How To Make A Grinder For A Car From An Angle Grinder

Making a belt sander from an angle grinder Making a belt sander from an angle grinder with your own hands is not as difficult as it might seem. What features does a belt sander have? What manufacturing techniques are there?

How to do it?

When all the constituent parts are prepared, you can start directly to work. First you need to make a bracket for an angle grinder. It serves to securely hold the tool. The bracket is made of steel plates. They must be firmly clamped in a vice and bent into the shape of an angle grinder. Then the resulting sheets are welded to each other. In addition, adjusting bolts can be installed on the bracket, which will allow you to change the angle of the tool.

Then you can start making the driven wheels. There are two of them in the design. This will require bearings and bolts. The bearings are bolted and secured with a nut. On top of it all you can attach a rubber hose for smoothness. Next, you need to make a work plane. The product will rely on it when working on a future belt sander. The working surface is made of steel plates that are welded together.

It is worth preparing the foundation for the entire structure. For her, you need a square pipe. Drill holes in the pipe to hold the bracket and angle grinder. It is recommended to secure them with bolts and nuts. Then the work plane is attached. Everything is carefully welded. Next, you need to make the main drive wheel. A short rubber-coated metal tube can be used for it. Such a pipe is firmly attached to the angle grinder shaft with a nut. Then a spring must be fixed between the base and the bracket, which will tighten the belt of the sanding belt.

Then you can install the sanding belt itself on the device. This device should be securely fixed at a convenient work place and you can start testing. It is imperative to tighten the belt so that it is centered on the drive and driven wheels.

What is necessary?

So, before you start making a belt sander from an angle grinder, you need to prepare all the components and tools. For this you will need:

  • The angle grinder itself, which is the basis of the future apparatus;
  • Bolts and nuts;
  • Sheet steel;
  • Springs;
  • Square tubes.

Among the tools you will need:

  • A vice, on which most of the operations for the manufacture of a grinder will be carried out;
  • Drill;
  • A hammer;
  • Welding;
  • Set of wrenches;
  • Roulette.

Features:

What do you need to know about a belt sander before making it yourself? There are several important criteria that affect the performance and quality of the machine. The main one is power. After all, it is the main component of a homemade car. Devices with high power and high speed are suitable for intensive cleaning of any materials. But the medium speed is useful for surface grinding. An angle grinder with a speed controller will be considered a universal option. In this case, you can independently adjust the rotation speed depending on the degree of processing.

You should also consider the width of the future sanding belt. Depending on it, the dimensions of the driving and driven wheels of the homemade vehicle should be selected. Many tapes are 100 mm wide, but 75 mm wide tapes will also fit for small household needs. And don’t forget about safety. This also applies to the manufacture and use of the device. Welding will be used in the manufacture. Therefore, it is worth working strictly in a protective mask.

Purpose and design features

  • Belt belts are characterized by a high level of productivity and are used to process large areas. Grinders of this type perform their functions due to the circular movement of the abrasive belt, which is very similar to the movement of a tractor caterpillar. Most often, a special dust collector is included in the kit, which prevents the dispersion of waste particles. Difficulties in using the unit rarely arise; it is easily installed on the required surface, and all that is required from the car owner is to make uniform movements and monitor the result;
  • Vibrating (surface grinding) the main working element of such devices is a rectangular sole, on which the abrasive is fixed. The sanding paper, depending on the features of the device, can be attached in two ways: with Velcro or with a clamping mechanism located on both sides of the sole. Grinding and polishing of a car is carried out by reciprocating movements with an amplitude of about 2 mm;
  • Delta sanders differ from vibrating ones only in triangular (like an iron) shape of the sole, which can move around its axis or in an orbit. They are used to process hard-to-reach areas;
  • Orbital (eccentric). Such grinders are a round sole, to which a grinding wheel is attached. All processes are carried out due to the simultaneous rotation of the base in orbit and around its axis, which allows to complete the work in a fairly short time;
  • Corner ones provide high-quality grinding by means of a grinding wheel that rotates around its axis. Externally, an angle grinder is very similar to an angle grinder and can be used not only for grinding, but also for cutting various materials. For infrequent use, an angle grinder with a disc diameter of 115 to 125 mm is perfect, while a grinder with a disc diameter of 180-230 mm is classified as a professional one.
how to make a grinder for a car from an angle grinder

