After seeing how handy a 2x72 grinder would be, I started rounding up parts and decided on a design. I'm not trying to re-invent anything here, but blending ideas from a lot of other models from websites and the many you can find on YouTube.
When looking at my very limited steel inventory, I found my father-in-laws old Class 4 (10,000 lbs) hitch receiver. I figure that will be strong enough to hold the sanding arm.
I built this last year before I owned a lathe, so I purchased the wheels on-line at a few different places.
Photo 003 is how I "engineered" the distances that I needed for the wheel spacing.
Photo 004 shows the flat platen support that I made from 1/2" aluminum.
Photo 006 shows the tracking mechanism for the upper wheel
Photo 007 shows the contact wheel which I bought from Grizzly. It's what stays on the sander most of the time, as it's much more aggressive.
The motor rides in a vertical track and it's weight is what keeps the belt tensioned. The small black foot pedal will raise the motor 1" to allow for belt speed changes.
This project turned out great and I can't see how I did without one of these for so many years!
Jack
Fort Loramie, Ohio