In 2015 I built a belt-driven pedestal grinder based on plans from the November 1971 edition of Popular Mechanics magazine. Given that most grinders today are direct-driven, this is a bit old-fashioned. But it was fun to build, and I use it regularly.
Build Details
The grinder itself is a General Hardware 6" grinder with no model number. I couldn’t find much information on it, so I don’t know when it was manufactured. I picked it up at a garage sale for $5.
I followed the plans from the magazine fairly closely, with some deviation to account for using casters instead of an axle and wheels. I used scrap 3/4" OSB I already had. I admit that this is because at the time, I didn’t understand that OSB is not plywood! It’s a little embarrassing now, but it’s held up. The grinder is powered by an old 3/4 HP 1725rpm electric motor. The motor has a 4" pulley and the grinder a 2" pulley, resulting in 2:1 ratio for 3,450rpm at the grinder.
I ran into a problem with the build that I didn’t see accounted for in the plans. The belt kept slipping off, because there wasn’t enough tension between the pulleys. I’m not sure why it worked for PopSci and not me; perhaps the weight distribution of the motor they used was different and put more force on the belt. I solved this problem by adding a turnbuckle between the motor mount and the stand which allows for adjustable tension.
For lighting, I picked up a gooseneck desk lamp at a thrift store for $3, removed its plastic base and extended the height some using scrap copper pipe.
Final Thoughts
I’m happy with the results. The grinder performs well, and it’s unique compared to modern grinders. I learned a lot in building it and solving the problems that came up. It may not be a practical as a direct-driven grinder and it’s a little fussy, but it’s a lot of fun to watch and listen as it start up each time I flip the switch.
This article is a rewrite of one I originally posted on an old website on May 15, 2016.