Surface grinding.

[NeoTech]

From time to time i have the need for surface grinding. But i really dont have the space for it.
So i have been starting to exploring alternative solutions.. As one of them is to make an belt attachment for my Aciera F3 using the horizontal driveshaft and tapping a few hols for the  arm that put tension on the belt.

Thus using my mill for surface grinding.. But well then you have the problems with dust.. And yes its a problem. but it is a problem i battle everytime i grind a tool in my shop. The grinder sits ontop of my hydraulic press like 1m from the milling machine..  So i dont think i have a good enviroment for keeping that machine out of harms way anyway.

So.. back to the beltsander, surface grinder solution.. I can turn a flat wheel for mount in the horizontal arbor, and a crowned wheel for the upper part.. the problem here is tracking.. i think i will need some sort of tracking anyway.. In my 2x72 belt grinder there is at least three wheel contacting the belt at all times and one of em is the tracking wheel. Its a tad bit harder to achieve here.

Anyone have som constructive ideas here.. I need to be able to surface grind hardened bits of steel after contouring em and before i put a bevel on to the pieces. (knifes). =)

[S. Heslop]

You could make the drive wheel crowned but fairly wider than the belt, so even if it travels a bit off center it probably wont slip off entirely.

[Jonny]

It will never be accurate sanding to size on a belt linisher plus will round and or roll off and taper both ends. Metal will get hot quick with no metal removal worth speaking of.

[vtsteam]

It doesn't sound like what neo wants to do is exactly "surface grinding" in the machinist sense.

He's making knives and wants to do stock thicknessing and cleanup from what I read in the first post. But maybe I'm misreading. 

[NeoTech]

Vtsteam you are completely correct.. I make knives, and squaring and do stock thinkessing is what im looking into.

Atm i hold the piece against the flat platten with my fingers on the grinder instead of being able to hold it to a magnetic chuck. =)

[vtsteam]

So, neotech, you would like relatively fast stock removal to a thickness that by eye looks right.  Rather than trying to machine something to a precision tolerance and finish. That's what most people think of for a surface grinder.

And you'd like it to be driven by a stage with a magnetic base, rather than having to hold the knife blank with fingers against a belt sander, as you do now. So that sets the requirements.

But, maybe what you want is a thickness sander for metal rather than wood. If you do a search  for "Thickness Sander" you'll get a fair number of hits for plans and photos of wood versions. That might give you some ideas.

[NeoTech]

I will hit the google.. Thickness sander sounds about right. No idea what it was called. =)