Harbour Freight 1" x 30" belt sander: initial impressions and questions

i got two motors which are bought new that have this heat problem. does it mean that they are of inferior quality? They are made in china or taiwan. :grumpy:
 
gustav said:
does the HF motor get hot after 10 -15 mins of sanding?

My 4" x 36 belt sander gets very hot. Too hot to place hand on motor after 15 mins.

No idea if its normal.
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Just a thought for your 4x36:
Take the belt off, so that the motor only has to overcome its own internal friction, or perhaps a binding pulley like me2 described. Turn the motor on, let it come up to speed, then shut it down. If it comes up to speed sluggishly and stops quickly, it's almost certainly a friction problem. The armature has quite a bit of inertia. You might have shorted windings, but that's unlikely unless you've really cooked the thing.

My first HF had a terrible binding problem between the fan and the motor shroud. After fixing it, I still notice a difference in the spin-down time with my second unit. Still works fine, though.
 
gustav said:
i got two motors which are bought new that have this problem? does it mean that they are of inferior quality? They are made of china. :grumpy:
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China's quality can be variable, but you'll usually see problems quickly. Call it infant mortality from bad manufacturing or just bad design. After a short while, if things are OK, you're pretty safe.
 
thanks I will try what you suggested. If i am not mistaken, its sluggish to start and move and stops quickly. Doesnt seem to have a come up to speed stage. Its not so smooth that it has a noticable running speed.

Maybe the motor hasnt run in yet. Used less than 45mins in total. or the pulley is exerting too much pressure on the drive wheel. Will remove the belt to find out.
 
Most AC motor types don't have much low speed torque, but once they spin up to a certain speed, they quickly accelerate to a stable smooth final speed.
 
I stopped using the leather belt and loaded up my used 1000 grit with green polishing compound. I really believe that I am getting a better sharper edge,. I think the flapping of the leather belt prevented me from optimizing my edge,
 
PCRKnives said:
I stopped using the leather belt and loaded up my used 1000 grit with green polishing compound. I really believe that I am getting a better sharper edge,. I think the flapping of the leather belt prevented me from optimizing my edge,
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I believe Thom Brogan did the same thing.

Thom?? You out there?? How did it work for you??

I'm thinking of trying it as well. I'm currently trying cork belts, but having the same problem as with the leather.
 
I sharpend a big blade last night and was surprized how sharp it really got. The 1000 grit runs true on the wheel and has enought flex to follow a curve the edge for a slight convex cutting edge. this was 3/16 O1.

Bear026.jpg
 
Exactly what problem are you having with the leather belt? Are we speaking of 1 x 30, 1 x 42 or 2 x 72?

A worn or plain cloth belt works OK, but it's really hard to beat leather for a final finish in me experience.
 
Its a 1 x 30 leather belt, It seems to have streched to where it flapps when you press the knife against it. It was never very good, but after just a few uses it really cannot be used. I can also see that it is only contacting the knife in the middle of the belt. The 1000 grit is a fiber backed and the whole width presses against the blade.
 
Ben Dover said:
Thom?? You out there??
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That's an accusation I hear daily. :(

After a brief learning curve, the worn belt w/compound worked fine. My leather belt always flopped/flapped, but it also gave me my first 'tree-topping' edges until I stretched out the belt (tip: Do no change compounds on your belt - the clean up will stretch it out). Anyways, the worn-out SiC belt loaded w/0.5 micron CrO/AO works great.
 
I will have to compare the leather to the 1000 micron, I am starting new batch of A2 hunters which will give me similar knives to make a comparison. I did get a good edge with the leather but really did not like the flapping, the 1000 micron I got a really good edge on the thick knife (0.020) but I dont have a way to compare to others. The hunters will be more like 0.015 which will be a better slicer. I will try both but unless the leather really makes a difference I would rather work with the other belt.
 
Jerry Hossom said:
Let me suggest a couple things. Fresh coarse belts can be problematic when doing fine work. There are actually two problems. The edges tend to cut more aggressively than the middle so they can cut into an edge before you know it. Use a rock or better yet a piece of brick to break the edge of the belt before you use it. Just hold it against the edge of the belt for a short while as it's running. Secondly, you can use a piece of mild steel or something similar to break off the coarsest parts of the abrasive across the belt. Just a light touch of a mild steel bar (Home Depot sells mild steel bar stock) held across the belt for a couple turns tames the beast quite a bit and makes that initial sharpening pass a lot less dicey.

I usually keep some well used belts around for just that sort of thing. I also have a wheel dressing stone (used to flatten grinding wheels that I think I got from Brownells) for breaking the edges of fresh belts when I'm working on smaller blades.
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I tried out your advice this morning on a Shun Elite 8" Chef's knife in SG-2 steel (after a practice run on some junk). Your comments on the edge aggressiveness were dead right. Most ironic was that this was a 40 micron belt (320 grit) that was already moderately worn in the center. The edges were still quite fresh. This seems to be an artifact of the HF when you work off-platen.

I did have some qualms about the very tip of the Shun getting too hot, when I saw some light discoloration going back about .05". My solution was a very gentle reprofile to remove the suspect metal. I got a smoother belly curve in the process ... the factory grind was a bit imperfect.

BTW: For you stroppers, I find that the full convex blended bevel, I mentioned earlier in the thread, makes it much easier to polish the edge without rounding. The leather belt presses on a larger area when it doesn't have to deal with a corner where the bevel starts. Drop the platen and it just naturally takes on the right curve..
 
The top roller of the HF is convex to get better tracking, this may fold the belt after time. The backing on the 1000 grit seem to ride better and flex less. I would only use worn belts and like you said need to watch the edge of the belt.
Thanks
 
As you may recall, when I first used the leather belt, I found it merely dulled edges, and that was after trying shallow angles and a soft touch. I was using the the leather belt smooth side out, charged with chromium oxide.

About a week ago I decided I would try the leather belt rough side out. I charged it with chromium oxide and went to work. The results have been fanstastic. It puts a hair-splitting edge on any knife after one or two passes per side. (Note: the knives I stropped in this manner were already sharp and finished with 1200-2000 grit.)

Why did it work with the rough side but not the smooth side? You tell me! :confused:
 
The idea in using the rough side is that it holds the compound better, i use the smooth side. I spray with WD40 and then charge with green and it holds better. When I have had problems getting a sharpe edge is when the steel is really tough and I have not been patient enough to get a good burr. with really hard steel it sometime takes quite a bit of work.

I also cut the leather belt apart and cut about 1/2" from the lenght and reglued to get a better fit and it runs much better now. Make sure you dont leave the leather belt of the machine once you are done or it will strech.
 
Patrickknives said:
The idea in using the rough side is that it holds the compound better, i use the smooth side. I spray with WD40 and then charge with green and it holds better.
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My method is to take a stick of Lee Valley chromium oxide and dip it in mineral oil, then rub it onto the leather. II then further work it in with my fingers. It worked for both the smooth and rough sides.
 
The instructions that are enclosed with my leather belts (surgi-sharp brand) indicate that it is normally intended to be used rough side out, yeah, smooth side out is an option, but I have had much better results rough side out.
 
I have sharpened any kniives on my harbor freight 1x30. Perfect is all I can say.
 
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