Multitool Belt Grinder attachment...

[Twilight Fenrir]

Hello,

I just got a Multitool Belt Grinder attachment, and I was just going to attach it to my antique Craftsman bench grinder :P It's gonna take a little more work than normal to mate them up, because it's pre-guard, and the shafts aren't threaded... but I know what I can do to make it work...

The thing is... it's a half-horse motor, but it only spins at 1750 RPM. I can't find any mention of the use of a Multitool at any speed besides 3450 rpm... just curious if anyone has done so before? It'll take a bit of work to mate my tools together, and I'd rather not ruin my grinder for regular use, if it won't be good enough for use with my Multitool...

Thanks!

[keykeeper]

I looked at the Multitool attachment a few weeks back. SOmewhere I remember seeing that they were only for grinders with removable, stamped steel guards around the stone. Mating it to a grinder it wasn't designed to fit might possibly void any warrantee on the Multitool, if there is one.

Good luck. Tell us how it works for you. I assume you are getting into some knife making, possibly?

[Twilight Fenrir]

I looked at the Multitool attachment a few weeks back. SOmewhere I remember seeing that they were only for grinders with removable, stamped steel guards around the stone. Mating it to a grinder it wasn't designed to fit might possibly void any warrantee on the Multitool, if there is one.

Good luck. Tell us how it works for you. I assume you are getting into some knife making, possibly?

Yeah, but that's just for bolt placement. It actually does line up with the bolts that ARE on my grinder, but the bolts there are a little small. So I'm going to drill and tap them a bit bigger, and it will mate right up. Already checked all the clearances and vital parts and whatnot... Shouldn't be an issue. I'm just worried about the RPM..

Yup. I'm a blacksmith, and have made several knives already. But, I've been using a hand held angle grinder to finish out the blades, which is... tricky, to say the least. I wanted a belt grinder to make life easier, and the Multitool was far and away the cheapest, while still being of very good quality. I'm not focused on knife-making, so while the more expensive ones might be more ideally suited, the difference in cost isn't going to be offset for me.

Will do!

[keykeeper]

I know you are a blacksmith. Have commented many times on your posts in the past.

A belt grinding attachment like that will make knives a joy to finish out. From what I know on knifemaking, slower is better for the belt grinder, it allows more control and reduces the heat build up on the belt. Quality belts are the key, and using the right grit for the operation at hand will mkae them last much longer.

I've been blacksmithing for over 8 years now, and have a small belt sander, 4 x 36 belt sander, a nice Dayton bench grinder and a drill press. All indispensable tools in a smithy.

You will find many uses for that belt grinding attachment, that have nothing to do with the knife making side of smithing. Good purchase, in my opinion. I'm not heavy into knives, but some of the tools I make require the tools I mentioned to finish out. Hot cuts, froes, chisels, etc. are sharpened frequently from rough forging using my stuff.

If you do any of the facebook groups, I invite you to send a join request to a page I formed.... No BS Blacksmith's Group. No drama, just smith's getting it done and discussing whatever comes up. No flaming or trolling is tolerated, unlike some of the more "popular" groups dedicated to blacksmithing. We only have 20 or so members, but always looking for quality people to contribute to it.

-aaron

[Chillylulu]

Lower RPM's will just cut slower.  I have several grinders/ polishers, including 3 lapidary grinders. By far my favorite is a smaller wheel (4") polisher / buffer. It is variable speed, and that's why I use it most. 

At higher speeds I am actually cutting faster than a 6" wheel.  At lower speeds I have more control and I feel safer with small parts.

I think you will like the 1750 speed.  Slower doesn't hurt anything, faster than the attachment is designed for could cause problems.

I suppose the only problem you may run into is having enough power to get the tool going and enough power while running to keep from binding the machine.  Just take your time and don't bear down on the grinder. Wait until the tool is up to full speed.

The most expensive hand grinder I have is a 4"  wet grinder. It came with a whole set of diamond grinding wheels, so I imagine that was a big part of the cost. But it never overheats my materials!

Chilly

[Twilight Fenrir]

Neat :3 Thanks for the input! 1750 RPM still yields 45 feet per second.... I can't imagine that not being fast enough XD

I appreciate the offer, keykeeper, but I don't use facebook at all, or I would probably take you up on that. Not very big on social media...

Aaaaannnnddd... I pretty much ruined my bench grinder... well, half of it, anyway :P

Got the bracket to mount up fine, nice and rock solid... but I had to modify the axle a bit. It had to be shorter, and the threaded adapter had to be shorter as well... One set screw apparently isn't enough to keep it true. :/ The only thing I can think of that might still make it work, is if I thread the shaft, put a coupling nut on it, and use a piece of good threaded rod, then welding it all together... I'm gonna sit and think about it some more though...

[Twilight Fenrir]

Well, I don't know the answer to the original inquiry... I picked up a 1HP JET bench grinder out of a scrap pile, and lo and behold it works amazing. Got my Multitool bolted up to it now, and it is a joy to work with. I've got to fine-tune it a bit yet... but it's very smooth and easy to work with at 3450 RPM. I've got grits from 30, to 1200 :P Hopefully, tomorrow I'll polish the knife that's been sitting around waiting to be polished so I can sell it!