flexible shaft driven belt sander

[Tigweldor]

Still had 2 kicking around - for my Pferd Mammut flexible shaft grinder (basically the same as the units from Suhner) - of which I actually own 3 power units - from 500 to 40 000 rpm.

I use them for satinising the surface of brushed stainless - the belts come in all different grit grinding fleece or paper backed abrasive.

The table top comes from an upgrade in a baking factory, where all wooden tables had to be replaced with stainless - sure cried that day cause I didn´t have a trailer with me on site and my Kangoo only fits small sheets - it is 40mm laminated beech - the kind of material that shouldn´t be just tossed into a container.

The shelf/rest for the grinder is actually a 3-axis adjustment device for a laser - it only has minute possibilities of movement in each axis though - I will upgrade to a unit that I can tilt up to 45° - and have some kind of roller/spring pressure device to keep my belts pushed against the sanding belt - so operation can be one swift pulling motion.

The thick walled round holder for the sander handle is actually a slice from a conveyor belt drive axle that used tight parallel rubber ropes as the means of transportation - usually employed if you want to transport a leaking material - so the drippings can get caught by drip pans underneath and as opposed to a sheet belt conveyor system - rope conveyors are much easier to clean as no "gunk" sets on the inside of the belt and is further squished by the drive rollers - very often a sanitary requirement.

I still have some longer versions - use them to store arrows in.

The Gritznener sole stitcher provides a good "counterweight" on the other end of the table - sure is nice to have it mounted on wheels as well - it´s a pain in the back to tote from A to B due to the weight and it not having proper handles for such task.

Ordered four 100mm industrial casters with brakes - the brackets for those are already in place on the bottom of the legs.

The casters mounted now are too small and also mounted too far inward for my taste.

Made some angle brackets for a bottom or raised shelf as well - nice to have all stuff needed for one machine right near it.

The belts are small and I will experiment with them sewn from or laminated with canvas as well.

Since I have 2 units - I can keep one with canvas/bees wax and the other with a sanding medium.

To change them is a click of a small button and swapping hand pieces.

Oh yeah - for the Gritzner I have a project planned - I still have small a gear reduction transmission in the shop ( I think it is 15:1) - time to motorize it - that is why I left enough space between the machine and the sanding belt holder.

It will also add more weight to the middle of the table.

 

Greetings

Hans

Edited April 20 by Tigweldor
spelling

[Tigweldor]

I don´t know if it´s forbidden - so I dindn´t enter it above :

Suhner still makes good machines - here a link to their felxible shafts.

https://www.suhner-abrasive.com/en/products/flexible-shafts/

In Germany the Pferd brand is identical - I think they even produced for Suhner - but all parts are normed and fully interchangable.

I can definitely recommend them, if any amount of rotary grinding is to be done - you have the power of a 1500 Watt drive unit  - but only the fraction of the weight in your hand, as when the grinder is powered with an attached electric motor. 

The motor is a 380Volt unit - it hums along at a decent low level growl - not like the high pitched squeal of a 20 000 rpm pneumatic tool - or the plaguing sound of an 18 000 rpm electric die grinder.

That makes work so much more enjoyable.

I bought ALL my stuff used - new is to much for my budget.

To change a bearing in an hand piece is a cinch - should be done when in hard use more often - I do work on cylinder heads once in a while and to port them, you do not want to use mickey mouse tools.

I keep the small Suhner at home - run it from my portable VFD - the bigger ones are at the shop.

I have adapters for the chuck of the hand piece to accommodate the 3mm shafts - many of the diamond abrasive tools come with such tiny shaft diameter.

 

Greetings

Hans

Edited April 20 by Tigweldor