And the grinder is also called a grinder, which is translated from English grinder as a crusher.
There are crushers for stones, crushers for meat - we have meat grinders, there are garden crushers that produce wood chips. But if the word is used independently - just a grinder, it means only one thing: a grinding machine in the field of metalworking.
The grinder is good and useful everywhere, including in the household - from competent sharpening of a high quality knife or tailor's scissors to grinding a complex part made of metal or other "difficult" material. In other words, the tool is necessary, it will be useful on the farm.
Moreover, making it with your own hands is quite real. For this, it is not at all necessary to have special equipment and solid professional experience.
Of course, you will have to tinker, but then you will do exactly what you need and, which is very important, save a serious amount of money up to several thousand American dollars.
Doing with disc or tape?
Grinder drawing.
In terms of the breadth of the product line, only lathes can compete with grinding machines. There are a huge number of grinders on the market - of all stripes and sizes.
The most famous and primitive in the form of the famous emery - a pair of grinding stone wheels with a screwed-on motor. These machines are sold with a wide variety of schemes and principles of operation.
But if you're planning on making a homemade sander, it's best to stop and choose between two options: disc or belt.
- Disc grinder a sanding layer of abrasive is applied to the disc, which rotates when turned on.
- A belt machine in which the abrasive is applied to a belt wound on rollers.
Which one is better is to reason incorrectly. The correct criterion will be "which one is more necessary." The choice should depend on what exactly you are going to sand. If these are relatively simple parts made of, say, wood, self-made disc sanders for wood are more suitable for you.
If you have some serious sanding work ahead of you on precise finishing with complex details, choose a belt.
It is necessary to take into account the difference between a claim and a tape, not only in their functional features. Another important factor is drive power. Grinding small wooden blanks - you have enough power in the range of 160 - 170 watts.
An elementary motor from a washing machine or even an old drill will calmly give this one.
Old household motors will not work in any way for a belt grinder. There you will need an engine with a power of at least 400 - 500 W, and not a simple one, but a three-phase one with starting and working capacitors.
For grinding massive and bulky parts, the power will be needed higher: up to 1200 watts. Immediately, we note that the purchase of capacitors for the machine will cost you not much cheaper than the motor itself.
Choosing a ribbon
A tape machine is more versatile in terms of functionality: it does everything that disk models do, plus a lot more. Immediately, we note that there are a great many options for amateur models of belt grinders.
The fact is that the nature of this machine is very plastic, allowing you to use a variety of materials at hand, up to finds in scrap dumps.
The main thing is to know and adhere to three rules:
- The abrasive side of the belt must be set very precisely so that only the workpiece that is being sanded touches it.
- The tape should be evenly tensioned at any time and regardless of the type of work.
- The speed of movement should be different and should depend on only one thing: the type of part and the nature of the grinding.
Designing a homemade belt sander
Grinding machine device.
The main ones are as follows:
- A motor or motor driven by electricity.
It is best to install the drive next to the main diameter drive roller. - Base or bed.
It is often fixed directly on the floor, sometimes this thing rides on wheels - this is what is more convenient and necessary for you. - Two idler rollers - driving and driven.
Made of metal or very strong wood with a thin layer of cushion rubber to prevent slipping of the tape on the roll or drum. - Spring and lever for belt tensioning system.
The pressure spring, and the lever is attached to the base and driven roller. - Base for placing a motor with a drive.
- Use paper or cloth for abrasive tape.
Its width can be very different - in the range from 5 to 30 cm. The graininess level is from 80. - Metal pipes with a thickness of 2 mm and more.
- Metal corners in accordance with the dimensions of the machine.
- Special magnetic support for metal parts.
- Rail type guides.
Grinding machine diagram.
Stages of work:
- We make the frame of the base or bed.
- we cut corners according to the size of the bed;
- we weld the frame and corners;
- we fix a chipboard plate at the bottom of the frame to reduce vibration during operation. - We make a work surface.
