range of speed on the dial.. I would have already built another, but, I am still trying to find a good used 3phase 1.0 or 1.5 HP motor and VFD, because I just can't bring myself to spend that much money on the combo yet.. If you find someone who has solved any of those problems,, let me know if you don't mind.. :) The 3phase with VFD is the way to go though if you want to drive the Cadillac version.. There are alot of people who are building the two pieces of 2" square tube version with lots of success.. Here is a picture of one if you have FB.. facebook.com/groups/847488865357217/permalink/1287989977973768/ I would not build the tracking arm like that (flatbar), and I would not build it with a vertical smaller square tube with a spring in the bottom pushing it up.. You don't want any slack in that part of the grinder.. You will have tracking problems.. Use something with some rigidity and drill your holes the same size as the bolts.. The most common uses a larger square tube with one quarter of the tube cut out and a large hole in the upright for the bolt on the back of the wheel.. And, use a spring, not the pneumatic shocks.. Show me one older vehicle that has 4 of these and all 4 are working.. Ha.. Springs don't fail.. Someone has a whole bucket of springs from that old trampoline.. For the square tubing.. 2" square x 1/4" wall,,,, and 1-1/2" square x 3/16" is rigid and works great, BUT,, you have o grind the seam weld out of the 2" x 1/4 in order to get it to fit, OR,, grind a groove in the 1-1/2" where the seam weld is going to go, and don't plan on rotating the arm if you let it go Horizontal and vertical and using the same tool arm, etc.. The platen won't change.. The other option is to use what they call "Receiver Tube" for your 2" from a local metal supplier.. What they build trailer hitches out of that the leave bolted on trucks, etc.. Has no inside seam to have to grind off, but, quite a bit more expensive. The ID then would be 2", so, you have to stay with 2" for your Platen and tool arms, which is no problem.. If you find a better way to grind the weld seam let me know.. Ha.. I use a die grinder with a modified extension that I put a carbide burr in, and hold the die grinder with one hand and push down with a gloved hand on the extension to grind the weld.. (Little known trick).. You can vary the speed of those 10,000 rpm die grinders with that black flat head screw near the base, instead of trying to hold you finger just right, not to let the thing ramp up to 10,000 rpm's with your hand on it.. Ha.. You can adjust it like you want to use it and then, turn it back up.. If you want to save on your drive wheel,, my drive wheel has held together fine.. Glued and screwed.. I can't see how it would fly apart during normal use if you cross the grains before you glue and screw.. Mine shows no stress cracks or wear.. But,,, I did use treated wood that I had had for quite a while and had already dried out, so whatever shrinking it would do was already done before I cut it into circles.. Platen.. Don't bother with the big fancy D shaped platen arms.. Look up the "Noob Grinder" on youtube. About 3 videos of it.. One piece of 3/8" flat bar with a a platen bolted to it, and flip it over and you have a slack grinder.. Only two smaller slotted holes to deal with too for the platen.. Better to use one 2" wheel and one 3" wheel for that setup.. Won't find 3" in a skate board wheel, but, you can find 2 and 2.75" which should work fine.. And, last but not least.. I see you are also interested in wood lathes.. I had to toss this one in on you... This will get your juices flowing.. Check out these two videos.. Next project.. BTW.. Keep your eye out for an old Refrigerator/Freezer, etc and grab the compressor to make a vacuum pump out of.. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGOYlqqsl69mbq8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKWaaWWbaauIkLM Cheers and best of luck to you with your build..

[@kennethsteelman6139]

Great job Mark showing the kids how us older folk had to make do and use what we have at hand.

[@thomaspigg306]

Hey Mr. Mark, first time veiwer, enjoyed the video. Watching you, if Daddy were still alive you and him would have gotten along perfectly. He was no non-Spence, down to earth, practicable man. Didn't believe in throwing anything away (I can still hear him telling me "Don't throw that away son, you never can tell when you'll need it). We built a couple of riding mowers, several push mowers, "A" frames for overhead hoists (come-a-longs), you name it I just about bet he could build it. Thanks for (in a way) taking me down memory lane. God Bless & Be Safe!

[@MarkThomas123]

Thomas Pigg I'm sure your Dad was a fine man.. People like him appreciate everything good. I hate to throw things away.. Seems like everytime I do, I remember throwing it away, and now I could have used it.. Happens every time, but, you can't always keep everything, unless you have lots of room.. Used to have that, but, not any more.. Cheers. My Dad was not that handy, so we learned together.. To be honest, I learned alot trying to figure things out with him.. But, I did a lot of free labor to look over others shoulder, and would always choose going and helping someone do something new before wanting to go play with the boys.. Cheers, and happy Memories..

[@johnmachelski4681]

But did you know, that you're my hero Mr. Thomas?

[@MarkThomas123]

Now, you can do the same with simple hand tools, and have one of these Expensive Grinders for Cheap... :) Good Luck to you..

[@johnmachelski4681]

I can't express my gratitude deeply enough, I'm about to build my first forge and start my blacksmithing journey and this build is going to really help long term with dressing pieces and saving time. You're a Saint Mr. Thomas.

[@MarkThomas123]

@@johnmachelski4681 I am sure I have some blackmithing videos too... I made a simple propane forge out of bricks, etc.. Didn't do a whole lot of videos, because I was having fun. Ha.. But, I'm sure you will find some interesting. It was a couple of month project, so, they should all be somewhat together..

[@MACLADILLY]

excellent build! Thank you. Have x2 , 1/3 hp motors and building a disc sander with one and was thinking about a belt sander with the other - now convinced! Great attitude here in your video ie: low tech and do-able for most of us. Thanks again and greetings from England.

[@MarkThomas123]

MACLADILLY same to you Sir. Glad the video is inspiring to you. I'm trying to heat up a hundred-and-fifty-pound Anvil at the moment. Video to come after a while when I get done. I have lots of cool videos.. How about a 9 Drawer stand up tool box for really cheap. I did mine for the cost of the drawer slides... No body has any idea what is inside of the thing.. They ignore it.. Loaded with tools..Ha..Ha.. Check out the video titled "Refrigerator toolbox."..

[@supurbian]

recycling at it's finest...i have some skateboard trucks with those fat wheels just waiting to be put to good use!! thanks for the great idea!!

[@GraveHillProductions]

BRAVO Mark! This is pure genius.

[@MarkThomas123]

Thanks guy.

[@spwicks1980]

A belt grinder from a skateboard! Genius! Great video, thanks. Will have to try this myself

[@MarkThomas123]

Thanks.. I thought it would just be a proof of concept, to see how the wheels would work and how the tracking would work.. I had never seen one in person. Only on youtube... But, it works, and works well.. I just bought two dozen more belts for it. I got some 40 and 80 grit and don't use the the 6" grinder much any more. I also got some 320 and 600.. It was worth the build.. I have a brand new 1.5hp 220v motor, and I can't get myself to build one to replace it with.. I guess it will have to wait.. But, I'm going to use it for something.. I had some rpm regulators I want to test.. Cost less than $20.00 rather than the $250 to $300 for one that comes on regular belt grinders.. I see no reason it wont' work. Cheers.

[@joegamradt9584]

Thanks Mr Thomas! I'm gonna make one of these pronto. The table sander I use now is much smaller. This video is much appreciated

[@MarkThomas123]

You are welcome Sir. good luck with your build

[@ahmadpatel8702]

Beautiful. I needed a vid like this for the last 2 years

[@dwaneoliver5396]

Awesome , thanks for putting this together for the guy on a budget. So many people out there wont even give something like this a try. Hell I think im gona build me a drive wheel and save $50 ,LOL Again great job thinking outside the box.

[@MrJohnnyboyrebel]

Brilliant use of skateboard trucks!

[@CH-kk9oc]

I have to say, I'm impressed and hind of horrified at the same time. Yet I like it... Keep up the videos; I'd like to see more. Work safe my friend...

[@johnbravo7542]

I love the twisted spring holders,they look great.

