Project #6 from Trip - Multi-grinder baseplate mounting system

So I decided to step back from the architectural piece and practice on some of the same stock, easy, since I always overbuy by 30%.

I had a 6" bench grinder and bought a stand from Sears a few years back. It took up some floorspace, but was easier than dealing with it on the workbench. A few months back I added a 4x36" belt/6" disk grinder and had no place to put it. It fit on the stand, so I put a shelf in the middle and moved the bench grinder to the shelf.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5...B02362D8EF.JPG

No easy way to bolt it down, so I threw a cargo strap over it since I had work to do. It moved a bit and the grinder had no easy way to strap it down. I had to bolt and unbolt each time.

I decided to use the cut-offs from the other project to practice on something where appearance wasn't a major factor

I mitered 4 pieces to make a box 6 1/2" by 5 1/2" out of 3/4" square tube. Mitered because that's how the other project's outer frame is (this is practice too remember)

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6...6769D5E5EE.JPG

One for the grinder, above, one for the belt grinder

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-I...3B1754932D.JPG

Tacked up

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7...B5C4515FD4.JPG

Ground the miter to a V half the thickness of the 16ga, set the welder to 3 and about 65 for feed rate. Lowered the crown a bit, cut up a test piece and had solid penetration (couldn't get a pic) but there was still a bunch of grinding to do

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-h...D4109D6AE4.JPG


Welded up and checking the fit, trying to decide how to mount it to the grinder

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s...43F9EA7C3D.JPG

Cut and fit a cross piece, drilled two holes to fit the stand slots. The piece it's sitting on is just to hold it off the table

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-e...A0E319F09E.JPG

Hate welding small round pieces... come out like ####e, can't seem to get the torch around in the tight curves. 3/8" bolts in this situation.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-B...E82ED02229.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-z...0793998661.JPG

Unfortunately, with the back problems I have, I was lucky to get 5 hours in yesterday and 6 today. I'm paying for it now... Hopefully I'll be able to get out there and wrap it up next weekend. Next steps are drilling the small base and adding the bolts, determining how to bolt the grinders to the bases, sanding and painting.

I don't know if you can see it in the pics, but the bolts are 3/8" and have wing-nuts to go on the bottoms... I plan to weld washers to them so I don't have washers to fall off when I unbolt them. The plywood shelf will have matching holes for each so I can bolt either down in either position