How I set up my Carothers C-Plate and Radius Platen/Chiller

BenR.T. said:
Or just buy another grooved wheel and run them on the platen and a smooth idler on the third wheel adapter. Adding another smooth wheel will only make it tighter. You’re running on the outside diameter of the rubber wheels, which is wider than if you were running grooved wheels.

You might be trying to do to many things with one tool arm.
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I went ahead and ordered another grooved wheel so I can do as you suggest, but I also ordered a 33" belt instead of the 32" I was working with. Should make it much easier with the 3rd wheel attachment slots, I can put the belt on then slide and tighten screws and be good to go hopefully.
 
razor-edge-knives said:
I went ahead and ordered another grooved wheel so I can do as you suggest, but I also ordered a 33" belt instead of the 32" I was working with. Should make it much easier with the 3rd wheel attachment slots, I can put the belt on then slide and tighten screws and be good to go hopefully.
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Hopefully it gets tight enough for you.
I think two grooved and one smooth makes it much easier. Mine went on pretty easy.
 
Is anyone using a rubber contact wheel?
I have a 2” rubber wheel and two aluminum wheels. I’ll order the grooved wheels if it will work better, but I figured I’d try it first and see what happens.
 
I finished putting mine together yesterday, and wow...this thing is awesome. I probably won't get to put this thing through a real test until the weekend, but I did sharpen a couple of knives with it and it is a delight. I didn't have problem putting the rubber belt, nor did it squeak. The only thing that threw me for a loop was how to screw those two elbow hose barbs in, since they were blocking each other from turning. Looking at the pictures, I thought Matt was performing some type of witchcraft until I noticed he cut one of them shorter...*facepalm*

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No, I don’t think so. It gets HOT, even at very low speed, within seconds.
 
Well the extra inch on the belt makes it slightly too long... oh well was worth a shot, won't be the first $$ I've lost in this business lol. But the second grooved wheel running both of those on the platen is the key, works perfect.

Did this quick as an experiment at 9um and then to a leather belt w/ pink compound... not a perfect mirror but it very highly polished with a consistent scratch pattern (can't see the scratches at this angle obviously).

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...one more observation, perhaps not limited to this setup, but instead to the whole platen chiller thing. I change tool arms a lot, and keep them on shelves next to the grinder. I also turn the water pumps for my chillers off when I’m done for the day. That can allow air pockets to form in the chiller, which could create hot spots, so lower your chiller or shift it around a bit to make sure that all the air is drained from the chiller and the lines before you use it. Probably not a bad idea to use clear tubing for this reason.
 
The company Shopcross may be tempting to buy the belts from due to their low price, but run far away from them.
I know there’s is at least one person on here that ordered from them, but it must have been the last ones they had in stock. After 3 weeks, several emails, phone calls, and even using their chat function on their site, I couldn’t get ahold of a human. Finally after multiple efforts I emailed again saying that I’m tired of waiting and to give me my money back. This prompted a response thankfully.
They blamed it on the factory and said they won’t have any more belts in until mid May. I emailed back that even with the factory problems, that didn’t explain their lack of response to my inquiries.

Now I just have to order the transmission belts somewhere else and hope I get better service.
Buyer beware.
 
Dragging this back up, as I finally got a safety shield for mine. My buddy BenR.T. BenR.T. made me one, and customized it for me before sending it. Now he'll forever be making fun of me for my use of the word 'clutch', which apparently isn't hip anymore.

Nor am I, I guess.


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The engine turning and spiderwebs were a nice touch, I thought. And who doesn't love an eyeball with wings?
 
I can see creating a lot of temperature on that plate . I don t think that belt will last long ......What if instead of the belt you use piece of thick leather glued to plate ? Have somebody tried this, I m long time thinking about it ... but I do not have the right leather for now to try ??
 
I think you’ve reached a number of conclusions without ever using the setup. You do see that I started this thread in March, right? I’ve used this setup - as you see it - for months. I know someone else that’s used it on hundreds of knives, at this point, I would guess.

In fact, I had to remove the belt in order to install this shield, and both the belt and the platen look perfect.
 
Actually I have rotary platen too . I make it for convex grind .....I tried something like this with plate behind and I do not like it. I don t like heat generated on platen /without chiller/ and I don t like sound ...I try even with PTFE glued on platen ..... But , I'm glad that this setup works for you .If my question is in wrong place I will open another thread :thumbsup:
 
Natlek said:
Actually I have rotary platen too . I make it for convex grind .....I tried something like this with plate behind and I do not like it. I don t like heat generated on platen /without chiller/ and I don t like sound ...I try even with PTFE glued on platen ..... But , I'm glad that this setup works for you .If my question is in wrong place I will open another thread :thumbsup:
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I know several guys that have used leather behind a belt. Myself included. It works ok at low speed for final finish, but it burns and get s hard quickly. Also it wears out fast.
The chiller really makes this setup possible. I can't imagine trying it without it.
 
Your observations aren’t in the wrong place, they just don’t hold any merit.

I have a Beaumont rotary platen which I modified to have a platen behind the belt, with no cooling system whatsoever, and it neither gets too hot nor does it generate excessive noise, or any noise beyond what the rotary platen makes.
 
Then I must have to do something wrong ..... Never mind , it is OK for convex , that's why I make it ..
@BenR.T. thanks for answering my question , save me a lot of effort :thumbsup:
 
Matthew Gregory said:
Dragging this back up, as I finally got a safety shield for mine. My buddy BenR.T. BenR.T. made me one, and customized it for me before sending it. Now he'll forever be making fun of me for my use of the word 'clutch', which apparently isn't hip anymore.

Nor am I, I guess.


43922897564_070f8cac69_b.jpg



The engine turning and spiderwebs were a nice touch, I thought. And who doesn't love an eyeball with wings?
Click to expand...


Oh that thing makes you about as hip as possible :)
 
Matthew Gregory said:
Your observations aren’t in the wrong place, they just don’t hold any merit.

I have a Beaumont rotary platen which I modified to have a platen behind the belt, with no cooling system whatsoever, and it neither gets too hot nor does it generate excessive noise, or any noise beyond what the rotary platen makes.
Click to expand...
Now I see that you misunderstood my previous post.......Instead of Radius platen in my post I wrote plate ..... :) Never mind , I don t want to derail your thread ............. When I have final version of my rotary platen I will open another thread .... :thumbsup:
 
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