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Ed Caffrey's Workshop Talk to Ed Caffrey ... The Montana Bladesmith! Tips, tricks and more from an ABS Mastersmith.

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Old 07-14-2016, 07:24 AM
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Ed Caffrey Ed Caffrey is offline
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KMG grinder converted to direct drive

Gave the old girl a brand new lease on life! Actually pretty simple, after Matt shared the images of his conversion. I personally like the rubber covered drive wheel better then a solid metal wheel...... less slip on the belt. All I can say is there is a HUGE difference in how the machine grinds and feels versus the belt drive.

Essentially all I did was remove the to "stanchions" that held the pillow blocks, drive shaft, and pulley, and using the existing bolt holes and bolts, drilled and threaded the new motor adapter plate, and simply bolted it to the KMG's frame...... you just have to be cautious of the spacing to ensure you can align all the wheels when the motor is in place/new drive wheel is installed.

The motor I chose is: http://www.electricmotorwholesale.com/LEESON-113890/ I've been buying motors and controllers from these folks for several years.... they always seem to have the best prices, and are very helpful when you need tech support/advice.







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Old 07-14-2016, 11:52 AM
cdent cdent is offline
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Thanks for the pictures Ed. Always interesting to see shop solutions, and simple is good.

Take care, Craig
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Old 09-26-2016, 11:10 AM
clintc clintc is offline
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Hi Ed, you are truly a man of many talents - I am going to do the same conversion now that I've seen this, I think I am missing out on a lot of grunt through lost power on the belt of my KMG. Clint
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Old 09-27-2016, 07:51 AM
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It's like having a brand new machine! I never fully realized just how much power loss I was experiencing with the belt drive.....until I finished the conversion and used it.....DANG!


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Old 10-07-2016, 02:59 PM
jimmontg jimmontg is offline
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Three HP and I suppose you have a variable speed control Ed? I saw the 1800 rpm on the motor and was wondering how that works out to sfpm on your setup?
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Old 10-07-2016, 04:18 PM
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Yes, the motor is hooked to a KBAC 29D VFD. I honestly haven't figured out the SFPM...... not really much need when I have infinite adjustability via the controller. I actually have the controller setup for "double speed", and it works great. I can't even describe how much better the machine is with the direct drive versus the V-belt drive.


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Old 10-08-2016, 06:36 PM
jimmontg jimmontg is offline
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Having studied some engineering, any transmission reduces power from the engine or motor, direct drive doesn't have any loss. The drive belt represents an energy transfer point, the most efficient in a vehicle is a chain drive motorcycle, and a stick is better than an automatic transmission. It's an interesting field, I used to work at a company that made race car transmissions and learned a lot, including heat treating gears.lol

I like your modification. Looks good and reduces extra bearing and weight I would guess without the pulleys, less to go wrong.

Last edited by jimmontg; 10-08-2016 at 06:43 PM.
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