Mystery Spindly thing

Came free with a surface grinder.........A spindle of some description, spins very freely, but can't see how it would be used or driven ?

Any ideas folks ?

It looks like an idler for a flat belt. But that probably means that it's something else entirely!

At first glance it looks very similar, but not indentical, to the spindle cartridge for internal grinding on my Myford cylindrical grinder. The black "handle" on the left in the first picture is actually a slightly domed pulley to be driven by a flat belt, like this:

Does it have an rpm engraved on the body, from memory mine says 28800rpm.

Tomorrow evening I'll dig out the spindle and have a better look.

Andrew

Interesting Andrew, there was a cylindrical grinder and a blanchard grinder all close together, with bits and accessories from each thrown everywhere and anywhere.

Unfortunately they had all received a hideous coat of puke green gloss at some time in the past, so not easy to work out what bits belonged to which machine

There was much debate amongst the three purchasers about a casting with a flat base to bolt to a bed, and a bored clamp hole suspiciously similar in size to my mystery spindle.

It was decided it probably belonged with the cylindrical grinder. I found the spindle in a cupboard once i got my grinder home, so it now looks like it should have probably gone with the other machine.