KMG belt grinder platen and work table upgrades (lots of photos)

Alan H.

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I thought I would start a new thread on where I landed on upgrades to my KMG. We've discussed some of these possibilities in other threads.

I ordered some pyroceram via eBay (Knifegrinderparts.com).

I bought an articulating work table from D-D Work Rests. It has replaced the standard work rest that came with my KMG. The table is well made and was shipped in good way to avoid getting beat up. While they are made to order, I was surprised how quickly I received mine.

The pyroceram was epoxied to the platen with JB Weld (slow set). The common practice is to add some support below the glass for support in case the epoxy releases at some point. I used a couple of socket head screws for that.

Here's the glass fit and ready to be epoxied on:
IMG_20170828_161504.jpg

The glass epoxied and taped for cure. Don't use clamps, it will break as it cures. You can use tape as a hinge on one side, apply the epoxy with a putty knife, close the hinge, manage the squeeze out, and tape it up to cure. Leave some open slots in the tape for squeeze out relief as it appears to expand, albeit slightly.
IMG_20170828_184122.jpg

I milled/ground slightly the angle supports that hold the platen to the yoke. What came from KMG was were clips made from angle iron and of course they are not perfectly 90 degrees. Here it is ready to go back on the yoke.
IMG_20170903_131133.jpg

Assembled and ready to go:
IMG_20170903_132938.jpg

Back on the machine. By the way, the platen is 0.030" proud of the the rollers.
IMG_20170903_173724.jpg

The new D-D articulating work table (I squared and smoothed the edges of the table itself in the mill):
IMG_20170903_174046.jpg

IMG_20170903_172022.jpg

Here she is all tuned up and back in service. She now has a flat and square to the belt pyroceram lined platen and an articulating table that will get the majority of the angles I may want. I originally pondered a slot in the work table for a miter gauge but I'll use a metal protractor to ride the smoothed edges of the work table when needed. I can always add a slotted table later. The grinder has been down a couple of weeks and I have missed it in a big way. It is one of the most used machines in my shop and gets used most days. I use a small bucket or pan of water to catch and quench the sparks. She is built to move around the shop as needed. I can also roll it outside if I am really going to make the sparks fly and make a big mess.

IMG_20170903_173030.jpg


Hope this may help others who are interested in these upgrades. Special thanks to Mikey for all the consulting and advice!
 
A bit of a caveat to this upgrade - it now builds static electricity that will pop the fire out of you if you aren't careful! You have to keep yourself grounded to the table or it will pop you. Need to look into how to eliminate that cause it ain't pleasant!
 
A bit of a caveat to this upgrade - it now builds static electricity

My 72" and my 1/3 hp motor with felt buffs for polishing both do that same thing.
Both have grounds on the plug in.
Only solution I came up with was to leave a jumper wire (14 ga with small alligator clips on both ends) attached to the motor and then I either hold it in my hand or if working at it for a longer time I wrap the wire around my wrist and clip it back to itself.
That grounds me so I don't build up with static and get zapped when I get close enough to the machine for the spark to go to ground.
 
I have read about spraying the belts with fabric softener but in the interim I just make sure that I keep myself grounded to the platen. But I am getting a "popping" reminder more often than I like.

I am not too keen on spraying my belts - may be the answer but bet it doesn't eliminate the issue.

Maybe a wrist grounding strap is in order? These are 6 bucks on Amazon and are typically used in electronics work to keep from zapping parts with electrostatics. Of course none of us are going to want any any wire dangling near a belt traveling at 20 to 50 mph, but the wire is quite small and should separate easily.

upload_2017-9-27_9-26-29.png


EDIT: Another option might be to add a copper grounding bar off the back of the platen that lightly rides the inside of the belt and grounds the belt to the frame. I have some thin copper strip and I may give that a test to see what happens.
 
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Thanks Paco, I use this machine as much as any in the shop. I was a bit reluctant to spend the money on it late last year but sure glad I have it now.
 
Nice upgrade! I may need to consult with you on a similar upgrade for my Bader 2x72. When I purchased it about 10 years ago, I just so happened to buy a platen from KMG instead of the stock Bader part.

I wonder if I can adapt that table to use with my KMG platen and also my stock 10” rubber wheel? While I have the glass platen, I Like to use the rubber wheel when the application will allow. It has a lot better feel and I can get better surface finish with the wheel. I have a serrated wheel that also allows for more aggressive grinding or hogging. It also hasn’t been prone to the static shock that is produced from the platen for some reason . The shock is no joke and will light you up pretty good. It usually catches me off guard and end up mad as a hornet!
 
Brad, Don Dentz makes work rests for the Bador as well. He sells them direct via Paypal invoice or alternatively thru ebay. Here is a current Ebay link for the Bador rest. This photo is from the ebay listing - some of his photos there are generic however.

upload_2017-9-27_13-12-24.png


Obviously one can make this stuff and with the machinery that I know you have, you could do it. I am in a similar boat but decided that I would simply buy it. His tables are ground and his machining work is pristine so I decided to buy one. I didn't think his costs were prohibitive and it is a bit cheaper if you buy direct from him vs. ebay. I've PM'd you his email address. Either via direct order or ebay, he takes orders and then builds them. He is faster than I imagined and had mine shipped within a week of my order.

Yeap on the static discharge! It seems it is alway big enough to hear it crack and it will make you jump to say the least. I am going to find some sort of solution. I am tired of that tiger biting me.
 
I have read about spraying the belts with fabric softener but in the interim I just make sure that I keep myself grounded to the platen. But I am getting a "popping" reminder more often than I like.

I am not too keen on spraying my belts - may be the answer but bet it doesn't eliminate the issue.

Maybe a wrist grounding strap is in order? These are 6 bucks on Amazon and are typically used in electronics work to keep from zapping parts with electrostatics. Of course none of us are going to want any any wire dangling near a belt traveling at 20 to 50 mph, but the wire is quite small and should separate easily.

View attachment 242750

EDIT: Another option might be to add a copper grounding bar off the back of the platen that lightly rides the inside of the belt and grounds the belt to the frame. I have some thin copper strip and I may give that a test to see what happens.


A plus with the electronics anti-static straps is that they have a 500k - 1 Megohm resistor in the wire, so don't present a good path to earth for AC power current and reduce the risk of electrocution compared to a plain wire/clip setup - the high voltages caused by static build-up drain away just fine at a few microamps.

Dave H. (the other one)
 
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