Thread: AUSSIE INGENUITY {or desperation}

Hey All,
i have been using an Abbott & Ashby Grinder with a MultiTool attachment {2x48 belts and a disc grinder} for about seven years now. Nothing wrong with it, but limited in what it can do {horizontal platen and 8 inch serrated wheel with no work rest} and my style has evolved. What i wanted was a vertical platen with a work rest and also a work rest for hollow grinding on the 8 inch wheel. i also wanted to keep the disc grinder and be able to run 72 inch belts, and keep the spindle on the left side of the grinder that i run my buffing wheels on. Just to make it interesting i had no funds for all the call stuff out there.
Soooo... below is the result. i call it the ADAM2010.
i used an old school desk i found for the main support {board rather than arms} and also for the work rest. Cut offs for the support arm for the work rest and main board. $20 on nuts, bolts, threaded rod and wing nuts. $75 on a set of skateboard wheels and bearings {only needed 2, so i have spares}. Took a couple of adjustments to get it right, especially as the tracking is built into the multitool, so it is limited. Needed a second set of eyes to spot where it wasn't right {thanks Simon} - one of the holes i drilled mounting the grinder was slightly angled and it was just enough to throw tracking off. Once Buckler spotted it, i re-mounted it and was off. There are extra nuts on the threaded rod the skateboard wheels run on as spacers to line it all up. The workrest is held by two wing nuts so i can move it from wheel to platen in seconds. Can also easily remove platen to slack belt. 90 % of my knives are convex ground, the rest flat, and my razors hollow. She ain't pretty, but works great and compared to professional options was cheap as chips. Be Warned though - Initial testing when tracking and/or alignment is off at all results in a belt coming off that can remove digits or worse!

Quite a setup you have there. Please be careful. Your mentioning lost digits or worse brought me back to 1977 when I came within a hair of losing 4 fingers on my left hand while erecting structural steel. We always think it can't happen to us until it does. Great job you did though.

Looks pretty friggin awesome to me, and the price was right too.
Well done.

Nice! What is the old saying..."Necessity is the mother of invention."

Nice set up.

This is what Jimmy is warning you about:

Looks great . Didn't know the MultiTool came with an 8" wheel.

Originally Posted by JMS

Nice set up.

This is what Jimmy is warning you about:

what happened?

No worries mate, another pair of eyes can see what you have been staring at for hours.

Was fun to catch up. You certainly have made me want to get my grinder done.
Do post your first piece of work of this puppy a!?

Good work bud

+Simon

Files and elbow grease are safer, but that looks pretty frickin' cool!


Mick

Originally Posted by BuddyRockefella

what happened?

I was checking out a commercial dough molder that was making an odd noise. I removed the back panel and disabled the safety switch so that I could observe the moving parts as the do their thing. There are 2 steel rollers at the top of this unit that pulls in and flattens the dough before it is molded into a loaf of bread. I suspected that the odd noise was coming from the scrapers that keep these rollers clean. I was feeling for any dried dough on the rollers as they were moving. at the same time someone on the other side of the bakery recognized me and said "Hey Mark". My attention went to them. I turned my body to the right. My left hand still hovering by the moving steel rollers naturally moved forward right into the rollers. My pinkie was pulled into the rollers.My mind was screaming "You will lose your hand if you don't pull back now." I did pull back and left the upper most portion of my pinkie behind with the exception of the bone which the Doctor removed and stitched as needed.

Inattention will get you every time!!