My 2x72 grinder build

[Gears & Arms]

I hope this is in the right spot, feel free to move if not.

I thought I’d share the 2x72 grinder I just finished. I decided after a few months of tinkering around making knives that it's time to build a 2x72 Grinder. I'm trying to keep the cost down so I'm using a treadmill and various steel and parts I have lying around.

Here is what I have so far:
Here is the preliminary design with a 10" contact wheel

Im making a flat platen

Here it is tacked up. The pieces that are white is steel from the treadmill.

I'm also using a hitch receiver tube for the work pieces to slide in

Here I have started on the tensioner

I have also fabricated the tracking system on the tensioner arm

For wheels on the flat platen I'm using skate board wheels

2x72,belt grinder,

 

[Gears & Arms]

Here is everything welded up, I added more support and gussets. I put a crown in the tracking pulley and started on the tensioner.

 

[Gears & Arms]

The start of the controls using the treadmill control board.

Here is the board with a fresh coat of paint to tidy it up. I decided to keep the distance display just for the heck of it. Everything else I blacked out.

Here are some finished pictures:

here is the 2nd attachment I made for it. It's for tighter radius's and also grinding in fullers. I do want some options for even tighter radius’s, just have to source parts.

Here is a video kind of going over the whole thing.

 

[SharpByCoop]

Wow! Thanks for sharing this Caleb. As I'm scrolling and studying the photos, I'm thinking "I wish he'd show a video...." POW!

Color me impressed. I'm jealous of your skillz.

 

[3fifty7]

I just skimmed through the video and didn’t catch if you mentioned it but did you figure what your max SFPM would be?

 

[Gears & Arms]

I just skimmed through the video and didn’t catch if you mentioned it but did you figure what your max SFPM would be?

I haven’t figured that out, it can crank some rpm. I’ll have to figure out how to measure that and get back with you. I don’t run it much more than half speed

 

[3fifty7]

There’s a formula out there somewhere, IIRC if your drive wheel=pi then RPM=SFPM. With a 2” drive you may be 33% below rpm but don’t hold me to that.

 

[Gears & Arms]

Ok cool, I’ll see if I can figure it out and let you know