Recommendation? First belt sander

A

Arge3

Joined
Jan 22, 2019
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Hi, new to the forum. :)
Made my first knife a while ago with a cheap bench grinder and it was a very annoying experience using that thing. The knife turned out quite well and I really want to continue but I would like to buy a belt sander before making another one.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a relatively cheap beginner belt sander?
Possibly under about $300.
Making this a little bit more difficult I am currently living in the UAE and I haven't been able to find anything locally.
https://www.amazon.com/RIKON-Power-Tools-50-151-Sander/dp/B00WE6373A
I found this grinder on an online store here about $100 dollars over what it would cost for me to ship it from amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/POWERTEC-BD1030-1-Inch-30-Inch-Sander/dp/B01LWQ7UFY
And this one is about the same price here as it would cost me to ship it with amazon.
Will these even be able to grind through a piece of steel?
Thanks for the help :)
 
Lots of guys start with a 1x30. Probably better to get a 2x42. Either way, you can get quality belts from trugrit.com
 
plenty of people make knives with a 1x30". but it takes much longer, uses many belts, and the machine itself has issues such as a platen that will flex and bend from what i have heard. it makes things more difficult to do. welcome to the forum.
 
This is what I started with and while it is more expensive than a 1x30 I think you will appreciate the extra stability something like this machine will offer over one of the smaller units.

https://www.grainger.com/product/DAYTON-Belt-Disc-Sander-6Y945

As mentioned above there are a lot of great belts available for this size and it isn't quite as good as a 2x72 in terms of power but if you are patient and use good technique you can make very nice knives on a grinder like this.
 
I think the 2x42 is a good option to get you in the game for under $300. It's fast but with patience and good belts I think you could turn out a good product.

 
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Thanks guys :)
Ill probably look into buying a 2x42 to get started even though they are quite overpriced here.
Thank you for the help :)
 
The problem with cheap/small tools is that they work, and makes it harder to buy a more expensive better tool, and when you do then what do you do with the cheap/small tool?
 
One maker I know still uses a 2x42 even though his knives have sold for over $1000. There's a maker in one of the Scandinavian countries that does everything with hand tools only who puts out beautiful work. If you understand what you're doing and why you're doing it, then lots of times it just takes longer and requires a little more sweat on your part.
 
Rikon makes that same 1x30 with a variable speed drive. I wonder if that would be better due to the fact that it can be slowed down.
 
If i can make suggestion to combine a hand filing jig with a 1x30 sander. You will go through so many belts with a 1x30 grinding steel. I feel they are better used for handles and finish polishing on steel. A filing jig, also known as Gough Jig combined with some good files can remove a lot of metal and maintain nice flat bevels.
 
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