Power supply

  • Air (pneumatic) are characterized by high performance and electrical safety. But servicing a pneumatic car for a car is a rather complicated process that requires maintaining constant pressure and uniform air flow. A significant drawback is also a thick hose, which complicates the sanding process and makes it inconvenient. Such devices are most often used in factories or large service stations, where specially trained specialists can provide the proper functionality;
  • Electric ones powered by a battery are used in the event that it is not possible to connect to the electrical network. Due to the limited battery capacity, they are designed for small surfaces and have low power;
  • Electric powered by electricity such machines are used most often, due to their convenience, high performance, as well as the price indicator, which varies depending on the model and design features, that is, this type of grinding tools is affordable for any car owner.

How to choose a sander?

When choosing grinding devices, you need to pay attention to the following features:

  • Power, which affects the duration of the device and the speed of rotation of the disk. The higher this indicator, the greater the amount of work can be;
  • Weight. The lighter the grinding machine has, the more precise the processes performed with its help, but the processing time increases. On average, the mass of such equipment is 1-2.5 kg;
  • The diameter of the disc must match the standard size of the device;
  • Disk rotation speed devices with high performance are capable of providing up to 20 thousand revolutions per minute, which is necessary for serious body processing, for example, in preparation for painting, while 5-6 thousand will be enough for polishing a car. It is desirable that the purchased device has a function for adjusting the speed of rotation of the disk;
  • When buying an orbital sander, such a parameter as the amount of eccentric stroke is very important. The lower this indicator, the better the process is performed, but at the same time, the larger this parameter, the faster the processing will take place. Standard models have a stroke of two to six millimeters. There are machines that allow you to adjust the eccentric stroke, but they are quite expensive.

Power supply

  • Air (pneumatic) are characterized by high performance and electrical safety. But servicing a pneumatic car for a car is a rather complicated process that requires maintaining constant pressure and uniform air flow. A significant drawback is also a thick hose, which complicates the sanding process and makes it inconvenient. Such devices are most often used in factories or large service stations, where specially trained specialists can provide the proper functionality;
  • Electric ones powered by a battery are used in the event that it is not possible to connect to the electrical network. Due to the limited battery capacity, they are designed for small surfaces and have low power;
  • Electric powered by electricity such machines are used most often, due to their convenience, high performance, as well as the price indicator, which varies depending on the model and design features, that is, this type of grinding tools is affordable for any car owner.

Purpose and design features

  • Belt belts are characterized by a high level of productivity and are used to process large areas. Grinders of this type perform their functions due to the circular movement of the abrasive belt, which is very similar to the movement of a tractor caterpillar. Most often, a special dust collector is included in the kit, which prevents the dispersion of waste particles. Difficulties in using the unit rarely arise; it is easily installed on the required surface, and all that is required from the car owner is to make uniform movements and monitor the result;
  • Vibrating (surface grinding) the main working element of such devices is a rectangular sole, on which the abrasive is fixed. The sanding paper, depending on the features of the device, can be attached in two ways: with Velcro or with a clamping mechanism located on both sides of the sole. Grinding and polishing of a car is carried out by reciprocating movements with an amplitude of about 2 mm;
  • Delta sanders differ from vibrating ones only in triangular (like an iron) shape of the sole, which can move around its axis or in an orbit. They are used to process hard-to-reach areas;
  • Orbital (eccentric). Such grinders are a round sole, to which a grinding wheel is attached. All processes are carried out due to the simultaneous rotation of the base in orbit and around its axis, which allows to complete the work in a fairly short time;
  • Corner ones provide high-quality grinding by means of a grinding wheel that rotates around its axis. Externally, an angle grinder is very similar to an angle grinder and can be used not only for grinding, but also for cutting various materials. For infrequent use, an angle grinder with a disc diameter of 115 to 125 mm is perfect, while a grinder with a disc diameter of 180-230 mm is classified as a professional one.

