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Building- slowly- a Classic KMG-Style 2" x 72" Belt Grinder, Part 3:



Speaking of a tool rest, in the interests of ease and speed, I took a bit of a shortcut. Instead of drilling
and tapping in order to bolt the two pieces together, I just took 90 seconds to TIG them together.



With a couple slots milled into the arm portion, the assembly then just bolts to the tool arm like so.



Next up, we needed a "platen", a surface that backs up the belt at the working face, so the belt
doesn't "bow" inward and give you a curved surface. Like the rest of the machine, this is just
a hunk of off the shelf structural iron, in this case slotted in the mill for adjustability.



The instructions suggested drilling, but for ease of assembly and a measure of adjustability,
I slotted the holes. This part is actually the platen support.



The platen support then bolts to the square wheel assembly like so- but we're not done yet!



You could just have the belt ride on the section of angle iron, but due to the nature of this beast, the
platen does eventually wear out. So we make a replaceable wear plate- the platen itself.
This one's easy- two 1/4"-20 tapped holes, and round the ends a bit.



The platen bolts to the platen support like this.



And there we go. Closer and closer to a functional machine!



Next up is the spring for the tensioner arm. The instructions simply told how to screw a hunk of
1/2" all-thread into the top of the tool arm like this, and use it to guide a compression spring.
(That's not a bolt- it's a section of threaded rod, locked in with a nut.)



The plans were a bit vague on supporting the spring on the arm,
so I turned up this little "button" that the spring can seat onto.



That 'button' gets MIG welded to the arm... oh, 'bout there.



And there you have it. Ugly and makeshift, but it works.






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