Wood is the Answer

I actually used my bandsaw yesterday. Unbelievable, isn’t it?

I didn’t really make anything with it. I drew lines on a piece of scrap and tried to follow them. I just wanted to see the silly thing work. It turns out a bandsaw requires a little skill, which is a bummer, because I don’t have any. But I’ll work it out.

I fixed one of my last major tool needs by ordering a pneumatic orbital sander that collects its own dust. That pretty much leaves a belt grinder and a milling machine to round out the workshop.

The belt grinder quest is frustrating. It looks like a nice new one costs maybe $900, and if you make one yourself, it costs $850. Another irritation: there are a number of free sets of plans out there, but as far as I know, they’re all “no weld” plans. What the hell? Who has a drill press, cutting tools, and the skill to assemble a grinder, but NO WELDER?

I would much rather weld than buy 400 pieces of thick metal, spend 300 hours drilling precision holes in them with a drill press which I don’t have yet, and then bolt them together.

One guy–he wrote a book on knifemaking–has a wonderful solution to the problem. It’s one of those solutions that are so simple and obvious, it’s amazing that no one else does it. He makes belt grinder frames out of wood.

Why not? Think about it. Metal grinder frames are horrendously overbuilt. Do you really need two half-inch-thick plates of steel to hold a grinder bearing? I very much doubt it. You could put a hook in a piece of steel like that and hang a pickup truck from it. A piece of a two-by-six should be more than sufficient. I have enough scrap in my garage right now to build a zero-cost frame and find out. The knife guy used maple, but I don’t see the need to spend that kind of money. Softwood is not weak. Two days ago I lifted a 367-pound saw on a hoist supported by a two-by-eight across three two-by-sixes, and I didn’t hear or see a single sign of stress.

A steel frame would be nice, but it would weigh twice as much, and I’d have to clean and paint it, and what’s the advantage, exactly? I can’t see one.

Yesterday I considered hitting Harbor Freight to buy one of their nearly-free cheap belt grinders, because to build a metal belt grinder, you need a belt grinder. Now I think I should just slap a frame together out of scrap and see what happens! Worst case scenario: I get rid of an annoying pile of wood.

Oh, man. This could be fun. I could make DADOES. I could make TENONS and MORTISES. Oh joy.

I almost broke down and bought a drill press yesterday. I still might. I think a bench model might be a good thing to have, even if I get a mill. It should be more convenient for most jobs. But the price! A decent one is $350. I have seen the Ridgid floor model for $224 at Home Depot. If it’s still available, maybe I should consider it. At the regular price, it would make my cheapness gene vibrate. I’ve been checking Craigslist, too.

I better go do an inventory of my scrap.