[@MarkThomas123]

Ch33ki DVL Poor guy didn't have any tools... Ha.. I was in primitive to mode at the time, and having tool withdrawal. Ha. I figured I needed to do something to keep somebody from saying I didn't have tools to build with, and at least heat and beat and weld something. Haha thanks for noticing. Cheers

[@johnbravo7542]

Keep up the good work :-)

[@Si74l0rd]

Beautifully engineered from commonly available items. The elegance of your solution hands down beats all the other "I made my own grinder and it was real simple - if you own a fabrication workshop" videos on KZbin. This is a project that almost anybody can undertake with as many or few tools as they can scavenge, with parts easily and cheaply available to anybody and it does the job a $2000 grinder does to all intents and purposes. Sure it may not be quite what people expect when you tell them you have a 72" belt grinder, but it's all to save a little on the elbow grease. Virtually all knifemakers hand sand to a final finish in any event, so realistically you could even go so far as to say buying an off the rack KMG is a horrible waste of money ;) Also as a skater for the past thirty some years I can't be more pleased to see someone use trucks for a project, not as a joke but as a viable workaround for the most expensive part in most peoples grinder in a box setups,the idlers, drive wheel and tracking. The best part about it all is the way you have the two idler wheels at the back, rather than bolting trucks to a board I could simply make a mount for my skateboard so that nobody could use the grinder but me, for additional child related safety. I loved the scrollwork signature too! While I have the basic tools used to create this piece, I currently lack a forge or welding equipment. So mine would be purely no frills, but as you say with such wooden sculpture people's eyes light up when they see it's fully functional. It's akin to being on a wooden rollercoaster, sure they build 'em faster and shinier and more see through with steel...but wooden rollercoasters creak and sway and add all sorts of extra ambiance to the experience ;) You sir are a genius! Well and truly subscribed to see your next extraordinarily elegant engineering solution :D

[@MarkThomas123]

Thank you very much Si74l0rd... Glad you like it.. I did the scroll work and welded it, just to show, I had tools to build it other ways.. It was a proof of concept to see how the tracking work work, see how the skate board wheels would work, and give me a better idea of how I would build it's replacement.. I had a nice plan in mind for the 2" square tube version I was going to build after this one. I even have the 1.5hp motor sitting in the shop for it. But, really no need to build the new one. I'm sure I will one day, but, it works, and it is unique and a conversation piece. I have several projects like that in my shop.. One of the more interesting is my Refrigerator tool box.. It was surely a challenge that I enjoyed. Home made sandblaster, etc.. I think I enjoy welding/fabricating more than anything, but, I can do most everything else.. The Blacksmithing was something I started this fall.. I can make what I want with it now.. I'll play more with it next fall when I close the Rafting Company down.. I decided to start keeping bees just recently.. I have 5 over wintered hives, just added two new Hives from Packages today, and will be getting some Nucs next week.. That will be enough for this Spring/Summer with the Company running.. Bees are very, very amazing creatures.. I am having a ball with them.. Long story, but, I chose to do something tonight (because of something I picked up was less than what I should have gotten), and I ended up with about 1000 bees loose in my bathroom, making a choice to save the 20,000 bees, instead of the 500 or so I was trying to revive.. It was a quite interesting project sharing my house with the bees for the evening.. Ha.. I'm sure if I was married, I would have never made the choice to take them in the house, but, maybe a night at a nice hotel would have leveled things out... But, I really had fun trying to get them all back in the box, and ready to put in the hives with the others.. Note: If you ever buy packages or Nucs from someone, make sure boxes are secure, and don't have cracks in them.. Ha..Ha... Cheers, and thanks for the compliments.. I really enjoyed the grinder project.. I started to make it out of Square Tube and Plate, but, decided to just make it temporary to see how it would work, then, as I started trying to figure out how to do it, I figured it would be an even greater challenge to build it with tools that anyone would have laying around.. There were many fine people I met that would have loved to have a grinder, who were making knives that I talked with while learning from them about their forges, etc, and how they worked their knives.. I figured it would be nice if they realized, they could easily build one themselves inexpensively in their garage, basement, etc... I have used the grinder for quite a few projects.. In fact, I used to use a 7 inch wheel grinder all of the time, but, it hardly gets used any longer. I prefer the belt grinder. And, the wheels work great.... I had intended to do a dual belt grinder.. But, decided against it, due to the tracking, etc.. If I built it again, I think I would use shoulder bolts instead of the trucks.. I really had to crank them down to keep them from moving.. But, they are holding up nicely.. Cheers and thanks..

[@darrelljohnson4882]

Mark Thomas does it matter what size the truck wheels are

[@MarkThomas123]

Darrell Johnson Yes/No.. I would make sure they were at least 2" wide for the belt.. Up to 3" max.. The diameter?? The larger diameter will make the wheels run slower.. I don't think you will find wheels small enough to grind finger grip areas, etc,, in skate board trucks, so, I would go with standard size wheels as far as diameter goes.

[@golftooter]

My dad made a horizontal sander for our cabinet shop out of plywood. Somewhere he found a graphite pad to go between the belt and the backing. Kept the belt from destroying the belt or wood.

[@markbe5603]

I wanna but you a beer! No wait, a 6 pack!!! Awesome build! Thank you for sharing!

[@MarkThomas123]

Thanks Mark.. I am still using it daily with a 30 Grit belt on it to do the rough grinding.. Still works fine.. A lot of people said the skate board wheels would not work when I built it... I just told them,,, Look up Extreme Skate Board Competition.. I don't believe they won't work, and it has been working great.. Still on the first set of wheels and bearings.. No wear.

[@tonyy5482]

T-nut? I love the philosophy, keep the cost as low as possible & no fancy tools - excellent :) I have an old trampoline up the garden, hadn't thought of the springs being a potential resource. Also have 2 skateboards in the shed. Hmm :D

[@MarkThomas123]

Thanks.. And,, you can heat up those springs, flatten them out,, make a cutting tool, heat them up again past magnetic and quench them, and cut steel.. Do it all of the time with coil springs.. I repurpose anything I can.. Ha.. Just bought a mill and a lathe.. Benchtop versions... Next grinder will have my own home made wheels..Ha.. Well, when I get around to playing with them.. Maybe June, July,, or maybe November.. What a life.. Ha.. Running the Rafting company is "FULL" time.. Emphasis on full... These kids these days.. Ahhh.. Cheers.. Whip one out.. I love mine.. Use it all of the time still... I read my other posts if you want to know what I would change if I built another.. Might save you a revision or two.

[@MarkThomas123]

Thanks guys... Glad you have enjoyed the video.. BTW.. I made the drive wheel a little larger, since the motor spins slower than most of it's Horsepower.. That's the only change I have made and I'm still using it.. Quite a bit in fact.. Seems like the more I use it, the more things I figure out to do with it.. I still have the brand new 1.5hp motor, and still have the Aluminum wheels sitting in my wish list on ebay.. Just can't seem to justify building something to replace this one... Ha.. Enjoy!!

[@MarkThomas123]

+KKKn50cal Don't know for sure. I've had it for 20 years. I used to keep a 7" cutting disk on it for sharpening drill bits, etc. It is a low Rpm, and low horsepower. Both traits better used for something better than a grinder. Opt for at least a 1/3rd horse 1600 or 1800 rpm motor. this works, but I bought a one horsepower standard motor if I ever build a new one. in fact, I bought one from Harbor Freight.. It is still sitting on my shop floor.. I did go back and build a larger drive wheel after I built this one.. Gave me a few more rpms.. But the old one worked fine. I thank 1680 rpm is about standard for most motors like that.. The one I am using I think it's about 1300.. hope that helps..

[@MarkThomas123]

+KKKn50cal Merry Christmas to you too good sir.. and yes, merry christmas was exactly what I intended to say.. Thank you for the holiday cheers also.. it hurts me to see what's happening to this country.. Merry Christmas to all.. May we all celebrate our Customs and Religious Heritage without fear of reprisal from the Government or from the Terrorists who wish to be invited here to destroy it. Amazing.. Cheers.

[@MarkThomas123]

It was a proof of concept.. To see how it would work.. Wasn't sure how finiky the tracking, etc would be, and whether it needed to be super accurate or not.. I did this to see how cheap I could make one for some Father/Son/Daughter Knife makers after they invited me to a Hammer Inn.. (My first introduction to knife making).. It worked.. All of them have built their own grinders off of my design I will build one much nicer one day,, but, I still use this one every day, so,, not sure when i will build one.

[@Sopranoman1986]

I used to live up there in Cary, NC. I really did love it up there. I was a traveling nurse and worked at the state prison in Raleigh. I lived in Shenzhen China. Traveled all over there. Guangzhou, Beijing, Guangxi, Shanghai, Hong Kong of course. I have a few 100# Anvils. They are quite rusty though. I’ve been cleaning up one of them, it has a crack on the top. I need to weld those edges like you said. I’m in need of a good Forge. I was actually going to pick up one last week in Dry Prong, LA but a guy from Hattiesburg MS beat me there and bought everything. Two forged, 3 blowers, Anvils, pole vises, etc.... The seller called me and gave me the number for the buyer in Hattiesburg. Here is a photo of it. I did contact Lyle Wynn. I’m about an hour from Natchez MS. Been to Mendenhall many times. I graduated college in Jackson MS. I’m going down to Lafayette LA to pick up an anvil and other stuff shortly. I will get back with you to share my finds. Have a good on. Ric Sent from my iPhone

[@nihallee]

Nicely done! You really managed to bring out the simplicity in the concept. Looks sturdy too! Good job!

