1x30 Harbor Freight Belt sander

I

Inthewind

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Nov 5, 2012
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Ive made a few knives so far but i keep going through belts faster than i think i should. The knives are made from old pitted saw blades so their already hardened. Ive got a harbor freight 1x30 belt sander and have been using aluminum oxide belts. Ive heard that ceramic belts dont work very well unless you use a lot of pressure (my belt sander cant take alot of pressure). So my question is this. Should i shell out the cash for the ceramic belts or keep going through the aluminum oxide ones?
 
I agree on getting virgin steel. Also you could rough in your grind with a 4.5" angle grinder, then use your little 1x30 to refine and polish. Ceramic belts are worth the money to me as well. Why don't you buy one and try it?
 
Save a few pennies and get a sears 2x42 grinder. That Harbor freight grinder is what it is.
 
I dont have the equipment to anneal and re-harden the saw blades. I use an angle grinder to rough out the shape and use the sander for thinning down the edge only for the most part. As for the virgin steel, once i buy it i dont have the cash for heat treating individual blades (or anything really, hence using the sawblades;)) at $20 a pop, and personally i love the gritty look of the old pitted saw blade steel.

I was just wondering if the ceramic belts would be worth the cost with only a 1x30 harbor freight belt sander.

p.s. The saw blade is from my grandparents farm, so the knives already have sentimental value.
 
I would just order one or two good belts like a 3M ceramic or a Norton. I wouldn't get anything courser than an 80 grit and don't bog down your grinder. I think that it would be a big improvement over the cheap belts. I would probably order 1 of each and decide which one I like the best. I think you will be impressed with the improvement.
 
The blue zirconia belts help a lot even if the sander doesn't have the power to bear down. When those belts start to get dull, freshen them by running a small sharp piece of hardened steel across them.
 
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