Varieties of grinders

The modern market offers the following types of machines for grinding and polishing cars:

Making a belt sander with your own hands

It is not at all difficult to make a belt sander yourself, you must complete the following steps:

  • Select suitable materials and parts;
  • Make a solid foundation for fixing the tool;
  • Install a suitable countertop;
  • Fix the vertical posts with a tensioner and a drum;
  • Mount the motor and drums;
  • Fasten the sanding tape.

To process fairly large parts and elements, it is necessary to make a large copy of a serial grinder. For example, if you take an electric motor with a power of 2 kW or more powerful with a rotor speed of 1500 rpm, then the gearbox can be omitted. The power of such an engine is enough to rotate a drum about 20 cm in diameter and process parts about 2 m.

You can also use an electric motor from an old washing machine. In this case, the frame is made of a thick sheet of iron, preparing a place for installing the motor and carefully bolting it to eliminate vibration. The design of such a machine consists of 2 drums, one of them is fixed, and the second can be pulled and rotated on bearings around an axis. It is advisable to make the base for the machine from metal or several sheets of thick plywood. The drums are made on a lathe from chipboard. The tape is cut from sandpaper sheets with a width of about 20 cm and fixed on the bed. The larger the table is, the larger the parts can be stacked and processed in the future. Finished product drawings can be found online.

How to make a sander

When work with a wooden surface comes to an end, the stage of finishing sanding begins. To perform grinding without burrs, scratches, and nicely round off sharp corners of any part, you need to use a wood sander. This tool will help to perform professional grinding, even a beginner who first took the device in hand. If you wish, you can make a grinding machine yourself, using only available tools.

Making an orbital sander

Currently, making an orbital machine with your own hands is possible only from a broken orbital machine. This is due to the complex device for rotating the working disk, which is quite problematic to repeat on your own. It should also be borne in mind that a machine made by a specialized company will not cost too much, and making it with your own hands will be very difficult and take a lot of time.

Do-it-yourself cut-off machine from an angle grinder

Homemade metal cutting machine with a broach function, a detailed description of the manufacture of the machine with a photo and.

Good day! So I decided to make myself a cutting machine from an angle grinder for my home workshop.

For the construction of this machine, I used an angle grinder for a 180th wheel diameter. You also need a car shock absorber with a thick rod and a furniture rail on the balls.

Let’s start with the feed mechanism. To do this, you need two sections of a 40 by 20 profile pipe with a wall thickness of 2 mm, a length equal to the length of the guides. In my case, 350 mm. I cut one pipe along the narrow side. Since the wall of the pipe is thin and it will not work to cut threads in it, I will use bolts and M4 nuts. I screwed the guides to the whole pipe, and screwed the halves of the cut pipes to the moving part of the guide. I made an indent from the edge of 50 mm for attaching the machine. In the guide there is a plastic retainer, by bending which it can be removed. This makes it more convenient to markup. To prevent the two moving parts from moving apart, I welded jumpers between them on both sides.

Then I started making brackets for attaching the gearbox. A stripe caught my eye. I cut out blanks from it and drilled holes with a diameter of 11 mm for bolts. M10. He adjusted the plates to size, screwed them to the gearbox and grabbed them by welding. Then he removed, welded and cleaned the seams. There is one nuance to consider here. I made two perpendicular holes oval. This is necessary for the subsequent setting of the circle relative to the table.

