“Remember, safety goggles may make you look cool, but they are also an important part of safety.”

— Hank Hill

Safety Prerequisites

  • When assembling the machine, follow all appropriate safety procedures relevant to your tools and techniques.

  • Read the manual before assembly and use.

  • Follow the pre-flight checks outlined in the manual, double check your work, and take extra precautions on the first test.

  • Ensure any electrical work is done in accordance with your local regulations.

  • Ensure the workpiece is secure and will not cause damage if caught and thrown by the belt.

  • Always wear eye protection when using the machine.

  • Always wear hearing protection when using the machine.

  • Always wear breathing protection when using the machine.

  • Beware of the risk of fire caused by hot sparks. Ensure any dust extraction system is suitable for metal sparks and is not also used for wood or aluminium (a metal water bucket on the included hanger is recommended).

  • Beware of the risk of handling hot parts.

  • Beware of the exposed belt, particularly the risk of crushing in the gap between the table and platen, and around the wheels. Tie back long hair, secure loose clothing, avoid gloves near the belt.

  • Eye protection must be worn at all times. We recommend eye protection with a 'B' impact resistance rating under EN166. For comfort and full face protection, we recommend the use of a polycarbonate visor. The main risks are from sparks, abrasive fragments or broken chips from the part being ground. If you're building this, you like making things- please look after your eyes, and make PPE easily available to reduce the temptation of the infamous 'quick job'. At some point, a belt will break, and you will be much happier to be behind a face visor!

  • Breathing protection must be worn at all times. Especially so in poorly ventilated areas. A dusk mask can help, but we recommend a respirator fitted with P3 filters per EN 143. Respirators are more comfortable, and offer better protection than a disposable mask. Air-fed respirators can be excellent for reducing fog and increasing comfort. Please check the website for news on the upcoming open-source air-fed respirator.

  • Hearing protection must be worn at all times. While quieter than many other machines, prolonged use without hearing protection can not only lead to hearing loss, but it is also uncomfortable. We recommend hearing protection with an SNR of at least 30dB such as the 3M Optime II or III. Combined visor-hearing protection units such as the 3M G500 are very useful. You can also use a safety helmet as a 'chassis' to mount a visor and hearing protection to.

    Noise levels vary depending on the belt, speed, choice of motor, and correct construction. As such, we always recommend using it as a precaution. However, our testing revealed that under typical use cases, noise levels remained below the threshold stipulated by the HSE which would require hearing protection when exposed for several hours. If you don’t wish to use hearing protection, we encourage you to perform your own risk assessment for your particular machine configuration.

  • Exposed lengths of belt make a belt grinder a versatile tool, but is also a potential hazard. Beware of the risk of pinching around wheels, particularly between the inside of the belt and the wheel. You must keep the gap between the table and belt as small as possible, particularly with small workpieces, to prevent the risk of it being pulled into the gap.

    If the workpiece is caught in any way unexpectedly, DO NOT attempt to grab it. Hit the emergency stop immediately. If you're working around sharp objects, the habit of grabbing the things you drop is a good one to lose. Tie back long hair and secure loose clothes. We do not recommend you wear gloves, but if you do, be extra vigilant of all pinch points.

  • The kits provided for electrical wiring are provided as-is with no guarantee of suitability for your particular region or work environment. It is up to you to ensure the equipment supplied is suitable for your application. The wiring parts provided are 'overrated' for UK standards, and are supplied to satisfy the requirements in as many countries as possible in typical workshop environments. I have included technical details, on the website.

    You will be working with mains electricity which can kill.

    The documentation provided shows wiring guides for these kits, or instructions from the original manufacturer, these is not to be considered a step-by-step wiring guide, this is general wiring information made available to the qualified person performing the installation.