# Belt grinder wheels get hot?



## Artfuldodger (Feb 26, 2012)

I finally got around to putting a belt on my homemade belt grinder. I noticed the aluminum wheels getting hot. Is this normal? Too much tension you think?


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## sharpeblades (Feb 26, 2012)

Could be several things .To much speed to much tension and wrong kind of wheels.Show us some pictures


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## John I. Shore (Feb 26, 2012)

sharpeblades said:


> Could be several things .To much speed to much tension and wrong kind of wheels.Show us some pictures



Yep, pics worth a 1K words.   You're going to build up some heat, of course they'll heat up a lot faster if you're running Mach 5 compared to slower speeds you get with a variable speed.

John I.


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## Artfuldodger (Feb 26, 2012)

There is only one wheel getting warm, the front bottom wheel. I don't have a contact wheel. I'm just kinda experimenting with knife making at the moment. I think it might have a bad bearing. These were some used wheels I found. The pillow block bearing next to the drive wheel gets hot too. The motor is 3400 rpm, 1.5 hp, 110v. I know this is faster than most but there are some belt grinders that use this speed motor. I could put a smaller pulley on the motor to slow it down. It doesn't seem to be moving the belt too fast but then what do I know as i've never used one before. It is slower than the combination belt/disk sander i have at work.


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## Artfuldodger (Feb 26, 2012)

To let you know what kind of greenhorn I am, I annealed some leaf springs and files which went ok. Cut out my blank which went ok. Put it in my so called forge to start the hardening process and melted the tip right off the knife.


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## Anvil Head (Feb 27, 2012)

Come up to Trackrock end of March and get some pointers.
My guess on the grinder is the bearings. The two getting hot are the hard angle wheels so they are going to have more direct pressure on their bearings. If they are getting to hot to touch, they will not last long.

Learn to use a hammer and you won't need a stinkin' grinder! (I'm still learning)


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## Artfuldodger (Feb 27, 2012)

If I had your anvil i'd think about it!


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## John I. Shore (Feb 27, 2012)

Would seem to be a bearing problem.  Look good looking grinder, but you started with used wheels and bearings.  Would guess that the bearings are dry/old.  Like Carl stated: won't last long if it's building up that much heat.  Bearings should be a simple fix.  Hope that helps, keep us posted.

John I.


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## john costa (Feb 27, 2012)

Come to Trackrock. You just might get to buy an anvil.


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## Artfuldodger (Feb 27, 2012)

I think ya'll are right about the bearings. I've narrowed it down to just one wheel. When I turn it by hand with the belt off it doesn't turn as smooth as the others. I had fun playing with it when I got the belt on and tracking. I sharpened an axe, hatchet, and a couple of chisels. I read a post on here that said not to wear gloves when grinding a knife so that you can feel that it's not getting too hot. Is that the norm? I grew up not wearing work gloves much but notice everyone wears them now. I put a waterpump on my van recently and wore some thin gloves. I must say I liked wearing them.


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## Meriwether Mike (Feb 27, 2012)

Aluminum is a rapid conductor of heat. Thats why you see it used for radiators and cooling fins on appliances. My belt sander has hard rubber coated contact wheels. The heat is being transfered from the belt to the aluminum.


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## John I. Shore (Feb 27, 2012)

I grind, polish, cut, and handsand with gloves, they are very thin rubber coated for a little extra grip, made by Ansell, model: HyFlex.  Don't wear them when milling/drilling though.

Work great, lets the heat through and fit well, pm me your address, I'll send you a pair next week when I get off the slope.  You'll love'um.



John I.


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## Anvil Head (Feb 28, 2012)

The anvil is just a hard spot, the majic is in the hammer and the smith. You obviously have the "eye" and "hand" talent (looked at your stringed instruments).
My very first anvil was a block of marble, second was the coupling knuckle of a RxR car, the list goes on and on. Not so much the tools themselves as it is learning to use what you have at hand.
As Little Brother John intoned, come on up to TR and we'll show you how to keep it simple (or complex if you roll that way).

John, neat looking gloves. I usually only wear a glove on my left hand since it gets closer to the fire more often. Rubber and or nylon aren't options. I have much better hammer control barehanded. Don't grind enough to make gloves a thought......besides it's easier to keep the fingernails trimmed down and fresh skin on the knuckles without gloves.


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## Artfuldodger (Feb 28, 2012)

I'm not ready to buy an anvil yet but when I do buy one what should I expect to pay. I did read a thread about anvils on here awhile back. It was suggested to go to one of the "meets" to buy one and not pay shipping.
Thanks for the remarks on the instruments. Wood is easier to form, drill, shape, etc.


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