Homemade belt and disc sanders. Wood sanding machine - make it yourself or buy it? Homemade wood sanding machine

Processing of metal parts and workpieces is carried out in several ways. Special equipment is used to remove a small layer of material, sharpening or grinding. The cost of factory models is high, and they do not always have the required functionality. Therefore, many home craftsmen prefer to make a metal grinding machine with their own hands with certain operational and technical qualities.

Characteristics of grinding machines

For domestic use, it is recommended to choose a simple manufacturing scheme - a belt or disk grinder. The workpiece will be fed manually; in addition, a support table can be provided to fix it. There is no point in trying to make a complex internal grinding design or with a honing function. Manufacturing costs will be high, but practical use for a home workshop is minimal.

• Electric motor characteristics. Power - up to 500 W, speed - 1400.
• The maximum belt speed is 330 m/s.
• Possibility to change the tilt angle of the moving belt up to 45°.
• The diameter of the grinding disc is up to 230 mm.
• Execution type: desktop.
• Availability of end and side tables. They will be used to fix the workpiece.

The simplest option for making a grinding machine is to use a sharpening machine. However, processing can only be carried out with the end of the disk, the width of which is limited. This scheme is only relevant for sharpening tools or processing small parts and workpieces.

Belt Sanding Machine

The best option for domestic use would be the tape model. Structurally, it consists of a system of shafts on which an abrasive belt is installed. Changing the angle of inclination and degree of tension occurs using a spring mechanism. It is recommended to make a wooden frame, as it is easier than producing a steel body.

Consumables and components used:

• Guide drums. They are made from hard wood. Recommended diameter: 15 cm.
• Bed. It is also made from wooden blanks. The configuration depends on the dimensions of the machine and is determined independently.
• Drum mounts. These could be pins with bearings.
• Electric motor and torque transmission mechanism. A belt drive is used. To adjust the speed, discs for a belt of different diameters are used, mounted on the electric motor shaft.
• Tension mechanism. Necessary for adjusting the tension of the sanding tape. It is a lever mounted on a frame with the function of changing the height position. The design includes springs for smooth tension changes and a lock.

The assembly of the structure is carried out in stages. According to the developed scheme, components are made. They are then mounted on the frame. It is recommended to place the electric motor start button in a convenient place for quickly turning on or off the equipment. You can also install a protective shield made of polycarbonate.

Disk model

In some cases, there is a need to process a large area of ​​a metal workpiece. Using a belt sander will not be acceptable, since it is difficult to achieve uniform removal of material over the entire surface. For these purposes, a disk model is required.

You can do it in two ways:

• Modernization of the tape machine. The area of ​​the frame is increased; a shaft with fastenings of a wooden disk (with 4 screws) with a diameter of up to 230 mm is installed on it. The drive is a belt drive, with the same speed switching. Additionally, a support table is manufactured.
• . It consists of an electric motor, on the shaft of which a fastener for a wooden disk is mounted. The disadvantage of this design is that it is impossible to change the rotation speed of the grinding wheel.

Another design option for a grinding machine is to install the shaft vertically. An abrasive belt is attached to the outer part of the cylinder. Such models are used for processing wooden structures.

During the grinding process, the surface of wood or metal is brought to the desired degree of smoothness. The use of special mechanisms allows you to complete the work faster and better. And by making a grinding machine yourself, you can save significant money.

Types of grinding machines

Grinding is the final stage of processing the workpiece before applying a protective coating. The process is carried out using grinding tools and emery materials. All machines according to the type of surface processed, the shape of parts and design are divided into:

• surface grinding;
• cylindrical grinding;
• internal grinding;
• specialized.

The equipment is designed to perform:

• peeling and cutting blanks;
• finishing gears, planes, torsion surfaces to final size;
• sharpening knives, drills, cutters.

Most often, craftsmen try to make drum-type and belt-type machines for wood on their own.

Features of Drum Sanding Machine

The working body of a drum machine is a drum-shaped grinding disc. As a rule, it is used to process long and flat wooden parts, including panels, slats, and boards.

Main components of the drum grinding machine:

• base;
• engine;
• grinding cylinder;
• a device for changing the speed of movement of the feed cylinder;
• working surface;
• feed cylinder;
• protective box;
• dust extraction;
• device for adjusting the height of the working body.

The design of the machine is not complicated, so you can make it yourself in a home workshop.

