Post by UtahRockHound on May 23, 2008 3:06:59 GMT -5
This started out as a simple project, and turned out to be just that. :grin:
Very affective and handy when it comes to the final stages of shaping and polishing. Outfitted with Zirconium Carbide sanding belts, it takes the pain out of working with stone.
Before we get started, I wanted to tell you about the sanding belt. Through the years, I have tried several types of belts. Mostly I have worked with metal, and it will tear up the average belt in minutes. Last summer, visiting one of the local welding shops, I happened to notice he had a home made belt sander sitting on a stand. Having spent a life time making my own tools, I had to ask. The machine was well made, and very impressive.
What really caught my attention was the belt. The belt was praised highly for standing up to the torture of metal, and keep on going. The nice thing about these belts is they will loose the really rough surface right off, but they keep their true grit size for a long, long time. I just changed out the first one after 6 months of heavy use on my shop sander. After all this time, it was still very usable, and ground just as affective as when first mounted. Problem is, I ripped the belt with a sharp edge when I got a piece of metal off angle. Trust me, it is hard to wear out this belt.
You can acquire them at Home Depot, but the price is high. For one belt, they wanted $12. I purchased mine through McMaster-Carr for $4 each. The 1 inch belts were only $2 and the freight was only $3. Well worth waiting a few days to get them.
Now to the Sander.
I started out with a 1/4 steel plate with two pieces of 4 inch C channel welded on to hold the Pillow Block bearings. I ordered a 1/2 by 16 shaft from McMaster-Carr for $8, and mounted the belt spindles, and pulley on.
With the base made, the next step was to mount the first belt system. I had an old belt sander, but wanted to use the same size belts as my sander in my shop. The next step is not necessary if you decide to do it different, but I cut up the old sander, took off the motor, and mounted the bottom roller on the shaft, then mounted the top adjuster to a piece of angle iron then centered it, and welded it to the base.
Next I mounted a 1/2 hp, 1760 rpm motor to the base. Note the dual shaft. This is a pump motor with the end of the shaft threaded 1/2 20 thread. This is perfect for mounting a drill chuck to. I already had this motor, but you can purchase one real cheap from SurplusCenter.com. You can pick up a new motor here for a fraction of what others charge. For the threaded shaft, look under Pump Motors with dual shafts. Pick a CCR (Counter Clockwise Rotation). Motors come and go quick here, so keep looking back if you do not see what you want.
This is the reason you want a dual shaft with a drill chuck on one end. This setup makes the machine very versatile. You can get some small diamond grinding wheels for $10 from Harbor Freight and Tool that come with a flat and v shaped wheel and arbor. Or you can mount a 6 inch sanding pad. Make a quick template and you can cut sheets of Silicon Carbide pads for the final polish. You can also mount a diamond blade for freehand cutting. I have wondered about a leather pad with diamond dust, but have not tried it yet. As a foot note, a coffee can works perfect for a water guard around a 6 inch pad. A washer held in place by two O rings is perfect for making a water slinger to keep the water away from the motor bearings.
Other then making my own centering wheel for the narrow belt, I just repeated the process for the small belt. I added a backing plate and flat rest half way up on both belts for doing the edges of cabs. One thing extra is a guide for the small belt. It tended to wander a lot when used, so I cut a 1 1/4 square tube length wise and used it as a guide.
The last step was to make the water system. I started out by making a table(on casters) with a stretch metal top, and a tub underneath. The tub has a hole in the center, and drains all the water back into a 5 gl bucket. Mounted on a strip and hung on the side of the bucket to keep it out of the sediments is a 65 gl per hour fountain pump from harbor freight ($8 ). The pump is attached to a 3/8 tube with two valves. One for the belts, and one for the pad. The water is constantly recycled. No more drop system and having to stop. As a foot note here, I first used a 1/4 tube system. This was useless as no water would pump. Fountain pumps are designed to produce volume, not pressure. The lift and restriction was to much for it. I changed it out for 3/8 tube, and there is no lack of water. The copper tubing that drops the water on the belt has a series of 3/32 holes drilled in it, and paint brushs to spead the water out on the belt. (3 holes on wide belt, and 1 hole on narrow belt)
After hours of use, there is nothing I would change. I am very happy with the performance and function.