You should also pay attention to the location of the machine relative to the table. In the horizontal position, the cutting depth is greatly reduced. If it is positioned slightly at an angle so that the plane of the gearbox coincides with the plane of the table, then the cutting depth will be greater. I will take this fact into account during further assembly.

Then I roughly positioned the grinder in the desired position and estimated the guide to determine the approximate dimensions of the future structure. I will cook the table from the same pipe 20 to 40, placing it on the edge. The size is 50 by 50 cm. I cut two pieces of 50 and two pieces of 46. I place short workpieces between the long ones, lay them out on a flat plane and use a magnetic corner to assemble the frame for tacks. After assembly, I finally boiled everything and cleaned the seams.

Then I made a frame for the machine. I decided on the place of attachment of the inclined unit. I wanted to make it from two bearings and cut along the pipe, but in the process of searching for material I came across a flat roller that remained after the manufacture of the grinder. Bearings are already inserted into it and their inner diameter is 12 mm, just under the M12 stud. It fit perfectly in size and saved a little time. To attach it to the guide, I cut out two parts from the profile pipe. They are located between the roller and fix it in the desired position. Having set the roller perpendicular to the guide, temporarily fixed it with tacks. If anything, you can always cut and make changes to the design.

When the roller is fixed in the desired position, I decided on the height of the racks. I figured out the location of the nodes, I got 35 cm from the plane of the table to the center of the roller hole. For fastening, I cut off two pieces of angle # 50 and drilled 12 mm holes. Then I push the twelfth pin into the roller, screw the nuts on both sides to increase the distance between the corners, put on the corners themselves and clamp them with nuts from the edges. It turns out a node with a smooth ride and no backlash.

Everything seems to be ready here, now the stands. You will need two of them. I set them perpendicular to the frame in all planes, controlling the position with a square. I also collect everything for potholders. Here, one stand, on the side of the cutting wheel, should be a sly curved shape. I will make it later, but for now I will fix the broaching mechanism with clamps, trying to set it parallel to the side surface of the table. After welding, I grab one corner to the rack. I check the dimensions with a ruler, adjust the position of the carriage and, as you can see, a gap has formed on the second corner. Inserting a suitable plate into it, I also grab the second corner. After that, I cut off a part of the left stand and instead cook this very curved one. This shape is needed in order for a grinder to crawl between them.

Then I disassembled everything and scalded the frame properly. Along the way, kerchiefs from the same pipe were welded to the posts for structural rigidity. Naturally, there will be some deformations after welding. I was convinced of this by measuring again with a ruler. But it doesn’t matter, you can enlarge one of the holes in the upper part of the racks and then set everything up more accurately.

Now about the rigidity of the carriage. She moves a little to the sides. This is where a car shock absorber comes in handy. We drill a hole in the body, 4 millimeters will be enough, and drain the oil. I welded it to the fixed part of the carriage. I was afraid to cook from the sides in order to avoid deformation of the inner pipe, therefore I welded from the ends, I think this will be enough. And the rod itself was fixed to the moving part of the carriage through a corner with a shot hole. Somehow it happened like this and the rigidity became an order of magnitude greater. Then I preliminarily set the grinder by controlling the position of the cutting disc to the square became a square and grabbed it at one point. After each tack, I check the position of the grinder. The position of the blade relative to the cut can be adjusted using the bolts on the gear housing. Also for greater rigidity, I welded a kerchief between the bracket and the carriage.

Now I cut the blanks for the table jumpers and process the ends on the grinder. In total, you need 5 pieces. I welded one next to the disk with a small indent, the rest I place at an equal distance from each other. Old silent blocks are used as a template, placing them between the jumpers. Fitted two pieces. In the place where the cutting wheel passes, I used two cutters clamped between the pipes as a template. I collected it on tacks, and after checking the dimensions, I finally welded and cleaned everything. On the back of the table, I drilled 13 mm holes along the perimeter and welded on M12 nuts. Bolts will be screwed into them that act as legs. They are height adjustable and lockable with nuts. So the machine can be installed on any surface.

