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  #1  
Old 08-28-2007, 03:37 PM
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loneronin loneronin is offline
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reccomended belt speed

Hi everybody!

I am working on my KMG belt grinder clone and now I'm wandering at what speed I want my belt to run. I have no money to buy a variable speed device so I'll go on 3 or 5 steps pulleys. Accordding to my motor and wheels I'm trying to find step pulleys to obtain more or less 530 m/min (1750 ft/min) on the middle pulley. The other speeds will follow. Do you guys agree on this average speed for knife making? What do you reccomend me? At what belt speeds do you usually work your knives?
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  #2  
Old 08-29-2007, 08:51 PM
Ed Fowler Ed Fowler is offline
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I have no idea as to how fast my belts run. I do know that finer grits do much better at slow speeds, when I use my buffing belt it is very slow. Sorry I can't put numbers on it, but this is the idea.


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  #3  
Old 08-30-2007, 01:36 AM
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skipknives skipknives is offline
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hay guys,,i agree with Ed,,,
when i set up my KMG the motor shaft and the jack shaft on the sander were two different sizes,,so I went the the local bearing supply house and bought two 4-step pullies,,
with a mark on an old belt i did the math for every combo of steps with the power off and made a "Belt Feet Per Minit" chart to tack on the wall,,,,,
and i found out that i grind at about 850 BFPM,,,
it takes a little longer to grind but i have fewer mistakes,,
and I'll say it again,,when polishing with srtuctured abrasive belts,,I load them with "ZAM"
polishing compound,,that is for 700 grit and up.
i hope this helps
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Old 08-30-2007, 02:25 AM
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loneronin loneronin is offline
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OK, I'll try the "mark on belt" method related to the rpm of my motor.
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  #5  
Old 08-30-2007, 07:04 PM
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skipknives skipknives is offline
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i read somwhere that one rotation of a 4" wheel = one belt foot on a KMG
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  #6  
Old 08-31-2007, 03:07 AM
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loneronin loneronin is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skipknives
i read somwhere that one rotation of a 4" wheel = one belt foot on a KMG
Skip

...consider mine is only a KMG clone...
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  #7  
Old 08-31-2007, 03:15 AM
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skipknives skipknives is offline
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do you have a 4" inch belt-drive wheel?
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Old 08-31-2007, 03:59 AM
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loneronin loneronin is offline
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I have only the chassis by now. I'm trying to understand wich are the best belt speeds for knifemaking. Then I'll know the wheels and the pulley sizes I have to buy. I know I'm late...
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Old 08-31-2007, 06:13 AM
Rob Frink Rob Frink is offline
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Belt speed is a good question! Knifemakers are all over the chart on what they like. Some guys who grew up with a single speed square wheels running a bazillion ft/min...always like doing everything fast ..... on the other hand, the guys that grew up with files and sandpaper tend to run things very slow. It really boils down to personal preference...however, in general, for knifemaking.....most/many will agree that slower is better than too fast. The KMG generally runs slower than others. It was designed around the 2,3,4" step pulley set-up to generate belts speeds of about 3600,1800,900 ft/min. This is with a 1725 RPM motor and a 4" dia drive wheel. Most of my industrial customers will use a 6" drive wheel on the KMG for more belt speed.

One of the design goals for the KMG was to make it as versatile as possible and by not integrating the motor into the chassis of the grinder, you really have unlimited choices on motors and speeds. Don't fret on it too much on belt speeds right now as it will be a snap to change later on when you have a better understanding of what works best for you.

Have fun with your project!!

-Rob


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Old 08-31-2007, 07:13 AM
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Whee haw,,,what he said,,,thanks Rob,,
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  #11  
Old 08-31-2007, 07:48 AM
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loneronin loneronin is offline
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Thanks Rob. I never used a belt grinder to make knives but only stone grinder, files and sandpaper so I should be a low-speed-guy.
I studied a lot of belt grinders and really appreciate the design of KMG and its flexibility. I noticed many people make their own clone attaching the drive wheel directly to the motor but it seem a bad short-cut, unless you have a speed variator. Mine includes pulleys and drive shaft! I'll try to copy the 3600,1800,900 ft/min speeds. If I'll find out I'm a hi-speed-guy, I'll use a bigger drive wheel or a different set of pulleys.
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