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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    103

    Default Angle grinder rack on a stand

    I'm on a roll. It's a turn accumulated crap occupying space into consolidated more useful lower footprint phase. Angle grinders are always in a pile, and a pain.

    I have a fairly fugly stand I got in an auction lot a few years ago. There was actually another two more solid height adjustable stands (which I also didn’t want) which have been useful a couple of times in the same lot. I can’t actually remember what item in the lot I wanted, it may have been a small made in New Zealand bar bender, but it was $30 the lot I do recall. It was a large engineering shop close down auction (another sad day for manufacturing in Oz), I had gone to buy the Harvey drill press (which I got for $150). Anyway this one is a few bits of pipe and offcuts slapped together and not wide enough to be safely usable except in desperation. Until now.


    angle_grinder_rack_stand_1.jpg


    I thought to myself, “self, I could turn it into an angle grinder stand!”. I have seen a number of utube vids with a bit of sheet metal with the semi-circular cutouts, and a variety of equivalents made of wood. They must have caught on, given the availability of commercial ones. I had a stand with a bit of 40mm angle iron across the top that I knocked up years ago, but it was never successful as while the Hitachi grinders just fit, Makita’s don’t have a enough clearance behind the wheel guard…

    Last week I had dug out an old junction box I had scored somewhere for nothing, and stripped it out, painted it, and now use it for the welding Helmut, face shield and assorted safety bits. The swing out hinge plate was surplus to requirements. Scrap in fact. But just the right thickness, and length as it turned out.

    Had some spare pipe clamps, and a cunning plan.


    Drilled out the rivets, and cut the sheet strip into 4 bits (conveniently just the right size) on the metal shear; another rescue from the late uncles factory. It will get a clean up some day.

    angle_grinder_rack_stand_2.jpg




    The Clamp plates are Aegi (Italy). I have a small supply lying around, as they are useful here and there. Come in a large range of sizes. These are 35mm.

    angle_grinder_rack_stand_3.jpg


    I marked the mounting hole locations, fitted a 6.5mm die and punch to the Whitney Punch (guess sourced from where), and went to town. It’s a hand held punch, but mounted in the vise in order to get a pic.



    angle_grinder_rack_stand_4.jpg
    angle_grinder_rack_stand_5.jpg
    angle_grinder_rack_stand_6.jpg




    plate and clamp assembly:
    angle_grinder_rack_stand_7.jpg



    A good result with two mounted. The plan was to mount 4 grinders, but couldn’t find more clamps of the right size. I did find one half, the rest are somewhere; pressed the half into temporary service. I ordered some more this morning. About $8 each.
    Two/Three up:

    angle_grinder_rack_stand_8.jpg
    angle_grinder_rack_stand_9.jpg




    I put some el cheapo castors (Aldi: $10 for 4) on it, that I had bought cos they seem potentially useful.

    angle_grinder_rack_stand_10.jpg

    I have a daggy Clipsal 4 plug safety switch I'll mount to the stand, so all 4 grinders can remain plugged in, and attach an extension cord to the safety switch fly lead when needed.

    A result. No more pile of grinders, I now have a petite plethora of grinders in close formation.




  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
    Posts
    5,942

    Default

    That's a great idea, I have mine mounted on a piece of sheet metal folded to a Z that's fitted to the side of my MIG welder, which at times is about 10 metres away from my torch, as I have a remote wire feeder fitted.
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Berowra Waters
    Posts
    149

    Default More pics

    Do a run around of your workspace, looks like you’ve got a heap of interesting storage and mobile ideas there.

  4. #4
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    7,182

    Default

    Really good idea but I wonder if the stand could use a bit more low down weight to improve stability?

    FWIW my angle grinders are all hung on a HD hooks on the outside of my welding booth/fume hood.
    They're also all plugged into their own OH GPOs which are left on.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    103

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    Really good idea but I wonder if the stand could use a bit more low down weight to improve stability?

    FWIW my angle grinders are all hung on a HD hooks on the outside of my welding booth/fume hood.
    They're also all plugged into their own OH GPOs which are left on.

    I had only moved it back and forth on the rubber mat and it was ok. I gave it a bit more of a vigorous challenge to verticality after your suggestion, and it would benefit from a lower centre of gravity - maybe I should wait for it to just get 50 years older?

    I have another lump that might do the job. It was another bit I saved from the scrap bin, but the downstream cost was it is a pain to move, and I have never thought of a good use for it. Except maybe as hydraulic press anvils (I have a press in the pipeline...)

    6x1" Inch bar, 3 bits c. 420mm long welded together. I'll have to sack truck it from the garage, up the steps to the workshop, and dismember it. It is probably not going to be a good fit to the base, but what the heck.

    inch_bar - 1.jpg

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
    Posts
    5,942

    Default

    I'd keep the flat bar and find something else, the flat bar will be used in you press, probably as a base for some form of tooling or modified with a V cut out of each, to allow shafts etc to be pressed off/on bearings. Latest edition of MEW has some ideas for tooling for the press.
    You need to put in a set of tracks down to the garage with a trolley and a winch, or a flying fox, to be able to bring the treasures up to the shed.
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    103

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore View Post
    I'd keep the flat bar and find something else, the flat bar will be used in you press, probably as a base for some form of tooling or modified with a V cut out of each, to allow shafts etc to be pressed off/on bearings. Latest edition of MEW has some ideas for tooling for the press.
    You need to put in a set of tracks down to the garage with a trolley and a winch, or a flying fox, to be able to bring the treasures up to the shed.
    Kryn
    Yes, I am of the same mind. One inch bar offcuts don't grow on trees. The third bit was destined to be V cut and used on the Arbor press.

