sanderconversion

A couple of years ago, I saw web article on converting an old horizontal belt sander to a vertical edge sander. I was intrigued with the possibilities, but had just equipped my shop, including a 6x80 vertical edge sander and 6x48 belt/disk sander, so I hardly needed another. Since then, I have found that I do just about all the sanding involved in forming a bow from a blank with the big vertical edge sander. The 6x48 got used on one riser right after I got it, then just became a tool that was in the way and ended up stored on a shelf. However, the project continued to pop into my mind every now and then. With more experience behind me, I could readily see where I could do most of what I do on a machine this size, if had the power to stand up to a lot of fiberglass grinding. Recently, I've been doing a lot of communicating with beginner bow makers who are wondering about what tools to get. Most folks don't have the space and/or don't want to invest in a tool like the big longbelt sander. The 6x48 was still there and I was between projects, soI decided to go ahead with the project and document it for my web site, hoping that it might prove to be a help to someone.

As this project got underway, I entered the annual bow swap on Trad Gang, so it was natural to decide that once the machine was done, I would use it, rather than my big one, to build the bow for the swap. Thus, this becomes the first step in building my swap bow. I hope to have this finished and start the bow this weekend. Since there are many beginner bow makers involved in the swap, I figured showing the possibilities in this machine conversion was a legitimate inclusion.

First, a word about the machine. It's a Grizzly 1014Z 6x48 with a 9"disk. It's a big powerful machine with a 3/4 hp motor, weighing over 100 pounds. It currently lists for $345, not cheap, but half the price of the 6x80 and it takes up a lot less room. It's also far easier to find a wide variety of belt grits locally. I have to mail order the big belts. You can often find used 6x48's on auction or used tool lists, which would be a great way to get a machine for this project.

I considered doing the project with a smaller 4x36 or even 4x24 machine. These are far cheaper and lighter and would be less of a challenge to mount. However, they all come with 1/3 hp motors and given my experience grinding a lot of bows, I just don't think they'd stand up to the work for a long time.

I should note here that I don't like disk sanders. I've used belt sanders extensively for many years, but found little use for the disks. Consequently, I'm not real competent with them, which may be why I don't like them. I do have a stand alone disk sander, but all I consider it good for is eating more wood than I want it to faster than I want it to. Others will feel differently. You can see that I don't consider sacrificing the disk in this project to be a problem, especially considering the usefulness of a vertical edge to a bowyer. I don't use a shaped limb template. I draft the bow directly onto the blank and grind it out with the belt sander. When I get to the point of grinding limb shape on the swap bow, I hope to show this machine in action.

Today's work consisted of yarding the machine out from the shelf it was on and getting the disk off. Yikes! That was a bear of a project. I was documenting this project for my friends on Pirates of Archery. Here is the day's report I sent them:

Why in the hell didn't one of you guys stop me?!!!! :o :o
I'm a woodworker, not a mechanic. I barely know the difference between an Allen wrench and a Whitworth. I don't read blueprints or exploded drawings. Usually though, one way and another, I figure it all out. This one is the worst!
Things I've learned so far:
- Anything made of cast iron with a 3/4 hp motor is going to weigh over 100 pounds
- 100 pounds is very heavy and difficult to turn around, turn over, prop on end, etc.
- 100 pounds is very heavy when you set it on your fingers
- any nut tightened onto a 100 pound object will be tightened with a force greater than 100 pounds, causing you to tip said object over when trying to leverage said nut
- All equipment assembled at the factory will involve special know how and special tools, neither of which will be available to you at the time you try to disassemble it.
NOTE: The special know how probably does not weigh 100 pounds. I cannot speak for the special tools since I don't have them.
- All equipment manufactured in China will list fastenings (nuts, bolts, Allen's, etc.) in US SAE standard measurements. However, they are actually metric, just labeled with the nearest SAE measurement that will fit. Use your metric tools.
- All guards and covers installed at the factory will be impossible to remove without destruction.
- Belt sanders are good tools. Disk sanders are are totally useless tools attached to belt sanders as an advertising gimmick. They actually interfere with the operation of the belt sander.
- Any engineer who deliberately combines a belt sander with a disk sander should have all of his joints adjusted with metric tools.
- With faith, perserverence, pluck and the American way of life, (and a Boy Scout manual) Jack Armstrong can rebuild what's left of the belt sander.
Tune in for the next adventure, wherein Jack attempts to mount a 100 pound machine sideways by bracing it with balsa parts from model airplane kits.... (He has a lot of model airplane kits.....)