When everything is ready, I decided to tackle the movable emphasis. I decided to do it from a piece of pipe 40 by 40, with a wall thickness of 1.6 mm. From one end of the pipe, in the corner, closer to the shelf, I drilled an 11 mm hole. The shock absorber rod is perfectly inserted into it. I cut off the excess, leaving a piece of about 15 mm, and welded from the inside. Then he made the markings for the holes in the table. An emphasis will be inserted into them. I decided to make several pieces, for convenience, you never know what will have to be cut. As a result, the emphasis on the hole becomes clear, and you can set any cutting angle both in one direction and in the other. Fine.

Now the fixing node. I thought for a long time how to make it, and an excellent solution came to mind. I mark the extreme positions on the stop and drill a 12 mm hole. I cut out the jumpers between them and got a groove for the M12 bolt. It will be located between the table jumpers. The clamping plate will be located below. I drilled a 13 mm hole in it and welded an M12 nut. So that the plate does not turn, I welded to it two guides from a professional pipe 15 to 15. A very successful design turned out. Everything walks smoothly, does not bite anything anywhere, and keeps dead in a clamped position. For the convenience of fixing the stop, I also carved a handle on the lathe and welded it to the bolt. The emphasis itself is ready.

Now I need a clamp to fix the workpieces. The simplest option is a nut welded to the table, a hairpin is screwed into it and clamps the workpiece. This option seemed inconvenient to me, and here I remembered the mechanism of quick-clamping clamps. precisely, it is called a plunger clamp. I decided to do this. Having rummaged through the Internet, I found drawings of such a clamp. I redid it a bit, at the same time I’ll check if it will work.

I took a piece of water pipe 30 mm long, a piece of 15 pipe 80 mm long, it freely enters the first segment. You still need a bolt and a nut m 12. Welded the nut to the end of the pipe. On the other hand, I welded an eyelet 7 mm thick with an 8 mm hole. This is the plunger itself. On the drawing number 1. I cut another piece from the same 7 mm plate. This is a strip with two holes, part number 2. For part number 3, I took 4 mm thick metal and cut out the blanks. They need 2 pcs. Fixed by welding from displacement during drilling. Here are the details. You can figure out where. Temporarily, I will use two drills as pins. We connect the details of the future handle with the plunger. On the other hand, insert the plate. The result is a mechanism that allows the plunger to snap into place and fix the workpiece.

I also cut out two ears, this is part number 6. Now all the parts must be fixed on the base. For him, I took a 5 mm thick plate and cut out such a cunning detail. Drilled holes for M12 bolts at a distance of 70 mm. Although the profile width is 40 mm, such a distance is needed to be able to turn to fix the workpieces at an angle. Next, you need to weld the plunger guide tube to the base in this position. I decided to raise the tube slightly above the base. Now, having measured the thickness of all the plates, I turned the pins on the lathe. I put the plates together, put the washer and clamp it all in a vice on a drilling machine. I make a recess with a drill and disassemble the plates. I clamp the pin in a vice and finally drill the hole. Having previously assembled the clamp, I made sure that everything works. It remains to weld the handle. It will be inserted between the two parts, so I am making it from the same metal 7 mm thick. That’s it, the clamp is almost ready, inserted the pins, put washers on them and pinned them with wire. The bottom clamping bar remains. It is made of the same metal, 7 mm thick, with anti-reflective holes and welded nuts for M12 bolts. I installed the clamp on the table and now I will show you a small nuance. When snapping in, the middle pin should be a couple of mm lower than the outer ones. And if it descends over long distances, the snapping effect will disappear. Therefore, I put a small plate between the base and the lever and secured with tacks.

As a result, we got such a homemade metal cutting machine with a broaching function, which increases the length of cutting of workpieces.

If you are interested in this homemade product, I recommend that you look at it, which also shows how to make this homemade cutting machine.