Good luck, and if you have any questions, I will be glad to show you more.
Very affective and handy when it comes to the final stages of shaping and polishing. Outfitted with Zirconium Carbide sanding belts, it takes the pain out of working with stone.
Before we get started, I wanted to tell you about the sanding belt. Through the years, I have tried several types of belts. Mostly I have worked with metal, and it will tear up the average belt in minutes. Last summer, visiting one of the local welding shops, I happened to notice he had a home made belt sander sitting on a stand. Having spent a life time making my own tools, I had to ask. The machine was well made, and very impressive.
What really caught my attention was the belt. The belt was praised highly for standing up to the torture of metal, and keep on going. The nice thing about these belts is they will loose the really rough surface right off, but they keep their true grit size for a long, long time. I just changed out the first one after 6 months of heavy use on my shop sander. After all this time, it was still very usable, and ground just as affective as when first mounted. Problem is, I ripped the belt with a sharp edge when I got a piece of metal off angle. Trust me, it is hard to wear out this belt.
You can acquire them at Home Depot, but the price is high. For one belt, they wanted $12. I purchased mine through McMaster-Carr for $4 each. The 1 inch belts were only $2 and the freight was only $3. Well worth waiting a few days to get them.
Now to the Sander.
I started out with a 1/4 steel plate with two pieces of 4 inch C channel welded on to hold the Pillow Block bearings. I ordered a 1/2 by 16 shaft from McMaster-Carr for $8, and mounted the belt spindles, and pulley on.
With the base made, the next step was to mount the first belt system. I had an old belt sander, but wanted to use the same size belts as my sander in my shop. The next step is not necessary if you decide to do it different, but I cut up the old sander, took off the motor, and mounted the bottom roller on the shaft, then mounted the top adjuster to a piece of angle iron then centered it, and welded it to the base.
Next I mounted a 1/2 hp, 1760 rpm motor to the base. Note the dual shaft. This is a pump motor with the end of the shaft threaded 1/2 20 thread. This is perfect for mounting a drill chuck to. I already had this motor, but you can purchase one real cheap from SurplusCenter.com. You can pick up a new motor here for a fraction of what others charge. For the threaded shaft, look under Pump Motors with dual shafts. Pick a CCR (Counter Clockwise Rotation). Motors come and go quick here, so keep looking back if you do not see what you want.
This is the reason you want a dual shaft with a drill chuck on one end. This setup makes the machine very versatile. You can get some small diamond grinding wheels for $10 from Harbor Freight and Tool that come with a flat and v shaped wheel and arbor. Or you can mount a 6 inch sanding pad. Make a quick template and you can cut sheets of Silicon Carbide pads for the final polish. You can also mount a diamond blade for freehand cutting. I have wondered about a leather pad with diamond dust, but have not tried it yet. As a foot note, a coffee can works perfect for a water guard around a 6 inch pad. A washer held in place by two O rings is perfect for making a water slinger to keep the water away from the motor bearings.
Other then making my own centering wheel for the narrow belt, I just repeated the process for the small belt. I added a backing plate and flat rest half way up on both belts for doing the edges of cabs. One thing extra is a guide for the small belt. It tended to wander a lot when used, so I cut a 1 1/4 square tube length wise and used it as a guide.
The last step was to make the water system. I started out by making a table(on casters) with a stretch metal top, and a tub underneath. The tub has a hole in the center, and drains all the water back into a 5 gl bucket. Mounted on a strip and hung on the side of the bucket to keep it out of the sediments is a 65 gl per hour fountain pump from harbor freight ($8 ). The pump is attached to a 3/8 tube with two valves. One for the belts, and one for the pad. The water is constantly recycled. No more drop system and having to stop. As a foot note here, I first used a 1/4 tube system. This was useless as no water would pump. Fountain pumps are designed to produce volume, not pressure. The lift and restriction was to much for it. I changed it out for 3/8 tube, and there is no lack of water. The copper tubing that drops the water on the belt has a series of 3/32 holes drilled in it, and paint brushs to spead the water out on the belt. (3 holes on wide belt, and 1 hole on narrow belt)
After hours of use, there is nothing I would change. I am very happy with the performance and function.
Good luck, and if you have any questions, I will be glad to show you more.