- cut the steel sheet to size and weld it directly to the base;
- weld the rail guides to the upper part of the frame;
- we make a carriage from corners with wheels for movement along the bed guides;
- on both sides of the working surface we mount and fix the bearings made of bearings;
- fix the screw with the handle on the carriage; - We fix the electric motor system for lifting the working area.
- We fix the gear supports.
- Installing an abrasive coated belt.
- cut the tape with a margin of several centimeters at an angle of 45 °;
- we glue it with an overlap with glue on the side with an abrasive washed off with water;
- dry the place of gluing with a hairdryer; - Getting ready for a test run of the machine.
- we process all the details of the machine with machine oil;
- we supply electrical power;
- do a trial run.
Grinding Grinder Safety
As with any work on any other machine, sanding on a homemade belt sander comes under fairly strict safety rules that must be strictly adhered to.
The principle of operation of the grinder.
These rules are as follows:
- It is strictly forbidden to touch everything that moves and the working surface with your hands.
- Wear protective goggles while working to protect against hot abrasive particles.
- Carefully check that the connections and fastenings of all moving parts of the grinder are tight.
- Monitor the condition of the sheathing of electrical wires.
- A protective cover is a must, even though it slightly narrows the viewing angle.
Sanding is one of the methods of wood processing that allows you to give the workpieces a perfectly flat surface. A versatile wood sander will feature functionality and ease of use. For processing lumber, you can use units made by specialized manufacturers, or you can make such equipment yourself, which will significantly save money.
Types of woodworking machines
Currently, there are numerous types of grinding machines that are designed to perform various types of work with wood. They differ in their design and are intended for domestic and industrial use. You can easily select both highly specialized models and universal machines that are designed for complex wood processing.
If necessary, you can make a homemade sander for metal or wood, made on the basis of a drill, a motor from a washing machine, or using other equipment.
Disk aggregates
The working surface of hand-made grinding machines for metal and wood is made in the form of an island metal disk, on which an abrasive is attached. Due to its simplicity of design and versatility of use, equipment of this type has gained wide popularity in the market today.
Such a machine consists of an electric motor, on the axis of which a circle with a fixed working surface is put on. Abrasive nozzles and sanding paper are attached to the working axis, which allows the processing of wooden blanks. Despite the simplicity of the design, such machines are versatile in use, they can perform high-quality processing of wood, giving the workpieces a perfectly flat and smooth surface.
The advantages of surface grinding technology include:
- Versatility of use.
- Efficiency.
- Reliability.
- Simplicity of design.
A feature of this type of equipment is the ability to adjust the processing speed of wooden blanks without changing the number of revolutions of the working element. When working with such a machine, you can move the workpiece along the radius of the circle, which allows you to change the intensity of processing products. At the periphery of the disc, the linear speed will be higher, which makes it possible to significantly speed up and simplify wood processing. But inside the circle, where the linear speed is lower, finishing sanding is performed with the removal of the thinnest layer of wood.
Belt installations
Belt surface grinding machines have two shafts, between which a continuous belt of sandpaper is stretched. The workpieces are processed by exposure to sandpaper, which removes thin chips from wooden workpieces, giving them a perfectly flat smooth surface. The working surface of the dish-type machines can be vertical and horizontal, while some models allow you to change the direction of the belt movement. With the help of such equipment, it is possible to process products of great length, leveling their ends. The simplicity of the design allows you to make a belt sander for household use with your own hands.
Drum models
The main purpose of this type of aggregate is horizontal alignment using a jointer. This type of equipment is used mainly in industrial workshops, which is explained by the complexity of its design and the narrow specialization of drum units. With the help of drum grinding machines, wood products of the same type with the same thickness are made and processed.
Manufacturing of grinding machines
The industrially manufactured machines offered today in specialized stores are characterized by their versatility, functionality and efficiency. Their only drawback is their high cost., therefore, if it is necessary to perform various kinds of grinding work, most homeowners decide to manufacture home-made equipment, which, in terms of its parameters and processing quality, is practically not inferior to factory units.