[@Biokemist-o3k]

Wow and this was 8 years ago. How is it working now that it is 2023? I love the idea...

[@MarkThomas123]

Still working fine... I would not use the Trucks if I didn't have to.. I have them cranked all the way down to stop them from moving. They are supposed to be flexable, which is not what you want.. Just use a bolt and some other method of attaching it.. I have several comments of what I would do different, but, I have done a lot of shop grinding with it and I have another that I am about 1/2 way through building, but, always have other things to do, because, this one does what I need.. Ha.. Thanks..

[@garygibson6243]

old school bro , like your style ,way to go bro love it .

[@daishort9801]

Just brilliant :-) Thanks for showing that Mark, I've been meaning to have a go at building one for a couple of years and now I'm inspired to get on with it.

[@MarkThomas123]

Go for it. That's what this project was all about. Cheers.

[@averylarimer7646]

If you do ever upgrade I would be honored to receive a gift like this especially because it was handmade and out of recycled parts

[@my2centz196]

Awesome build. I appreciate it because I think it's helped me figure out mine. I'm using and old skillsaw motor to power it I hope it works. Thanks again

[@sparkjax1]

Brilliant damn brilliant now I need to make one

[@MarkThomas123]

Give it a whirl.. I used it last night several times. Was forging a square drift punch and needed to smooth it out when I finished it, before I hardened it.. I use it all of the time now. Use it more than my 8" stone grinder.

[@shonaoneill5151]

sparkjax1 Yeah make one, they (like everything else) can be really easy or difficult depending on how complicated you decide to make yours. Eg you can make it so the whole unit turn 90 degrees on its side for many different uses. I didn't make mine like that, you have toy build it in to a self containing carriage essentially and I couldn't be bothered, but they are the most essential tool for a knife maker, I have made 4 so far, sold 3......Most people cannot be arsed to make there own.

[@ecaff9515]

Beautiful video and process. I love to see make it happen on the fly Craftsmen do their then. Thanks for sharing. Maybe we can view the finished sander one. Thanks.

[@MarkThomas123]

E Caff: I have 3 videos on the grinder... One of them is a 3 year review I posted Jan of 2018.. I am still using it every time I get in the shop just about.. But, I am building another out of Metal with a 4 speed motor, and swappable accessories, etc.. But, skateboard wheels are still my primary wheels.. New ones going on the next grinder.. But, I have a bunch of other wheels also.. I think 10" is the largest I have for this build.. Read the notes in the videos.. Lots of info there.. Cheers.. Thanks for the comments.

[@electrorganix]

Thank you Mark for this video, great job, cheers :)

[@MarkThomas123]

You are very welcome.. Thank you..

[@cleberviniciusribeirohomem]

it needs a flatten plate but in general it's very good and very cheap. Congratulations!!!

[@warrenjfr]

Have an old motor and was wondering how I could do exactly what you have done, you beat me to it. Thanks, Joel

[@jk07ist]

Unbelievable! You, sir, are a genius. Thanks fro sharing.

[@RickRabjohn]

I love it! Smart and simple - thanks for sharing Tom!!!!

[@MarkThomas123]

Thanks for your videos also.. I recognized your name immediately.. Nice to have kudos from a fellow craftsman and tinkerer.. Cheers and thanks.

[@HWPcville]

Great video and awesome belt grinder! The only suggestion I would make is to show a long shot view of the grinder. This helps in understanding the close ups of the various parts. Thanks for posting.

[@tcalcut]

Doc Brown would be proud...!!!!!

[@jeffery19677]

I have been looking for something like this for a while!! Thanks for posting. Making one soon for my shop!

[@MarkThomas123]

You won't regret it.. I still use mine every day.. Would have built a better one years ago, but, it works great just like it is.. Ha.. It and my chop saw (Evolution Rage 2) are two of the most used tools in the shop for metal working and I use the belt grinder to grind just about everything else.. Very, very, handy tool to have in the shop..

[@Grizzydan]

This is the slickest thing I've seen on youtube in quite some time. Props to you for pulling it together so well. Now you just have to put a vertical backer to press your blades against, and a table out front and you're golden. Oh and btw that rattling was definitely the vise-grip C clamps haha, the little release tang rattles around when you clamp a project like this, ask me how I know =) I have a ton of skateboard wheels in a box, but no bearings! ARG! It's killing me. After buying parts for my truck there's no way I can even afford the $8 bux for a pack of bearings. Soon though. I'm totally going to build this. I'll have to get a couple belts too. You are an inspiration man! Cheers!

[@MarkThomas123]

Thanks.. That's Awesome.. I don't make knives.. Or, at least, I have not made any as of yet.. More into making tools, Tongs, Punches, Drifts, Chisels, etc.. Don't get to work as much as I want to on the things I want to work on.. Too many "Have To's" still.. But, I did this project after going to a "Hammer Inn" (Knife making group).. Mostly Dad's and Sons, and none of them had the cash to buy a factory Belt Grinder.. This was my way of showing the guys they could make something cheap, use it, get good at it, and then make a few bucks to buy something better.. I use the slack belt quite a bit, and alternate to the wheel for a backer when I need something solid.. It would not be hard to add a piece of wood as a backplate, and cover it with some metal for the belt to slide across. Just countersync the screw. I would think that 3/16 or 1/4 would work great. Might get away with some 1/8" plate, maybe thinner, since it would be backed with a 2x4 or something like it.. I'm sure you could also make something for a bench in front of the belt also.. I would use metal for it also.. I need to research more about the belt grinders from a knife makers point of view to see if I should design something more movable or functional, more than just a flat 90 table... I'm sure, if you know what you want, you can figure something out to make it work.. I still have my 1hp motor sitting on my shop floor, whenever I decide to build another.. I'll build it out of metal and go ahead and buy some wheels, etc... But, it does what I want it to do, and I have not yet found something I could not do with it, so, hard to justify building a fancier one to replace one that works,, with the lack of time for my own projects.. But, when I do, it will be a nice one.. Because, I use it alot.. Way more than my bench grinder.. About the only time I use my bench grinder any more is if I have to grind AND Wire Brush something.. Seeing as the two are about 20 feet apart, I generally flip the belt grinder on and take care of business.. You won't regret building one.. You will find all sorts of things to do with it.

[@glennicholson3028]

Love it! Simple, practical & functional. What more do you need! 👍🏻

[@Quagmire88]

Awesome stuff! I have been thinking of making one as well. I was thinking of heading out to the scrap yard and grab an old motor for cheap. I would invest in some pulleys for different speeds and some actual grinder wheels.

[@richardhill2187]

If you drill the right size hole in the wood you can "thread" a bole through the wood, eliminating the need to have a nut on the other side to adjust the idler pulley.

[@ProDMiner]

This is exactly what I been looking for! I have all this laying around the house. Btw you do not need ABEC 9, 7 you can easily do 5. I played extreme sports for almost 15 years so I can truly say 9's are over priced and are there for rough extreme use in terms of being smashed and having tons and tons of pressure landing from like 20ft in the air to the ground. But once I do build there in the next week or two ill post a video of the completion and give you full credit. I just need to get a 72" belt now lol

[@MarkThomas123]

ProDminer I got a few off of ebay fairly reasonably. if you get 40, 80 and 120 grits,I think you'll be happy. the ceramic belts are more expensive but last a lot longer..

[@ProDMiner]

Mark Thomas I found a website and holy crap the 2x72" belts are so cheap even ceramics. I was a wood worker and I have some massive sanders lol. Soooo I am used to pay almost double for sanding belts. So to see how much those cost even ceramics I was like yup this will make me happy lol :)

[@MarkThomas123]

ProDminer Ok.. Sounds great.. Pass the info.. I bought some, but, I surely didn't find what you found for the price.. Not even last time I bought 2 dozen of them in groups..

[@ProDMiner]

Mark Thomas Hey again so far this website trugrit.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_145_146&sort=1a&perPage=0&zenid=868c9dc9fcd1d8e17ee2e84a09202255 seems to yeild the best results I have found in terms of different belts orginization and being able to get some belts fast and what we need. And I even seen one with 1,000 grit. Hopefully this helps you maybe or even someone else. As I do like amazon idk I do not like looking all over for stuff. I like to see all my choices if that makes sense.

[@kenhibbard]

ProDminer Great belt information! Thanks so much. Also the build itself, great job! Thanks again.

