Disc sander for wa handles

C

comet_sharp

Joined
Aug 22, 2016
Messages
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Hey guys,
I have been and will be making a lot of wa style handles for all the knives I do. I have been spending a ton of time getting everything flat with sandpaper/granite. I'll get close to flat on my 2x72 and finish on the granite plate. I'm on the fence to buy a cheap disc/belt sander combo with a 6-9" disc just for flattening wood handle blocks. Been thinking about the old 12" grizzly disc as well but do not want to pay for the 12" sandpaper. Would it save a drastic amount of time from the hand flattening? Will a cheap disc sander burn my wood as quickly as my old HF 1x30? I'll most likely get a nice vfd disc for blades later on but I'm still recovering from the 2x72 funds.
Thanks,
-Trey
 
Get a reversible 3/4HP motor and a 9" disc. That will use regular sandpaper and can be reversed at the flip of the switch. Even better is a 3/4-1HP 3 phase motor and a VFR=D. That works really well for handle sanding where you can accidentally burn the wood if running too fast. A VS disc sander is the second most used tool in many makers shops. The VFD allows speed reduction and rotation reversal.

BTW, A disc sander is one of those tools that can be built from a trashed treadmill or an open frame motor. A galvanized garbage can turned upside down, or an old 55 gallon oil drum can be used as a "cabinet and stand" to keep the motor away from grit and metal dust.
 
I use a 12" Jet disc sander more than any other machine for making Wa handles....it is heavy and runs true. Another benefit over some of the cheaper models is a good cast iron table that has positive stops at 90 & 45 degrees and is precisely adjustable. It isn't the cheapest sander, but I would buy another without hesitation.
 
Thanks for the responses. In the future I'll either put a motor on the Trugrit disc sander or make one from a tredmill as Stacy suggested. In the meantime I'm looking for something under $200 just for cutting down on the time I spend making wa handles. Leaning more toward the 12" grizzly disc sander as it seems to spin slower than the 4x36"/6" combo sanders. Will be for wood only as I am starting to separate my wood and metal tools to opposite walls in the shop. I'd also like to order a height gauge from grizzly so I'm leaning more toward only paying shipping once ;). If I get a combo belt/disc sander I was probably just going to grab a cheap WEN or something from Home Depot but after my experience with the HF 1x30 speed scares me.
 
I have a HF 1x30 + 5 inch, and just made a wa handle on it a couple days ago. Remember that you can only use a certain portion of the disc at a time, mine was way too small and the up-moving side grabbed the handle and scarred it.

And that was paring knife size, I can't even imagine trying to make a full sized handle on it. Get the 12"
 
It took me a while to get a VS disc in the shop, before that I had the Jet disc sander. One operation a do a lot is squaring up thinning out scales--the non-variable speed Jet became the tool that bit me more than any other--even after I went to two sided tape to hold onto the scales--it also simply ran to fast for my use--I ended up buying a tru grit put together by Jose at Pheer--I love it and from my experience I would highly recommend VS.

My disc rarely bites me any more, and is in fact one of the most used tools in my shop.
 
I ended up getting a 12" shopfox disc at a local family owned shop. I set it up last night, the table is precision groound and i used a speedsquare to get a true 90 on it. Flattened a 2x2x2" piece of blackwood for a bolster/ferruleon it last night and it worked perfectly. I buy my wood from a local guy who collects/sells exotic wood and cut/square up wa handle blocks from his turning wood supply. So far happy with the purchase, will use it more later this week. Will eventually get a trugrit disc but being I make primarily kitchen knives I might get a rotary platen first..either way lucked out and cut 4 wa hamdles off a block of curly koa he sold me for $8!
 
If you want the top of the disc sanders in 9" size you want the Rod Neilsen machine. It can be set up with variable speed but almost as important it has a magnetic disc set up so that you can have different grits without having to replace a partly worn one . It is more expensive of course but far more versatile.
Frank
 
I run 3 VS reversing discs at the moment. When I look back at years of running
junk machines, being bit all the time , and paying times 2 or more for abrasives I'm
very happy with what my 9's will do - and that does include blade grinding.
Ken
 
I use my 12" grizzly for making Wa handles and it is definitely a time saver. I just keep an 80 grit disc on it and do the rough shaping and bevels. Removes wood quickly and no burning. Disk lasts a long time. Pretty simple to then sand it by hand on a granite block to the finish I need.
 
eBay Cheap Chinese VFD $80-150
Surplus 3ph motor $60
9" disc from K&G. $81
Bolt the whole thing to a flat plate or the bench top and be done with it. Reverse and variable speed is a MUST.
 
For when you switch to the other side of the disk if you don't reverse it then it's shooting sparks and crap up into your face.
 
boy&hisdogs said:
Variable speed I understand, but why reverse?
Click to expand...

Depending on what side of the knife you work on, you ma be off the left side, or the right side.


Reversing allows you to run the disc so no matter which side you work on, the disc is pulling down to the table.
 
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