A do-it-yourself metal sander will consist of the following components:
- Metal or wooden frame.
- Electrical engine.
- Drive shaft.
- Working surface.
- Sanding belt.
When making a drum sander for wood with your own hands, you need to decide on the power of the electric motor used. It is recommended to choose electric motors that develop about 3 kW and are able to maintain a clean RPM of 1,500 rpm. On the basis of such a drive, a functional, durable and reliable grinding machine can be manufactured that can cope with the processing of wood products. The easiest way to make such equipment is based on an electric motor from an old washing machine.
The frame of the grinder can be made of sawn timber or a metal corner, welded and additionally sheathed with plywood. It is necessary to choose the dimensions of the bed based on the dimensions of the drive used, as well as the dimensions of the wooden blanks processed on the unit. When performing the bed, it is necessary to be guided by the existing design documentation, which will allow to correctly manufacture the supporting base of the machine, which in the future will be able to withstand significant loads.
The shaft of a belt-grinding manual and automatic machine, which is directly connected to an electric motor, can be turned on a lathe or you can use ready-made blanks from industrial equipment. The shafts of the calibrating drum grinding machine must be located strictly in the middle of the main drive, which subsequently guarantees high-quality processing of wooden blanks.
The optimum width of the sanding belt used is 200 millimeters. It can be done from emery, which is cut into strips and in the subsequent of them the used abrasive tape is already glued. The material should be glued end-to-end, and a dense fabric is placed on the reverse side, which will ensure the strength of the seam made.
By making a grinding machine with your own hands, you can significantly simplify the processing of wooden blanks, leveling boards and removing shavings from lumber. Making such a unit with your own hands will not be difficult. On the Internet, it will be necessary to select a schematic drawing of the manufacture of the machine, and using an electric motor from an old washing machine, make the simplest equipment, which, in terms of functionality and processing quality, will not be inferior to factory-made equipment.
During the manufacture of wooden structures, it is imperative to clean their surfaces. Manual labor will take a long time and will not be productive. Factory grinding centers are expensive. Therefore, in some cases, it is more advisable to make a machine with your own hands.
Drum machine design
Manufacturing should begin with a study of the design features of this type of equipment. The drum sander is designed for wood surface treatment, smoothing and deburring.
The device belongs to the type of surface grinders for wood, which perform the function of calibration. There are many models and types of equipment. But the main task before making the unit with your own hands is the choice of the optimal design. The best option is a detailed acquaintance with factory analogs and drawing up a manufacturing scheme based on the data obtained.
Structurally, the machine should consist of the following components:
- body. The main parts of the equipment are attached to it;
- power unit. Most often, an asynchronous electric motor is installed for this;
- grinding drum. It is important to choose the right diameter, the way of removing the shavings. With your own hands, you can make a base on which an emery tape is installed. Or order a cylindrical head with a cutting edge from a professional turner. It all depends on the type of work;
- a device for changing the frequency of the motor shaft;
- desktop. The workpiece will be located on it. Experts recommend making this component from fiberglass when making a machine with your own hands;
Additionally, drum grinding equipment can provide a mechanism for removing dust and chips from the processing area. It is also recommended to make a work table with a variable height relative to the snare drum. This will allow you to process part of the end of the wooden blank.
If it is necessary to sand the outer or inner plane of the board, the drum should be placed horizontally. In this case, the possibility of adjusting it in height is provided.
Types of drum grinding machines
The next step is the choice of the design of the machine for wood. The main parameter is the shape of the wooden blank and the degree of its processing. Homemade drum-type equipment is designed to form flat and smooth surfaces with a small area.
Factory production lines require dedicated processing centers. They have complex functionality and can simultaneously perform several operations. However, their main disadvantage is their high cost. Therefore, it is impractical to consider them as home equipment.
There are the following types of machining centers:
- surface grinding. Machining is carried out in one plane. Can be used as an example for self-production;
- circular grinding. Designed for processing cylindrical surfaces. For this, the complete set includes several nozzles with different diameters;
- planetary. With their help, a flat plane is formed on products with a large area.
