Crowd Dev? New Platen design

Brock Cutlery

Brock Cutlery

Joined
Jan 10, 2015
Messages
1,673
OK, I can't sleep.
Reading through the recent platen post, I can't help but dream of a great platen assembly.
What does this thing offer? Why heck, it will tilt, it's designed to give you clearance to grind your tangs on either side. You might drop the belt off the upper pulley without readjusting everything (drawing shows long platen). It even allows you to quickly swap out platens with a couple of quick release levers instead of unbolting, or worse, changing tool arms. Heck yeah!
I use at least two platens even on a single blade and I dread unbolting the danged things.

Anyone else think this is worth developing? Should I just try to go back to sleep?

sketch1.jpg
 
I think you would need a multi part platten. A primary platen of rsther thick steel to both allow for the platen rods to be threaded in as well as provide the backing for the glass or hardened steel plate to prevent flex.

I also think some sort of stop to prevent the platen rods from sliding back past the upper and lower wheels. I fear with only the locking levers you risk slowly pushing the platen in and accidentally convex grinding everythinf
 
I agree on the stops Ben. That drawing shows a long platen, and my thought behind that is I want a smooth transition from platen to wheel, but that might not be viable as a grinding platform. Not sure on that.
Normal platens would not reach the wheels. The reason behind that is that you might drop the belt down off the upper pull for radius grinding on the top edge of the platen. Might still have to remove that top wheel. Not sure. It's all concept at this point.

So do you like the idea of it? Is it worth pursuing in your mind?
It just seems to me that the platen is probably the most important part of the tool when it comes to grinding out a blade, and we are working on the crudest of tools right now...
 
Good idea... but as long as you are designing, why not make the wheels of different sizes? Then you can use them to get diffferent sized radii without changing to a small wheel adapter.
 
The Bee grinders have a pretty nice platten. Different size wheel top and bottom, and it rotates 360° to have good access to both wheels, and also to flip it 180° to use it as a slack belt without having to unbolt anything.

Herbst (south African company) makes what looks to be a really nice platten for their grinder, but I doubt you'd ever see one in north america
 
if going full house make it 3 wheels 2-4-6 inch platen between the 2-4 slack belt the 4-6 space and the 2-6 can have a "soft platen" 360 degree rotation so you can use any part of the tool arm you want
 
Mark, independent of your new concept, if you are changing out platens often, it's much more efficient for you IMO to buy another tool arm and standard platen mount. You can just switch them out quickly with ease.
The cost of a new tool arm and platen mount is quite reasonable.
 
The design looks good, but what problem are we trying to solve here? I change out my tool arms with the twist of just one (1) lever.

It takes about 5 seconds to change from flat platen to a wheel, or a slack belt. And I know it's going to be at the right distance from the belt every time.
 
HSC /// said:
, very good, now can you mount a third wheel up top set back?
I want to run a rotary platen belt across the flat platen surface :)
Click to expand...

Maybe. I will look. But I just made a flat platen for my rotary platen to go behind the belt.

currenthill said:
The design looks good, but what problem are we trying to solve here? I change out my tool arms with the twist of just one (1) lever.

It takes about 5 seconds to change from flat platen to a wheel, or a slack belt. And I know it's going to be at the right distance from the belt every time.
Click to expand...

I don't care so much about the "multi tool" functions described here, this platen I've been working on to give more unfettered access on the left side where there is sometimes interference with the platen mounting plate, and to make the swapping between radius platens and flat platens with and without chillers, easy.
 
Instead of having to have the assembly, including wheels and tool arm for each different platen you want, you just need the platens and the little rod mounting part.
Much cheaper, just as quick, and put stops on them if you like to ensure the same distance every time you slide them in.
And you don't need a huge bulky rack full of arms. (OK, you do, but that is for small wheel and big wheel setups).
I have 3 different platens I use now, and a 4th (glass for rough grinding) makes sense for me. And I could use some various radius platens as well.
That's up to 8 tool arms for me without this setup. Or I'm back to bolting / unbolting platens from my assembly.
 
HSC /// said:
, very good, now can you mount a third wheel up top set back?
I want to run a rotary platen belt across the flat platen surface :)
Click to expand...

Now I just had a thought looking at it again, if I put 4 wheels on it, you could use it as a rotary platen with radius platens and the chiller...
 
Brock Cutlery said:
Instead of having to have the assembly, including wheels and tool arm for each different platen you want, you just need the platens and the little rod mounting part.
Much cheaper, just as quick, and put stops on them if you like to ensure the same distance every time you slide them in.
And you don't need a huge bulky rack full of arms. (OK, you do, but that is for small wheel and big wheel setups).
I have 3 different platens I use now, and a 4th (glass for rough grinding) makes sense for me. And I could use some various radius platens as well.
That's up to 8 tool arms for me without this setup. Or I'm back to bolting / unbolting platens from my assembly.
Click to expand...

Ah, okay! That makes sense. That would actually be a great idea for small workshops like mine. :):thumbsup:
 
There are mounting holes in the platens, so the rods could be threaded at the ends. We would have to look at the length of thread needed to account for chiller, but could have a stop nut if no chiller mounted.

An alternative might be to move the rods away from the mounting holes and just use the standard bolts we use now to mount the platens/chillers.
 
HSC /// said:
, very good, now can you mount a third wheel up top set back?
I want to run a rotary platen belt across the flat platen surface :)
Click to expand...

I wonder if that would work, or if it's just too much. If it could work, then yours and Butches ideas might merge, with different sized wheels on a rotary platen setup.
But the belt and wheels are grooved, so might not work out when you want to take the belt off and just grind on a platen. Grooved platen too?
I have a rotary platen, so I'd be thrilled just to have the platen change out option without the belt.
Could get quite costly too....

I've not tried grinding on my rotary platen wheels. I have to do that and see how that works out....
 
I wouldn't want a rotary platen / regular platen combo attachment, if only because of the grooved wheels. I'm thinking that 2 platen assemblies on 2 tool arms, one set up as a rotary, one set up as standard with 2 and 3" wheels, could interchange platens with the tie-rod system so that radius platens and flat platens could be used on either, with/without chillers on either.

The rods are attached in my design like this:

Capture.JPG Capture2.JPG Capture3.JPG
 
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