8 Inch Grinder Base

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Another fine bit of Cheap Out engineering from the addled and infirm minds here at the R&D labs of T&E Technology.I've had this grinder and motor I purchased off CL mounted on a board for the past couple of years.  It has always been a "someday" project to build a stand and get the thing off the bench.  I wanted the stand to be heavy and stable since this 1 1/2 hp. motor and NOS Montgomery Ward arbor make for a heavy duty set up.  I used a class 8 truck brake drum for the base (They are heavy suckers, like in the neighborhood of 100 lbs of cast iron) and added the Horrible Fright 8" solid rubber wheels for mobility.  The wheel mounts are a couple of pieces of 2"x2"x 1/4" square scrap from the pile.  I scribed the radius of the drum onto the tubes and mitered them with the cutting torch, with a final grind to fit.  After the miters fit and squared up I jigged them up so the wheels would be 1/4" off the floor when at rest and welded the tubes to the drums.  Yeah, I know the welds probably aren't structurally sound enough for full load, but for around the shop moves it is strong enough.  6013 1/8" rod cause I had a bunch given to me ( I am a cheap ba$tard).The 1/2"x4" bar stock was some drops that I was given some time ago out of a fab shop that was going out of business.  I bored the bolt holes and drilled the corresponding holes in the drum bolt flange that were tapped for the 7/16" bolts.The upright and motor support is some 3 1/2" mechanical tubing that was salvaged from a junker before he hauled it to a scrap dealer.  I mitered the motor support tube to fit and welded it using 6011 3/32" (because I had it handy).  The motor plate and arbor mount are dumpster found plates I had laying in the pile of possibles.  I cut a 1/2" wide ring off some 3" schedule 40 pipe and split that to make the lifting point welded between the main upright and the motor tube (this thing weighs more than I want to lift, if I should ever need to move it).Basically the only money invested in this are some cheap tractor store bolts ($1.99 a pound on sale) and the HF wheels ($3.99 each).   I still need to make a belt guard, finish wiring  and squirt some paint on it.RogerOld, Tired, and GRUMPYSalesman will call, Batteries not included, Assembly is required, and FREE ADVICE IS WORTH EXACTLY WHAT YOU PAY FOR IT!Dial Arc 250HFThunderbolt 225 AC/DCAssorted A/O torches
Reply:GRUMPY, if you're old and tired, how do you move that thing?  Seems like with the wheels 1/4" up, you'd have to tip it up quite a bit, enough to be unwieldy.  Bunglesome!  Dangerous even?!?Very cool by the way.    Like the open look with the mitered tubes.Last edited by Fabn4Fun; 08-08-2013 at 09:41 AM.
Reply:Hey Roger,That is awesome! This is why I like this forum. I enjoy seeing how people take scrap material and make useful stuff. Looks like good engineering to me.You could add some handles coming up behind the motor to make the wheels work easier, like a hand truck. That would solve Fab's point about being hard to move.Post some more pix after you paint it.Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:Found the old pic!  Before you paint it, weld a 4" pc of 1" sch 40 pipe on the front, at "wheelbarrow handle" height, and keep a 4' piece of 3/4" (cheap, rusty) pipe leaning behind it. Then you can wheel it around like a "backward (one handle and two wheels) wheelbarrow"!  Attached ImagesLast edited by Fabn4Fun; 08-09-2013 at 08:59 AM.
Reply:It is so nice to be able to grind outside. How awkward is it to move? I am trying to envision how you grip it.
Reply:Nice job, Rog!! That sucker ought to stay where you park it.                                        MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:Reuse and Recycle..great project.
Reply:Originally Posted by mikecwikIt is so nice to be able to grind outside. How awkward is it to move? I am trying to envision how you grip it.
Reply:That is really nice looking....How did you get the saddle to fit correctly for the motor mount pipe.....?Seems to me to take some serious skill to be able to cut saddles in pipe at 90 degrees, much less at a 45.....The whole thing is impressive.... but that pipe saddle keeps drawing my eye....Nice work.........Precision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:Rog, is that a variable pitch dia pulley you have on the motor?                                    MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:Originally Posted by FexalThat is really nice looking....How did you get the saddle to fit correctly for the motor mount pipe.....?Seems to me to take some serious skill to be able to cut saddles in pipe at 90 degrees, much less at a 45.....The whole thing is impressive.... but that pipe saddle keeps drawing my eye....Nice work.........
Reply:Originally Posted by mla2ofusRog, is that a variable pitch dia pulley you have on the motor?                                    Mike
Reply:I finally got around to putting some lipstick on this pig!The switch was scavenged off a Delta shaper motor I replaced for a family member.The wiring.Detail of the handle attach point as suggested by Fabn4Fun.I still need to make the belt guard, but that is a "someday" project.More pics in next post.RogerOld, Tired, and GRUMPYSalesman will call, Batteries not included, Assembly is required, and FREE ADVICE IS WORTH EXACTLY WHAT YOU PAY FOR IT!Dial Arc 250HFThunderbolt 225 AC/DCAssorted A/O torches
Reply:Front viewPulley side viewOpposite side viewRear viewPainted yellow because I had a lot of it.  This was a fun project and the grinder is far more useful to me now that it is off the bench and mobile around the shop.RogerOld, Tired, and GRUMPYSalesman will call, Batteries not included, Assembly is required, and FREE ADVICE IS WORTH EXACTLY WHAT YOU PAY FOR IT!Dial Arc 250HFThunderbolt 225 AC/DCAssorted A/O torches
Reply:That thing is way cooler than a store bought one!Nicely executed and has a nice style.I dig the brake drum base too. Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:And, when you turn out the lights for the night in the shop, the residual glow from that paint will give you a few minutes to get to the door!!! :-) Great job and even better thought process and execution!
Reply:That's great! Needing a grinder stand and having it on wheels to roll around is great. Added to the list.200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:Thanks for all the compliments!  A little background on the "styling".  We here at the R&D Lab consider style to follow function in most designs.  If they come out looking good all the better, but they have to function well regardless of appearance.  Since I am in the advanced march toward geezerhood and have some health considerations, I tend to make everything to my preferred heights and distances.  I find 41 inches off the floor to be a perfect working height for me, as it allows me to stand upright without stooping.  The angle of the upright support tube was dictated by the end working height of the grinder arbor (measured to center of grinding wheel) and my desire to have the wheel forward towards me so I did not have to reach over when grinding.  By angling the support forward I kept the toe kick distance to a minimum (actually a 2" toe kick set back).  The angled miter for the motor support was just because I could do it and it added a bit of the "Fabricators Touch" to the finished project.  A 90 degree saddle would have worked just as well.  The hoisting point was an after thought, but was easy enough to incorporate and should make loading this thing a breeze with a cherry picker.The design was pretty straight forward.  First I sketched up all the fixed components in CAD (motor, arbor, brake drum) and then just inserted those blocks into the design and started maneuvering things around unit it fit the "TLAR" (that looks about right) shop standard that we here at T&E Tech take such pride in.  The center distance from the arbor shaft to the motor shaft was dictated by the length of the belts I had hanging in the shop, so that set that distance.  Then it was a simple task to let CAD do the measuring and math for me.  As I previously posted, the tubing was coped using a template from Metal Geek (see previous post #15 for links).Thanks again for the compliments!RogerOld, Tired, and GRUMPYSalesman will call, Batteries not included, Assembly is required, and FREE ADVICE IS WORTH EXACTLY WHAT YOU PAY FOR IT!Dial Arc 250HFThunderbolt 225 AC/DCAssorted A/O torches