Thread: Low budget grinder V2 clone....thanks Charlie

Guys, I had been looking around at belt grinders to try my hand at a custom blade or two. I had a very small budget and was dissapointed to see the cost of setting up or purchasing a belt grinder. Then I found Charlie's (Spazola) thread showing his low budget grinder V2. So after many hours pouring over Charlie' pics, and even more hours in the workshop, here is the almost finished product.

I got the motor off an old pool pump that I was given (0.5hp and 3000rpm). The contact wheel is timber and has a alloy hub with two bearings pressed into it. I used a strip of rubber from an old truck tube for the contact wheel, yet to see if it needs more than one layer. The rest is fairly similar to Charlie's with some minor changes made to suit the things I had laying about.

The belt runs nice and true, I have 5 drive wheels of different sizes that yield speed between 2650 sfpm and 675 sfpm.

I have a blade guide made, I just have to make some mods to my work bench to fit that and to clamp the base plate down.

Anyway, a huge thanks to Charlie and his ingenuity and thanks to my mate Al Wolski for turning my contact wheel up for me.

Looking forward to getting a blade made. Have some 6mm RWL34 ready for shaping.

Cheers,
Stu