Selection of parts

The electric motor can be taken from a broken washing machine; a belt, pulleys and electrical elements will also be suitable from it. The optimal power of the electric motor is 250 - 300 W at 1.5 - 3 thousand revolutions, single-phase (to make it easier to connect) and asynchronous, it is more productive.

The drum is made from cylinder-shaped bars, wooden rings, a cardboard pipe or a piece of plastic sewer pipe. The last option is the simplest, so more about it. The drum is placed on an axis made of a metal rod up to 20 cm long.

1. We cut off a section from the PVC water pipe equal to the future length of the drum; it should be slightly shorter than the axis-rod.
2. We cut out a pair of end caps from a board or plywood, equal to the cross-section of the pipe, and make holes for the axle in the centers.
3. We fix the plugs with screws at the ends of the pipe (we recess the heads).
4. We install the axis-rod and fix it with glue.
5. We glue sheet rubber onto the surface of the pipe, which will improve the fit of the workpiece. The abrasive material can be attached to the drum with a stapler, in a spiral.

The body of a homemade machine is made of thick plywood or wood boards. You can also make a work surface from plywood. The body consists of a pair of side posts, a cross member and a base that provides rigidity. The working surface must be strong enough so as not to sag during sanding. The movable part of the table is mounted on hinges on the back side, and with an adjusting screw on the front side. Depending on the screw thread pitch, the grinding thickness can be adjusted.

Assembly

We attach the electric motor to the housing from below. A hole for the axle is provided in advance in the housing. The drum is installed in the upper part of the frame. The axle is placed at both ends on bearings in cages, fixed with screws to the side supports.

We install the pulleys on the axles and stretch the belt drive. We will install electrical wiring and a switch. We place the adjusting screws: one on the bottom and a couple on the sides.

Drawings and models of homemade machines

Making a belt sanding machine with your own hands

The structure of the tape machine is as follows: a work table is installed on the tabletop in various positions. The table moves using rollers along cylindrical guides mounted on supports. A sanding belt is placed on the pulleys located above the table, which is tightened with screws. The part is pressed using an iron against the abrasive, which moves in the transverse direction. The movement of the belt is ensured by an electric motor via a belt drive.

You can make such a device yourself. The main elements of the machine: engine, base and rollers. The electric motor will again fit from a washing machine (power up to 300 W, 1.5 thousand rpm). The base is cut out of metal and welded; it must be strong enough and not wobble. The dimensions of the worktop are approximately 16 x 18 cm. 3 holes are drilled at the end of one of the sides for attaching the platform with electric motors using bolts.

It is advisable to maximize the working area, this will increase the possibilities of using the machine. It is more convenient to grind parts when the length of the table is greater than or equal to the length of the workpiece.

At a speed of movement of the abrasive belt of about 20 m/sec, the diameter of the cylinders should be about 20 cm. With the correct calculation, you can do without a gearbox.

The leading cylinder is rigidly fixed to the engine pulley, the second is a tension cylinder. It rotates freely on bearings on a fixed axis. On the side of the movable cylinder, the working surface should be slightly beveled to achieve a soft touch to the abrasive surface. This is very important when working with glued joints.

Cylinders can be made from chipboard. Square tiles 24 x 24 cm are cut out, from which a package is assembled on an axis and ground to a diameter of 20 cm. When turning the drum, it is important to take into account: in the middle its diameter should be 2.5 - 3 mm larger than at the edges.

This shape allows the abrasive belt to be positioned right in the middle. It is most convenient to use a 20 cm wide belt. In addition to sanding wood parts, this machine can be used to sharpen any cutters, as well as process curved parts.

The video demonstrates how to make a grinding machine with your own hands:

The image shows the appearance of a stationary grinding machine. Due to its rather impressive dimensions, in order to optimize space, a shelf for auxiliary tools is built into its structure.

A homemade grinding machine is made in the form of a wooden structure, similar to a workbench. To give greater stability, the legs of the machine are located at an angle.

The unit is driven by an electric motor. In the context of power characteristics, it would be advisable to take an engine with indicators of 3,000 or 1,500 rpm.

The convenience of using a flange motor lies in the fact that a rectangular plywood sheet attached to it allows for guaranteed perpendicular fixation.

An earring for the tension spring is attached to the plywood.

The working surface of the grinding machine consists of longitudinal bars. On the inside of the bars there is a frame with transverse spars. It is designed to mount the engine. Therefore, the width of the frame is determined by the area of ​​the chipboard sheet attached to the gearbox.

A hole for the spring is drilled in the side of the frame. It makes it possible to connect the earring with the eccentric by means of a return spring.