[@claudioesposito6780]

a great and simple project sir. complements from italy!!

[@MarkThomas123]

claudio esposito Thank you Sir.

[@go4gilbert890]

Thanks for the video. I am going to try to build one of of wood to start with now!

[@tellket]

That's Damn cool sir! Gets the job done on a budget.

[@headknocker8999]

I have everything except for the sanding belt in my goodie pile.. Found a couple scooters that have skateboard wheels & a washing machine in the rubbish pile to scarf the motor from, Just need to make a drive wheel as you did.. Gonna try my luck at Harbour Freight on the sanding belts to get em cheap..

[@MarkThomas123]

You can do it.. Try Industrial Abrasives or lehighvalleyabrasives for your belts when you get it going.. The Green Zirconium belts are more expensive, but, seem to be worth the money.. Get some cheaper belts to begin with and get used to them.. Then, you can decide... 36 grit if you really want to take some metal off.. They are good general purpose belts if you grind a good bit like I do on general purpose stuff.. Everything that comes off of the chop saw gets a quick swipe on the edges.. If I were to build again, I would put the idler wheel higher and make the whole thing shorter... Put a platen in the front and use the downsloping belt for your slack belt, but, depends on what you want to do.. I just use the slack belt for my needs, so kept it up front..

[@MrJoseph1157]

I think that's plenty slick,a guy could build this in the carport and have something. thank you for the video.

[@marks71BB]

Well done! I greatly enjoyed your build! Lessons learned.

[@kleinjahr]

You could also use a counterweight on the tension arm, rather than a spring. Also with an open motor like that you might consider a dust shield to protect the motor.

[@MarkThomas123]

The Counterweight would have to be fairly significant, or the lever longer on the counterweight end. There is a good bit of force on a belt needed to keep it tight. More than I thought.. I have seen them done with hatch back pneumatic cylinders, but, have also seen some use one, and some use two. My guess would be that two of them would still be on the lesser side of the pressure. But, a little more research would be good in that area.. I have never put a scale on mine to see how much pressure is applied to the belt, but, I would guess between 20 and 30 lbs of pressure applied to the belt... One more thing.. Everyone says that the Drive wheel and Tracking wheel "Has" to be crowned in order for the belt to track properly.. Not true.. I did crown my drive wheel (Wooden), but, the tracking wheel is flat (Skateboard wheel).. Tracking was not a problem for sure... It tracks beautifully.. I would say the worst culprit of bad tracking (other than the machine out of line), would be a slack belt. I adjusted mine tighter 3 times until I got good results.. You can see from the two videos, the upper end of the spring is mounted in a circle of 1/4" round bar.. I started long, and kept heating and rolling it up, until I ran out of room to roll.. I was happy with it before my last twist up of about another 3/8", I was just testing to see if it would be better or worse.. I really don't think you can put too much pressure on the belts (Reasonably).. My guess would be that 90% making their own grinders would have the belts too slack.. Just FYI based on my experience.. I have never had a belt break, so, I doubt if I am near "too much" pressure... Yes.. There is going to be some metal dust, and it is going to get in places you don't want.. A dust shield would be a good idea.. The darn motor you see in the video has to be at least 25 years old. I had a 7-1/4" cut off blade on it for years, and the only thing I used it for was sharpening Drill bits.. But, it stayed just like you see in the shop for years.. I doubt a new motor would have lasted that long.. It doesn't even have a way to oil the bushings, not bearings.. I drop some 3 in 1 oil on it about 4 or 5 times a year.. I have a brand new 1hp motor from Harbor Freight.. Probably going to make a second grinder this winter.. Trying to decide about buying one of their 7x12 lathes to make my own wheels, and this one will have a adjustable platen, adjustable tool rest, and thinking about multiple wheels on a turn table to take advantage of different diameter wheels, if I get a lathe and make my own.. This time, everything made from metal.. This grinder was to show some Dad and Son groups of starting knife makers that they could make their own,, cheap,, with simple tools... But, I do like the slack belt for grinding.. So, maybe a more vertical grinder this next time with both slack and platen easily accessible. Probably both, without changing anything but the location I am grinding... Another note.. I thought the belt would throw more bits and grit off of the belt and back at me, but, that hasn't been a problem either.. I think most of the dust goes straight to the floor.. Not much travels the underside of the belt to the motor area.. Good luck with your build.. I have not looked yet, but, if I were going to do it again, I would look for a larger diameter axle on a skate board if they exist.. I think they might. I have seen what appears to be skate board wheels with larger diameter shafts.... The 1/4" I have works fine, but, the axles could be some type of tougher carbon steel... If I made it again, I would mount the wheels directly without the trucks.. Trucks have the bushings which add some play.. You really have to crank the bushings down when you first put it together, not to have the trucks favor the light side of the belt.. But, once cranked down, that has not been a problem either.. Everything works quite well in fact.. Still using it today.. One of the more used tools in the shop, and I still have not built a replacement for it, because of that. Just thinking about doing some precision grinding, and adding a lathe, and need a couple of good reasons to buy the lathe and get some ROI on it first thing making the wheels.. Just have to see how to make the keyways for the 5/8" motor shaft.. Havn't looked at that yet, but, seems it is going to be some sort of manual process of cutting on some sort of slide mechanism.. Thought for a bit, I had found justification for the Milling attachment for the lathe.. :).. Ha..

[@kleinjahr]

For the tension/idler arm you could use a dog leg, also known as a goat leg.The short end has the wheel and the long end the weight. The weight could be a bucket of sand or water or whatever, which makes it easy to adjust the tension. As for cutting keyways, an arbor/slitting saw on a lathe is simple to set up. If you have a drill press you can use a face mill, but only with light cuts. The drillpress bearings aren't designed to take a lot of side pressure.

[@MarkThomas123]

Ok.. Thanks.. Appreciate the tips.. I'll check it out..

[@mcgrate2]

Nice !, Really Helped me out bit time, bar the wheels I have all that stuff lying round the tool shed ,so i'll give it a go

[@calebwhittington3749]

VERY informative video. So glad I found this, thanks so much! Just hit up my skater buddy for some old wheels and trucks. I'll have mine built pretty soon. Haha God bless you sir.

[@MarkThomas123]

Thanks. God Bless you too. good luck with your build.

[@thechumpsbeendumped.7797]

Never file a moving object with the file pointing at you, but it’s ok to point it toward your cameraman. 😂

[@MarkThomas123]

Yea.. He doesn't count.. Ha..Ha.. That is my little buddy Stobart.. He has been working with me for quite a while.. I try not to hurt him too bad.. :).. He does ok on his own.. . :) BTW.. The Grinder is still in use today.. Same Wheels, same everything.. I have tightened up the trucks a bit and if I kept it for another couple of years would probably replace them with something fixed without bushings, but, it is still tracking fine.. I did make some adjustments to it last fall.. I clamped the wheels a little past straight and tightened the trucks down some more and then took the clamps back off.. I just received a bunch more ceramic belts.. I use the thing at least once or a least a couple of times I am in the shop. Either to clean something, debur it, round it, or something else.. I prefer 60 grit for what I do.. I am about 2 or 3 days from finishing up my next 2"x72" belt grinder.. All metal. Primarily 2x2x1/4 Square tube and 1-3/4" x 3/8" flat bar for the tool arm and grinder arms.. I chose to use the HF 120v 1.5hp motor I bought for this way back and use two 4 step pulleys... So fast, it is scary.. Ha.. I figured I would build this one, see what I liked/disliked before I built the last one that I will keep forever.. 3ph with VFD variable speed motor.. I just have 2-3 more days to finish it.. Just not sure when I will spend those days finishing it... Ha.. I am rebuilding/upgrading/retrofitting a large sand blast box I built back in 2009.. Adding Dust collection, changing my window setup, and testing a media collection setup to add Suction feed and change over to foot pedal vs valve control.. Once I play with it for a while, I'll know what I want for my final blast cabinet.. Probably will have Pressure Blast/ Suction Blast, an extra rigid top mounted hose for blasting without holding the gun (just part only), and a blow off hose to blow off the parts before I pull them out of the cabinet.. Just having a little fun designing/redesigning things.. Cheers.. Enjoy the videos... If something ever happens to me,,, I have about a years worth of uploads to do.. Ha..Ha.. I just keep stacking them up in my c:\todo\videos folder.. Ha.>Ha.. Cheers..

[@rigger444]

excellent build! Thank you. I think it is awesome

[@recamacho252]

Smiled the whole time watching this. Great job. I'm sure anyone one of us could go and spend the money and buy a grinder New. But it wouldn't be as much fun as seeing something like this come to life. Think I'll build mine tomorrow. I've had all the parts all along. Lol.

