Can anyone tell me about this machine ?

[just in case]

This thing weighs about 300 pounds. Its obviously some kind of wet grinder.But its got other gears and pullys that I dont know what there for. any info would be appreciated. Jason

[tjmurphy]

Got a picture??

[gringo]

oh..duh...did i have to look close for the "other gears and stuff"

the gears you mention regulated and fed the material into the grinding stone surface...so ya didn't need to stand there with the object you were shaping.

it is missing parts...
the other stones are a score...whooooohoooo...send me one of the biguns please.

[just in case]

Gringo ,The stone is super smooth. Is this trash or treasure. Yea , you like the big uns. Where are you bud? jason

[Iron Hoarder]

Pure Treasure!!!! Don't let any of the bits go. Replacements may be hard to find.

[gringo]

Pure Treasure!!!! Don't let any of the bits go. Replacements may be hard to find.

i agree...wonderful find...a user with spares...as good as it gets.

[just in case]

can y'all can tell me more about it? I think this can be used to sharpen knives. It says 300 rpm thats pretty slow.do you know what it was originally used for? Jason

[Iron Hoarder]

If you multiply 300 by the outside diameter of the wheel that will give you feet per minute. it adds up quick and you should be aware that turning a large hunk of rock quickly is dangerous. 300 rpm is plenty of speed. Since you don't know the history of those stones you should hang them with something stout that doesn't act as a dampner through the hole and gently ring them with a piece of hard wood like oak or maple. If the stone doesn't ring then don't use it. Even if it rings, put it on the machine and use a remote switch to turn it on and stand clear while it runs at speed for a good five minutes.


ALWAYS LEARN ABOUT MACHINERY BEFORE USING IT. IGNORANCE KILLS.

[just in case]

Thanks Iron, Good advice. Jason

[orvet]

Here is a wet grinder I have. I hope you can see how it is set up.

The motor is an old washing machine motor; about 1700 RPMs & you can see how the speed has been reduced, not once but twice by pulleys. I doubt the stone makes one revolution per second. I would estimate the speed of this stone to be about 50 RPM and that is plenty fast for a 12 inch stone. If my math is right that is about 39 feet of stone surface that contacts the blade each minute (39 FPM). My math is way rusty so I may be off, but as I recall my high school Geometry it should be correct.

I think 300 RPM would sling the water off the stone and you would burn the blade because you are essentially sharpening with a dry stone. The stone looks much larger than 12” so at 300 RPM it would travel faster than 234 FPM.

Those old stones are typically not very well balanced, so I think at 300 RPM vibration would be a significant issue……put it this way, I would not want to be in the same room with my wet stone turning anywhere near 300 RPM!

One thing to note, most especially if the stone is a composition stone; don’t leave the stone setting in water when it is not in use. They will soak up water and it can soften them, not to mention the water it soaks up will put the stone out of balance. When you use the stone, the soaked part will be softer causing it to wear faster; making the stone even more out of balance.
This would be a problem with my 8” wet grinder and the composite stone on it.

This pic does not show the plastic tray that attaches to the side of the grinder.
The blue wheel travels through the tray of water.

The stone is like a sponge. I turn it on, fill the water tray, let it run for 30 seconds and then have to add more water as it has soaked it up. It is kind of crazy. However I think your stone is a natural stone and probably won’t soak up as much water as my 8” composite does.

[just in case]

Very interesting ,Dale. I was hoping some one would have some thing similer. maybe that is what the gears are on the other side are for.To slow it down ? I got to get some pics of the other side up later. jason

[gringo]

Very interesting ,Dale. I was hoping some one would have some thing similer. maybe that is what the gears are on the other side are for.To slow it down ? I got to get some pics of the other side up later. jason

i posted the one i have somewhere...? it looks like the one dale posted, but mine has a gear reduction unit on the drive side...
it turns real slow...i love it...

[just in case]

Gringo, yea that is what mine has. I think its 30 to 1. What size motor should I hook up to this thing? Thanks ,J

[gringo]

i am using an old swamp cooler motor.

[just in case]

How many horse power is that ?

[orvet]

I think my big wet grinder 1/2 hp.
With the reduction it doesn’t take a lot of power to turn it.
1/4 or 1/3 hp should be plenty. I don’t think you will be able to apply enough pressure or slow even a 1/4 hp motor. The nice thing about the reduction is it gives it more torque. An engineer might be able to explain it better, but I think you are trading RPMs for torque when you gear it down like this.

[gringo]

i believe my motor is a half horse...an it is a nice an steady grinding platform...

[Joe Dirt]

I realise I'm a little late chiming in on this, but I recognise what you have.

You have the grinding head off of an OD grinder.

The single most important thing is what Iron Hoarder said... "ring" the wheel BEFORE mounting it. This is especially
important with NEW wheels. New wheels can and DO get cracked during shipping and handling. If you DON"T hear a
clear ring - DO NOT use the wheel - DROP IT IN THE FLOOR AND BREAK IT. It isn't worth the risk of the injury from
an exploding wheel.

The opening in the top of the shroud is for the dressing attachment. PLEASE COVER THIS UP and I don't mean sheet
metal. Fab a cover from a piece of 3/16" or thicker angle iron or something to that effect. DO NOT attempt to dress the
wheel through this opening without the proper attachment. Dropping a hand held dressing tool into the opening can cause
an explosion.

If there are counter weights on the mounting hub on the side of the wheel that can't be seen in the pictures, they are
for balancing the wheel. PM me for info. on balancing procedure or any other questions.

This machine was designed for an external coolant supply. A coolant pump used with a catch basin for the draining is
the preferred way to the "bath" for keeping your work cool and the wheel clean. Heed to Dale's advice if using a coolant
bath. Anti-freeze mixed with water makes a good coolant - plain water will cause rust unless you do an extensive clean-
up each time you use the machine. (please remember - anti-freeze and animals DON"T mix)

O.K. sorry for the safety lecture - I've just seen too many accidents with large grinders.

Sweeeet find, Jason Have you put it to use? I'm only 3 months late on this thread.

..... Joe

[Iron Hoarder]

I glad someone knew what it was. I sent him to the machinists forum since there were too many pieces missing for me to figure it out.