At least I still have a sense of humor! Actually, I did get the thing apart and the part I wanted to save back together and I'm looking forward to tomorrow and building a mounting frame. Here are pix of today's work:

This pic and the next are the machine before I started destructi... oops, I mean disassembly..	The project really was to get the disk parts off. The table came off easily, but the disk was over an hour of frustrated fiddling around. The safety cover wasn't meant to be removed until the disk was removed. The disk was held on with an Allen screw in the axle, behind the disk! You were supposed to have a special extra long Allen wrench to reach it.
This is some time later... In my efforts to get the cover and disk off, I ended up majorly dismantling the machine. After many unsuccessful attempts with various tools and a flashlight, I finally managed to get an Allen wrench in behind the disk, finding it by feel and got the axle locking screw out, but the disk still wouldn't budge. I ended up drilling two 3/8" holes in the back of the cover, inserting a large Phillips head screwdriver though each hole altenately and whapping the heck out of it with the little jeweler's hammer you see at the upper left of the table.	Here's what Iended up with. The belt roller at the left fell off onto the floor a bit earlier, giving my heart failure till I figured out that it wasn't really fastened in, just slid into to open slots.
I got the machine reassembled and started taking a look at what it would be like on its side. Because the belt release lever and tracking control are on the side they are, that side will have to be "up". The axle end will have to end up in a hole in the base plate.	Here I've leveled it so I can get an idea of how much lower support will have to be built onto the base.

It's apparent to me at this point that the operation I carried out today, removal of the disk assembly, is going to be considerably different for each machine brand, depending on which side the disk is mounted on and how the entire thing was built. However, I can't imagine one being much more difficult than this one was. I expect most would be much easier.

As noted, tomorrow's work will be to build the actual base. This will be done with 3/4" plywood.

Second Phase - Building the Frame

Today was devoted to building a plywood frame strong enough to support the machine when it is installed on a tool base. The basic work is finished. I need to get a slightly larger belt. By the time I got everything positioned the geometry was such that I couldn't get the original belt on. In fact, I had to undo several brace blocks that had been glued and screwed on. My planning ahead somehow missed the need to keep space for getting at the belt. A couple of the braces for the table are now removeable to provide for that need. This page will conclude this presentation. I will be using this machine in the Trad Gang bow swap, and will then present some pictures of it in use. The bow build is being documented (or will be) in a Trad Gang Bowyer's Bench thread titled "Dicks Swap Bow Build" and you can follow it there. It has already started with this material, and will be expanded as I start the bow and work it through to completion.

The first step was to cut a base and mount the machine on it. Here is is sitting horizontal. It will end up vertical, with this piece attached to a larger base that will be mounted on a heavy duty tool stand. Note the 2x2. This will be glued and screwed to the larger base to hold the machine sideways.	This is the larger base. Note the cantilevered support pieces that have been attached to the smaller, vertical machine base, and the screws going through into the 2x2 and the cantilevers.
Here is the assembly turned upright as it will be in use.	This is the back of the upright mounting panel. It's actually shown here after I completed the work table. As I built the page i realized I didn't have this photo so I ran down and took it.
I've re-installed the belt assembly. Note the screws attaching to the cantilever pieces.. You can also see that a second piece of plywood has been attached to the base bottom to reinforce the bolts holding the machine.	These three holes originally attached the disk assembly. I installed heavy brace pieces under them to help support the machine weight.
In this shot I was setting up and positioning the brace blocks that will support the work table.	And here you have the essentially finished converted machine. The table isn't fastened down and won't be until the belt is on and the base is mounted on the tool stand. I may curve the corners for more comfortable standing work access. That decision will be made as I start using it.

Dick Wightman

This sander project was done in anticipation of testing the result by using it to build a bow I was about to build for a bow swap. I hadn't intended for that build to be an actual build along, just a few pictures of the bow at different stages, showing the sander in use. However, there was demand for details and the build developed into a complete presentation. This turned out to be a good thing in that my previous build along, "How I Build a Bow" was a couple of years previous and many of my techinques have changed in that time. The bow build along is now included as a link on the main Archery Activities page. I have also linked it here:

Link to How I Build a Bow 2