[@wearytraveler3524]

Not very pretty but it would fit right into my shop! Starting work on it this weekend! Thanks for the video brother!

[@MarkThomas123]

Your Welcome Weary Traveler.. I still use it just about every day I go into the shop.. Still going strong.. I have one I am building out of 2" x 1/4" square using 3/8" x 1-3/4" flat bar for the platen support slide.. I am using an old 1.5hp harbor freight motor with two 4 step pulleys to drive it.. Would have built one a whole lot earlier if this one didn't work so well... Good Luck with the project.. BTW.. I prefer the Skate board wheels over the aluminum wheels.. It doesn't bump like the belt passing over the harder wheel.. I think you will be quite happy with your home build.. Next,, I want the 3phase VFD with variable speed, but, I may figure the step pulleys will do the job vs the extra expense of the VFD and 3 phase motor.. Can't find the 3 phase motors up here like you can in an Industrial area.. Cheers!!

[@dede-nx2bf]

sorry i am french, i don't good speak anglich, but i say is a good job and good idéa ;)

[@MarkThomas123]

Your French is fine.. I understood it perfectly..Ha.. English is Ok too..Ha.. Thank you for the comment.

[@CheapskateProjects]

Found your channel through TimNummys small creator video. You seem to have videos about many things that I have considered to build including belt sander and coal forge. I will definitely be watching those.

[@MarkThomas123]

I have a 3 year update on the 2x72 belt grinder.. Be sure to watch it along with the other 2 videos on it.. Might read the comments on the other two videos.. Lots of "If I were to build it again".. The Coal Forge: If you are going to vent the forge out of the shop, be sure you watch the last coal forge video. Getting the smoke started going up the chimney is a pain for all, but, I solve that problem using the fan on the forge with the setup that I have.. I believe I have two videos on the coal forge.. Keep wanting to replace them with one better that covers it all, but, always short on time.. You will never regret spending the time or money on a good belt grinder.. Spend the money on a good belt though, and go with higher RPM's.. 3600 rpm with 5" drive wheel is something to shoot for.. Need to be able to run somewhere around 5000 SFPM Surface Feet Per minute to get the Ceramic belts to really rip off the metal.. They cost more up front, but, outlast the cheaper belts 2 to 1, so, worth spending the extra to get them.. You should buy at least one Norton Blaze belt 50 or 60 grit, if you get up to speed.. When it starts cutting slower, just bear down hard on it and it will start hogging metal again.. My guess is, 6 Aluminum Oxide belts to one Ceramic on typical grinding.. Then, the ceramic belts are cheaper. Cheers and good luck.

[@CheapskateProjects]

Thank you! Your videos are packed with good information. I'm sure to watch all the updates before doing the project.

[@borne_free5510]

Wow! Freaking awesome, you're the tinker king!

[@vladimirgutkovich9711]

Молодец. Мне понравилось. Невзирая на широкие возможности купить фирменный инструмент, слепил сам из досок. Мои мысли о такой конструкции шли в таком же направлении. Sorry, I’m from Ukraine.

[@MarkThomas123]

Да. Мне нравится экспериментировать. Спасибо за ваши Коментарии. Da. Mne nravitsya eksperimentirovat'. Spasibo za vashi Komentarii. I am English from USA, and I hope that sounds right.. Ha..Ha.. :) = Universal = :)

[@diytutorialsandmore9804]

Nice it could do with tidying up but it's only a moc up put a fence behind the belt and a table

[@MarkThomas123]

Agreed. this was a proof of concept to determine how the tracking works on a belt grinder, since I've never put my hands on one, and whether or not the trucks and wheels would work. it was also designed for anyone to be able to build one.. I don't do precision blade grinding on this machine, but I do all sorts of branding on it.. General shops grinding.. if I decide to build one for precision grinding, it will be out of metal and using machined wheels bearings, etc. but it would have to be precision oriented grinding, otherwise this grinder works fine, and for 30 bucks, you got a damn good Grindr for a little of nothing.

[@Breakthrough520]

Great job on the vid. I may try something like this myself.

[@paulwallace9644]

pretty damn ingenious of you as anew wana be knife maker I think I might try this .and someday then i'am good then i'll spring for the high dollar onegreat job and great video

[@MarkThomas123]

Thank you Paul. you got the right idea, something like this will work just fine.. I'm still using it.

[@BigIronTV]

nice build. I just built one using USA Knife Maker plans.

[@landonporter77]

That's badass Mark, thanks man.

[@MarkThomas123]

+Landon Porter You are welcome fella.. Cheers.

[@axa.axa.]

Good enough. Belt grinders starting around 800$ and all

[@loganwoodley391]

you can use REDs Bones bearings, they are comparable to abec 9 and are $16

[@handyallaround5776]

you could add the wheels to the to the other side and have a twin belt sander of different grits

[@MarkThomas123]

yes, I thought about that, but it's a little close proximity to the other belt.. I'm sure I'd lose some skin from time to time.. And belt swaps are pretty quick.. and yes that was the idea when I first got started.. The reason why I use two trucks instead of just using straight axles.. But if you build one, I would recommend using shoulder bolts for the axles on the wheels,, and go with one belt instead of 2.. The trucks have bushings in them and you're really have to crank down hard on them to keep tension on the belt without the trucks leaning to one side.. I was able to adjust everything on my belt grinder to make up for the difference.. Others might not be as lucky.. But if I build a new one from scratch, I would probably use some sort of factory rollers to begin with.. And build it out of metal.. To be honest I had never used a belt grinder before I built this dared. But I could see their value in the videos.. It actually started out as a proof of concept, to see how difficult it would be to keep things lined up.. But it's still in my shop and I use it everyday.. I have a brand new horse and a half motor sitting on my shop floor, waiting for me to build a new one.. But this one works just fine timer and it's a novelty in the shop.. no one walks over to use it, but once I get started using it then they don't want to use anything else.. Cheers and good luck

[@mosh5566]

james curtis qسوسن

[@actorzone856]

I am giving it my "Bull Terror Award"

[@lawrenceogden8682]

great video

[@castledomeknives9395]

I SHALL GIVE YOU ONE MILLION DOGHAIRS FOR IT

[@LockBits-ts6eo]

Loved it.

[@MarkThomas123]

Thanks @LockBits-ts6eo. Don't let anyone tell you that Skateboard wheels don't work and don't last. I don't work in the shop every day, but, I still use it quite a bit and still on the same wheels AND bearings... But, I would not use the Chucks the wheels attach to. The Flex point in the middle, I have had to tighten down 3 times since I built the thing, but, then again, 3 times since I built it?? Ha..Ha. Who's complaining?? Ha.>ha.

[@adamschott9786]

Country Boy Can Survive!

[@oombella]

if you come to scotland, we should drink

[@MarkThomas123]

ian dick I will toast to you tonight good Sir.. Ha.. Over some of my Home Made Berry Blend Wine... 12 to 14 days from the Primary to the Bottle... All secondary Fermentation is done manually, and usually over night.. I pull a vacuum to degas, and use "Bentonite Clay to Clarify", after killing the yeast. I kill the Yeast before it has a chance to die, therefore eliminating the bitter flavors from the dying yeast.. Also, improves the Bouquet of the wine, not letting the yeast die on it's own. I use Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate to kill the yeast over night. I also use the same combination to disinfect the Must before adding the yeast the following day.. Wine Connoisseurs on the websites say,, I am breaking all of the rules, and making "Hooch" instead of wine,, but, the same Connoisseurs who taste the wine Rave over it.... Ha..Ha.. I'm sure Scotland has some of the best brews in the world.. Cheers to you..

[@mickey7660]

Like the hinge idea

[@MarkThomas123]

Yea.. Simple and effective.. There is no belt wandering.. Hinges are not slack in their longitudinal axis.. Works fine.. Initially, this was just a prototype to see how finicky the belt tracking was, and how sophisticated the build needed to be... It needed to be cheap, easy to get parts and made with simple tools, because, I designed this for some Father and Children groups that were sharing a single 2"x72" belt grinder in a blacksmith group, who were all making knives.. At $2,000 a pop, I saw why they were all sharing and figured something could be made simple.. That whole group now have variations of the belt grinder and all of them are using skateboard wheels.. Ha..Ha.. Cheers!!

[@mickey7660]

@@MarkThomas123 That's exactly it, my son and I are into knife making and we've been painstakingly using a small hand/belt sander. I have access to a little bit of metal, so I'm going to try that first. But your video gave me the confidence to make one for myself, appreciate you.

