Fireball Tool

▶

▶ 22.8K ❤ 0 💬 0

Are belt grinders too expensive? Let's make our own! Small belt grinders are either too expensive or they just suck, so I'm building my own. Welcome back to part 2 of building a DIY go-kart belt grinder. Yesterday I made a three-bolt flange, and today I'll be using that flange as a template, plug-welding three 3/8" 24-thread studs, and grinding the platen to a 22.5° bevel so the wheels don't hit it. Next up is the top frame on the fixture table. Plans for this DIY go-kart belt grinder are available at Fireballtool.com #fireballtool #tools #fabrication #grinding #diy #diyprojects #beltgrinder #sanding #platen #metal

▶

▶ 4.8K ❤ 0 💬 0

Can You Build a Pro Belt Grinder for Under $1,000? Welcome back to part 3 of the DIY go-kart belt grinder build. Today, I'm setting up the top frame, the first major section of the grinder. It holds both the platen and the electrical box. The first fixture map shows exactly where every part goes and which fixture holds it, so I labeled the table to match. The Fireball tooth blocks come to the rescue. They lock into a washer, which lets me extend them in 1/8" or 1/16" steps. I set one at 1 1/8" and two at 1 3/4", then pinned them so they can't rotate. I never pulled out a tape measure because the table is the tape measure. The fixture setup took 3 1/2 minutes. After that, I dropped in the parts, made sure they fit, and tacked it all together. Tomorrow I'm welding out the frame; I'll show you the weld sequence I use to keep everything square. Want to follow along and build a nice grinder yourself? The plans are at fireballtool.com #fireballtool #tools #fabrication #grinding #diy #diyprojects #beltgrinder #sanding#metal #gokart

▶

▶ 1.4K ❤ 0 💬 0

What's a shifter lifter? Today we're continuing to build the DIY go-kart belt grinder in this mini series. This is part 11, and today we're building one of the coolest parts: the shifter lifter. It's the same design as my original Go Kart grinder: a cam rocks the motor, and the handle locks it in place. The motor mount rocks on a 1/2" shaft like a teeter-totter to set belt tension. The lever is bent from leftover rod and welded into square tubing that acts as the cam, with a few washers for alignment. It's as simple as that. Plans for this DIY go-kart belt grinder are available at Fireballtool.com #fireballtool #tools #fabrication #diy #gokart #welding #metal #grinding #diyprojects

▶

▶ 6K ❤ 0 💬 0

This is part 4 of the DIY go-kart belt grinder build. Today, I’m welding out the top frame and mounting the switch box. Here’s a quick tip to know when welding: don't ground to the table or the leg. Any weird contact points can arc and leave a burn, so clamp your ground to the part or the clamp instead. Weld sequencing is what keeps the frame square. Start with the outside corners, work the inside corners out, and leave the fillet welds for last. The motor I got from Amazon: the starter's mounting holes aren't perfect, so I skipped the measurements and marked the holes right off the box before drilling and tapping. Tomorrow I'm building the back half of the frame, where the motor and shifter lifter mount. If you want to build this grinder and follow along, the plans are available at Fireballtool.com #fireballtool #tools #fabrication #grinding #diy #diyprojects #motor #sanding #metal #gokart #welding

▶

▶ 4.8K ❤ 0 💬 0

I’m building a DIY go-kart belt grinder. And you can too, for under $1,000. Today, I’m continuing with the back half of the frame, which holds the motor mount and the shifter lifter. The shifter lifter is a feature I kept from the original Go Kart grinder: pull the handle, the motor lifts, and the belt goes slack for quick changes. Rule of thumb: drill last for alignment, and drill first for access. That's why the shifter lifter hole got drilled before welding. The fixture map handled the layout, so there was no tape measure. A 5/8" spacer from the Fireball shim kit lined up the 3/4" DOM tube perfectly. Tomorrow I'm building the lower frame mount that holds the work rest, and I'll show off a couple of my favorite fixtures. Plans for this DIY go-kart belt grinder are available at Fireballtool.com #fireballtool #tools #fabrication #grinding #diy

▶

▶ 4.4K ❤ 0 💬 0

If you’re just joining in, this is part 6 of building a DIY go-kart belt grinder. Today I’m working on the lower frame mount, which supports the horizontal work rest that holds your material while you grind. It looks complicated, but the fixture map makes it simple. Since I welded this assembly vertically, I used 13" tall risers to keep the material plumb and give the clamps more leverage. I swapped the 6" tooth blocks for a 5" double-wide tooth block and riser, which leaves more room for future setups. Then the Fireball Double Dragon clamp went to work. It pushes down or from the side, and on this one I wanted upward pressure. It turns out the fixtures make a pretty cool musical instrument, too. Tomorrow I'm making a small part with a really big job, the flexure. Without it, the belt would walk right off the wheel. If you want to build this grinder and follow along, the plans are available at Fireballtool.com #fireballtool #tools #fabrication #grinding #diy #diyprojects #motor #metal #gokart #drill #fixtures

