I have often lost posts due to interruptions or tablet contrariness. I have switched to composing longer posts using Pages, the word processing program on my computer and ipad. When the post is complete, I click select all and copy. When I have the bessex post window open, I click paste. This works, but seems clumsy.

With the save as draft (located with post and preview at the bottom), the post is saved and can be edited and posted later. The draft is easily accessable. Go to the home page. On the left directly under welcome is user CP. Click on this and go most of the way down. Click on saved drafts.

My compliments to whoever incorporated this useful feature into the forum design.

Speaking of useful features, I finally figured out how to post photos. The effort was well worth the frustration. My problem was having images with too many pixels. Like much of life, it's easy if you know how to do it.

A bonus find was discovering that photos can not only be attached, they can be inserted. Clever!

Ken

Thanks Mr. Rupert for suggesting R.S. Hughes and Mr. Mark too!

I ordered 3 to play with.  Inexpensive too.  Much better deal than $200 for a diamond belt.  It will be interesting to check them out.

Page a bit slow to load.  Check out the cute video 3/4th down the page:

http://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/al...510&rt=rud

   

For the last eight years, I have used my Tormek for most of my sharpening. A belt grinder, first a yard sale Dayton and, more recently, a Viel, was a late comer. Belt grinders have been my utility tools. Whenever I have an odd job like making a washer fit in a tight spot, the Viel is set up and instantly ready to go.

Today I needed to fit two plastic adaptor rings together. I was configuring ways to fit my twenty four foot shop vac hose to my grandfather's table saw. The two rings almost fit. The inner ring was just a few thousandths too large. Even a force fit didn't quite fit. Hand sanding would have taken ages. I started sanding the inner ring with my Viel. The speed was set mid range. With a 120 grit belt, the ring just started to melt. 

I turned the speed down, and was able to grind away the melted area. At the slower speed, i was able to smoothly reduce the diameter until I had a smooth fit. I plan to do more sharpening with the Viel. In the meantime, it is an increasingly versatile utility tool.

Ken

Last night I completed the wooden housing and reassembled my Viel belt grinder. I still have numerous ideas to incorporate into it, however, all of my initial goals have been completed. It now has a variable speed, reversible motor. The motor control is mounted securely and does not interfere with laying the unit flat on either side.

The wooden housing, made of 12mm Baltic birch plywood, is designed to be easily removable by removing four machine screws. When I am satisfied that all the add ons are working, I will paint it red to match the Viel. For day to day moving and heavier use, I think Max' choice of plate aluminum is a more solid choice, although I suspect bbp would hold up well, also. In my case, my metalworking skills are very limited, and I had the bbp in the shop. For those of you who are unfamiliar with bbp, it has many more plies than regular plywood, and no voids. I like it.

The cross piece, also bbp, holds the motor control and helps support the housing. Both sides are held in place with 1/8" deep dados which I laid out and chiseled out. I used no glue, but chose to add two #6 x 1 1/2" wood screws on each side. The unit is completely disassemblable. The control unit sits on a 6mm thick ledger board and is attached with two electrical plastic ties joined in series for more length. The seven inch height allows the speed knob on top and the reversing switch on the bottom to be fully protected.The cross piece is five inches high, allowing a two inch opening on the bottom. It is flush with the two side pieces on the top. This allows secure on board storage for both the motor to control and the AC to control cords.

Both side pieces required fitting to allow for the frame bend radius, corner weld, four foot screws, and clearing the motor bracket. The bandsaw made quick work of this, although a coping saw or saber saw would also do the job. A file or sanding block could create the radius. I set the bandsaw table at 45° and nibbled away. Fitting was not difficult.

Four holes for the flat head bolts were drilled and countersunk in the metal frame. Using flat heads instead of regular hex bolts allow the unit to lay flat on either side hor horizontal belt position. A drill press helps, although I drilled the holes in steps, starting with smaller bits in a battery drill. I drilled the countersink with the drill press. Two small C clamps held the wooden parts in place against the frame during construction.

I will provide a link to more details and photos when I am further along.

Thanks to the forum members who have so generously helped me with this project. Your guidaance and experience has been and continues to be invaluable.

Ken

I have done some research on pyroceram. It is the same kind of material used in making Corning Ware. In the clear variety, it is used wood stoves.

Does anyone know if I could purchase a piece 1" x 7 1/2" at a local glass shop?

Ken

I have not been able to retrieve the original topic on the optical tachometer.

I have been enjoying the extensive collection of you tubes by tubalcane (Lyle Peterson). Lyle Peterson is the kind of high school metal shop teacher college prep students like me unfortunately missed many years ago. He has done an extensive sollection of you tubes I have been studying. Googling ."tubalcane you tube #93" will bring up his measuring RPM video. He demonstrates several methods of determining RPM, and also does a fascinating demonstration of the change in SFM with different diameters. 

I find his videos both educational and humorous. I enjoy his good natured crustiness.

Ken

Jan's angle tester got me interested in blade angle testing -

From You Tube comes this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ICnxj6TDjs

Rupert

I suppose this question is mostly for Mr. Mark because I know you have a lot of experience with compounds, but anyone who has an opinion please chime in!
 