[@MarkThomas123]

@@mickey7660 Good deal... Metal would be better, but, this one still gets used pretty regular, and still works well... Metal so you can get a good solid tool arm for grinding the blades, and, depending on how much you want to spend on one, you can consider going all out and getting a 3 phase 1.5 or 2hp motor and a VFD to get the variable speed, but, that is going to add a minimum of $300 to the build.. Step pulley's will give you 3-5 speeds but complicates the build and makes things a much larger footprint.. I'd say,, build one, do your best, when designing, keep in mind keeping the wheels aligned as much as you can to keep from having to tweak things later, and use what you build and you'll know what you missed if you want to add something later, or, build another from scratch down the road... Even in a small shop, two grinders is not a bad thing... Or, someone is going to want the one you build to give you incentive to build that "Dream Grinder" down the road. I wasn't grinding blades, but, I was doing a lot of metal work, so, I use it quite a bit, and just a prototype to see how finiky the tracking was, and if it could be done reasonably, worked so well, building another got put on the back burner.. Ha..Ha.. But, I always have too much to do... When I get around to finishing the one I started 2 years ago, I'll post a video of what I built.. I'm using 2" x 1/4" square tube, for the frame and 3/8" thick flat bar x 1-3/4" for the tool arm. I think it is going to work out fine.. I am using a set of 5 step pulley's with a Harbor Freight 1.5 hp 110v motor.. There wasn't any reasonable 3phase motors/vfd's at the time available for less than $600 for the combo.. A couple of weeks ago, I snagged a 2hp 220volt 3phase motor and VFD for just under $300.. So, I guess there is going to be another grinder built down the road, if I don't use the combo for another project I am considering... Ha.. No Regrets.. If you build it, you will get it working and you will never regret the time/resources you put into it.. At some point, when I have a that third belt grinder, I'll find the right person and give this one to someone who would really appreciate it.. Don't use the skate board trucks if you can avoid it..The bushings that are used to let you lean one way and the other on the skate board are going to be points of flex and you have to torque them down pretty hard and they will eventually get mooshed and I have had to loosen them all the way up, flip them over and tighten it back down to get the wheels straight again.. But, I only did that once and I built the grinder in 2014, so, if you were planning on using them, just that one caveat.. It works, but, just one thing that could have been better... I was thinking of using two belts at the same time initially, but, I could see loosing too much skin touching a belt while grinding would have been a major issue... Making a larger diameter shaft between two Pillow bearings with each side turned down to 5/16" and threaded would have been a much better idea,, keeping the two belts much further apart.. Anyway.. You can see the ideas the first build can give you...Ha.Ha.. Good luck with the project... Cheers!

[@mickey7660]

@@MarkThomas123 @Mark Thomas Thanks for the advice, I don't have a skateboard laying around anyway but that's good to know. I found a bunch of bearings I had collected from a shop I used to work at. I've seen some people have pretty good success using bearings with MDF wood cutouts glued together. The MDF is about the only purchase I'll have to make on this. I hope it goes well necause next I wanting to try something simple, for a power hamer to help with making different types of blades. I really like this simplicity of this design: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnbLiKOCarFlfNE

[@MarkThomas123]

@@mickey7660 Yea.. That is creative.. That should work.. MDF.. Just keep an eye on it while using it and periodically check to be sure the wheels are not showing signs of stress, etc, but, it will surely work... One suggestion.. MDF is pretty much ground up paper and glue.. Consider putting something on the wheels after you cut them to cut down on moisture and belt abrasion from the back of the belt... I'm not sure if a Urethane or Epoxy, or Varnish is harder, but, you should be able to recoat them.. I don't think they will wear too fast.. Might make some 2" and some 2-1/4" or 2-1/2" wide wheels if you see the edges flaring too much.. Wider to keep the belts in the center vs riding the edges.. Coat them to stop moisture from softening the edges, etc.. Save your scrap MDF, in case they don't last as long as you hope.. No reason why you can't make more than what you need and swap out any showing signs they are not working as desired.. My Drive wheel on the motor is made out of two 1x6" Treated deck boards, glued and screwed together.. I put the grains at 90 degrees from each other and, it is still working fine.. Cool idea on the Power Hammer..Ha.>Ha.. Might be a little light duty, but, only depends on what stock you are working on, and Mild Steel vs Tool Steel, etc... Use a Hammer for Hand work that is slightly heavier than what you are comfortable with, and the key to working the heavier hammer is chocking up a bit on the handle.. A good Blacksmith swing is all about the "Snap"... The Hammer is always held loosely in the hands.. The faster the hammer comes down, the more force.. Think about a golfers swing.. Speed and Distance is all in the wrist... That last 6-10 inches of the swing before it hits should include a flick of the wrist to get the extra speed and power.. Keep that in mind, and you will see it when you do.. It's why some guys can swing 10 times to your 20, and you can't figure out how.. The final part of the swing is in the fingers and wrist.. When I swing alot, I am primarily using my thumb and forefinger to guide the hammer head, and the last three fingers and wrist to get the last bit of speed and strength before impact.. Try it on some scrap 2x4 pieces and you will be able to tell the difference when you get it right.. Then, just a bit more practice as you go.. Cheers, and good luck on the projects...

[@judbyry]

bloody awesome mate!!

[@MarkThomas123]

+fernando mendonca Ha.. Thanks fella.. Cheers.

[@RIESENFAN12]

great i´m building one at the moment too, but I´m trying a 125mm 900 watt angle grinder with a smaller wooden wheel as a motor do you have any experience on such a construction I´m a bit worried about the belt slipping

[@TheAgentOfTruth]

Ingenuity is a beautiful thing. Good work. However... You need to do some cleaning in that shop, brother !

[@MarkThomas123]

Yep.. When I bought the Rafting Company, I had a limited area to build anything, and I have a $30k project that I need to complete before I can build anything there.. I have to replace/upgrade a 3' Culvert to a 4' Culvert to route a mountain side stream across my property, before I build anything on top of what needs replacing right now. My shop is a Carport open on both ends, with a separate area for storage.. And, seems I always have 4 or 5 projects going in there of different types.. I try to group them when I can, so I don't have tools everywhere, but, I was in the middle of building Rocket Stove, starting Blacksmithing, fixing a bunch of items from the rafting company closing, finishing a large sandblasting project, and just finished up building a couple of hundred paddles and sleeving the aluminum shafts with a thick wall shrink wrap that I had to build a 7 foot gas oven to do the shrink wrap.. The Grinder project was a precursor to saving me some time on another project I was going to do for a friend who was interested in making some knives, handles, etc.. and wanted to be involved in learning blacksmithing. He had to run to Florida to see his family, and I wanted to surprise him when he got back.. He was complaining that he didn't know how to weld, and I laughed at him and said, you don't need a welder if you want to build one.. That's how it all got started.. You can hear it at 6:15.. Restrict myself to "No Welding".. It was to show him, if you really want to make something, there are more ways to skin the cat, than to see someone with a bunch of tools who makes something, and think you can't do the same without all those "Extra Tools".. My ideal shop would be a 50' x 200' with a house built in the front, and walk out the back door and walla, there is the shop.. Welding stall here, Carpenter stall here, Electrical here, Mechanic here, Electronics here, etc.. I moved out of a 2400 square foot house with a 20x30 shop, to a 100 year old cabin on the side of a hill overlooking one of the most beautiful Rivers in the USA, and a climate to match.. Winter, it is warmed by the 50 degree river flowing through the Gorge, and cooled the same way during the Summer.. I am usually 15 to 20 degrees or more cooler than the town, just 20 minutes away. And, we have a high temperature in the Gorge of about 85 to 87 degrees, no matter if it gets 100 or more down degrees down the road.. My house is just a little bit different. Shelves everywhere. The shelves in the front room are transtitional project shelves, next room are frequent project shelves, etc.. Then, the Office which is strictly Accounting, Computers, paperwork, a photo lab, etc.. 2-20 foot containers that house surplus or extra stock, etc.. I am 20 minutes from the smallest "Ace Hardware", and 45 minutes from a Lowes or Walmart.. I hate not having something when I make a repair, so I have my own Lowes here too.. Ha.. Every size screw, bolt, nut, washer, PVC, CPV from 1/2 to 4", Electrical everything including boxes, switches, recepticals, anything from 14ga wire to #1. Welding, Cutting, etc.. Just too many interests, and too many things to work on and fix. I have to maintain 4 Mini Busses, 3 Large Busses, 5 Cabins, 3 Deep Water Wells, help my Brother with his place across the street, Mother also across the street with her projects, raise Rabbits, Chickens, Goats, and now starting with keeping Bees. 5 Over Wintered hives, 2 Packages and 2 Nucs to start off with, and 40 shallow Supers for the honey they should produce this year. And,, if I get my way, this fall, will have a metal Lathe and Mill for some other projects I have been wanting to do for a while. I'm actually thinking about building it in one of my Surplus school busses, after raising the roof in it... Ha.. Cheers. I'll work on getting the shop straight as you suggested.. Will be shrinking the Blacksmithing area to a minimum, since it appears that I have been regularly making things with it to use around here.. Made a special tool the other day to make cleaning the bee boxes much faster, and built some cool looking shelf brackets to put some of my VHF radios that I use in the Company, to clear off one of the shelves.. Cheers.. I hate saying that I "Can't" do something. I really see no reason for the word.. I just havn't tried it yet would be a better way to put it. Cheers.

