Conference 7.286::home_work

Not sure the motor case would be hot but I doubt it. I think and open belt
would be far more dangerous in the long run.

-j

If the motor's case is actually live, it's defective, either fix the motor
or don't use it.

If you're just worried that an internal short could make the case hot someday,
use a grounded feed, and connect the ground lead to the motor's case.  If the
motor develops an internal short, it will pop the breaker/blow a fuse.

Be sure you wire the ground correctly!

You could use a GFI circuit if you really wanted to.

-Mike

>... I ... want to spend next to nothing on the [rest] of what it will take
>to make it a good bench top grinder.  If it ends up costing 30$ to make it
>work, it probably would be better to just buy one.  I estimate it'll cost
>around 10$ to begin with just for the pulley, belt, and double-shaft end
>pully where the wheels will mount to.

     I think using a pully system to increase the RPMs will also result in 
a rig that will tend to shimmy or vibrate.  Bench grinders are pretty 
carefully balanced.

     You can buy a nice bench grinder for $75 and one with a plastic 
housing and lower horsepower for under $50.  You can take off the wheel
enclosure and put on  buffing wheels if you want.
     

    I'm pretty sure Woodcraft sell pully heads specifically for this
    purpose. You just get your own motor and connect it via a belt. The
    head is two sided so you can attach two wheels or buffing pads.
    
    Rod

    re .3   The idea was to make it cheap or not have one.  Money's tight
    these days and I could better use that 50 - 75 on other more important
    things.
    
    The case of the motor is not hot electrically and/or does not get hot
    by running now.  The 2 things I fear are that this motor was designed
    to be open, hence ventilation was free to it for cooling and it just
    wasn't designed to be enclosed and the second thing I fear is the
    terminals that the power is connected to are not insulated...
    
    In other words there is actually only one side to this motor that needs
    to be covered, (maybe I could use plexiglass if I knew how to form
    it/bend it into corners - heating it?), to hide the live terminals so
    no one gets zapped.
    
    The pulleys are available at SPAGS. My dad has had this type of belt
    and pulley grinder/buffer since I can remember and it's as smooth as
    any grinder I've ever seen.  I can always build a belt guard from wood,
    but neither my dad nor myself have ever gotten caught in his grinder
    belt.
    
    Steve............................................................

    Molding plexiglass is easy - 
    
    	make a from or use the item you want to cover
    
    	heat plexiglass sheet in oven till soft
    
    	place over form
    
    	let it cool
    
    At least that's how we made goodies when I went to summer camps many
    years ago!
    
    	-Barry-
    

re heating plexiglass. Be sure to allow lots of ventilation and under no
circumstance allow the temp to go over 190 degrees as toxic fumes are given off.

I formed it lots of times 5 minutes on a cookie sheet at ~180 and it's as 
flexible as a sheet of rubber. You should bend further than what you want
in the finished as it tends to relax as it cools. Wear gloves!

-j

    I had no idea it was that easy.   That'll do the trick nicely!
    
    Thanks,                                                       
    Steve.............................