Buying belt sander, need advice

KeithAM

KeithAM

Joined
Dec 15, 2003
Messages
3,154
I plan to buy the $39 belt sander from Harbor Freight.

I've done a search and read several threads on belt sanders. However, I still have some questions.

What grit would I use for general sharpening? I saw one well-known maker say 320-400 grit for general work. I'd like more comments.

Are there any books, tutorials or threads here with basic instructions on how to sharpen with a belt sander?

I saw links to Lee Valley as a source for belts -- are there other, better sources?

What works for you? I'd like to hear your hints and tips.

Get this -- my WIFE came up with the idea of getting a belt sander. Since its faster, I won't spend so much time with the benchstones and gadgets. Hmmm. Not too sure about that. She also thinks I could earn a little money on the side. She's great! :cool:
 
Go with the Lee Valley get a large selection. I wish I had more... Think about getting the leather belt as a power strop.

I to recommend using your crappiest knives to practice with.

I've tried edge up and edge down and prefer edge down.

Jerry Hossom has written a great bit about it. Give the search a try. I'm using his methods and they work for me.

Hope this helps.
 
I highly recommend mounting the 1"x30" on its back as I did in the image below. I use the 15 micron, 500 grit, 1200 grit, and leather belts.
sharpeningservice005yg4.jpg
 
I don't recommend running it on its back, but opinions vary. You can see the angle you're holding very nicely by looking down on the belt and blade from above. The dust can be neatly trapped in a water bucket below the sander, and the water can do double duty to keep your blade cool as your sand.

Life is simpler if you get rid of the safety shields as well. Leave the platen in place since it provides some stiffening of the belt for the slack area between the idler wheel at the top and the platen. By moving the edge near or away from the platen area you can adjust the amount of slack/deflection in the belt.

The grits you use will depend on how much reprofiling you need/want to do. For sharpening edges in fairly good condition, what WhitleyStu recommended is good. If you need to reprofile some edges, get 120 and 320 grit belts as well. A couple in each grit will last you a VERY long time.

Practice with a couple cheap kitchen knives. Try to hold about a 15 degree angle. You'll be amazed at how well you do in a very short time.

BTW, your wife's a gem. Smart too...
 
Jerry, do you recommend using both sides of the leather belt with different compoumds, or separate belts for different compounds?

Presently, I am using .5 micron CrO on the smooth side of the belt. I would also like to use 6 micron, and I wonder if I need another leather belt, of if it would be okay to use the 6 micron on the "rough" side of the current belt.:confused:

Thanks!:)

Ben
 
I never tried using the back side of the belt. Don't know why it wouldn't work, but my intincts say no only because of the likelihood of contaminating the fine polish side. For $15 I'd probably get another belt.
 
Where do you find 500 grit and 1200 grit? I am on the Lee Valley site and the finest I see in one inch is 320 grit???
 
I would get 2 belts for different grits, 2 reasons, one the belt will get contaminated and CrO is a very very fine and sensative grit, a few 6 micron grits sticking out will leave gauges in the edge. Reason two the belt is thick so if you run it inside out it could tear with the added pressure, like turning a belt from your car inside out the inside has less circumference so it will get tight and the inside will bunch up.
 
Thanks Jerry. Do you sharpen above the platten or on it?

I have always used diamond "stones" but this sure looks a lot easier and faster.

Is the HF sander of good enough build to hold up and sharpen well or should I be looking at higher cost sanders to get a razor sharp edge?

It is very good of you to help out with these questions and I really do appreciate the help.
 
Redrummd,
I have been using the HF belt sander with a leather belt for stropping for over a year and it still is OK, but I have two other belt sander/grinders for heavier work. If you keep the two ideler wheel shafts oiled you will get your $39 out of this machine. I would suggeat a bigger machine (any) for doing much more than just light sharpening/stropping...
 
Just above the platen the belt will be a little stiffer. I'd sharpen there. I use a different system, but I have an HF I use to demonstrate sharpening to folks and that's where I do my work. You don't want too much flex in the belt. It will round the edge more than you want. Remember, too much pressure will also increase the flex as well as overheat the blade. Keep a light touch, especially as you're learning. Avoid the platen itself for sharpening.

I can't tell you how long an HF lasts. About every other demo I give mine away. I've not heard a lot of complaining about them though and in the knife crowd that's a pretty good sign. Anything better costs a lot more and probably not worth it.

Glad to help out.
 
WhitleyStu makes a good point. The HF is not for heavy duty use. If you want to reprofile an edge don't use force. Start with a coarser belt, apply light pressure and let the abrasive do the work. Like any tool, treat it with respect and it'll serve you well. Frankly, it's a great machine for the price, and it's a great sharpening system at any price.
 
I've been using HF's belt sander for nearly a year now, along with Lee Valley's mylar-backed 3M belts and Surgi-Sharp's leather belts. I also use HandAmerican's fine-grit polishing pastes with the leathers. I built a mount for the sander out of scrap wood that gives the belt a 15 degree angle off-horizontal at the platen. All of those plastic guards went into a box, by the way.

Hold your knife horizontal, and you get a 15 degree edge bevel. Tilt the spine of the blade a few degrees up for steeper bevels, down to radius-blend the edge. Drop the platen if you want a convex bevel. The only real problem happens on smaller and thin-bladed knives. You need a *light* touch and frequent plunges into a water bucket to avoid burning the edges, especially with coarser-grit belts.

Finish with a power strop on the leathers and you've got really scary sharp.

Edge maintenance rarely requires more than a couple of passes with a leather charged with half-micron paste.
 
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