I’m looking for the least aggressive honing compound to aid in burr removal.  I love toothy edges and don’t want to smooth them trying to remove burr, but I’ve found, at least I think, that a bit of compound seems to expedite burr removal using the rough side of a leather belt.
 
I currently use Tormek honing compound, supposedly 1 – 3 micron, AO.  It actually seems to help, but I’ve noticed some edge smoothing.  Not much, but some.
 
I could care less about a polished bevel, I just want to remove burr as quickly as possible without edge smoothing.  Hence my search for a less aggressive honing compound that still works.  Maybe I'm asking the impossible!
 
From your experience, what is the finest, least aggressive compound that seems to aid in burr removal?

I have been following the discussion about smooth or toothy edges. I don't recall anything on Moses' stone tablets which prohibited have both smooth and toothy.

I have half a dozen old pocket knives. Most are older than I am, and I do not know the history of most of them. I suspect most were originally purchased at aa exclusive purveyor of fine cutlery like
WT Grant or the local hardware store. 

One knife stands out. Part of the outside covering has broken. One of the three blades snapped off in the middle before I remember. in spite of this rough treatment, a past owner kept the knife clean and sharp. It has a "Mastercraft" name plate. This three blade design makes me wonder why I could not sharpen one blade toothy with the ceramic "steel" Steve gave me. Another blade could be sharpened smooth with my heavenly hone from Mark Reich. 

Why not?

Ken

I think the Viel S 5 M is a very useful and versatile tool, both for sharpeners and around the shop. I also believe it can be even more versatile with some minor modifications. What it lacks, unfortunately, is good supporting information. I purchased and modified my Viel based on good recommendations and very little product information. I hope to spare other interested members from falling into the pitfalls as I have.

The standard operating procedure with the Viel is to purchase the basic unit and attach your own motor, often a motor you already have. That is a clever, cost effective plan. Where is falls apart is in not clearly stating that the motor must be a NEMA 44 design. (I have three spare motors in my shop, and intended to use one of them. They are all NEMA 52, and would not work.) If you happen to have a spare motor, make sure it has a half inch shaft and that the middle of the shaft is three inches above the bottom. Googling ."nema motor specifications" will quickly give you all the information you need. 

If you have a compatible motor, you will have this versatile tool for around a hundred dollars US. If you do not have a motor and have no desire for variable speed, I suggest you buy the grinder and motor as a package. I found the one quarter horsepower motor from Viel very adequate for light sharpening. Viel also sells one third and one half horsepower motors for those who contemplate heavier work. The cost difference is minimal.

For the same cost as a new fixed speed motor, you can order a new variable speed motor kit from Penn State Industries. These motors were originally designed for mini lathes, but work well with the Viel with a few minor modifications.

The kit usually comes with a four step pulley too firmly attached to the shaft. I had to very forcibly remove mine with a gear puller. Rupert suggests cutting it off with a saber saw with a metal cutting blade and a cold chisel. I have heard that Penn State Industries will also ship the unit with the pulley unattached. This is the smart way to order it. It may require ordering by telephone. The time spent on the telephone is well worth it.

The older Viel model has a smaller shaft opening. All that is needed is to drill three holes with the included drill bit. The included diagram or bracket provide a good template for spotting the holes.

The newer Viels, mine included, have a larger front opening. This makes mounting the motor only slightly more difficult. The easiest way is to cut off the plastic covering on the bracket and mount it flat against the frame. Temporarily taping a piece of paper to the opening of the bracket will help in alignment. Draw two perpendicular lines to establish a center point. Then draw a circle just smaller than the bracket hole. The center point of the hole should be centered side to side with the frame and be three inches above the inside of the frame. I used an electric drill with a quarter inch bit to drill the bolt holes. Although I used four bolts, two are adequate.Make sure to locate the bolt holes outside of where the motor lies and clear of the flat area of the sanding belt pulley. I used 1/4 x 20 thread hex bolts 3/4" long with flat washers and locking nylon filled nuts. (bolt heads on the outside of the frame.) This can be a home shop project, as I did, or a relatively inexpensive part of the job for a machine shop.
When aligning the three motor holes, pay attention to the position of the motor brushes. I placed the motor label on top. In hindsight, I wish I had placed the brushes at three and nine o'clock.

The second part of the modification is definitely a machine shop project, although not expensive. The motor shaft is 15mm (approximately ,59"). The bore of the Viel pulley is half inch (.5"). The shaft must be turned down or the pulley bored out. Either way will work. I had the shaft turned down. In hindsight, I think boring out the pulley is simpler and maybe .less expensive. Make sure that a flat soft is filed or milled where the pulley's set screw will sit.

You may want to mount the motor control unit to the frame and/or install a reversing switch at some point. With the motor bolted onto the frame and the shaft and pulley mated, the modified Viel is fully functional.

Since purchasing the PSI motor, I have received very regular marketing emails from PSI. If you are not rushed to complete this project, PSI runs occasional 10% sales on all products. I suggest signing up for their email list to be notified of sales. I have not received acknowledgements or replies from either of the two emails I sent to PSI product support. Fortunately, more experienced BESS exchange members have been very helpful. Thanks, guys.

Ken