On the side of the grinding machine there is an eccentric with a plumbing pin. One end of the return spiral is attached to it. The mechanism is designed to perform the operation of belt tension. Using the eccentric handle, the spiral is tensioned, and passing through the so-called “dead” point makes it impossible for it to arbitrarily return to its original position.

The sanding belt is placed on two drums. The first of them is made in the shape of a cylinder. A plywood sheet is glued to its outer surface. Pre-bored, made in diameter, which will allow you to put the cylinder on the spindle. The main parameters of the drum: circumference width D – 120 mm; height H – 150 mm.

To prevent the belt from running away, the factory-produced grinding machine has barrel-shaped drums. Here a simpler method is used to achieve this goal. The boundaries of the cylinder are bordered by washers placed on the spindle. Their diameter should be larger than the diameter of the drum shoe.

On the other side of the unit, two-layer plywood is glued to the longitudinal bars. The thickness is about 40 mm. The driven shaft is inserted into a specially made hole.

The grinding machine shaft itself is multi-stage and machined from a metal blank. In its structure it has flanges, a “skirt” and a bearing.
Notice the thread on one end of the shaft. It is necessary for vertical fixation, carried out using a nut

The second drum of the grinding machine has the same dimensional parameters as the first. The only difference is that at the top and bottom, it has specially machined places for bearings. The cylindrical block mounted on the shaft is secured with a clamping nut.

To achieve a greater effect, a special stop made of board was attached to the horizontal surface of the grinding machine. It is located between two reels. The main condition for installing the stop is the obligatory observance of perpendicularity relative to the base. Also, under no circumstances should he touch the drums. This is necessary to prevent the belt from falling and rolling the edges of the workpiece.

The working surface is covered with a kind of platform. It is made of Finnish plywood and has a specially cut curly shape. The platform plays the role of a work table, and at the same time prevents the engine from falling out. Attached using self-tapping screws.

An expansion table is mounted on the drive block side. It is very convenient when grinding internal radii. Its fastening is also done using self-tapping screws.

The sanding machine is specially designed for the most affordable and popular belt sizes, which are generally always in stock. It is strictly not recommended to glue the tape yourself using rolled sandpaper, which is sold in stores. Since it has a completely different quality, it quickly becomes clogged with resin and dust. And therefore, it is not effective and in cost, it will ultimately turn out to be much more expensive.

To fully utilize the entire width of the belt, an inclined belt is used. It is attached to the desktop using a plumbing pin on one side, and clamped with a thumb on the other.

Several times, the mentioned plumbing pin performs fastening functions. On one side there is a large thread, like a self-tapping screw, and on the other it is metric.

Video: DIY grinding machine.

1. Materials for assembling the machine
2. Engine selection
3. Assembly of drums and tape
4. Build process

The main function of wood sanding machines is to finish processing natural materials using abrasive elements. Machines and devices of various types can have a wide range of capabilities and allow sharpening knives, grinding decorative and furniture products, and also perform internal and external polishing of workpieces.

Modern units are capable of ultra-fine polishing, giving products a perfectly smooth surface.. One of the advantages of such equipment is its excellent performance and high efficiency both when performing a rough roughing process and during high-speed grinding.

In production you can often find calibrating, disc and oscillating (spindle) types of grinding units. No less popular are the disc sander, belt grinder and drum polisher. The kinematics of all grinding devices without exception, be it a calibration or polishing sample, is based on the rotation or movement of a wooden part along a straight or arc path and the simultaneous rotation of the working part of the unit, but this applies to stationary machines. If we mean a hand tool, then we are not talking about the movement of the workpiece, but only the grinding machine moves. Returning to stationary grinding machines for wood, we note that it is better to perform high-quality surface treatment of large-sized products on belt samples. Factory equipment is not cheap, so many owners of small home workshops are increasingly interested in how to make a belt sanding machine themselves.

Design of belt units

To have an idea about the manufacture of a sanding unit with an sanding belt, you need to familiarize yourself with its design, which includes:

• an abrasive belt stretched horizontally or vertically on the frame;
• a pair of drums (drive and tension cylinders). In this case, the kinematics provide for the launch of the driving element using an electric drive that transmits torque by means of a belt drive;
• a metal or wooden table, and the first option makes it possible to work with more complex parts;
• an electric motor with a power of at least 2.8 kW, due to which the sanding belt (emery) can move at a speed of 20 m/second;
• a hood that removes wood dust.

