gas compression spring for grinder?

[s mcfall]

I am in the process of building a grinder, the last time i used a compression spring, this time around i am thinking of using a gas strut type compression spring...has anyone tried this?
and if so could you post pictures? - thanks

[fuzzy]

I haven't tried this but am sure it has been done. Would be interested in this also as to what struts are being used.

[PsychoDawg]

What would be the advantage of one setup over the other? Just asking because I'm wanting to build my own grinder as well.

[s mcfall]

i think its just personal preference, one thing that bothered me with the regular spring was when i mocked it on the arm and compressed it it bowed out to the side, i just want a cleaner line and saw the strut idea, you can get them in different lengths and stiffness and they are pretty cheap, im thinking of getting one in the 30-40lb range and looks like it will just look like a cleaner design...i will post some pictures when i get around to getting one an putting it on.

[PsychoDawg]

Hmmmm, point taken... What about a spring at the back end of the tensioning arm going down to the base? Instead of compressing the spring, this would stretch it... It may give less sideways pressure. It wouldn't be as fancy looking, but it would probably be cheaper and easier

[s mcfall]

i thought of that too, the gas spring is like under 20$..im going to give it a try, can always go back if it doesnt work.

[Ed Caffrey]

Some insight......I've tried the strut idea before..... there are a few issues...

1. It's difficult to find a strut short enough, with enough capacity to keep the belt tight.

2. When mounting, make sure the "rod" portion is downward....with the rod facing up, grit/stuff gets into the seal, and it will last about a week. With the rod pointing downward, I got a month out of it before the seal failed.

In the end, I went back to springs....I'm using springs purchased at the local Ace Hardware....come in a two pack, for about $6.

[fuzzy]

I think i'll just stay with the cheap springs been working fine so far

[Pelallito]

I tried the strut, and went back to the spring. To minimize the bowing, I shortened the spring a little and modified the bottom and top retainers to hold it better. That also allowed my kmg clone to have the arm closer to a horizontal position with the belt tension set tight.
Fred

[jhiggins]

I think I read in here years ago about a guy who used a leaf-spring setup, which he made and tempered himself. That said, it probably would not be too hard to find an old leaf at a spring shop, or swap a knife for a custom one.

I dont like gas struts because they lose their oomph after a while, and you'll start losing tension. I had an air piston setup on one of my grinders long ago, but replaced that with a coil spring. The air version was nice, but it became a pain to change belts, and keep it adjusted consistently.