[@TheAgentOfTruth]

i love it sounds like you have a lot going on i'm a lil jealous...i could use a few more interesting projects thanks for the detailed reply well, just for safetys sake...maybe sometime in the semi near future...dont want you tripping/slipping on some debris while you are using big powered cutting tools... what state are you? sounds beautiful!

[@MarkThomas123]

North Carolina, but, the Western Tip. And this area in particular is what has all of the advantages.. I am in the Nantahala River Gorge. Between two large mountain ranges. The cool River runs through it. 15 Miles west of Bryson City, NC. Bryson City is my address. www.PaddleInnRafting.com is my White Water Rafting Company. I wish I had more time to spend on projects, and had less to do in the office. It is a small Company. I'm chief Pot Washer, Mechanic, Welder, President, Accountant, Bookkeeping, Payables/Receivables, etc.. And, how I hate accounting.. Ha. Basically, me, and my Mom and during the peak of the season, up to 25 employees ranging from 18 to 78 years old. Some guys you love, and some will make your hair stand straight up on your head. It is a Seasonal Job, so, Retirees can be dependable, but, most employees are good at escaping reality/responsibility, out for the Summer on break (Momma helping out financially), or their first real job.. Then, there are some of those Seasoned River Guides who work the River in the Summer, and Snow in the Winter, or take off somewhere like the Islands or Puerto Rico, or way South during the Winter. They have adventure in their blood.. So, it is a heck of a mix to deal with.. People ask me if I have kids.. I say, Yep, about 25 of them, and about half of them new every Season... I used to think.. The Best Business is one without any Employees... And,, I still think that..Ha.. But, sometimes, I know I would never give it up. Some come here and really get their feet under them, and some leave here totally in the wrong direction.. But, I don't have many that are not glad to see me when we bump into one another, or I get those calls from every year or so, or every year on the same day.. I do everything I can to give them concept and understanding, and guidance. Some listen, some don't, and then, you get that occasional call a year or two later, and someone says,,,,, "You Really helped me get my head on straight", or "I remembered what you said".. It makes it all worth while. I had two kids here 3 years ago.. Both of them 22 years old. Neither had ever had a weed eater in their hands, and neither had ever used any simple power tools.. A year later, I got some pictures from someone installing a Wood Floor, in a bathroom.. I had no idea who it was. I replied. Next time, spend $5 and get new bolts and 2 wax rings, and pull the toilet before you put the floor in. It will be much easier to cut a circle than go around the toilet edges, and it will look much nicer. The next day, I got a new set of pictures.. He had pulled the toilet, fixed the floor and sent pictures of the completed job.. At the bottom of the text, he said.. This is Wes.. Do you Remember me? I had to call him. He was one of the guys with no tool experience.. Not even a circular saw or Weed Eater. I hear from him every year or two.. He feels like a Son to me, but, I have not seen him since 2006.. Cheers. Nice meeting you.

[@TheAgentOfTruth]

i love nc got friends in ashe.. ex girl has some land in sylvia relatives in raleigh

[@MarkThomas123]

TheAgentOfTruth Cool.. I am 40 minutes West of Sylva.. 5 hours from Raleigh.. In fact, working on a Project now to take some Honey Bee Hive boxes over to Raleigh to have them Fumigated.. Only one fumigator in the State.. I have some suspicion that the trailer load of "used" boxes I picked up might have had some AFB spores and want to be sure, and not use the equipment with my current bees. One trip there to drop them off, and one trip there to pick them up a week later.. Don't care for the road trips, but, love the drive.. Beautiful Country up here, but, not many places prettier than the Gorge here.. I have several good friends in Asheville too.. Cheers.

[@bluestar9750]

Good work!..thank you for the video

[@brucemorris6319]

I like it good job.

[@jerryarm4160]

Dude you rock.

[@bpev2194]

Do you have any measurements on it or is it just a guessing game with the sake board chucks?

[@yeethao6044]

How do you attach the wooden wheel to the drive shaft? Please explain the procedure and what components are needed.

[@MarkThomas123]

I have a threaded adapter that goes on the end of the motor shaft that the wheel slides onto. When I marked the circle I used a compass. The compass gave me the center pount. I drilled that with the same size drill as my threaded adapter. I slip the wheel on and tighten it down. I hope that helps.

[@joeshedler6496]

@Mark Thomas Is there a copy of the plans or dimensions somewhere? I love this build because its simple, and made from wood, no special tools, or welding of metal. Thanks for sharing.

[@stevejackson1477]

Hi Mark, your solutions are really elegant. It't simple really (once you've thought of it). Was it just trial and error, or is there a easy mathematical formula for making the sander fit a 72" belt. Thanks

[@MarkThomas123]

I knew I would have a drive wheel, an Idler wheel and two wheels in the front.. I just laid the belt out, about like I thought it would end up. Make a few chalk marks and built the frame to those approximate dimensions and used the spring to take up the slack in the belt.. Simple there too.. :)

[@ronnewton606]

great..love it... human smarts...

[@hampsterhankgaming8983]

if you can remember can you maybe get some of the measurements because i am trying to get some of this done and i really would like to have measurements for this thank you

[@MarkThomas123]

It largely depends on what size wheels, drive wheel, motor mount, distance between wheels, length of travel of your spring, what type of spring, etc.. My exact dimensions probably would not work for your setup, depending.. You stand a better chance designing it on your own.. Here are some suggestions.. It is easy when you start, you will see.. Lay your belt out on the table on it's side. Fill up some cans and place them on the table inside of your belt. Use diameters of the wheels you are going to use, and you will have a very good idea of the dimensions you will need to use.. If you use a longer spring, that is not tapered, you will have a larger range of travel.. If you use a larger diameter spring, and make the pivot point of the Slack Adjuster wheel closer to the spring, you will have the greatest adjustment of your belt. Get your basic built, then, put your slack adjusting wheel on.. You can move your pivot point back and forward to take up any slack you need.. You can mount your wheel on the bottom if you need to take up less slack, on the top to take up more slack, etc.. Once you lay it out on the table, you will see what you need to do.. It is not complicated... Then build your frame to fit your drawing.. That is basically the way I built it.. But, I just laid it out and built the frame pretty close to where I needed it, and moved the motor back about 1/4" and I had it.. Notice how little slack adjustment I have in my slack adjuster because I put it "Inside" of the main frame... I could have mounted it on top, and made the whole frame shorter.. I would do this next time, so, it is much shorter if that helps.. Think about having a platen between the front wheels, and the frame not as deep, but, taller and have the slack wheel mounted further to the front, higher, and you can have a slack belt grinding area above the platen area.. I will build that into my next one.That way, you don't have to remove the platen to slack belt grind.

[@hampsterhankgaming8983]

ok thank you that is helpful i am 16 and i am trying to get into blacksmithing and i dont want to play nearly 400+ just for 1 tool so again thank you

[@MarkThomas123]

