Belt Grinder Help

D

djdawg

Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Messages
523
I recently bought an Edgemaster belt sander ? sharpener ........I seem to be holding a good angle and get a fairly sharp knife but only fairly.
Not good enough .........I read alot of threads here and I found one good one with alot of info , but cant seem to find it again........LOL
Iam just not happy with the final out come here , cant some one go over a few things I must be doing wrong or at least link me to the right thread ?
Just frustrated and thinking that I may just take the loss and go back to the edge pro , which was very good but just to slow.
Iam thinking that maybe there belts arent all that great and should maybe buy different ones .........there 30 inch , 120 - 600 - 800 - 1000 grit
Anyone willing to help. ?
 
Let me rephrase this .......... I can probably figure out what Iam doing wrong by just experimenting ...........
What I really need to know is what are the best belts one can get ???? Iam sure there not all the same.
And where to buy them ??
I need 30 inch and want the best.
 
Other than 12 inches ....... whats the difference between a 30 in. sander over the 42 in. sander ??
Way does it seem that most use a 42 in. sander ??
 
The Viel 1x42 I have runs at half the speed motor wise. IIRC that Edgemaster runs at 3400 RPM according to the website. What that equates to as far as belt speed I don't know. A bit fast for me. I needed versatility and portability. Plus I prefer to use it horizontally. The Viel met that criteria at 1750 RPM.

As fast as your grinder runs I'd look for ceramic belts to help with heat in the low grit. Maybe 3M Trizact belts in the higher grits.

Takes some time to get your technique down.

Really the key using the belt grinder is not to try do to much with it. Finish with a leather belt or something along those lines.
 
Thanks for your response ..............I was being ignored here for some reason.
Your right on the RPM,s ..............3400
I should go slower then I will .............I,ll get another
I wish I would of read that earlier , I never would have bought it.
Thank you for your help.
 
I have edge master belts. They work very well. Their shipping speed is fanominal too. Just remember to raise that burr and then remove it.
Edgemaster has some videos on YouTube you can check too.
I have been very happy with belts from Lee valley as well.
 
I didn't mean to imply that the higher RPM is a bad thing. I just prefer the lower RPM motors in general. A personal preference.

Keep at it at. I'm sure it will work out well for you.
 
Another thanks ............. I thought the lower RPM made sense to me.
I did get a blade warm but not so much as I couldnt hold it tightly.
I have seen alot of post about the Kalamazoo ........ and thought I should get one of those

I have been very happy with belts from Lee valley
Click to expand...
I,ll have to google this.
 
It would depend on your needs. I needed something I could use for a variety of tasks and was portable. I have a sharpening business so the 1 X 42 unit I purchased fit those needs. Like I said in the previous post all you need is a variety of belts to experiment with. Your good with the 1 X30 if it suits your needs. The same techniques are used regardless of the sander / grinder your using.
 
Thank you ....... more food for thought , I appreciate all answers. Thank you for patronizeing my newbie -ness .....LOL
I see your in San Ramon ........Iam in Gilroy , I,d like to see your machine sometime and mostly , your technique .
 
HD carries a line called "Diablo" belts. They ROCK !!! Are relatively inexpensive & last MUCH longer than anything HF sells.
 
Thanks .............that makes sense.
I ordered some belts last night from Lee Valley , there pacifically made for sharpening metal they say .........so they ought to be good ones.
Iam just gettin into this belt sharpening thing and theres so much I dont know and need to learn.
I figure when buying belts , you get what you pay for. , then again , I really dont have a clue ..........LOL
 
Djdawg I hope you get it figured out to your satisfaction. I also use a 1x30 belt sharpener; but at much lower sfpm than what you're using. If your latest purchase of belts doesn't meet your expectations you may try some Zirconia belts in your course grits 120 or less. They help keep the heat down a little like a ceramic but are more friable (they break down and expose new grit more easily than ceramic). For you finer grits you may try silicon carbide or Norton Norax engineered abrasives in about a 45x (around 600 grit). Then go to your leather strop. Hope at helps.
 
Iam thinkin about a Kalamazoo belt sander .........it runs slower as you say.
I wish I would of did more research before buying this one (edgemaster)
 
It may have paid to do more research; but since you are already in it I'd recommend you give it your best shot to learn it. One thing I'd forgot to mention in my first post is to try coloring in the existing cutting edge bevels with a Sharpie marker before you start and between each grit to train yourself to make even passes. With the high-speed grinder you are using you will have to control your heat mostly with pressure; even light passes will be key to a satisfactory edge. The best abrasives may help you toward that goal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top