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Nova aluminum 2x72 grinder with flat-platen tool arm and abrasive belt, three-quarter view, on black with a purple glow

Drive wheels

Aluminum drive wheels for 2x72 grinders.

The drive wheel is the cheapest lever you have on belt speed. Diameter sets surface feet per minute at a given motor RPM, so a wheel swap changes how the machine cuts without touching the motor or the VFD. I machine both sizes from aluminum with a keyed 5/8-inch bore for a standard 56C shaft.

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Everything in drive wheels

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The build quality is very high and it tracks dead straight in forward and reverse without any adjustments between the two.…

Read the whole review by Reuben FlaxShow the short version of Reuben Flax’s review

Just tested my new machine this morning and everything works perfectly straight out of the box. The build quality is very high and it tracks dead straight in forward and reverse without any adjustments between the two. Fantastic!

Would definitely recommend the torus for anyone making knives or grinding on metal.

5 out of 5 starsReuben FlaxGoogle review by Reuben Flax (opens in a new tab)

What matters here

Why it is built this way

  • 4-inch: control

    Slower belt, more torque. Right for sharpening, finish work and stainless. It is what ships on every Torus.

  • 7-inch: removal

    Roughly 75% more belt speed for fast profiling and heavy stock removal on big work.

  • Keyed 5/8-inch bore

    Machined for a standard 56C motor shaft and 2-inch wide belts, so it fits the motors I sell and most others.

Same motor, two belt speeds

Each turn pulls pi times the wheel's diameter of belt past the platen, so at the same RPM the 7-inch wheel runs the belt 1.75 times as fast as the 4-inch.

Torque or speed. Your call.

  • 4-inch drive wheelSlower belt speed and more torque. Better control for sharpening, finishing and tough steels, and less likely to bog when you lean in. This is the wheel that ships on every Torus grinder.
  • 7-inch drive wheelFaster belt speed for rapid stock removal on big blades and heavy shaping. It may bog under a heavy load with a smaller motor, and it gives up some fine control.
  • Keyed 5/8-inch bore
  • TechTop TEFC 3,600 RPM 56C face-mount motor

Belt speed (SFPM) = (pi x drive wheel diameter in inches x effective RPM) / 12

4-inch for torque and control, 7-inch for about 75% more belt speed. Both keyed 5/8-inch.

Assumes the drive wheel runs straight off the motor shaft at 1:1. Step pulleys or a gearbox shift the answer by their ratio.

Values marked on the figure: SFPM; SFPM; RPM.

Both diameters, cut and bored on my HAAS: 4-inch for control, 7-inch for speed.

Questions

Before you order

Read shipping and returns
Can I run both?

Plenty of people do. Keep the 4-inch on the machine for daily work and swap the 7-inch on when you have a stack of profiling to get through. It is a few minutes with a wrench.

Will it fit my motor?

If your motor has a 5/8-inch keyed shaft, which is standard on 56C frame motors including every package I sell, yes. Email me if you are running something else and I will check.

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A Torus Classic 2x72 on the test stand with the belt on and tracking, motor and VFD wired up

Change the cut

Pick the wheel for the work.

Tell me what you grind most and I will tell you which diameter to run, and whether a wheel swap or a VFD change is the better answer.

Ask Rich a questionRun the belt speed calculator