Sunday, December 23, 2018

Wire wheel angle grinder with adjustable height




Angle grinders come in handy in the workshop. They can be used for cutting, polishing or bushing and more.

Wire wheels are useful for removing rust and debri from a variety of items. This system allows you to set the height of the grinder to get the desired action of the wire wheel. The weight of the grinder keeps it quite solid on the base. The grinder on the base helps to control the polishing action.  Wire wheels leave a scratch pattern so you can always use a brass wire wheel.




See the video here: Angle Grinder Build



Here I will show you step by step how it is made.



The first thing to do is to make a base, since I don't have a piece of plywood thick enough I glued two pieces of plywood together to give me a piece 1" thick. 



After the glue is dried the piece is trimmed on the table saw. This will make everything look clean and will be a good solid base. It is 1'x 17.5".



Here I am cutting a piece of 1/2" plywood to 4"x8". It will be the back for the grinder. Blocks will be added to this back and this will be for the guides. 



The side handle slot for the bolt is angled so I used my mini bevel gauge to get the angle for drilling a hole for the bolt.




I used a block to set the height to get the approximate angle for drilling.



The back fits nicely on the grinder and the bolt angle is correct. Two maple blocks are cut out, they will be screwed onto the the back and will hold the metal pipes which are the guides.


Two blocks for the guides are clamped and drilled for the pipe. Clamping and drilling together is very important to make everything precise.


The block is clamped to the table to get ready for drilling the base. Everything has to be precise to make make the guides work.

 I used a forstner bit and tapped it with a hammer to make marks into the base. 

Pipes and bars where purchased at my local metal shop. The diameter of the bars are 16mm. After I cut the pieces the pipes are 10" and the bars are 14".



The base is drilled with a 15mm forstner bit for the bars.


Cutting the pipes to length, 10".  

 

Glueing and screwing the blocks onto the back.


Two slots are made in the back for a pipe clamp. They are about 1/4" long. I did this on the drill press. I marked the slot then drilled several holes and then used the drill bit as a router to finish up to  make the slot.    


A pipe clamp and the bolt hold the grinder secure to the back.

 
The pipes were very tight in the blocks so a Dremel tool was used to ream the hole to get the right fit. If I hammered them with force the maple block may have split. 



To keep the pipes secure set screws are made simply by using screws and cutting them to the right size and screwing them in until they touch the pipe, this is all they need to hold them in place. 





A stop for the grinder is made using a threaded rod. To adjust a nut and wingnut are used. 



To secure the threaded rod a nut was inserted in the plywood base. To do this it was first marked, chiseled out and then pounded in.







When the grinder back is placed on the bars it will rest on the top of the threaded rod, now it is easy to make the mark for the threaded rod.



This hole can be drilled free hand since it will be for a stop and not a guide.


To help preserve the base I found a piece of  metal in my scrap pile, cut it to size, then drilled and countersunk the corners. 



I tested the grinder and found it worked great. Setting the height was very effective for the pieces I was cleaning. 

I know this will come in handy in my shop. It is easy to make and I know there are many uses for it.




See Also:                                                                            


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