Properly made platen attachments

I'll be in for two chiller platens and two flat platens .I would love to see a flat platen with about 1/16 to 3/32 round sides on them . Great for cleaning up plung lines . Just dreaming here.
 
I would buy a chiller, I still haven't had time to make my own.
 
Josh Rider said:
I'd definitely buy a platen chiller.
Any chance you'll make some 36" or 72" platens?
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Yeah we're doing a run of radius platens and chillers. If there is interest we'll make some accurate flat platen attachment C plates too. So far I haven't seen enough interest in that, so if folks want it, they should say something on this thread. If there appears to be interest we'll put some in the run.
 
I'd be interested in a C platen attachment plate provided they would tilt like the stock one from KMG. I like to tilt it forward at times. I would also be interested in a side radius platen if your making those as well.
I've already got a chiller and top radius platen which I really like.
 
I'd be interested in a radius platen for my KMG
 
Matthew Gregory said:
As I'm sure many of you have seen, I've had quite a few issues with my KMG grinder. Some of that I've done to rectify things can be seen here:

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/converting-a-kmg-to-direct-drive.1351035/

Brian Fellhoelter touched upon other bits in this thread:

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/kmg-grinder-tweaks-thread.831688/

There are plenty of others, but I think you get the point.

As a result of my modifications, and my friend Joe selling a LOT of the direct drive kits shown in the thread above, I've fielded a lot of questions regarding troubleshooting these machines. One issue pops up quite a bit...

Although I freehand grind everything, I use a LOT of different attachments. All have their own tool arms. Many of these I've made, but some are just bone stock, like the platen attachment. The stock platen body is 1/2" thick plate 6061 aluminum, and one of the issues I think is how they're manufactured. I don't know this as a fact, but it's my guess that the 1/2"-13 threaded holes for the 1/2" hardware store bolts Rob uses for axles aren't spot drilled, bored, and cut with threadcutting endmills in a cnc, but rather just sloppily drilled and tapped. IT IS THE EXCEPTION, not the rule, for these to not be skewed. I own three of these platens, and none of them are square, and some are as far off as 3º. To help place this in context, the crowning applied to most drive and tracking wheels is 1º.

...and we wonder why the belts charge all over hell and high water.

I've toyed with the idea of drilling all of mine out and installing new inserts like helicoils or Acme keylocking threaded inserts, but I'm wondering if there's a better way, or if I'm just better off making my own damn platen attachment.

I'm always striving to improve my skills. For me, making a knife isn't necessarily about finding ways to increase efficiency, or doe things faster or easier. I want to make HAND MADE knives, meaning made with my two hands. I don't begrudge anyone doing things with rests, or jigs, or any other such methods - I just enjoy the challenge of working to the best of my ability. It's gotten to the point where many of my problems are due to the limitations of the machines I use, and this misalignment is a bit part of that.

Have any of you guys thought about this?
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Matthew, I have used helicoils to hold some pieces together with steel flush head Allen type screws . They were easy to use and worked great. I bought mine from McMaster Carr and the only other thing I needed was a new tap which only cost $6. I think your idea to re-drill your platen frame and tap it for steel inserts is genius. I do not have a mill but I have a machinist friend who will drill and tap the holes if I supply the drill and tap. I used after market rollers by Jackstraw off ebay for replacement rollers and they work great . Just have a few machine bushings to perfectly adjust them. The fasteners in this angle rest are anchored by helicoils. I hope you solve your dilemma. Larry

EvOCebAm.jpg
 
FWIW, Chris @ Wilmont uses inserts in all his platen bodies, and I've got a handful, with different platens/setups, and none of them have any issues. Of course, as long as you know how to align the drive wheel, the Wilmont's track excellently, and all the spacing is setup correctly out of the box for the tooling, and all his idler's and other wheels have a bushing/spacer inside so all you have to do is tighten the bolt. I periodically check all mine for tension also, since some other grinders I've had would work themselves loose, including my home built and GIB builds, for whatever reason, haven't had one loosen up on it's own yet.

I'm not sure what he's doing as far as the C-plate, they used to be steel, but he switched to aluminum in the last couple years. I've got both, no problem with either. They don't appear to have been decked, and they're either laser or waterjet cut, but very flat, and of course oxided or anodized.

FWIW, I know he sells them individually if you ask.

One of the issues with the KMG tracking though, is the orientation of the tracking wheel in regards to the drive and tooling. Raising it further vertical, creating a more acute angle, helps significantly, although this concern is compounded by all the potentially non-square intersections, as mentioned above, and of course, the consideration of the drive or tracking wheel being potentially out of plane with the others, which IMO, causes the most egregious tracking problems, especially when the drive wheel is crowned also. This is where you can see tracking go hay-wire all the sudden, once you track past a certain point, instead of just being consistently erratic.
 
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