For a complete set of a small home workshop, surface grinding models are most often chosen. They are distinguished by their simple design, availability of components and relatively fast production.
In addition to leveling, drum sander can remove paint or varnish layers. They are used to restore old furniture or wooden interior parts with your own hands.
Self-made grinding machine
The simplest model of a do-it-yourself machine is a drill that is mounted on a bed. Grinding cylinders are machined from wood and sandpaper with the required grain size is attached to their surface.
But this design has little functionality. For processing medium volumes, it is recommended to make equipment for wood according to a different principle. First of all, you need to choose the right power unit. Most often, an electric motor with a power of up to 2 kW and a speed of up to 1500 rpm is used. These requirements are met by asynchronous models that can be taken from old household appliances - a washing machine or vacuum cleaner.
The procedure for making a homemade machine.
- Housing. It must be stable enough. Therefore, it is made from sheet steel with a thickness of 1.5 mm or more. Alternatively, you can consider 10 mm plexiglass.
- The motor is installed so that the shaft is in a vertical plane.
- Drum for processing. If you plan to perform only grinding work, an abrasive belt is installed on it. For deeper processing, you will need to make a steel taper with a cutting edge.
- Desktop. It is located at the top of the diagram. It is recommended to make it adjustable with respect to a stationary cylinder.
- Control block. In do-it-yourself designs, it is rarely possible to adjust the engine speed. Therefore, the block will consist of buttons for turning the unit on and off.
Homemade machine
A grinding machine can be used to process various workpieces or products. It is required to complete the finishing operation for surface treatment. Machines of this type are widely used in the woodworking industry, but they can also be used at home. If necessary, you can create a do-it-yourself sanding machine for wood. Consider how you can make a belt sander yourself, and what it is.
If you wish, you can also make a metal sander with your own hands, which differs from a model designed for wood processing only by the type of installed abrasive belt. The design features of the belt grinder let's name the points below:
- The drawing provides for the presence of two drums that pull the abrasive belt and set it in motion. One of the drums is the leader, the second is the slave.
- A do-it-yourself drum sander for wood is created when an electric motor is installed as a drive. Modern motors can be rotated at different speeds. Homemade models can have replaceable pulleys and V-belt transmission. By changing the diameter of the installed pulleys, you can change the speed of the abrasive belt.
- Some models of surface grinders have a belt tension system. This greatly simplifies the grinding of workpieces and products.
In general, we can say that the emery equipment of this type has a simple design, which will have high reliability.
Principle of operation
A homemade metal sander may not be inferior to an industrial version. Considering the principle of operation of such a device, note the following points:
The processing of workpieces and parts is carried out by pressing them against the abrasive belt during its movement. The main rotation is transmitted through the drive to the drive drum, the driven one is designed to fix the tape.
Homemade model
If you wish, you can make a calibration machine or a disc type of grinding equipment with your own hands. Self-made versions are much cheaper, and productivity can also be high.
To create a grinding machine you will need:
- An electric motor that creates a rotary motion.
- Rollers, due to which the fixation of the tape is ensured.
- A reliable bed that becomes the foundation.
- Abrasive belt, due to the movement of which surface treatment is provided.
Considering the features of creating a grinding machine with your own hands, note the following points:
- The electric motor will be easy to find. It can be removed, for example, from an old washing machine. For home use, an engine running on a 220 V network is suitable. It is possible to connect to a regular network, but many problems can arise with this.
- The bed is made independently from thin sheet metal or channels. The connection of individual elements is carried out by welding. A screw connection is not suitable for creating a frame because vibration can cause the connection to weaken.
- Often the electric motor is connected directly to the drive drum. It should be borne in mind that in this case, the electric motor is not protected from a sharply increasing load. The driven shaft is mounted on an axle and two bearings. The efficiency of the equipment depends on how freely it rotates.
