Next trick was how to bolt everything down and be able to make tension on the belt. I cut out
the motor housing out of the treadmill and used it as my anchor. I then cut out an angle
piece and attached it so I could thread bolts on top to adjust the belt pressure.
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I took the control box out of the treadmill and cut it down in size. Moved the solenoid and the
grounding wires and used my bandsaw to cut away the excess. I mounted it on the wall to
keep it out of the way and until I will build a new box for it.
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Now the final stage, the variable speed unit. I took the whole unit off the treadmill and hooked
everything back up just to make sure everything was still working. All good !! I knew that I
didn't want the "handlebars" and sure didn't need the heart monitor. I took them apart and then
cut away the excess of the panel to only the part that I wanted to use.
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I mounted it on the wall in front of me for easy access.
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Now to wire everything back together and make sure that it still fires up. Hopefully NOT go up in fire. It works !!
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Now for the maiden voyage, putting steel to it and really press down hard to see if everything
stays together and doesn't bog down.
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SPARKS !!! I could not bog it down with even 2 hands. That is hardened Aldo 1084 at 58rc.
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I turned down the rpms to low and tried some wood out. Oh my... no burning anymore wood !!
I really hope this helps out some new knife makes out there. This entire setup cost me $30
and used all bolts, iron, screws, etc from that one treadmill. As stated earlier, I will be making
a new box for the control panel and shield all the wiring. I have NO prior experience in electrical
or mechanical areas. This is all from a lot of reading and knife forums.
Thanks for reading my WIP and if anyone has further knowledge of areas I can improve on this,
I would love to hear them and incorporate them in this design.
Troy