I could tell. Being invited to my first Hammer Inn by some Father and Son Groups is why I built this Grinder with the tools that I built it with.. So, I could share it with them.. I had only seen one of these that the group had bought and all of the group had to go to one place to use it. The price of that grinder was over $2,000 usd. I am sure you can do this.. You asking for the measurements tells me that.. It would just complicate things if you didn't have the same motor mount, etc.. You can do it.. Many of these have been made by people as young as you with the very basic tools I used. Watch a few youtube videos on these grinders and pay close attention to the Tracking Wheel arms.. I would use a spring, not a compression shock.. Pick a design that gives you the most travel in the belt if you have any doubt about your dimensions.. That will solve any problem you have there.. It is all about the pivot point to give you more travel.. Remember, the closer to the spring end, the stronger the spring will have to be... But, you can just drill another hole and move it the opposite way and you can adjust the result of the spring tension, by giving it more leverage.. So, you can see. The important parts are keeping the wheels all in line, and getting the size approximately correct, and using the tracking wheel/arm to take up the slack.. I am sure you will do fine. Don't spend a whole lot getting into blacksmithing.. You can do things cheap to get what you need, and start working, then, upgrade the things that you want as you go. If you can get coal easily where you live, it is the easiest way to go. I pay $15 for a 50 lb bag, and the cost for it and propane are about the same, and with a hair dryer, you can do what you need to do.. Mild steel is Ok for an Anvil, if you can pick up a 2" wide or better block of it.. Check scrap yards.. Rail Road Track iron works great. Don't need fancy hammers to start.. See if you can get something to use as a Hardy hole.. (Square plate that railroad spikes go into works.. And get some solid square stock and make tools/blocks out of scrap to get the edges you need, until you find a cheap anvil as an upgrade. Don't be afraid to make your own tongs. You will need many sizes of them.. When you get used to hammering, find a few styles of tongs an go for them.. Look at the Bolt Tongs and Wolf Jaw tongs and flat tongs.. They are the most useful tongs, and you can resize them between projects until you have time to make more different sizes.. Remember. They usually only hold one size up to 1/8 or 3/16 larger before you have to have a different pair, or adjust the ones you have.. Wolf Jaw Tongs are ideal and allow you to use one pair for different sizes, more than the 1/8 to 3/16 standard for other tongs.. Play around with Forge Welding. When you start drawing out your reigns of your tongs, you will understand why.. Forge welding is not difficult. Just knowing how hot to get the metals, and using a flux (borax)until you find out you don't have to. Being able to forge weld will really open up the number of things you will be able to build yourself, and save you a lot of time. Get some coil springs and make your chisels, punches, drifts, etc.. Coil springs are made from good spring steel, and making these tools are good experience, and you will be using them as you get going. Learn about Heat Treating, and look for a chart called "Junk Yard Steels".. You will learn what type of steels things at a junkyard are made out of, and what you can make with them.. Steak Turners and Skewers are good starting projects also, and you can enjoy using them, and give them to your friends as gifts and get some others interested in the craft to learn with you. Good luck..

[@noskoffserg]

Спасибо,прикольно!Просто и оригинально!

[@MarkThomas123]

+Sereganos Спасибо за ваш комментарий

[@themadsmith857]

спасибо, что набрав в России

[@josharaujo9589]

You think this would work with a 1/2 hp motor. It's basically an old Bench Grinder? Been putting off trying this, cause of the lack of power it has

[@MarkThomas123]

I see the reason why it would not. The one in the video is only a one third horsepower. You might have to buy a shaft extension

[@Classitar]

Great job!

[@AmandadaGraca]

Hi Mark, Great build. I was wondering if you could take a few stills of the whole machine, or possibly give dimensions of the frame pieces. I currently am working on a similar grinder except I wasn't going to use a tension wheel. I planned on simply sliding the whole frame forward and backward to tighten/loosen tension. I planned on doing tracking using the skateboard trucks, if you put tension on the top truck on the outer side, it'll adjust tracking.

[@MarkThomas123]

Amanda.. It would actually do you more harm than it would do you good to know my exact dimensions.. if you move or change anything they won't work for you.. I think you know enough about what you're doing to put something together just like you want. I'm sure your reason for building the type of grinder that I built was different than mine. mine was more a proof of concept, and will this actually work.. I had never put my hands on one before.. Here's what you need to know.. get some general idea of how you want your pulleys to layout.. Including your motor setup.. I'm sure that will be different than mine.. lay it out on a table or the floor.. let's say your motor pulley is 2 inches and you don't have something two inches, cut out a 2 inch circle out of paper and tape it to the table or floor.. Then grab your 2 x 72 belt , and start by putting strips of tape on the back inside of the belt, and tape it around your form.. decide how you will want your wheels closest to you.. How far apart excetera.. Lay them on the table in that rough dimension.. decide how many, or where your next wheel will go. lay it on the table also, and tape the belt around it. then go back and readjust everything so it fits.. I would recommend that you put your belt tensioner on an arm, attach to the top of your frame.. Not like I did.. Here he is the reason why.. The More Travel of your tension arm, the more flexibility you have in your design.. if you want to make the whole unit more compact , take up the slack with your tensioner arm, or add another wheel towards the rear.. by laying it out on a table , you can see exactly how your design is working up.. just remember.. All of your wheels need to be in line with each other.. So now all of your wheels off of the same base, in the same manner.. if you put one screw one half an inch from the edge Kama all screws need to be one half inch from the edge.. I'm sure that makes sense to you.. Let me make one more comment/suggestion.. my original thought was to set this up to run two belts at the same time.. The reason I decided to use the skateboard trucks, after I decided on the skateboard wheels.. It became obvious to me pretty quickly that that would be a good way to lose a lot of skin, real fast, so I dropped that part of the design quickly.. the bushings in the center of the trucks are going to have some flexibility.. I tighten them down just about as tight as I could, and I have taken them a couple of times since.. sooner or later, I will be taking them completely apart to see if I can rig up some way of holding the trucks without that bushing.. it has worked beautifully up to now.. The only thing that I would add would be a support behind the belt somewhere on the front between the two front wheels, but I would not run it from Wheel to wheel.. I like using the slack part of the belt as much as I do the platen that I just described. the bottom truck in the video is starting to get a little weak at the bushing.. After all this time.. the other day, I took a piece of flat Steel and drilled two holes in it. I I removed the belt, pulled the wheel down and dropped a screw into the side of the frame to straighten the truck back up.. To be honest, no telling how long that will last butt comma probably longer than the truck bushing did to begin with.. There is one thing that I have learned owning a 2 x 72 belt grinder.. My shop will always have one.. if I were to build another, I would have no problem spending $200 on a set of wheels.. And I would probably build the whole thing out of metal, because I have the tools.. but someone asked me the other day if all the wheels could be made out of wood.. With a good set of bearings , it's actually not a bad idea and I might just do it for the heck of it.. but if I were a blade Smith , it would be much more important to me to have a lot of additional features.. For that I would build out of metal. but for a general-purpose belt grinder , you will never regret whatever you build.. it's one of the first tools that someone sees in my shop that they have to ask me about.. That in itself was worth the whole deal.. the tracking is not that finicky.. That was the main thing I was worried about.. But you see that my simple door hinge works fine.. Just make sure you get the wheels lined up in a straight line.. when you lay it out on the table , it will start making sense to you.. Give it a shot.. If you have anymore questions give me a yell.. Good luck..

[@MarkThomas123]

I forgot to say. I did one other video on the belt grinder. Might want to look at it too. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKS3lGaZbNqjiac Cute btw..

[@Skurdyet]

Hi Mark! Thanks for the info. I wrote my original post to you under my wife's profile, lol. I have began to put this grinder together. I had a few issues with tracking, but figured out that the trucks were my issue. I dumped the tension/tracking wheel altogether. I can do tracking by adjusting the top truck ever so slightly. I have a video to post but can't for the life of me figure out how.. Thanks again for your previous replies! Brett

[@MarkThomas123]

+Brett da Graca if you have a KZbin account, when you log into it, you should see a little ink in the upper right that says upload.. Start there you should be able to figure the rest out.. When you get it uploaded you will get a link.. Paste it here and I'll take a look at it.. You need some sort of spring for tension.. You might be able to do it without it.. And you need some way to adjust the level of the wheel to adjust your tracking.. If you can figure out how to do that some new way. I think it would be good.. I wasn't surprised to think that a woman could build something like this.. But thanks for letting the cat out the bag.. Cheers and good luck.. Let me know if I can give you a little advice.. I build all kinds of stuff..

[@Skurdyet]

I currently adjust tension by sliding the whole frame away from the motor and locking it place with quick clamps. The tracking I adjust by moving the center nut on the top skateboard truck. I have the lower truck tightened down, it don't move at all. I'll get that KZbin video up in a few min and post for ya to check it out.. Currently still need to add platen, also figuring out a way to quick change to a contact wheel. Thinking of making the platen/ contact wheel using bolt receiver of some type. I'll keep you posted

[@johnmcalhany41]

Awesome Vid! I cant wait to try to build it!! Thanks for posting! Mark, I'm wondering if it would be possible to place a 12" sanding block with self adhesive sanding pad on the pulley just off the motor? Oh, by the way, I love the idea of having two 2"x72" belts rotating at the same time!

[@MarkThomas123]

yes, I am sure you could.. about two belts rotating at the same time.. If you have a greater need for having two belts spinning, and your work piece fits well with a 2 belt setup, by all means it would work great.. But I grind all different sorts of things on my belt grinder.. I have taken a little skin off of my knuckles not paying close enough attention.. A second belt would increase that risk.. But being able to quickly change between grits would be a sweetheart deal I agree.. Cheers and good luck with your build