Building a belt sander

[me2]

Has anyone made a cheap belt sander? I was thinking of trying it for finishing and sharpening. I'm thinking of something like in Wayne Goddard's $50 knife shop.

 

[Daniel Koster]

If you just want it for sharpening and the ocassional clean-up work, get a 1x30 from Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfreight.com

Usually about $40 and sometimes with free shipping.

Just IMHO.

Dan

 

[me2]

Wow. I never knew they had stuff so cheap. All I could ever find before were the ones with the sander on the side. They were much more expesive. Does anyone know where to get finer belts for the 1x30 sanders. All I can find are 120 and lower. Somehow, I had fallen under the impression they didnt have good stuff. This seems like just what I need. Thanks Pendentive.

 

[TOB9595]

From Dan's post the 1x30 @ Harbor is $30 now.
The finest grade I found is 320 grit Here
Tom

 

[peter nap]

320 is also the finest grit I've found. It's a handy little machine for very small jobs. I have one that's a dedicated slack belt grinder. I replaced the motor with an old dc motor so I could slow it down.

 

[SAK]

I see that Harbor Freight has two different 1” x 30” sanders (38300-VGA and 2485-1VGA). The 38300 was $40 and is on sale now for $30. The standard price for the 2485 is $30. Therefore you would think the 38300 would be better. However, the 2485 has a slightly larger motor (if the ratings are to be believed).

Anyone have any other details on these?

Thanks,
--SAK

 

[Terry_Dodson]

i think i saw this either on Don Foggs site or Primal fires, i cant remember which, but it says they have 400 grit for the 1x30:
http://www.econabrasives.com/index....Category_Code=Belts_StandardSizeAbrasiveBelts

 

[Walt2]

Check these out. They have 1"x30" to 320 and then to a 15 micron silicone carbide and also have 1"X30" leather honing belts.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?sid=&currency=2&page=48040&category=1,43072

 

[Daniel Koster]

Klingspor belts at Pop's from 60 to 600:

http://www.popsknifesupplies.com/klingspor130.html


Tru-Grit says they carry 1x30:

http://www.trugrit.com/price.htm


Super Grit has Silicon Carbide from 220 to 600:

http://myshoppersguide.com/webstore...05412571&Store_id=109&page_id=23&Item_ID=1057


Discount Abrasives has 1x30 belts and is IMO the least expensive supplier:

http://www.geocities.com/discount_abrasives/index.html

You'll have to email to get the grits and styles available.


Best of luck!

 

[Daniel Koster]

If you can only afford one belt for your sander for sharpening purposes: get the leather belt at Lee Valley Tools (see Walt2's link).

It's worth every penny!!!

Makes sharpening a snap.

 

[TOB9595]

Looks like the 2485 is belt driven. This is good.
The other is direct drive.

Can anyone refresh this old memory about 110 v motors and rheostats or motor speed controls?
Can you put a speed control on a 110 motor?
Tom

 

[me2]

So the belt driven one is better? I guess this means you can replace the motor if something happens to it. I found the belts at Super Grit. The seem reasonable. Are the cork belts better than the SiC belts? They have them in the same grits.