- Inexpensive shafts can be obtained from chipboard. It should be borne in mind that these shafts are not designed for heavy loads.
- The possibility of slipping the tape on the drums can be eliminated by applying rubber to the surface. To do this, you can use an old bicycle tire.
- You can purchase an abrasive belt from your specialist shop.
Today you can find a fairly large number of blueprints that can be used to create such equipment. They are all about the same. Before performing the work, you should decide on what dimensions the workpieces and products will be processed.
All materials in any production, in addition to manufacturing, also require additional and finishing processing. Prominent examples of such treatments include grinding and polishing the product. These two types of mechanical action on the surface of the part, bring its appearance to perfection. However, everyone knows that to perform these operations by hand, it will take a lot of time and effort, and the uniformity of processing can only be ensured by a very experienced master. To facilitate this kind of work, a person came up with various devices and mechanisms to help himself. Some of them will be discussed further.
General purpose and types of machines
The machine is intended for the final processing of parts and workpieces made of different materials by exposing them to a surface with abrasive or diamond spraying. The machine, its constituent mechanisms and devices allow you to maintain the accuracy of size and shape, and also ensure the creation of an ideal surface for a part or workpiece.
Using the machine, you can machine flat parts, surfaces outside and inside, parts of various geometric shapes, grind or polish threads and gear teeth. According to their characteristics, grinding machines are divided into:
- Cylindrical grinding.
- Internal grinding.
- Centerless grinding.
- Surface grinding.
- Special machines (for grinding threads, gears).
Grinding process
Grinding is the process of removing the top layer from the surface of the workpiece using abrasives or diamond chips. They are collected in a total mass on the working surface and fastened with a binder. They eventually form a grinding wheel or belt.
During operation, the abrasive surface is given a circular motion by an electric motor. When the surface of the workpiece comes into contact with the abrasive, the machining process takes place. There is a conventional wisdom that abrasive grinding is rubbing. However, this is not true.
Each abrasive particle has sharp edges, when it touches the material (metal, plastic, wood, stone), it works like a cutting tool and removes chips, like a cutter or drill. If we take into account the considerable rotation speed of the grinding wheels, as well as the occurrence of chips as a grinding product, it is necessary to take into account the possibility of injury by this very chips.
Safety measures during work
When working on the machine, the following safety rules must be observed:
Necessity at work and at home
Today, grinding machines are constantly used in production halls. Depending on the scale of production, one machine can be installed, or all of its varieties in terms of complexity and dimensions.
However, this equipment is always used in everyday life. Some have a bench sanding machine in the garage for metal processing. Others have several different wood grinding machines installed in their workshop. Still others have a universal, combined machine in their possession. There are power tools for hand grinding: drum type, belt grinder, band saw, small machines or large machines. And they are all in demand.
There is a fairly wide range of all kinds of similar equipment from many manufacturers on the market. And the prices for them are quite reasonable. But these are general purpose machines. And if a person is engaged in his own business, or he has a hobby, then a machine of special specialization is needed. Here the price is already increasing several times.
For this reason, or based on their own desires, many craftsmen make homemade products. Mainly for processing wood, plastic and metal, less often for cutting and grinding stone. And, in general, this is correct. After all, even a simple sharpening of kitchen knives is easier and faster to do on a machine than manually using a touchstone. Fortunately, its completely simple design also disposes of creating a homemade wood machine with your own hands.
Do-it-yourself grinding machine for wood is not difficult to assemble. The people also call it simply - emery.
The main component is the engine. Surely many of them have an old washing machine on the farm. Its motor is quite suitable for this purpose. If not, a new engine on the market will be quite expensive, but at any flea market you can find a used one in working order. The electric motor must be strong from 750 W to 2 kW, not high-speed from 1500 to 3000 rpm, if it is three-phase, then you can always adapt it to 220 V. You will also need thick plywood, self-tapping screws, PVA glue, and a tool, of course.
