Vintage grindstone build help.

[Tipi]

Hey guys, I have found what I believe is a small grind stone in a skip and want to restore it to use.
It has a square hole for the axel though. Does anyone know of any resources that can help me?

Need to build a frame and dress and true it to. But first step is the axle.

Thinking some box section steel perhaps and a bit of tube that fits though that and some bearings for it to spin on?

Alternatively maybe concrete in a tube or bar? - would be hard to get this central and square though!

Thoughts or links greatly appreciated

 

[Tipi]

Further digging I have found this forum. A few interesting bits of info.

Large treadle grindstone build

Raining all day today and tomorrow so I decided to build a large treadle grindstone. I have stone and hardware and been wanting to do this for a while. It’s going to be outside so it has to be pressure treated material. Will include a wheel so I can move it by myself and perhaps also a tractor se...

www.wheelhorseforum.com

 

[British Red]

Square makes sense because it anchors the wheel to the axle. Round wheel on a round axle will brake loose easily. A good wood turner could turn a round axle with a square centre easily enough. Failing that it should be easy enough to forge?

 

[Jared]

First thought was could use wedges to fix the wheel to a square axel, but seems the expansion of the wooden wedge could cause the wheel to explode.

Grindstone Shafts

I have 2 old grindstones - both are a similar sort of size diameter 16 -18 " width 12 - 14 " ( Ipresume this was a minimum useable size as you see many around Sheffiels of this size). They both appear to be a similar type of stone. However one has a round centre hole - I got this one from a site ...

www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk

 

[birchwood]

There is a stand on Marketplace with a broken stone.
Southampton area.

 

[birchwood]

There is a stand on Marketplace with a broken stone.
Southampton area. "Antique cast iron grinding wheel"

 

[FerlasDave]

Setting up a frame with a pushrod and treadle to turn the wheel would be fairly easy. The difficult part I think would be trueing you the face and re balancing the wheel.

 

[Tipi]

Ooh, I’ll have a look through market place. Thanks

Trueing and balancing I was planning on doing with an angle grinder and diamond wheel.

It was the axel but I wasn’t sure how to attack.

Thanks @British Red will have a think. Probably beyond my forging ability! Only know one turner and he’s miles away. So was trying to think of other solutions.

 

[demographic]

My father and one of my brothers set gate hinges into sandstone gate stoops using molten lead when I was a kid and I've just recently stuck a broken in two 92 inch high sandstone window mullian together with short lengths of twisted stainless steel and resin.
Out of those two techniques I reckon the resin would stick the square in with less risk of heating the sandstone too much.

 

[demographic]

Oh and if you put welded on endcaps on the square section, a round bar tgrough them then you can use pillow block bearings on either end to hold it on.

Something like that?

 

[Tipi]

Oh and if you put welded on endcaps on the square section, a round bar tgrough them then you can use pillow block bearings on either end to hold it on.

Something like that?

i think this will likley be my approach. might cement in the box section. cement being cheaper and safer than lead!

 

[Robson Valley]

Do the axle in wood with a slightly sloppy fit, possibly caulked with wool. Pegs to the sides.
Have you had a look-see for what might be displayed in your local and district museums?
Despite the dodgy origins of the pieces, the museums of British Columbia are the single most important repository of "olden days" things. Even the First Nations carvers here in the Pacific Northwest spend a lot of time drawing and photographing the old pieces.

 

[TLM]

If one puts "vanha tahko" to Google one gets pics of various arrangements. What I have seen most often is a wooden block in the central hole and a forged square section axle going through, wooden wedges used as needed.

Hmm. I have an old stone lying around somewhere in the corners at the cottage, have to look at it.

 

[Droidy]

A Star wheel dresser will help you to dress it flat once you have it mounted and driveable.
Or maybe use the side of an old diamond cutting disc (4") to smooth the surface while it's spinning.