guarnera Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 If anyone out there has a harbor freight, or that type of surface grinder and has converted it to a 2"x72" belt, could you forward me some photo's that show how you did it. It doesn't have to be a step by step, just showing the conversion. Maybe some close ups, so I can figure it out. Also, do you still get close enough tolerances to do folders? or do you need to change it back to a stone for that? Thank you all very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Blue Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 (edited) You will need one of these: http://www.kalamazooindustries.com/images/bigpics/2fs7221.jpg and get a good mag-chuck, a good one. There is a tapered spindle inside the drive arm on one of the little surface grinders that will need to be duplicated to accept the shaft for the Kalamazoo head. You won't need the base or the platen for the grinder. If you're lathe fellow does the right job it will index in perfectly and square with just that one part. I must tell you that adjusting the tracking can be really exciting the first time. The belt slack is taken up by a spring inside the tube arm and when the knob is loosened the arm can rotate which is how you adjust tracking. I should also say that belt tracking is very much different between you spining the belt by hand and when that motor gets up to speed. It's not difficult, just very interesting. You should not be afraid of high speed belts when you get to that part. Now if Kalamazoo had first built these units with square tubing and a decent tracking mechanism, well it wouldn't be interesting anymore. I have been very satisfied with my conversion and I still have all the original parts so I can always convert back to stones. But, you can change belt grits which are not as flexible as on the stones. All my folder parts come off this unit and will trim a thousandth accurately enough for me. It's not a hogging grinder but I have flat ground barstock for some folks to acceptable spec. Good luck Edited September 24, 2009 by Mike Blue There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves. Will Rogers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 You will need one of these: http://www.kalamazooindustries.com/images/bigpics/2fs7221.jpg and get a good mag-chuck, a good one. There is a tapered spindle inside the drive arm on one of the little surface grinders that will need to be duplicated to accept the shaft for the Kalamazoo head. You won't need the base or the platen for the grinder. If you're lathe fellow does the right job it will index in perfectly and square with just that one part. I must tell you that adjusting the tracking can be really exciting the first time. The belt slack is taken up by a spring inside the tube arm and when the knob is loosened the arm can rotate which is how you adjust tracking. I should also say that belt tracking is very much different between you spining the belt by hand and when that motor gets up to speed. It's not difficult, just very interesting. You should not be afraid of high speed belts when you get to that part. Now if Kalamazoo had first built these units with square tubing and a decent tracking mechanism, well it wouldn't be interesting anymore. I have been very satisfied with my conversion and I still have all the original parts so I can always convert back to stones. But, you can change belt grits which are not as flexible as on the stones. All my folder parts come off this unit and will trim a thousandth accurately enough for me. It's not a hogging grinder but I have flat ground barstock for some folks to acceptable spec. Good luck "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." — Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 I also went the Kalamazoo route but somewhat different....Bought a used 2 x 48 grinder on Ebay..threw away the bottom wheel... Had a contact wheel made with a 1.25" hole and a .25" thick flange [these are the same deminsions as the wheels I used]...bolts right to the surface grinder Ez converts back to wheel,but I never do that...Great for Damacus billets and folders... "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." — Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoe Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 does anyone have any pictures of what they have done...I would love to see it. Zoe Crist Knives Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pelallito1 Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 I will second what Zoe wrote. Fred does anyone have any pictures of what they have done...I would love to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guarnera Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 I will second what Zoe wrote. Fred I did a search for surface grinder belt conversion, and got a site by Ed Caffrey with a conversion to a harbor freight grinder like I have. I hope this gets you there. Http://edcaffreyms.jalbum.net/Surface Grinder Conversion/slides/IMG_0301.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guarnera Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 I also went the Kalamazoo route but somewhat different....Bought a used 2 x 48 grinder on Ebay..threw away the bottom wheel... Had a contact wheel made with a 1.25" hole and a .25" thick flange [these are the same deminsions as the wheels I used]...bolts right to the surface grinder Ez converts back to wheel,but I never do that...Great for Damacus billets and folders... Arthur, Where did you get the contact wheel made. This is how the Caffrey conversion was done and it looks east. I've already made an arm like that to convert a coote grinder so I would have better belt tensioning control. Tony G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Arthur, Where did you get the contact wheel made. This is how the Caffrey conversion was done and it looks east. I've already made an arm like that to convert a coote grinder so I would have better belt tensioning control. Tony G http://www.contactrubber.com/detail.asp?c=378 "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." — Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Blue Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 If you can follow Ed's direction, the square tube-internal spring-better tracking-tensioner is a much better set up. Mine is admittedly stock parts bolted on and used as is. There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves. Will Rogers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guarnera Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 http://www.contactrubber.com/detail.asp?c=378 Thank you, I'll be calling them soon. Tony G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I think I finally managed to send picture ....enclosed I hope are my conversons and the Bowie I won Best Fighter for at Denver and the Bowie I "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." — Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoe Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 I will take some photos of mine tomorrow .. i too just finished mine and it works great. i love the belt finish sooo much better than the stones. Thanks to everyone for the ideas and inspiration... Zoe Crist Knives Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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