    As for your 'set of tracks' idea, I had a year or two ago, decided to remodel the steps as a ramp, in order to roll things up/down more easily. I have a 3 phase vertical compressor stored in the garage that moving up those steps, would alone justify the ramp. A eyelet fixed to the shed corner post and winch...

    98495.jpg

    Was going to do it myself, and have a pile of second hand bricks accumulated, but lugging and barrowing dirt is currently not physically plausible/desirable. I had also considered getting a mate's brickie son to do it. It occurred to me on the weekend that he could probably do with the work currently. Things are ok at the mo it seems, but no new work looming, so have now lined him up to do it once the current work dries up.

    Picked up the additional 5 Aegi 35mm clamps I ordered Saturday, and wanted a couple of 40mm to mount a plate to the column, to mount the RCD switch to; no 40mm will 38mm do. Sigh. 45min that took to find the bits of the right size, rather than the mixed back of tricks the picker had picked. Will have to ream out the 38mm. Added the spares to my small collection.

    aegi_1.jpg
    aegi_2.jpg


    Mounted the remaining two plates:

    stand_1.jpg
    stand_2.jpg
    stand_3.jpg


    The cross head pipe piece is actually welded to a smaller pipe that fits down inside the 35mm column, so the head rotates. This is both a good thing, and a less than good thing, as fitting the RCD switch socket outlet fixed to the column, introduces twisting cables. A small but potentially annoying complication. Could mount it above I suppose and let it rotate with the cross head.

    I also have a rather neat stainless steel arrangement (from my laboratory/theatre days), that hasn't ever found a permanent 'home'.

    stand_4.jpg

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    103

    Default separating three bits of inch bar

    Three bits stitched together in a U, inside and out. Unfortunately just a bit narrow to get the angle grinder inside.

    three_inch_1.jpg

    three_inch_2.jpg

    Ground the outside welds through, then gave it some welly. I definitely need a bigger hammer/mallet.

    three_inch_3.jpg

    three_inch_4.jpg

    After a bit of restricted access grinding, had to resort to a hacksaw, to work through the three inside welds.

    three_inch_5.jpg


    Light at the end of the tunnel of sorts.
    three_inch_6.jpg

    one bit free at last.

    three_inch_7.jpg

    had to clamp the last two pieces to the weld bench, cut through the welds, and apply welly. Eventual success.

    three_inch_8.jpg

    three_inch_9.jpg

    Rotary wire brush, grind weld residuals, and wheel clean up.

    three_inch_10.jpg

    Loaded two bits onto the grinder stand base to see if stability was improved. It wasn't. It was actually worse. It felt as if the wheels were digging into the rubber mat. It has a small footprint after all. Maybe bigger diameter wheels would help. But it's not meant to be an all-terrain-grinder rack. It moves quite freely, with a bit of lean when moving fast; nature of the wee beastie.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    NSW
    Posts
    586

    Default

    I wonder how a ghetto carbon gouging rig might work-
    Stick electrode (or even a carbon if you can get one) and an air gun to blow the weld away.
    Any port in a storm. The hacksaw looks like Hard Yakka.

    Those clamps, also known as stauff clamps (another trade name). Every in the industrial pipework game. If you've been in labs/hopsitals/theatres, you'd known them well.

    My grinder rack is some 40x40 angle welded to the side of the work bench. It cups most of my grinders (and every grinder with a guard). If anyone is playing along at home, it might save a few fab steps with the sheet metal and cutouts and welding etc.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Southern Flinders Ranges
    Posts
    1,536

    Default

    Bonus points for the recycling. I have punch envy, I only have a #5

    I went on a similar pilgrimage of grinder organising a few weeks ago also..
    Attached Images Attached Images

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    103

    Default

    The plan was to keep all 4 grinders plugged into the Clipsal RCD outlet, but having to always loop the cables around the handles to avoid them dragging on the floor, and fouling the wheels was an minor, but mildly irritating issue. A mate added a top extension with small hooks, and he loops the cords up onto those. Thought of a slightly better idea.

    Put the RCD above, and just high enough that the longest cord misses the ground when the grinder is placed back on the rack. Just hang the grinder, the cord takes care of itself. One action, arm out to the right, hang grinder, done. I like it!

    The support for the RCD outlet, is screwed to the cross head, so it rotates with the cross head, no tangled cables here either.

    grinder_stand_1.jpg
    grinder_stand_2.jpg


    Might add some hooks on each side of the added SHS extension, to hang the respective pin spanner for each grinder. And there is room for additional hooks for spare wheels and discs.




    As for simple but effective hanging the grinders on angle iron on the side of the bench, my old stand for the last twenty years or so was an angle iron one.

    old_stand_1.jpg

    The problem was always that the Hitatchi 4" doesn't have enough clearance behind the guard, so they only ever tentatively sat on the edge of the angle. Occasionally falling off in the course of normal pfaffing around. And it only held 3, and then there were the cords...

    old_stand_2.jpg
    old_stand_3.jpg

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