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Old 03-02-2017, 07:06 PM
jimmontg jimmontg is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Now live in Las Cruces NM.
Posts: 1,345
What Ray said.

Don't worry about the aluminum if it's thick enough and the right alloy and temper. 5000 series and 6000 series are used on high strength parts. The only steel wheels I've seen on a belt sander is the drive wheel on an old Kalamazoo, old. If you're good at woodworking they have a video on YT of a guy who built a 2x72 from mostly wood, including the wheels. Crazy, but it worked. I think he balanced it on a lathe.

For the big contact wheels $300 is about what they cost. 8" isn't much cheaper, like 250. You could check knife forums for cheaper deal. I've made small hollow grinds with a 6" and a 4", but only with a jig. Used a professional machine shop designed hollow grind jig that made it easier than flat grinding, but how much that costs I have no idea. College wouldn't let me take it apart and see precisely how it was made.

As for USA made I would buy a 2x72 Kalamazoo with no motor before the Grizzly and get the 1 hp Leeson myself for under $1000. But I was posting about a cheap well made grinder and USA made wasn't the question. And the cheapest USA made is the Kalamazoo and it doesn't have tracking problems, but with the Leeson looking at $800 total, so $200 more than Grizzly. The Kalamazoo comes with a serrated 8" wheel and I would get the lower RPM Leeson, not 3450 rpms like my $228 dollar Dayton 2x48, good for hogging metal, but a bit fast for some other apps. I am wondering about the Russian setup for $390 as my 2x48 's drive wheel and shaft are quite easily adjustable to it. My shaft is 22mm and the gear pulleys are 22mm. For literally less than $800 dollars I could make a 3 speed 2x72. Problem is will it fit on my cart? I have to take my grinders outside as I live in an apt.

I need dimensions and have a call into them. Darned computer answering machines.
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