TGIF

[Wannabe]

Was a member of the Yahoo Group Shopbuilttools and asked where everyone went and was told to come here so here is where I am! Glad to have found this group and will attempt to be a frequent contributor.

[Jon]

Hi Wannabe - welcome to HomemadeTools.net

They sent you to the right place! What's next up on your build list? Let me know and I'll post some links for you.

[Wannabe]

Well I have been wanting to build a powerful belt sander similar to what the knife makers use. One with the three wheeled design. I have a treadmill that I can get the drivetrain for the belt sander off of. I also have a metals dealer close by where I can source all the frame parts pretty cheap but the wheels I would have to purchase and they are really expensive. I don't have a means to make my own wheels unfortunately. But so goes the trials of the home builder. I will get there with it sooner or later.

[Jon]

We have a very comprehensive article on belt sander building: Homemade Belt Sander

You're on the right track looking at treadmills. Drive motor, frame, plus the treadmill incline motor can be used as a belt tensioner. For the wheels, the lowbuck solution is MDF.