There is a close relationship between the length of the working tool and the bed, as well as similar parameters of the workpieces that are to be processed on this unit. Every experienced craftsman will confirm that working with equipment is more comfortable if the wooden element being processed is shorter in length than the working surface. A properly assembled homemade belt sanding machine will allow you to easily level the surface and remove all errors, making it even and smooth. Also, belt units will quickly and efficiently remove old paint and varnish coatings, cope with the processing of edges and ends, sand curved shapes and polish a flat wooden piece of furniture.

Materials for assembling the machine

Many novice carpenters make a grinding machine from a drill, but we propose to create an improved tool. Before assembling a belt sanding machine with your own hands, you need to decide on the material for the manufacture of its main components. For example, it is better to make a desktop from thick metal, giving preference to the overall dimensions of the canvas within 500x180x20 mm. We draw your attention to the fact that the larger the bed, the more functional it is and the more varied the parts that are planned to be processed will be.

Table

Making a working surface looks like this:

1. Cut off one side of the metal sheet.
2. Carry out markings.
3. Three holes are drilled at the end of the cut sheet, through which the working surface is bolted to the frame.

Engine selection

A homemade wood sanding unit is equipped with a motor, and in this case an electric drive from a washing machine is suitable, although you can choose any motor with a power of about 2.8 kW, capable of performing an average of 1200-1500 rpm. The drive is tightly fixed in a stationary state to the frame.

Assembly of drums and tape

Now we have to make two drums for the surface grinding unit, for which we will need a sheet of chipboard, from which blanks of 200x200 mm are cut and a package with a diameter of 240 mm is assembled. After assembly, the structure is machined to a diameter of 200 mm. The drive cylinder is installed on the drive shaft, and it is this that will drive the abrasive material. The tension element is fixed around the axis of the frame on bearings.

Make sure that the belt can easily touch the tabletop, which is achieved by ensuring a bevel on the side of the drum.

When assembling drums, do not forget that their inner diameter should exceed the outer diameter by several millimeters. This is necessary so that the tape is placed in the middle of the cylinder and does not slip off. Now we need a sanding belt, for which abrasive sanding material, cut into strips and then glued together with a high-quality adhesive, is suitable.

Drum grinding unit

Just like industrial designs, household units can have different configurations, although, as noted earlier, their kinematic diagram and operating principle are similar. Above we told you how to assemble belt sanding equipment, and now we’ll find out what to use to make a homemade drum sander.

In this case, instead of a stretched abrasive belt, the homemade product is equipped with a disk shaped like a drum, which is used to polish wooden blanks. As in the previous case, this simple type of units is created quickly and without any particular difficulties; moreover, here we also do not need a complex diagram or sophisticated drawings.

Build process

When building a drum sander with your own hands, you can use an asynchronous motor from a washing machine, and in addition to it, pulleys, a belt and useful electronic parts are removed from the old machine. Sanding drums are usually made from cylindrical bars, wooden rings, cardboard or plastic pipe.

When starting to make a wood grinding machine, a segment is cut from the pipe equal to the length of the main grinding element so that it is slightly shorter than the rod, to which it will later be fixed. End caps equal to the diameter of the pipe, with holes in the middle, are cut out of a sheet of plywood. The plugs are fixed in the end sides of the pipe using screws.

Now you can install the rod axle, fixed with reliable glue. The surface of the pipe is covered with sheet rubber, which will ensure a better fit of the workpiece. The sanding cloth is attached in a spiral to the surface of the drum with a stapler, and the sanding drum is ready.

The body and working surface of the unit are made of wood or thick plywood. The movable part of the desktop in front is attached to an adjusting screw, and at the back it is mounted on hinges. The engine is hung on the lower part of the body, where a hole is made in advance, and the drum, made by hand, is attached to the upper part of the frame. The rod (axis) sits on both sides on bearings fixed to the side posts. At the final stage, the pulleys are installed on the axle and the belt drive is pulled through. To consolidate the knowledge gained, we suggest watching the video.

Rotation to the drive shaft of the tape machine is transmitted from an electric motor, which is connected to it via a belt drive. The speed of movement of the belt mechanism can be adjusted, thereby changing the processing modes of parts. The belt of a surface grinding machine can be positioned horizontally or vertically, as well as at a certain angle, which is allowed by some models of equipment in this category.

When choosing a belt sanding machine model for processing a particular part, it is important to consider the length of the surface that needs to be sanded. It is much more convenient to process parts on such machines whose surface length is shorter than the length of the abrasive belt and work table. If such conditions are met, the quality of processing will be much higher.

