Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades rubber for contact wheel

I hear ya on the dinero thing. 14" wheel is probably not where ya wanna start anyway. I'd start out working with a smaller wheel and work your way up to grinding on the big wheels. Check out the Polar Bear kits and/or the Grinder in a box, or you can get the plans online to build one yourself. I'd still consider the grizzly wheel as a pretty good place to start for a first wheel option. 10" wheel is not a bad size to work with and will do a lot of good work and if I recall you can get into the whole shootin' match for about a buck twenty five with bearings and machine work.

Just my .02 but there's more to building a wooden wheel than just throwing it together. getting it balanced is the trick and so forth is a bigger trick than one might imagine. Ole Rick has a whole lot more machinist blood than he admits too and getting that wheel to run true is important. Not saying you can't/won't do it but that grizzly runs pretty darned true and it's an easy way to get yourself up and runnin' quickly when you're getting started.

The very first contact wheel I ever made, and used, I made from a rubber tired lawn mower wheel.

These come in different diameters, and work just fine with pillow blocks. That is what I used, and a motor from a used (worn out) washing machine.

Thats probably more my speed. Maybe even cheaper than that!!! I remember my Grandpa had one of those machines where you sit down and pedal a large wheel sorta like you would a bicycle. the wheel was huge. he used it for sharpening stuff. wish I had that now.

this looks pretty good
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40oBU5oboag

Someone who is good with their hands might be able to make one from an old bicycle.

I saw a picture one time, of a knife factory, where the grinders were shaped like a motorcycle. The wheels were about 30 inches in dia. and it looked like the grinding wheel was mounted on the front. The operators laid down on a rack, something like the seat, and held the blade against the wheel to grind it.