▶

▶ 6.8K ❤ 0 💬 0

Tired of expensive belt grinders that underperform? Let’s build one that performs! Welcome back to part 7 of this go-kart belt grinder build series. Today I’m working on the flexure and the top wheel axle. The flexure is a piece designed to bend a small amount, and that tiny bit of movement is what lets me adjust the top wheel and track the belt. I drilled a 1/2" hole for the relief cut, then finished it on the bandsaw in under 20 minutes. The top axle is a 5/8" x 4 1/4" shoulder bolt welded perpendicular to the tube. Accuracy matters here, because if it's off, the belt won't track. Tomorrow I'm building the motor mount, which holds the heart of the machine and makes the shifter lifter work. Plans for this DIY go-kart belt grinder are available at Fireballtool.com #fireballtool#tools#fabrication#grinding#diy#diyprojects#motor#gokart#flexure#axle

▶

▶ 4.3K ❤ 0 💬 0

If you’re just tuning in, this is part 8 of the DIY go-kart belt grinder build series. Today I’m going to be working on the motor mount. This holds the motor and connects it to the shifter lifter. The shifter releases the belt tension for a quick belt change, then pushes back to tension for a tight fit for the sanding belt. The four mounting holes have to match the bottom of the motor, so I measured before drilling. Checking now is a lot easier than fixing it later. Before welding, I knocked down the square tube's corners so it sits tight against the angle iron's inside radius instead of rocking. The moment of truth came, and the holes matched. The whole mount took less than an hour. Tomorrow, all these little assemblies finally start coming together. Plans for this DIY go-kart belt grinder are available at Fireballtool.com #fireballtool #fabrication #tools #grinding #diy #diyprojects #motor #metal #gokart #flexure #fixtures #welding #weldingtipsandtricks #metalfabrication #fixturetable

▶

▶ 3.5K ❤ 0 💬 0

This is part 9 of the DIY go-kart belt grinder build series. And today I’m going to have the subassemblies start coming together. First, I joined the back frame to the lower S-shaped section that supports the platen. One piece has to stay vertical while the other sits at a 90-degree angle with no roll. To pull the tube back into the fence block, I used the Fireball Twin Pin Plier with the foot at a 45-degree angle, so it pushes diagonally while the back of the clamp stays out of the way. Next, I welded the top frame and axle together. The axle can't lean in any direction; the fixture map helped save the day by showing what to fixture, and I welded it out. Tomorrow, these two big assemblies become one solid frame. If you want to build this grinder at home, the plans are available at Fireballtool.com #fireballtool #tools #fabrication #grinding #diy

▶

▶ 3.4K ❤ 0 💬 0

How do you build a pro belt grinder for under $1,000? This is part 10 of the DIY go-kart belt grinder build, today we finally combine the two main subassemblies to become one frame. From here on, almost everything gets measured off the axle shaft. Heavy wall tubing isn't truly flat, so I checked for parallel with a degree finder instead. Everything lined up. After welding it out, I added a gusset to stiffen up the whole frame. Next, it's time to start adding the moving pieces. Want to build this grinder and follow along? The plans are available at Fireballtool.com #fireballtool #tools #fabrication #diy #grinding #gokart #motor #beltgrinder #metal #welding

▶

▶ 36.5K ❤ 0 💬 0

Is the 3M Cubitron 3 flap disc better than the Cubitron 2? 3M says the Cubitron 3 removes 49% more material than the Cubitron 2. The only way to find out is to test the discs and collect the data! We built a machine to test all kinds of flap discs. We've tested over 50 flap discs to prove it. A video series is available on our YouTube channel. This machine has a 12" coupon drop onto the disc, and gravity does the rest. Same load, same conditions, every time. Let's see if 3M's claim is true: precision-shaped grain, curved sides that keep fracturing into fresh, sharp points instead of dulling. Let's get testing. Full video out now on our YouTube channel. Try our combo disc, discovery pack, and sample all the best flap discs out there from our website, available only at Fireballtool.com #fireballtool #tools #3M #flapdisc #grinding #sanding #metalworking #data #abrasives #testing #machine

▶

▶ 47K ❤ 0 💬 0

Want to build your own belt grinder? In 2019, you guys saw me build the original go-kart belt grinder. Today, I'm building a smaller, lighter version of this belt grinder. To start, I make the three-bolt flange from 4" x 1/2" flat bar. I mark it, drill it, cut it on my 100-year-old Marvel bandsaw, and finish it on the original Go Kart grinder, all in under 15 minutes on the 24"x30" Fireball Pro table kit. Next, this flange becomes the template for the platen. Plans for this DIY go-kart belt grinder are available at Fireballtool.com #fireballtool#tools#grinding#metalworking#gokart #fabrication#diy #diyproject #sanding