The belt grinding machine can have different designs: with a movable and fixed work table, with a free belt. A separate category includes wide-belt equipment, the peculiarity of which is that their work table, which is also a feeding element, is made in the shape of a caterpillar. In those equipment models that have a work table in their design, the abrasive belt is located in a horizontal plane, and in equipment with a free belt that does not have a work table, it can have a different spatial position.

A mandatory structural element of any belt sanding machine, including a tabletop one, is an exhaust device, which is necessary to remove dust generated in large quantities during the processing process. Both a professional and any homemade grinding machine used in a home workshop or garage are powered by an electric motor.

Principle of operation

The main operating parameters of a belt sanding machine include the feed speed and the force with which the belt is pressed against the workpiece. Parameters such as the degree of grain size of the abrasive belt should be selected depending on the material from which the workpiece is made, as well as the degree of roughness that the surface of the machined product should have.

The characteristics of the material being processed, in particular its hardness, primarily influence the grit size of the abrasive belt to be selected. Processing modes that are directly related to each other are feed speed and tape clamping force. So, if grinding is carried out at high speed, but with insignificant pressing force of the abrasive belt, then some areas of the surface of the part may turn out to be unprocessed. If, on the contrary, you increase the clamping force and reduce the feed speed, you may encounter the fact that burns and blackening of the material may appear in certain areas of the surface being processed.

Another variation of the machine - view from the working surface of the belt

The results of grinding are also influenced by how well the abrasive tape is glued together. In order to obtain high quality processing and not encounter malfunctions in the operation of the belt machine, you should not use abrasive belts that are glued incorrectly or have torn edges. When putting the tape on equipment shafts, it should be positioned so that the overlapping end of the seam does not ride up against the surface of the workpiece, but slides along it. Learn more about gluing tape in the video below.

Any, including a manual grinding machine, must provide the ability to adjust the belt tension, which is ensured by moving a movable shaft that is not driven. Tape tension is a very important parameter, when choosing which you should follow the “golden mean” rule. If the sanding machine belt is pulled too tightly, this can lead to its rupture during operation, and if its tension is too weak, it will cause slipping and, as a result, excessive heating. The main characteristic for determining the degree of tension of the tape is its deflection, which is measured by lightly pressing on its surface in a tense state.

A manual belt grinding machine can be serviced by one operator, who moves the work table with the workpiece and rotates it so as to bring all areas of its surface under the abrasive belt.

How to make a belt sander

Many home craftsmen and professionals are wondering how to make a grinding machine with their own hands. The reason for this question is quite simple: the high cost of serial grinding equipment, which not everyone can pay off if not used regularly. In order to make such equipment, you will need several main components: an electric motor, rollers and a reliable frame. Naturally, drawings of such a device or a photo of it would not be superfluous. Also at the end of the article you can watch videos on assembling a tape machine on your own.

The motor for belt grinding equipment is not difficult to find; it can be removed from an old washing machine. You will have to make the frame yourself; for this you can use a sheet of metal with dimensions 500x180x20 mm. One side of the frame should be cut very evenly, since it will be necessary to attach the platform on which the electric motor will be mounted to it. The platform for the electric motor should also be made of a sheet of metal with dimensions 180x160x10 mm. Such a platform must be secured to the frame very securely using several bolts.

Another version of the bed

The efficiency of a belt sanding machine directly depends on the characteristics of the electric motor that is installed on it. If you are planning to make a grinding machine with your own hands, then an electric motor with a power of 2.5–3 kW, developing about 1500 rpm, is quite suitable for you. In order for the sanding belt to move at a speed of 20 m/s when using such a motor, the drums must have a diameter of about 200 mm. What’s convenient is that if you choose an engine with these characteristics, you won’t need to make a gearbox for your grinding machine.

The drive shaft is connected directly to the electric motor shaft, and the second - driven - must rotate freely on an axis, which is installed in bearing units. In order for the abrasive belt to touch the surface of the workpiece more smoothly, the section of the frame on which the driven shaft is installed should be slightly beveled.

You can make shafts for a belt sanding machine from a chipboard with minimal financial costs. Simply cut square blanks of 200x200 mm in size from such a plate, drill central holes in them and place them on the axle with a package with a total thickness of 240 mm. After this, all you have to do is grind the resulting package and make it into a round shaft with a diameter of about 200 mm.

Drawings and detailed analysis of some parts of a machine made of wood.

Wood belt sander (click to enlarge)

Table tilt adjustment mechanism Plate block Belt tensioner