Optimum speed for a linisher belt?

I purchased a beautifully made linisher some 35 years ago! It doesn't have a stand or motor.

I have sourced a new 1/3 HP two pole motor and I have a frame from the scrap box, so all I need is a switch, belt, 2 pulleys and a guard.

So my query is what should be the optimum speed of a linisher belt? Knowing this, I can source the correct pulley ratio that is needed. Feet per second is the desired quantity or indeed metres per second!

Thanks in advance,

Andrew.

3M reckon around 20 to 25 m/s, say 3,500 to 4,500 ft / min in round numbers, for theirs but they claim much better abrasive performance than other makes.

RJH give 6.5 m/s, 1,200 ft / min in round numbers as the belt speed for their Antelope band facers. As I recall matters their simple flat style bench mount linishers used a 1:1 pulley drive with a 1,440 rpm motor. Not sure on roller diameter. Probably 3 1/2" or 4" so 1,300 to 1,500 ft / min.

Picador used to recommend a 1:1 pulley driver ratio when using a 1,440 rpm motor on their machines whose roller diameter was around 3" if I recall correctly. Comes out to around 1,130 ft/min. 1:1 drive worked fine for me on my Picador.

So somewhere around 1,000 to 1,500 ft/min should work OK. Given the choice I'd go towards the low end.

Clive.

I imagine the best belt speed varies with the job material and the type of abrasive.

I do have the luxury of my linisher being driven by a variable speed motor and do frequently adjust the speed to suit what I am doing. At low speed with say, a fine belt its possible to get a part to a precise shape or thickness and keep the surface flat and square.

You can probably do a quick calculation of what ready built linishers operate at just by seeing the motor speed rating plate and guestimating the pulley diameter.

IanP

Hello Ian,

I don't have the luxury of a variable speed motor, so I am stuck with what I have, a 2 pole 2880 rpm motor!

Thanks Clive, sounds as if I should go with around 1250 feet per minute. Now to go and find the diameter of the rollers!

Thanks all,

Andrew.

not sure of the surface speed, but a belt sander is avialable to attach to a bench grinder(6" or 8", right hand wheel side. Can't remember the size of the driving drum if that matters, could be around 75 mm.

Ian S C

Industrial linishers were generally or very close to 1:1, using 3000 (2850) rpm motors. Wheels generally around 10".

I have a Warco BDS460 belt sander / linisher. The motor runs at 2850rpm and drives a 60mm dia roller at 1:1

I dug out my old calculator and worked out that this is a belt surface speed of about 9m/s or roughly 1800ft/min

John

Thanks everyone,

I should have enough info now, great helpful bunch on this forum!

Andrew.

Our work linishers have 2 speed 3 phase motors directly driving 200mm drums with a small degree of crowning. I have not looked at the motor speeds.

Martin C

I have checked the (Marpol) manual for an industrial linisher and it has speeds of 16.5 and 33 metres per second using a 3.37 kW motor running at 1400 and 2800 rpm.

Martin C