The task is simple: to make a hard disk on which sandpaper will be glued. To do this, draw a circle with a diameter of 150-170 mm on plywood, if the plywood is thick enough to hide the clamping nut, one blank is enough. If not, we glue two identical blanks with PVA glue. The clamping nut of the motor spindle must be recessed into the disc flush with its working plane.
Several parts need to be made from the same 15-24 mm plywood:
- The frame to which the engine will be mounted.
- Feed table with guides for changing the angle of inclination.
- Disc protection design.
- Base for attaching the entire machine to the workbench.
The protection for the disc can be made in the form of an arch with right angles or truncated. She, like the feed table, is attached to the bed. Of the additional devices, you can install a protractor stop on the feed table, which will allow you to feed the workpiece at a fixed, horizontal angle.
Paying tribute to aesthetics, it is advisable to polish every detail before assembly. But this is optional, but with the serving table, this must be done carefully. The smooth surface will ensure uniform and continuous movement of the part along the working surface of the disc.
The purpose of this machine is revealed in its very name - surface grinding, that is, for grinding flat surfaces of parts and workpieces. It can be disk, drum (like a thicknesser) or tape. Moreover, its working surface can be positioned vertically, horizontally or adjustable.
The individual machine designs are made fully adjustable. But this is individual. Everyone makes homemade cars for themselves, so that it is more convenient to work. Fully adjustable structures are more difficult to manufacture. They have adjustable drum or belt clamping, that is, in other words, there is a possibility of fixed movement of the working surface along the vertical axis. And the handguard has a bi-directional movement mechanism, like a tool holder carriage on a lathe.
From the verbal description, it is difficult to imagine what it looks like. And it is all the more difficult to understand how it works. But today we have the internet. There you can find videos where experienced craftsmen share their experience, explain in detail and show how to make such equipment. Detailed drawings and diagrams are provided with precise dimensions and directions on what material to use for assembly. In general, if there are difficulties with independent design, then you can always just make someone else's copy.
This machine was invented for machining long parts. The abrasive belt is based on a durable cloth, held together in a ring. There are different sizes. It is driven by the same electric motor with similar characteristics. But some craftsmen replace the engine with a drill. A good drill is a versatile tool in many respects. However, such a replacement is more relevant for the small size of desktop machines, as a rule, modelers use these.
How is a do-it-yourself belt sander assembled? The belt is stretched between two shafts or drum rollers. One of which is the leading one (it is attached to the motor spindle), and the second is the driven one (it provides the tension of the sanding belt). To prevent the tape from jumping off the drums, stopper washers are attached to their ends. It turns out something like a textile coil. With slight distortions, the wear of the belt occurs faster than the edges of the belt are destroyed, rubbing against the lock washers. So this idea is quite viable and justifies itself.
Also, between the drums on the back side of the belt, a support screen is installed, which ensures tight pressing of the entire plane of the workpiece to the belt surface. To reduce the frictional force, the screen is carefully sanded. It can be made from both light metal and hard wood.
The drive roller must be rubberized or made of hard rubber. This will ensure that the tape cannot slip over the roller surface. The entire structure, if necessary, can be positioned in different ways: vertically, horizontally or at an angle. To the common bed, as on all similar machines, a rigid handrail is attached, at an angle of 90 degrees, or adjustable. The distance between the tape and the edge of the handy table should not be more than 3 mm. Due to the fact that a break in the belt is not capable of causing significant bodily harm, protection is made only to remove sanding products.
Homemade grinder
A grinder is a high speed belt sander or universal machine. Working surfaces - disc and tape. The engine is used the same as on all machines. And high speed is achieved using pulleys of different diameters. The large-diameter pulley is mounted on the motor spindle and is the driver. Small pulley - idler.
On a universal machine, a disc is also attached to the spindle. You can also install an additional transfer roller, the support mounts of which will be spring loaded. This is done to quickly change the abrasive belt.
Grinder differs from other grinders in processing speed and versatility. By using replacement belts for different materials, even high-alloy steel surfaces can be quickly processed.